Trek OCLV carbon

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Trek Carbon

Trek makes all kinds of bikes. The bikes Trek is best known for, however, are the carbon frame road bikes ridden to victory in nine Tours de France, from 1999 to 2009. Trek has been on the cutting edge of carbon frame development since the days when steel was still the predominant frame material.

Currently, "high modulus carbon" is the key phrase when you want the ultimate in stiffness and lightness in a bike frame. So, what is high modulus carbon?

"Modulus" when applied to composite frames = ability of a material (in this case, carbon filaments) to deform under load. The more resistant to deformation (stiffer) a carbon filament is, the higher its modulus (msi). According to Easton, the four most commonly used moduli are:

	Standard modulus (32-34msi)
	Intermediate modulus (42-44msi)
	High modulus (50-62msi)
	Very High modulus (100-130msi)

According to an earlier Isaac Cycles website Q&A page:

"If you look at a carbon filament under a scanning electron-microscope you will notice that the surface is rough and flawed. Therefore only the core of the filament can bear tensile loads. The rough surface is superfluous, but contributes to the weight. High-Modulus carbon is simply the same filament with the useless surface stripped off."

Higher modulus filaments require more processing, so they are more expensive. Higher modulus filaments are stiffer, but also more brittle, so "high modulus" carbon tubing usually also uses some medium modulus filaments for strength. Trek uses three levels of carbon tubing:

	Trek's OCLV Red carbon has mostly high modulus filaments for stiffness and lightness. Some medium modulus filaments are also used, for durability. Madone 6 Series road and Equinox TTX SL TT/Tri, still made in the USA.
	Trek's OCLV Black carbon uses medium modulus filaments to produce a frame that is about a quarter of a pound heavier than the same size made with OCLV Red. Madone 5 Series and Equinox TTX TT/Tri, still made in the USA.
	Trek's TCT carbon uses primarily standard modulus fibers. Made in Taiwan.

Trek Aluminum

Aircraft quality 7000 or 6000 series aluminum alloy and Trek geometry, dominating the "best entry-level road bike" category in Bicycling magazine's annual Editor's Choice issue for the past five years.