Where are the old Carbon Fiber bikes?

I have a 17 year old Renyonds steel Masi with about 60,00 miles on it.
I also have a 5 year old Columbus Colnago Master X Light. I put on
about 5500 miles per year -- not great but not bad. Now I see lots of
other bikes out on the road (Boulder Colorado is a bike happening
place.). However, I never ever see carbon fiber bikes more than 6 or 7
years old. Why? Are the owners so well off they buy new ones? Do they
wear out quicker than other materials?

I need to know before I spend a bunch of money on one..... (From
another post, you might know I was hit by a car on the Masi -- I'm
healing and have lots of miles left in me...)

I have a 17 year old Renyonds steel Masi with about 60,00 miles on it.
I also have a 5 year old Columbus Colnago Master X Light. I put on
about 5500 miles per year -- not great but not bad. Now I see lots of
other bikes out on the road (Boulder Colorado is a bike happening
place.). However, I never ever see carbon fiber bikes more than 6 or 7
years old. Why? Are the owners so well off they buy new ones? Do they
wear out quicker than other materials?

For starters, if you go back 17 years (to 1988), how many carbon-fiber
frames were on the market? At most a couple, and sales were very low. It
wasn't until 1992 that carbon-fiber really took off, with the introduction
of the 5200 & 5500. And even then, they represented a pretty small part of
the market; it wasn't until 2000 or thereabouts that carbon-fiber bikes took
on the legitimacy they enjoy today.

But you've also got to consider that "steel" and "retro" tend to go
hand-in-hand. And part of "retro" is keeping stuff around for a very long
time, whether improvements have been made in the intervening years or not.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Never Enough Money" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 17 year old Renyonds steel Masi with about 60,00 miles on it.
I also have a 5 year old Columbus Colnago Master X Light. I put on
about 5500 miles per year -- not great but not bad. Now I see lots of
other bikes out on the road (Boulder Colorado is a bike happening
place.). However, I never ever see carbon fiber bikes more than 6 or 7
years old. Why? Are the owners so well off they buy new ones? Do they
wear out quicker than other materials?

I need to know before I spend a bunch of money on one..... (From
another post, you might know I was hit by a car on the Masi -- I'm
healing and have lots of miles left in me...)


Glad to see that you've changed your mind about riding again. How's your
healing? It's been three weeks since I broke my pelvis and it's healing up
very fast. I'm off the crutches, walker, and just gave up the cane. I know
yours was alot worse, but was wondering if you were feeling better already
too.

14 Sep 2005 19:28:31 -0700,
.com,
"Never Enough Money" wrote:

I need to know before I spend a bunch of money on one..... (From
another post, you might know I was hit by a car on the Masi

They trashed your Masi?

Rotten stupid *******s in their cookie-cutter crap!

KILL ALL THE CAGERS!
CARS SUCK!
--
zk

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 03:52:38 GMT,
, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

It
wasn't until 1992 that carbon-fiber really took off, with the introduction
of the 5200 & 5500. And even then, they represented a pretty small part of
the market; it wasn't until 2000 or thereabouts that carbon-fiber bikes took
on the legitimacy they enjoy today.

Actually, spun sugar was invented in 1897 and took off at the 1904
World's Fair.
--
zk

Charles B. Summers, HOF. wrote:

Glad to see that you've changed your mind about riding again. How's your
healing? It's been three weeks since I broke my pelvis and it's healing up
very fast. I'm off the crutches, walker, and just gave up the cane. I know
yours was alot worse, but was wondering if you were feeling better already
too.

Oh, it sounds like yours was worse than mine. I am riding slowly (say
ave of 15 mph and no hills). My right arm is weak fromnerve damage so
it's hard to stand and keep control of the handlebars. However, I'm not
having constant pain anymore.

I hope you recover fast and well, too.

Zoot Katz wrote:

They trashed your Masi?

Well not really. A bike shop said it was reapirable. The frame is still
aligned. Need new front forks. Rear wheel was damaged and seat was
destroyed. In my accident, the car was traveling somewhere between 10
and 15 mph. I was slammed down. The driver was stopping right as he hit
me. So the bike was not run over (nor was I).

Could have been worse....and yet I wished the Masi was destroyed so I
could argue for another one...

but the driver's insurance comapny said they don't do replacement cost
- they depreciate the bike -- which means not a lot of money for an old
bike.

"Never Enough Money" writes:

Could have been worse....and yet I wished the Masi was destroyed so I
could argue for another one...

but the driver's insurance comapny said they don't do replacement cost
- they depreciate the bike -- which means not a lot of money for an
old bike.

Remember, it's not about what _they_ cover; it's about what their client
owes you. He hit you; what part of that his company covers is gravy for
him. What he pays you is what's important.

--
Robert Uhl http://public.xdi.org/=ruhl
And if made to pass a high-enough instantaneous current, most
diodes will become Noise-emitting devices too. --Tanuki

Never Enough Money wrote:
Zoot Katz wrote:


They trashed your Masi?


Well not really. A bike shop said it was reapirable. The frame is still
aligned. Need new front forks. Rear wheel was damaged and seat was
destroyed. In my accident, the car was traveling somewhere between 10
and 15 mph. I was slammed down. The driver was stopping right as he hit
me. So the bike was not run over (nor was I).

Could have been worse....and yet I wished the Masi was destroyed so I
could argue for another one...

but the driver's insurance comapny said they don't do replacement cost
- they depreciate the bike -- which means not a lot of money for an old
bike.


That would apply to the drivers car, it doesn't apply to your bike
unless you let it, the insurance company is being cheap. It really
doesn't mean much, your bike should be set right, and that is the real
question, do you have written estimates for the repairs from at least
two bike shops, those numbers are what really matter.

There are 3 positions an insurance company can take, they can provide
you with the same bike, repaired to previous condition. They can
provide you with another bike of the same make, model, year and (pre
accident) condition. There is another possibility, they can provide you
with an amount of money intended to provide you with another bike of the
same make, model, year and (pre accident) condition.

W

but the driver's insurance comapny said they don't do replacement cost
- they depreciate the bike -- which means not a lot of money for an old
bike.

Offer to settle for what it would cost to repair a couple of dings and a
frame alignment... for a car! Could get an interesting response.

If the fault was 100% due to negligence on the part of the car driver, you
need to play hardball. The insurance company should be scared to death of
what you might ask for pain & suffering, which, based on another post of
yours, sounds like it could be significant-

"Oh, it sounds like yours was worse than mine. I am riding slowly (say
ave of 15 mph and no hills). My right arm is weak fromnerve damage so
it's hard to stand and keep control of the handlebars. However, I'm not
having constant pain anymore."

Make sure you've got everything documented. I assume you've received medical
care for the injuries; if these are being paid for by insurance, make sure
you get copies of everything they've been billed. It's an unfortunate fact
of life that the higher those bills, the better off you are with any
negotiations with the insurance company. I would not suggest you take them
for a ride, but if they're giving you a bad time about replacing the bike,
you need to let them know in no uncertain terms that things are *not* the
way they should be. You should *not* be riding in pain, you should *not* be
having to look for a new bike, you should *not* have to wonder how long the
nerve damage is going to continue to be a problem. Of those three things,
the only thing they can completely get their arms around and solve is the
bike. They have an obligation to do so, and not doing so simply seems bad
business (in that it makes you less likely you'll come to terms with them on
the medical issues).

I've been through this one myself-
http://www.chainreaction.com/oclvtestcrash.htm. Dealing with the insurance
was not fun. They initially were somewhat cooperative, until they found out
what it costs to replace a tooth, and then started saying that it really
wasn't the driver's fault. Right. Kid backs out of a blind driveway into a
busy street. After I went back and took photos and wrote up a description
and sent it to the claims guy, they suddenly changed their tune. You may
consider doing the same. The more forceful you are about the fact that this
was not something you contributed to, the better.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
"Never Enough Money" wrote in message
oups.com...

Zoot Katz wrote:

They trashed your Masi?

Well not really. A bike shop said it was reapirable. The frame is still
aligned. Need new front forks. Rear wheel was damaged and seat was
destroyed. In my accident, the car was traveling somewhere between 10
and 15 mph. I was slammed down. The driver was stopping right as he hit
me. So the bike was not run over (nor was I).

Could have been worse....and yet I wished the Masi was destroyed so I
could argue for another one...

but the driver's insurance comapny said they don't do replacement cost
- they depreciate the bike -- which means not a lot of money for an old
bike.