We can argue the merits of whether that unique carbon is worth it or not but it's certainly not just marketing as you assert.
So it makes a six series Trek a unique bike versus other carbon bikes made out of whatever Toray, Mitsubishi, or whatever other widely available prepeg carbon you can buy. Their HexSL carbon is unique in that a company like say Specialized, who builds their frames in China, can't use it since China isn't part of, and never will be for that matter, NATO. About 700 being available on in NATO countries, Google "T700 carbon China".Īs far as I'm aware Trek was the first bicycle company to really do OCLV on a mass scale.
carbon A may be stronger than carbon B, but not as stiff. There are a number different types of carbon, and each have there strengths and weaknesses, e.g. As as for 700 series carbon, it is not "the king of the hill" just because some military contractors use it. They do the damn same thing for TCT, which is itself another marketing name. so yes OCLV would be better then any type of carbon processing be it TCTor any other process.īoomer wrote:OCLV is just a marketing name for what every builder of anything carbon tries to do: have no voids in the cured layup. So in short OCLV is just how they produce the different types of carbon. its the same with carbon and trek has given them series names 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 being the best. a good example is how there is 4130 steel and reynolds 831 tubing. for example the 700 series carbon is military grade carbon(only countries in nato can purchase this carbon), it is the best carbon in the world. the different series of carbon are the types/quality of carbon. for 2012 there are five different types of carbon, that all use the OCLV process. So any of Treks 2012 bikes now have carbon that is processed with the OCLV construction. Optimum compaction all but eliminates voids in our carbon fiber pieces and components, achieving a strength that exceeds even aerospace standards. Words from Trek: Voids are small, sometimes microscopic gaps between carbon layers where fatigue failures typically begin. it also has to do with the directional layup of the carbon. it gets rid of all of the small bubbles and voids int he carbon that create poor ride quality.
OCLV carbon process is the same sort of thing. if you are unable to do that then there is a likely hood that the sticker will not last as long. the factories overseas did not have the tools or the certification to produce OCLV carbon.Ī simple example of OCLV " think of a sticker when you put a sticker on to a surface, there are ushually bubbles of air pockets that you need to compress out. which results in a better carbon frame and a better ride.įor the last few years only Treks made in america had OCLV certification. OCLV has to do with the process that the factories use to produce the carbon "tubes" frame of the bike.