Bike frame life span?

Question

I am currently riding a 2004(I think) Raleigh Competition frame with various parts on it.
The frame is a super-light aluminum with carbon seat-stays and a carbon fork. I put a lot of miles on it for racing, commuting, and training. probably 150+ a week.
My odometer is reading about 8,000 miles.
My buddies keep telling me to look for a new frame and fork because carbon/thin aluminum frames only last like 10,000 miles and are likely to catastrophically fail.

My question is how many miles should I put on my bike frame before swapping it, and how often do light frames fail.

Answer 1

depends on how hard you are on the bike and how strong you are..



aluminum has a life span of about 250,000 cycles, which means you can stress it at its maximum load bering (thats before it actually cracks) 250,000 times, then the metal starts fatiguing (but not necessarily broken yet).



if you are an easy recreational rider you may not even take it through one single cycle because you wouldnt put the stress on it like a racer who sprints 1000 watts of power, thus the aluminum frame would last the lifetime of the easy going rider.



but most racers who train and race on the same frame end up tossing aluminum frames in one to two seasons even though they are still intact. it becomes to risky for the pro racers to keep them because they may be on cycle 249,000 and one more hard effort may shatter the bottom bracket or the heat tube, or the seat stay (the most break areas) were talking pro guys that put in 20,000+ miles per year.



also the grade of aluminum makes a difference. my caad 4 cannondale lasted 2 and a half seasons before the seat stay cracked. that was a 2.3 lbs frame. if i rode a straight gauge tube frame (not butted) it would have lasted a lot longer, but would weighed a lot more.



i would also be more concerned about the joint where they bond the carbon and aluminum.



as for carbon,, if it is monocoque, not lugged only, carbon has an infinate cycle life span, which means you have to stress til it breaks (crush it, hit by a car, ect..), other than that, you can flex it an infinate amount of times and it should not fatigue and remain in its "memory" form.

Answer 2

I don't agree with th last two answers unlss you race alot- in which case, you should replace your bike once a year regardless of material. I have owned steel, carbon and aluminum and my current rigs are a Felt F85 and F55. The F85 has a superlight aluminum frame/ carbon fork with 105 components and the F55 is a superlight aluminum frame/ carbon fork and seatstays with Dura Ace. I don't believe that an aluminum frame will fail after 10,000 miles. My F55 is a 2005 model with 14,271 miles on the odometer and the frame is as sturdy as it was when I purchased it in Feb 2006. If any material will fail, it will be the carbon stays and even that isn't as common as many think. The F85 is a 2007 with only has 6,118 miles on it so it's still too early to tell. Light frames don't generally fail. I'm 6'3" and 195 lbs (down from 232 lbs a year ago) and have never had an issue ever on any of my bikes regardless of components. I just personally like aluminum over the others so I know first hand that lightweight aluminum frames are durable- unless they've been crashed.

Answer 3

I think there is a lot of mis-information about frames going around. Most all good frames of any material will last a long, long time if not crashed badly or often. I've never had nor has anyone I know had a road frame just break. The only 2 times I've seen frames break were carbon MTB frames that were crashed. Aside from crashes, I'd guess poor quality welds (manufacturing errors) would be the next cause of frame failure. If your frame is good now and you haven't crashed badly there is no reason to replace it. Inspect all stress points for cracks or dents etc. If none is found you are good to go.



While different materials have different fatigue lives, none have a 10,000 mile limit on a road bike. If anything your frame will outlast your forks and you.

Answer 4

There isn't a set milage for frames. It depends of the use and abuse the frame has seen.



Gee, its10after10, mis-information again? Pro's not only change frames every year but several times a year sometimes and use several frames at a time. A CAAD 4 frame weighs 2.8 pounds at the least so don't make statements you can't back up. What type of riding constitutes a "cycle" to you? pro would change bikes regardless of material and since many ride CARBON now NOT ALUM where is your "cycle" mumbo jumbo now?



Don't read Bicycling Mag for a year and think you got it all down.

Answer 5

I had a 1987 Schwinn High Sierra (MTB with roller-cam brakes) with a CroMoly steel frame. I used it for commuting, touring and utility riding. I sold the bike after 12 years and the frame was in good shape. After 20 years I saw the same bike and the frame and wheels were still in good shape.

Answer 6

Lifespan Bike

Answer 7

I have a titanium that has over 30,000 miles and a carbon from trek that has almost the same. I am scared of Aluminum because of the the friends that have had their aluminum bikes break apart after short times. Two friends that had very serious injuries. I agree buy a new frame with a life time warranty.

Answer 8

frames wont fail unless they snap. i belive they loose their stiffness over time. but i just went from an 03 Specialized Allez to an 08 Allez double..



id go for a new bike, bet your ready to anyway...

Answer 9

I every time spend my half an hour to read this blog's posts daily along with a mug of coffee.

Answer 10

Buy cro-moly steel.



My 1970 is still going strong with almost 100,000 miles on.



Buy steel and stop worrying.

Answer 11

no, you may desire to purchase that motorcycle merely seem it over and if the brakes paintings, wheels spin in the present day, and the chain looks stable you may desire to be positive that motorcycle probally has yet another 5-10 years left

Answer 12

problematic subject. research with the search engines. that will could help!