Carbon fibre is a composite material which is increasingly popular as a material to build bicycle frames with. It is a particularly popular material amongst racers, since it is lightweight corrosion resistant and very strong. On the downside carbon fibre is an expensive material and therefore carbon road bikes are very expensive.
Many professional grade racing bikes built for individual time trials, and triathlons employ carbon fibre composite construction since the frame can be shaped with an aerodynamic profile which is not possible with old-fashioned cylindrical tubes. In some cases the carbon frames are actually heavier than their aluminium counterparts however their aerodynamic efficiency means that the cyclist can obtain and maintain higher overall speeds.
Some new high-end frames incorporate other materials within the carbon fibre such as Kevlar fibres which improves vibration damping and impact resistance. The incorporation of Kevlar is particularly popular in downtubes, seat and chainstays.
The level of carbon fibre road bike research and development employed by the manufacturers is increasing each year, with a large manufacturers such as Specialized, Cannondale, and track investing large amounts of money to produce better and better bikes.
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