[Bicycle Bob]

Things may have moved on a bit, but carbon fiber used to have a huge energy cost to produce. Aluminum costs much more to refine than steel, but carbon fiber was an order of magnitude worse. It is usually used as unidirectional cloth, to get the maximum benefit by aligning the fibers with the load and minimizing the resin content, which is dead weight to the overall structure. Spray-up is the lowest grade in fiberglass. If it is compacted with a vacuum bag, it gets better, but overall, roboticized precision fiber placement seems to be the way the industry is going.

Racing bicycles can carry ten times their own weight. My 1st car, a Morris Minor, was about 1,650 lbs, and my Metros are also well under a ton, but I'd rather have something that weighs less than the payload.