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Do I need to worry about this damage to my carbon frame?

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#2 ·
No one is going to be able to give you a definitive answer just looking at a picture. But if it were my bike I would not ride that, its just not worth the possible injury if it snaps. If it were my bike, and not under warranty, I would just get a carbon repair kit and fix it myself. I don't think its bad enough that you need a professional repair.
 
#4 ·
ljsmith said:
No one is going to be able to give you a definitive answer just looking at a picture. But if it were my bike I would not ride that, its just not worth the possible injury if it snaps. If it were my bike, and not under warranty, I would just get a carbon repair kit and fix it myself. I don't think its bad enough that you need a professional repair.
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I was thinking the same thing, until I watched this:


Guessing the repair kits might be a little more straightforward. Anyone try one or have a rec?

Given how close cranks are nowadays to the frame, I'm guessing this type of damage will become fairly common.
 
#6 ·
ljsmith said:
No one is going to be able to give you a definitive answer just looking at a picture. But if it were my bike I would not ride that, its just not worth the possible injury if it snaps. If it were my bike, and not under warranty, I would just get a carbon repair kit and fix it myself. I don't think its bad enough that you need a professional repair.
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warranty? What bike company would cover something like that under a warranty?
 
#8 ·
sacrefrancais said:
I was thinking the same thing, until I watched this:


Guessing the repair kits might be a little more straightforward. Anyone try one or have a rec?

Given how close cranks are nowadays to the frame, I'm guessing this type of damage will become fairly common.
Click to expand...
That guy cracks me up. His accent and the very casual way he does things, to the point that it is nearly deceptive (e.g the way he waves the frame and orbital around freehand). I think he is very, very skilled at painting and surface prep. I am curious, though, if an expert would consider that repair adequate.
 
#11 ·
Hard to be confident from a picture but I don't think I'd worry about it. If it were my bike I'd be sad about the scratch but wouldn't have any serious concerns about its strength and would happily just ride it. If you really want to do something to it you could dab a bit of epoxy resin in there. I think a repair kit is probably overkill.
 
#12 ·
sacrefrancais said:
I was thinking the same thing, until I watched this:


Guessing the repair kits might be a little more straightforward. Anyone try one or have a rec?

Given how close cranks are nowadays to the frame, I'm guessing this type of damage will become fairly common.
Click to expand...
Mad professor vibes highly watchable.
 
#13 ·
Bassmantweed said:
warranty? What bike company would cover something like that under a warranty?
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I was saying if it’s under warranty I would not repair it myself because it would void the warranty.
 
#14 ·
apdg said:
Hard to be confident from a picture but I don't think I'd worry about it. If it were my bike I'd be sad about the scratch but wouldn't have any serious concerns about its strength and would happily just ride it. If you really want to do something to it you could dab a bit of epoxy resin in there. I think a repair kit is probably overkill.
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Epoxy and touch-up paint was my first thought too. Kind of a good middle ground here, possibly.
 
#15 ·
TwiceHorn said:
That guy cracks me up. His accent and the very casual way he does things, to the point that it is nearly deceptive (e.g the way he waves the frame and orbital around freehand). I think he is very, very skilled at painting and surface prep. I am curious, though, if an expert would consider that repair adequate.
Click to expand...
100%. He manages to make you feel like "oh goody, this'll be a breeze." But even with his fun narration with bits like "see, no magic here," I just knew I'd have made a hot mess of everything by the end of it.

TwiceHorn said:
That guy cracks me up.
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I see what you did there ;-)
 
#17 ·
pretty gnarly scratch, but I doubt your chainstay is going to snap because of it.

Unless you have some experience working with composites or are willing to potentially waste a lot of time and money on a DIY repair that might make it worse, I'd suggest paying someone reputable to fix it. Just dabbing epoxy on it may help cosmetically but does nothing for the structure.

working w/carbon fiber isn't terribly hard, but there is a lot to know and some real skill involved in doing it right.
 
#20 ·
Ride it often, ride it hard and don't worry about it when you're riding. BUT, regularly watch the ends of the gouge for a crack to start migrating. Keep these original photos for reference. If you see anything that looks like a crack creeping away from this gouge have it professionally repaired. This kind of repair is easy, cheap and there are carbon frame repair shops in every city in the USA. If you really want to keep the price down, don't try to match the fancy paint, just spritz it with flat black from a rattle can and put a Clash sticker on it.
 
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