- In this blog post we will talk about the use of high-tech composite materials which are used instead of steel across the industries.
- Why is this topic important?
- Until few years ago mostly used material in bike production was steel and more recently alloy. But with improvements made in automotive industry along came new, more advanced materials like carbon and composite plastics. These materials made huge leaps in performances in both cars and bikes making them stiffer, lighter and ultimately faster.
- If properly handled composite materials are very much sustainable and can be recycled easily. For example we have a new frame factory in Germany now making bike frames automatically out of recycled carbon and composites.
- One more benefit with these materials is that they are fast to be produced, don’t use much energy in the production process and most of the time price is competitive.
- As you can imagine price is a really important point with entry level and mid-range bicycles so factories often opt for using combinations of the old and new technology to get the best results. For example mudguards use plastic combined with aluminium sheets to make a perfect combination of strength, light weight and long lifetime. Then there are bottom brackets with composite cups and sleeves instead of steel ones which are combined with steel bearings and spindles making them lighter and easier to service. Then there are saddles, carriers, pedals, brake levers and list goes on and on.
- Sometimes, in bike industry, there is a resistance towards new materials by older generation who has the perception that plastic and materials which feel plastic like in your hands. They always prefer heavy duty steel when comparing with lightweight composite but then go on to do maintenance and service of the bicycles cursing the rust and suffering when having to change the same material they praised just a minute ago.
- So in conclusion we all need to be openminded to new technologies and investigate how it can improve our bicycles and make our lives easier in the long run. Personally I have been surprised and proven wrong many times in the past when discussing new technologies. So be patient and open minded and don’t make the same mistake I did 😊
- Thank you for your attention and comment if you have any questions or want to contribute to this topic.
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