[Acadian]

So I was reading about how Easton new carbon fiber technology involving infusing resin and fiber with evenly distributed carbon nanotubes. They claim it's incredibly tough and stronger than steel.

Carbon experts? Thoughts on this?
http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=4578

 

[Acadian]

fixed a typo...had to delete the thread in order to fix the title..

 

[Transcend]

carbon nanotubes are supposed the be theoretically the lightest and strongest molecules to build things with. I didnt know anyone had actually produced ANYTHING with them as of yet besides basic building blocks, let alone bike parts.

Is it just an easton marketing catch word? or are they actually using carbon nanotubes?

info here on nanotubes: http://www.pa.msu.edu/cmp/csc/ntproperties/

 

[Acadian]

carbon nanotubes are supposed the be theoretically the lightest and strongest molecules to build things with. I didnt know anyone had actually produced ANYTHING with them as of yet besides basic building blocks, let alone bike parts.

Is it just an easton marketing catch word? or are they actually using carbon nanotubes?

info here on nanotubes: http://www.pa.msu.edu/cmp/csc/ntproperties/

see the link I posted above.

plus there is an article in the latest issue of Bicycle retailer

 

[FlipSide]

Is it just an easton marketing catch word?

I'm pretty sure it is. The cost of carbon nanotubes is still way too high to build consumers items with it.

 

[Transcend]

I'm pretty sure it is. The cost of carbon nanotubes is still way too high to build consumers items with it.

That is what I was thinking. The defense industry is still trying to build aircraft bodies out of the things (as mentioned above, uniforms as well).

The amount of energy it requires to actually produce the things is insane from what i have read. It is a GREAT technology if they are actually using it.

 

[Acadian]

no word on pricing...just

Carbon nanotubes includes EC90 seatposts, all mountain bike handlebars, Delta Force Bullhorns aero bars, forks and Aero Force carbon extensions - all of which will be at Interbike.

 

[Acadian]

another quote

Easton uses actual carbon nanotubes. A carbon nanotube is an array of carbon atoms joined together with a covalent bond, while the clay offers no structural value.

 

[Transcend]

Ok i read the article. It basically didn't say WHAT was being done in relation to the parts. I will assume it is simply a catch phrase easton is using to hype it's products. A bar would be relatively simple to make with nanotubes, but it would cost an absurd amount, probably in the thousands of dollars.

 

[MikeD]

The amount of energy it requires to actually produce the things is insane from what i have read. It is a GREAT technology if they are actually using it.

[DREVIL] What you don't know about are Easton's plans to drill into the core of the earth and harness the energy of the hot, liquid mag-ma inside... muuuuuuuahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa [/DREVIL]

Seriously, though, if there will be consumer applications for this tech, wouldn't handlebars be an easy way to start? It's relatively simple...

but I'm still not paying $150 for a damned handlebar.

 

[Transcend]

[DREVIL] What you don't know about are Easton's plans to drill into the core of the earth and harness the energy of the hot, liquid mag-ma inside... muuuuuuuahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa [/DREVIL]

Seriously, though, if there will be consumer applications for this tech, wouldn't handlebars be an easy way to start? It's relatively simple...

but I'm still not paying $150 for a damned handlebar.

Preperation H is great, on the whole.


Ya, a bar would be a great place to start..but from mcdonnald douglas or something. Last person i would expect would be easton. Nasa hasn't even got a grip in using the things yet from what I understand.

 

[MikeD]

I heard NASA had a full-nanotube DH bike, but they rode it on the Red Bull Rampage course in Utah, and the rider crashed, making a smoking hole in the ground...

 

[Incubus]

I heard NASA had a full-nanotube DH bike, but they rode it on the Red Bull Rampage course in Utah, and the rider crashed, making a smoking hole in the ground...

LOL...

 

[Transcend]

I heard NASA had a full-nanotube DH bike, but they rode it on the Red Bull Rampage course in Utah, and the rider crashed, making a smoking hole in the ground...

they hired bender to test ride it didnt they? Silly government people.

 

[MikeD]

they hired bender to test ride it didnt they? Silly government people.

Oh, man, why didn't you think of that when the probe crashed? That would have been a perfect caption for the pic... "Bender testrides new Banshee UBERDROPPER in Virgin, UT..."

 

[binary visions]

That's what's actually in the Honda gearbox. It's a tiny little nanotube factory powered by Minaar's legs...

 

[Acadian]

I should know better next time than to ask a serious question!!

 

[MikeD]

That's what's actually in the Honda gearbox. It's a tiny little nanotube factory powered by Minaar's legs...

No, it's powered by gnomes. I thought we'd established this.
I will call him... mini-minaar.

 

[zedro]

maybe you guys are thinking about the elusive 'bucky-balls' instead?

 

[binary visions]

No, it's powered by gnomes. I thought we'd established this.
I will call him... mini-minaar.

Oh, come on now. If you were Honda, do you think you'd spend all of your R&D money hiring gnomes to make some schmuck on a downhill bike go faster, or would you try to harnass his energy to produce futuristic technology?

The only reason they didn't get Lance to do it is because they couldn't fit the production machine inside that skinny roadie tubing - downhill is the only place where that huge box doesn't look totally out of place...

 

[B-boy]

another version of the same story.. http://news.com.com/Nanotubes+race+toward+bike+parts/2100-7337_3-5341144.html?part=rss&tag=5341144&subj=news.7337.5

 

[oly]

I kept reading this thinking what does stans notubes have to do with bars.......

 

[syadasti]

maybe you guys are thinking about the elusive 'bucky-balls' instead?

Yes, they aren't the same thing. Maybe they could make a BFCUNT bar (no I mean Buckyball Filled Carbon Ultra NanoTubes) :

Buckyball-filled Nanotubes


From 1998, WSJ:

Though prices have dropped over the years, buckyballs, still cost from $25 to $200 a gram, depending on their purity. That’s something like $11,000 or more a pound. For any commercially viable product, buckyballs need to cost well under $100 a pound.

 

[FlipSide]

Here's a website of a company that sell single-wall carbon nanotubes...


More than 100 grams : $60/g
50-100 grams : $80/g
Less than 50 grams : $100/g

For multi-wall carbon nanotubes, it's about 10X less expensive.
http://www.mercorp.com/mercorp/Nanotubes/mer-nanotubes.pdf

 

[dw]

Thats only several grand for a pair of bars, not bad!

 

[Acadian]

Thats only several grand for a pair of bars, not bad!

something roadies WOULD pay for

 

[binary visions]

Thats only several grand for a pair of bars, not bad!

Does that mean it's only a couple grand if you only have one bike and don't need a pair?!

 

[Acadian]

Does that mean it's only a couple grand if you only have one bike and don't need a pair?!

sad when you can say the most expensive part on your bike are the bars!!

 

[surfinguru]

Yeah, but will they be available in 31.8?

 

[Echo]

Will they make one for freeriding?

edit: damn, surfinguru beat me to it

 

[punkassean]

Easton tried to make it pretty clear in the article that they use real structural "nanotubes" unlike some other manufacturers claiming nano technology. I think they are structural but the question is do what degree, are they single or double wall etc?

 

[zedro]

does it really matter? all i care is if its strong, and can i afford it....

 

[thaflyinfatman]

ahhh okaaaay then.... I really need to buy a space shuttle to make handlebars out of.

Bugger this, ima make me some solid stainless bars on the lathe at uni. cheap, strong, light, and easy. Also 0* sweep and 0" rise = fun.

 

[CreeP]

sure, but five pouds doesn't qualify a bar to be light weight. not in my book anyway.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

So I was reading about how Easton new carbon fiber technology involving infusing resin and fiber with evenly distributed carbon nanotubes. They claim it's incredibly tough and stronger than steel.

Carbon experts? Thoughts on this?
http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=4578

i worked on nano carbon fiber last year in school.

dude, its gonna be veeeeeeeeeeery expensive. plus, the entire handlebar probably got sprinkled with a couple grams of nanofiber anyway.

stil, i see a great future on the material whenever it can get produced in industrial ammounts.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i used to make test bars out of carbon nanotubes, not 100%, but composites, like fiberglass with 1% nanotubes and the like. which is probably whay this bar is.

anyway at 1% in nanofibers there is a significant increase in strengh.

the problem is that this is more of a marketing ploy to screw the uninformed. they will market you the bar like if it was made 100% of nanotubes, and rip you off in the price for a basically resin bar sprinkled with a couple grams of nanofibers.

 

[Transcend]

exactly what i was pointing out. Glad a few agreed with me. A 100% nanotube bar would be crazy light, and crazy strong. It woudl also cost you as much as a new car probably!

More lame hype.

 

[punkassean]

As Alexis said, even 1% nanofibers amounts to substantial strength increases. WHy would they even think of using 100%?

Look at this situation as somewhere between black and white.

It's more than hype but is less than 100% nano. If it's better than their non nano carbon bars (lighter/stronger) and cost somewhat more then hooray for Easton. Why classify this as "lame hype" when there are facts to back it up? Easton is a fairly legit company, they produce some of the nicest materials available.

 

[Transcend]

Why classify this as "lame hype" when there are facts to back it up? Easton is a fairly legit company, they produce some of the nicest materials available.

Because it is hype. You dont need bars that are really any stronger then we have now. If you want carbon great, but if you overclamp them they will still break. If you gouge them, they will still break etc. They will be structurally stronger, but most people do not SNAP carbon bars, they fail from some inherent carbon property. Nanotubes will not help fix this, and now your failure prone carbon bars will cost a few hundred bucks most likely. LAME

I sincerly doubt the average user will see any major difference. Hell all the nanotubes will effectively do is maker the bars stiffer...a major reason people go to carbon bars is to have the vibration damping inherent in the slightly less then aluminum stiff carbon they already use.

 

[punkassean]

If nanotubes just make the bars stiffer than wouldn't they be more prone to snapping under shock-loads?

I would imagine they would add strength but retain the flexible properties of carbon.

Anyway, I am not disagreeing for the sake of an argument, I just think that there is more to this story than just writing it off as "lame hype". It seems as though a few people on here know a bit about this and maybe we can come to a more thought out conclusion.

I am just a curious fan of technology, I don't have a vested interest in Easton in any way...