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Carbon ..... eeek?!

I have a 'crack' in my non-driveside rear stay. The inside still looks fine and covered with glossy paint. The paint has cracked off the outside half and the carbon beneath is spring when I stuff my nail in .... no crack as such though.

No idea how it happened .... maybe just a bit pot-hole?

Can it be repaired? Who by? How much?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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10 comments

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allez neg | 10 years ago
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I'd go with fibre lyte as I recall an interview with Mike Burrows that said he uses them extensively iirc.

Or buy titanium.  11

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Jack Osbourne snr | 10 years ago
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Bin it and buy a proper metal bike.

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giobox replied to Jack Osbourne snr | 10 years ago
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Jack Osbourne snr wrote:

Bin it and buy a proper metal bike.

Sure, because cracked aluminium frames have a great reputation for repairability...  39

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Jack Osbourne snr replied to giobox | 10 years ago
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giobox wrote:
Jack Osbourne snr wrote:

Bin it and buy a proper metal bike.

Sure, because cracked aluminium frames have a great reputation for repairability...  39

That's new-fangled guff too. I was talking about PROPER metal.

Ignore the metallic reference in my signature. It's irrelevant here...  44

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eschelar | 10 years ago
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Carbon also has a heating process that cannot be exceeded or it prematurely ages the resin. "Patching an old wineskin with a new wineskin" analogy.

So you can either heat up the carbon patch properly and weaken the surrounding area or you can heat up the carbon patch improperly and get a weak repair.

It's still stronger than if you had not repaired it, but it won't be as strong as new.

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Gordy748 | 10 years ago
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Carbon is more repairable than people give it credit for, as long as it's done right. It's basically a matter of taking some carbon layers, gluing them on and around the affected area, then baking it so that the new carbon "bandage" supports the original, cracked stuff.

Of course, in reality it's a little more complex than this. Your frame will gain a little weight and stiffness, and will lose some element of compliance or whatever the brand intended the affected area to do.

If it's painted, you'll want to get it resprayed (if looks are important to you). This can be more expensive than the repair itself.

NB: this is based on my experience with my Colnago CT-1, which needed a repair to the drive side chainstay. Calfee repaired it really easily, but paying for the respray to match the original art décor scheme was very spendy.

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matthewn5 | 10 years ago
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jasonm945 | 10 years ago
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giobox | 10 years ago
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Let us know how you get on if you do pursue a repair. I've never heard of Carbon frame repair offered in the UK (I'm sure someone probably does it), only seen it offered from some big specialist outfits like Calfree in the states.

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matthewn5 | 10 years ago
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May be repairable, there are a number of places astound that do it. Try google?

Looks like damage from a stick caught in the spokes to me.

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