realskiers

Too funny! The image of a bike hurtling down the hill, sans rider, mowing down trees as it goes.....hilarious.

That's good info on the carbon bits -- thanks Epic.  You spoke directly to my question:  what is a good quality component? I will check out the Raceface stuff -- I have always liked their products, and we have several on our bikes -- bars, stems, seatposts (nothing in CF, though).  I have a Turbine bar on my 29er that has a very nice feel to it -- not in the least bit harsh.

Re. a seatpost for my wife's bike, I like the recommendation of a Thomson, and was checking out the Elite and Masterpiece units last night.  Our daughter's Norco XC hardtail has a Thomson X4 stem on it, and it is a seriously nice little piece of kit.  Beautifully machined.  I would not hesitate to buy anything from that company. 

And the F-35 reference is familiar to me -- I have a cousin in Germany who works for an aerospace company, and he has been designing commuter and private jets whose fuselage and wings are made entirely of carbon fiber.  Very cool project.  As you say, there is good stuff, and cheap stuff.

Thanks for the insight.