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5 comments
As seen on YT when a Carbon repair guy in oz cut open several frames, some of the monocoque frames are a bit salty and QC can be very variable even from mid to high end from big name co.
I quite like the look personally, not so sure on the battleship grey forks though I like the colour in itself. That Emirates logo though, properly nasty!
Lugged construction potentially allows for more frame sizes and even for custom sizes, and are in principle also more repairable. These are significant plusses at the higher end of the market.
Lugged construction allows better quality control as the inside of the tubing is easily acessible in fabrication and for inspection. With monocoque frames, it is hard to avoid hidden defects due to the imprecision inherent in using a low pressure bladder within a closed mold. Frame designers compensate by specifying higher safety factors, meaning more material is used, which is why monocoque frames are not lighter than lugged frames.
The exceptions to this are monocoques with exceptional build quality, such as high pressure resin injection used by the likes of Time and Felt or the top-end, very expensive and labour intensive frames produced in the United States by Cervelo or Trek (project California, etc).
My carbon bikes are lugged, by the way. Only the rain bike is monocoque.
I think at this stage Colnago are only doing lugged carbon bikes for the aesthetics, not for any other reason
It's a very attractive bike, but for me the lugged construction seems an engineering compromise to make construction of the frame easier for the manufacturer and isn't the most structurally efficient design (in comparison to conventional lay up techniques)... Its very reminiscent of the engineering and aesthetic differences between a traditional lugged and brazed steel frame and a modern tig welded steel frame.. I would happily have one given to me, but I wouldn't be buying one with my own hard earned cash
Definitely agree with this, the grey lugs are certainly not as nice looking, and I'm not sure about the Emirates logo that just looks like a sticker stuck to the frame.
Interesting that his spare bike is radically different to his usual, or is it likely there's another spare concept somewhere? I guess he could use this on mountain stages when it's more about surviving and being comfortable.