Old Carbon Road Bike

[son of a vette]

So now summer is here, I've started looking at my road bike again, it's a Trek OCLV 5200 that I used to use to train on allot!
Quite fancy taking it for a few runs now, blow up the tires, give it a quick service, not quite the racer I used to be, but I started to think about the structure of the carbon frame.

What sort of life span do you get from these bikes?
Both the frame and forks are carbon, and I've never crashed it, but it is around ten years old, should I be worried about the strength of the forks? I shudder to think at the consequences of them failing on a downhill.

Short of getting the bike x-rayed (where??) how do you know when it's getting close to the end of it's life?

[Nick_F]

Aftermarket carbon forks can be had for comparatively little - worth doing if it gives you the confidence to use the bike?

I'd have thought the frame would be fine - and would give you plenty of warning of any problem.

[pawsmcgraw]

I'd ride it without hesitation if i knew it had not been crashed or bashed.The fork has an alloy steerer and they are made for life, this is factord into the design.Carbon frames may go soft, as in bendy over a long time, this isn't a trait with trek oclv but is a problem with lugged carbon tubes.They become soft and bendy from years of pedal strokes, so a lightly ridden old frame should be fine.A very high milage three year old one should in theory be worse.If you bought it new you will have a lifetime warranty and you would get a replacement (upgrade to 08)if it failed for some reason.The 5200 had an issue with the bottom bracket shell coming away from the carbon and spinning around, other than this,they were very very durable....and still are
Visual inspection in detail is important and it should make the same sound when you flick it with your finger nail.

[neil_bolton]

pawsmcgraw said:

Carbon frames may go soft, as in bendy over a long time, this isn't a trait with trek oclv but is a problem with lugged carbon tubes.

I'll pick on you in a pedantic moment here;

Trek OCLV IS lugged carbon tubing; to a degree however (i.e. not as you'd think it)

The Optimum Compaction Low Void simply refers to the lugs themselves developed in patented way by Trek.

They use piece parts bonded together, using the Low Void technology to reduce any points whereupon fatigue can set it.

Therefore, whilst one of the best Carbon layup and frame manufacture techniques out there, still not impervious to failure.

However, Treks are fantasticly strong, and I'd have NO hesitation riding it, and I agree with your checkover techniques (however its not foolproof).

[pawsmcgraw]

I agree with your statement, however, most people who know little about frames would get the idea that something like a Look frame with external lugs,tube to tube is a "lugged frame".Although oclv frames are described this lugged, they are actually not a true lugged frame....well maybe the rear dropouts are eh

[neil_bolton]

pawsmcgraw said:

I agree with your statement, however, most people who know little about frames would get the idea that something like a Look frame with external lugs,tube to tube is a "lugged frame".Although oclv frames are described this lugged, they are actually not a true lugged frame....well maybe the rear dropouts are eh

Here's a spade

[pawsmcgraw]

[son of a vette]

Cheers for the replys guys,

You learn some new things everyday, I had always thought it was a lugged frame, and my concerns were always around the bonds between the lugs, especially the fork crown one, I have put some pretty high millage on it before, and it has sat dormant for a couple of years, I'll give the frame a good check over when I give the bike a service.

All I need now is to go and find my track pump!!

Chris

[pawsmcgraw]

Hincape did Paris Roubaix on an almost identical manufactured frame a couple of years ago so i reckon thats a good indicator of how strong they are.He did crash out near the finish though, his steerer tube snapped but.....this was because of a crash 15minutes earier and it was a commuter fork he was riding

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/apr06/rouba...