as witness to quasi racer-boyz’ existentialism and the decadent philosophy of  herr uber-nietzsche in the dictates of all things uber-freddie’alles, it is apparent that steel is no longer real but rather, steel is dead.  carbon fiber leads the hyper-jack’d technological advancement in material science in frame building and represents the moral decline of a cultural transcendence.  carbon fiber technology has spawned an exaggerated uber-sensed reality exemplified by the blind faith in all things technological and therein we find the appeal of the carbon frame and the cycling-simulacra paradigm.

there was a time when lugged frames represented the epitome of esthetics  in frame building.  thanks to the nazi uber-men, materials were scarce after the war and custom bicycle builders turned to fillet brazed lugless frames.  it spawned a revolution.  frame geometry had infinite possibilities in its liberation from the limitations of pre-cast lugs and the angles manufacturers thought popular.  new lugless frames were impeccable and jack’d-over sloppy craftsmanship was as obvious as an ugly canker sore on your lip.

carbon frames tilt the filleted joint to the extreme.  the frames can be beautiful but leave something to be desired. there’s the j’en sais quoi of the apparent handiwork you find in steel frames; something raw and ethereal that has not yet translated into carbon.  steel is resilient while carbon is fragile.  it performs well but doesn’t hold up under the demands of the stresses put upon it.   the fragile essence of the material and the demands on the frame are oxymoronic and i suppose in that is its apparent appeal {besides the obvious}.

i’m looking forward to seeing what’s offered at NAHBS.  there’s gotta be some independent craftsmen doing exceptional stuff with carbon.  think john slawta and landshark; from his website, he seems to be concentrating on carbon over steel.  the switch must have something to do with survival instincts; gotta deliver to the predilections of the uber-nietzsche quasi racer-boyz demanding the uber-alles in frame technology and feather weight construction.  q.e.d.

uBeR aNiMaUx!

photo credits:

carbon lay-up from landshark.com

cinelli detail from http://cinellionly.blogspot.com/2011/02/cinelli-at-2011-nahbs.html