[fluider]

Yes. Also UncaJohn's Prototype. There has been number of skilled enthusiastic frame-builders who were ahead of the rest a years ago. Who invested all of their free time and money into research and risked their own health when testing.
Instead of lots of blah blah about great success of their supa dupa mega new suspension systems, at least for once could big names mention small projects they are benefiting from.

 

[sethimus]

Yes. Also UncaJohn's Prototype. There has been number of skilled enthusiastic frame-builders who were ahead of the rest a years ago. Who invested all of their free time and money into research and risked their own health when testing.
Instead of lots of blah blah about great success of their supa dupa mega new suspension systems, at least for once could big names mention small projects they are benefiting from.

how do they benefit from bikes like the lahar or the bcd?

 

[marshalolson]

because the consumer has some level of belief the frame won't catastrophically fail on them.

 

[Steve M]

because the consumer has some level of belief the frame won't catastrophically fail on them.

Most consumers have never heard of Lahar or BCD, so that claim isn't really relevant. Carbon fibre construction has existed for decades in the aerospace industry, it's predominantly because many (not all!) bike designers are amateurs with limited or no engineering background and very limited funds that carbon fibre has seen such a high failure rate in bikes compared to other applications IMO.

 

[marshalolson]

most bike consumers are not buying $3k frames either.

most racers looking at a carbon dh race bike are well aware of carbon usage prior to now, and that its possible to make a DH bike out of carbon and have it hold up.

i have a bcd isn my basements with 100s and 100s of days of riding on it... and its ready for more, if someone wants to donate a fork to it!

 

[fluider]

how do they benefit from bikes like the lahar or the bcd?

Ou, how ? I don't want to repeat here the proven facts of durability of carbon in DH application. Those were amateurs who showed that carbon is as good or better than Alu in DH app. Who has made DH frame capable of 5+ seasons of DH trashing and crashing? Where those BIG names were in that time? Who is now following the showed and proven way?

Success of Lahar, BCD, and UncaJohn's bikes and others prototypes is a proofe that they are no silly home amatuer "framers". They DID succesively showed they were right.

You know, it always takes someone/some-people to discover new areas and possibilities. And there are someone else who bebefit from that. The history is full of examples like this. Let's just don't think we are those more smart ...