I thought that my bike was a gonner after being crushed in a cargo baggage accident. I was pretty bummed, but then I started doing some research on repairing carbon and I thought I would check it out.

I checked with Edgar at rrvelo.com and he was great to deal with. He gave me a lot of encouraging information even after I sent him pictures of my bike that it could be fixed. It would be safe and stronger to use than before. I received the same information from Calfee repairs that it would be safe to ride.

I was happy to find out that Edgar worked at Calfee for over 15 years and had a lot of experience with repairing carbon so I went to his shop and was very impressed with his work. He was also very cordial in my dealings with him. I highly recommend rrvelo.com if you have carbon repair issues.

Enough of my rambling. Here are some pics of before and after. I haven't finished the complete build up as I am still waiting for my new handlebars, but I am itching to throw my leg over it and feel the ride again.

awww... no more logos?

I decided to see how it would look without the big "Specialized" logos on the downtube - especially since it would have took longer to get the logos and I thought it would make for a good story on my rides without the logos.

One thing I forgot to mention... I got my frame back to me in one week!!

Jeff

Well I hope the resin they used lasts... it looks like it will. Must be a "universal" adhesive.

I say get the logos back on... But get 'em in a different color since it is a rebirth.

man a cracked downtube it seems and a cracked stay?: id be still sketched to ride it, carbon is a matrix that holds its strength when it is well structured, when you crack it you break the structure, wrapping it up in CF will not make it as strong as new, id say it more temporary.

you must be one of those riders that refuse to ride ti, steel, or aluminum if there's a dent in one of the tubes I presume?

I agree with AidanM. You can't even compare carbon fiber to a metal frame because it's plastic. There could be more damage to that frame than you can't see. In metals, it's easy to identify strutural damage, but with carbon, you could have internal damage that can't be identified. Even pro bike shops will tell you that. You'll know it when your frame decides to dump on you while climbing a hill. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones that doesn't have any hidden damage. I like carbon as much as the next person but I don't like it enough to risk my safety with a frame that was severely damaged. The integrity is gone. Face it.

There could be more damage to that frame than you can't see. In metals, it's easy to identify strutural damage, but with carbon, you could have internal damage that can't be identified. The integrity is gone. Face it.

he is right, as much as youd like to believe its as good as new, it aint,

for example, imagine a thick tree that snapped in half, now put the broken half back on top, and wrap a shitload of ducktape all around it and glue it up. is the tree as strong? heck no, the inernal wood and fiber need to be help together. same with carbon, wrapping the outside doesnt help the inside.

you must be one of those riders that refuse to ride ti, steel, or aluminum if there's a dent in one of the tubes I presume?

no im not, becasue a slight dent wont do much, thats the beauty with metals, id be hesistant if theyre was a huge dent across my whole downtube and across a stay, might be worrisome, but no, id ride a slightly dented frame,( dropped on ground dent),

with carbon id be wayy more hesistant, id of course i wouldnt ride a cracked in half carbon frame.

Just curious, what did the repair cost you?

I've heard from more than a few sources that repaired carbon tubes are often just as strong, if not stronger, then the original tubes, only because the re-wrapping is done more with an eye toward restoring integrity and strength. Don't ask me for evidence – ask the hundreds of people who've had their carbon frames repaired by guys such as Calfee.

I'd ride that thing without question.

And don't put logos on it, keep it black and clean.

Nice to see they can be repaired.

I repair acrylic on a regular basis and I can attest to the fact that if done correctly, the stuff is as strong as the original and if stressed will actually break away from the repair. Of course an orthodontic retainer is not a bike frame...:smilewinkgrin: For one thing I cure the repair in water in a pressure pot.

I've heard from more than a few sources that repaired carbon tubes are often just as strong, if not stronger, then the original tubes, only because the re-wrapping is done more with an eye toward restoring integrity and strength. Don't ask me for evidence – ask the hundreds of people who've had their carbon frames repaired by guys such as Calfee.

I'd ride that thing without question.

And don't put logos on it, keep it black and clean.

Maybe whenever we buy a carbon frame we should go crash it so we can get it fixed

Glad to see you are going to get your bike back

I'm just a bit curious to know why you didn't take out a claim on the damaged goods with the Cargo service - regardless of who it was?

Further more - what did you have that thing wrapped in ? Looks like it couldn't have been much more than the cardboard box it came in. I don't ask to be a smart ass...... but rather, I'm about to make the investment into a travel case - and after seeing your disaster, I'm a bit curious as to "what" I should stay away from!


Ciao,

-A-

The cost was very reasonable - about $400. Much cheaper than going through Calfee.

I feel pretty confident riding this bike as I saw the work that he has done. He actually takes out all the damaged carbon and refills and re-wraps it so that the area is stronger both at the damaged area and around it as well.

There have been many carbon bikes repaired and people are still riding them.

Yeah - I got some money back from the cargo company which I used to get a Look 595, but since I got the frame back decided to see what could be done with it.

I should have used a sturdy frame carrier so I learned my lesson.

I plan on using it on casual rides and on the trainer - nothing too abusive.

are you kidding me? I would ride that without even thinking twice.

nice job with not trashing it.

The cost was very reasonable - about $400. Much cheaper than going through Calfee.

I feel pretty confident riding this bike as I saw the work that he has done. He actually takes out all the damaged carbon and refills and re-wraps it so that the area is stronger both at the damaged area and around it as well.

There have been many carbon bikes repaired and people are still riding them.

Yeah - I got some money back from the cargo company which I used to get a Look 595, but since I got the frame back decided to see what could be done with it.

I should have used a sturdy frame carrier so I learned my lesson.

I plan on using it on casual rides and on the trainer - nothing too abusive.

If a guy who has done this for 15 years and Calfee said it was ok, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

It's somewhat similiar to rebar repairs with corroded concrete. There are standards which have to be followed regarding overlap of the steel. This is not rocket science. Is the frame any heavier than before that you are aware of?

Stronger than before?
Just a "patch" repair?
Too risky?

Would be good to know if riders that actually had a broken Carbon frame repaired and rode it hard after the repair had issues or problems with the frame later.

Please comment your experience and who did the repair for you. You never know when that kind of service will be needed (hopefully not soon).

About a year and a half ago I bought a used Colnago E1 which I intended to resell after stripping the parts. It hung in my garage for about 6 weeks before I decided to build it up. Lo and behold I found a small crack at the junction of the seat stay lug. Sent it to Calfee who repaired the crack, fixed some scrapes on the logo and I have a bike that looks like new!

I've been riding it hard for a year ( I weigh 165#) including race-like conditions, though I actually race another bike because it would break my heart to crash this one. It's my favorite bike now.

BTW - I never tried to nail the seller for giving me a bike with a crack. He turned out to be a scumbag anyway even before I found the crack. Still got a pretty good deal on the bike even after the repair cost.

Calfee and others (Ruegamer, the OP's guy, and so on) have been doing these repairs for a few years. For those three, at least, their repair method is nearly identical to the way they join tubes when they build frames.

Do you know how they do this? Do they reinforce the inside of the tube, or sand and wrap the bejeezus out of the outside?

Personally, I wouldn't mind riding on a CF frame that had a minor repair. A broken downtube and severed seatstay are pretty severe, I may have used it as wall art at that point. How's the alignment?

I had a cracked top tube repaired by Calfee last fall. I have a few hundred miles since without any problems.

http://www.calfeedesign.com/howtosendrepair.htm

Unless one has direct carbon repair experience and knows the method used on the repaired bike, I can't see they know more than the repairman.

[QUOTE=AidanM]he is right, as much as youd like to believe its as good as new, it aint,

for example, imagine a thick tree that snapped in half, now put the broken half back on top, and wrap a shitload of ducktape all around it and glue it up. is the tree as strong? heck no, the inernal wood and fiber need to be help together. same with carbon, wrapping the outside doesnt help the inside.
QUOTE]

OK I just imagined a tree w/ a shitload of ducktape and glue all around it. I tell ya it's one hell of a sight. Still standin tho.

Hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good flame, I always say

if the frame is lugged - its just like replacing the lug

Good grief. I think some people around here only trust steel, aluminum and titanium condoms. (Not that I would try to repair a condom)

in baggage and I had packed it well, I'd have the airlines buy me a new frame.
I might have it repaired for a spare, no way would that (paying for repair) square things up in my eyes. I've fixed plenty of things using resins and cloth (mostly surfboards) you can make things pretty strong, but youwill sacrifice some of the original performance

That's what I got - a Look 595. Now I have a pretty nice spare. I think that it turned out pretty well. Will hopefully post some pics soon of the complete build. The crazy thing is that most of the components were not damaged at all. I will be using an old wheelset that I have with new cables and handlebar.

A lot of opinions. I will let you know how it rides. It is about 50-100 grams heavier, but not bad considering the amount of carbon wrapping that they did.

Craig Calfee repaired a sliced open top-tube on a friends Scott Strike mountain bike YEARS ago. It has been in service and taking a beating ever since.

As long as the repair (as mentioned by others) is performed by a reputable builder I wouldn't sweat it one bit. :thumbsup:

Why didn't you get a warranty for it? Speshy has very nice CS and warranties all of their frames w/o question.

Why didn't you get a warranty for it? Speshy has very nice CS and warranties all of their frames w/o question.

Uhm, why would Specialized warranty a frame that was broken in some cargo baggage accident? As far as I can tell, that had nothing to do with Specialized.

Why didn't you get a warranty for it? Speshy has very nice CS and warranties all of their frames w/o question.

Do you mean crash replace policy? That means you screw it up and we'll replace it for a "nominal fee". Frames trashed by airlines don't really fall under manufacturers defect.

Uhm, why would Specialized warranty a frame that was broken in some cargo baggage accident? As far as I can tell, that had nothing to do with Specialized.

Because Specialized likes to keep their customers happy. I know on MTBR there are many stories of how Specialized replaced frames without and questions, assuming it is the original buyer.

Because Specialized likes to keep their customers happy. I know on MTBR there are many stories of how Specialized replaced frames without and questions, assuming it is the original buyer.

Wow! It'd be really cool to lie to Specialized and cheat them out of money! Short of lying to them, there is zero reason for Specialized to replace the bike. I'd say the odds are a googleplex to one against that Specialized would replace that.

It's not lying, depending on how you look at it. When I go into a shop asking for a new frame for my MTB, I've noticed that they have never asked any questions. Maybe the employees of the shop are wondering how the down tube cracked, but Speshy themselves have never asked anything. They take care of their customers no matter what.

As for the "nominal fee," there is no such thing. If the frame is getting replaced to the original buyer due to a crash, it is for zero percent. It's quite nice. That's why I stand by Specialized mountain bikes.

Now, I would much rather get a frame without technically lying about it than ride on something that could potentially get more stress fractures.

Parse words however you want. Only a scumbag would do that and walk away happy.

It's wonderful to see that people who allegedly like cycling are so willing to screw others in cycling.

You are assuming that I have done it. I would take some more time either thinking or reading. I know that Specialized has backed me up adn not questioned it. I always have a legitimate reason, and I know I'll think twice before hitting my Enduro with a hammer to get a SL. However, Specialized would have covered it for free. If anything, I'm preaching Specialized, not endorsing how to screw them.

I have to say, when I joined MTBR my welcome there was a lot less hostile. That and the forums I've viewed (so far General, Motobecane-Mercier, and here) are so hostile.

I (and I'm sure many others) have had the same discouraging experience as you. BUT ever since I have made the following adjustment several months ago, this forum has become AWESOME!

http://mysite.verizon.net/johe/Forrest.jpg

I'm hoping it will be great. I'm not denying it has its benefits, but my first idea of what it expect was looking through some old threads where the members here were preaching that some people trying to post an honest review were shilling. I'm also hoping it's considerably more open minded now.