Carbon fiber is a horrible material for a touring bike. If you’re biking across a far off land and the frame cracks, you can’t weld it back together as you can with steel. If you dent it or ding the material, it becomes weak and can break. When carbon fiber fails, it fails catastrophically. I once saw a carbon fiber fork disintegrate, throwing the rider over the handlebars. It isn’t clear if the frames are meant to take heavy panniers.

I love my new carbon fiber touring bike. It’s black, light, and beautiful. It’s made by Pedal Force, a company that was kind enough to not cover their frame with decals. Here the bike is on its inaugural tour in San Benito County.

The reason I got the bike: I had an old Novarra touring bike. The frame broke. I had all of these parts just sitting in my basement. I was offered this frame for a really good price. How could I say no? The parts in my basement needed a home. Also, the bike is beautiful.