Sorry newrider, this is not aimed at you specifically, but it's a real pet-peeve of mine when people say carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium, etc. is "stronger than steel"... That statement must be qualified with "pound-for-pound" somewhere. In the vast majority of cases a good steel is FAR stronger than other materials in a "size-for-size" comparison. For example a steel axle weighs in at (guessing) 9 lbs and is 3/4"x36"; if you had a 3/4"x36" aluminum axle it would likely weigh in around 3lbs, problem is with identical dimensions a the 3lb aluminum axle is much weaker...You'd have to step up to something like a 1"x36" aluminum axle at 5.8lbs to make it equal the strength of the steel axle. Sure it's equal strength and lighter weight, but it is also much larger (almost double the volume of space occupied). You don't have to look any farther than aluminum vs steel connecting rods to see how "exotic" materials usually have to be MUCH larger than their steel counterparts to achieve the same strength. Carbon fiber has impressive tensile strength, but it's compressive strength is nothing to write home about, and newrider is spot-on about the failure...When carbon fiber fails it basically becomes a giant wad of kitty-hair, when other materials fail they usually maintain their structural integrity except right at the failure-point.
I would like to reiterate, this is not a flame newrider post. this is me dispersing my knowledge for everyone's consumption.
