Looking though the aftermarket ads for bike parts these days something really stands out... Carbon Fibre....it's everywhere, built from it, added to parts for this performance claim or that performance claim. Don't get me wrong, I can see the advantages of the stuff very easily, in the right applications.. However.. I can't help feeling that it's starting to be like Burberry is to the Chav.. You have to have it on to feel part of the group, no matter whether it looks good or not... IMO of course...
Carbon looks good sometimes over the whole bike including fairings but sometimes can look tacky on other bikes
Its not just that it looks good but its hard as nails and resilient to damage more than other materials.
There is cheap carbon fibre, and there is expensive carbon fibre... and every price-point in between. There are so many varieties of weave, bond, laquer, etc... that it's impossible to generalise about carbon fibre. The cheap stuff (in my opinion) looks tacky, plasticky, and f-ing horrible... and I've always been of the opinion that if I can't afford the best, then I'm best off going without!
If u want carbon look or something else's (anything u can think of) u need to get the parts hydro dipped. If u can remove the part u can get any design on it. The way forward and making the bike unique and stand out from the crowd.
I agree with all the above points, applied in the right way and for the right reasons, it's a fantastic material. But it's those times you see bits clagged on for no other reason than "it's carbon fibre", the "must have" accessory.. There are the obvious gains to be had weight wise I agree by using it, but if I want to lose a few grammes of weight off the bike I'll have a few less chips for my tea..rather than change a plastic bit for carbon for twice the money. Wheels, seat frames and other usually heavy items where it can be sensibly used I can see the gains of, but fairings, unless you're going for a black bike look, or as Zeepony has done, the carbon/kevlar weave for the green tinge, that looks good, but I would imagine if he has another Snetterton excursion like last time, he will be royally pissed off..for the costs over lightweight plastic ..
