>>1512049It's a great material for some purposes, but it's a terrible one for other purposes.
>lightweight aerodynamic racing frameCarbon is a great choice here.
>robust commuter/tourer bikeCroMoly steel is the better choice.
>budget bike that shouldn't be heavy and has to be reasonably stiffAluminium is your friend.
Carbon has insanely great tensile strength and stiffness, but it's brittle and its mode of failiure is to suddenly break.
So use it for situation where it's not subject to impacts and lightness and stiffness are required.
CroMoly is a little heavier and less stiff, but its ductile and its mode of failiure is to slowly dent/bucke/crack.
So it may not be the lightest material to build a frame of, but it is unlikely to suddenly shatter into pieces without a warning.
Same goes to some extend for most aluminium alloys.
The real question is:
Do you realy need a bike lighter than the UCI weight limit that has a sudden catasrophic mode of failiure, or is a slightly heavier and more robust frame a better choice for your style of riding?
