Hole in Carbon S-Works frame

Gregory Taylor · Jun 9, 2015

ibericb said:
Fist hurting yet?

I'm more of the Smiling Assassin type in court. I'm usually the nice one. In fact, I won a motion today because I was nice. The Judge said so.

ibericb · Jun 9, 2015

Gregory Taylor said:
I'm more of the Smiling Assassin type in court. I'm usually the nice one. In fact, I won a motion today because I was nice. The Judge said so.

You and my sister. But then she will crush anyone who hasn't done their homework properly (she is always too well prepared). Judges seem to like her for that.

Smiling is safer - you wn't get splinters in your hand that way.

Agent319 · Jun 9, 2015

If it costs more to fix it back to original then it's a throw away. Period.

ibericb · Jun 9, 2015

Agent319 said:
If it costs more to fix it back to original then it's a throw away. Period.

"More" is a comparative term. More than what?

The question is what would be the value of the bike frame today, vs the cost of the repair? The value of the frame depends on who's looking at it, and how they would use it.

Roland44 · Jun 9, 2015

Agent319 said:
If it costs more to fix it back to original then it's a throw away. Period.

Agree, even if it doesn't cost more the difference can't be that big. No need to overcomplicate things.

duriel · Jun 9, 2015

I propose that you could fix it with a kit and forget about it. No problem, will never have a problem with it.

From a structural point of view, that particular member is mostly in tension to hold the bottom of the head tube from pulling away from the BB. As a matter of fact, there is a series of bikes that are built that have a cable in place of the downtube.

Now if you are a heavy sprinter and hammer by pulling and pushing on the bars, then there are some torsional forces that this solid member will resist. But short of being Griepel or Kiddel, after a patch you should be good to go.

Special Eyes · Jun 9, 2015

30K on a frame? With a hole in it now? Good time to retire it and thank it for the length of service it provided. Build up a new frame and enjoy your next 30K. No risk.

ibericb · Jun 9, 2015

Special Eyes said:
30K on a frame? With a hole in it now? Good time to retire it and thank it for the length of service it provided. Build up a new frame and enjoy your next 30K. No risk.

No reason, other than physical damage from a wreck or abuse, for it not to perform well for 100k, and more.

penn_rider · Jun 10, 2015

Yeah, but spend several hours breaking down, packing, driving to ship, waiting to get it back, and all for maybe $675.00? Could order in a great new frame for not much more.

Now, if the frame was just a couple of years old then maybe it would be worth the repair.

Best of luck, the repair shops mentioned will fix it fine...

MMsRepBike · Jun 10, 2015

DIY kit is about $100.

One of those shops will likely charge about $150 to fix it. Add more for basic paint to cover the repair if desired. Add even more for graphics/decals/paint if desired. It could get kind of expensive. But for a total of $250 I think it can be done. Provided the frame can be stripped and rebuilt for free that is. $250 is reasonable to me and I wouldn't care at that point about hiding the repair. Sucks no matter what though. Sure is a good excuse for a new bike too.

aclinjury · Jun 10, 2015

Resale value of the (old) frame undamaged is probably under $500. So don't even bother sending it out to any carbon repair shop

But the damaged frame is not a waste. Just keep it in case one day you get a trainer.

And as a sidenote, I've never seen a steel frame get a hole put in it this way. So steel is real. Here comes the carbon fanboys.

ibericb · Jun 10, 2015

aclinjury said:
...And as a sidenote, I've never seen a steel frame get a hole put in it this way. So steel is real. Here comes the carbon fanboys.

You're right, and the same can be said for Al and Ti too.

looigi · Jun 10, 2015

ibericb said:
Gougeon Brothers, Inc. has been selling DIY epoxy repair systems and kits for boat constuction and repair for decades. What's different about bicycles?

Not to mention home-built aircraft kits and materials.

crit_boy · Jun 10, 2015

aclinjury said:
And as a sidenote, I've never seen a steel frame get a hole put in it this way. So steel is real. Here comes the carbon fanboys.

I had a steel frame for years and loved it. However, I've seen cracked welds in steel and Al. I've seen a Al down tube break in half during a climb. I have seen Al handlebars and seatposts snap.

But, one cannot let a carbon thread pass without assplosion commentary.

Shuffleman · Jun 10, 2015

aclinjury said:
Resale value of the (old) frame undamaged is probably under $500. So don't even bother sending it out to any carbon repair shop

But the damaged frame is not a waste. Just keep it in case one day you get a trainer.

And as a sidenote, I've never seen a steel frame get a hole put in it this way. So steel is real. Here comes the carbon fanboys.

The logic in regards to the resale value is valid. However, the replacement cost vs the repair cost is more relevant. I would think that this repair can be done for around $250-$300 based on what I have seen others pay. In that case, I may go the repair route.
Of course the new frame route is enticing as well. If it were me, I may buy a new frame but also the repair kit. It would be fun to take a stab at repairing it.

Tig · Jun 10, 2015

looigi said:
Not to mention home-built aircraft kits and materials.

Their carbon fiber epoxy has shown up in some pretty cool places...

kt22mike · Jun 10, 2015

Couple updates and responses to some of the Forum's recommendations (and rantings)...

Got a quote to repair the frame at one of the forums' recommended carbon repair companies - $250. Need to check shipping costs before I commit.

Not a big deal for me to breakdown and re-build so no added costs there.

Given the cost of a DIY kit and having never work with carbon and epoxy before, the $250 quote to repair seems reasonable.

New S-works frame is $3000 and the best I have seen on ebay for a used S-works frame is $900 plus shipping. Given the risk of carbon structure breakdown not sure I want to buy a frame sight unseen.

I already built a second bike (aluminum) last year that I am going to use on my long tours - so I can live without the frame for the 3-4 weeks it will take to repair.

As someone just recommended, I stripped most of the add-ons off the carbon bike yesterday and put it on my trainer.

So it will have a useful life in any case. Thanks for all the advice.

kini · Jun 10, 2015

kt22mike said:
Couple updates and responses to some of the Forum's recommendations (and rantings)...

Got a quote to repair the frame at one of the forums' recommended carbon repair companies - $250. Need to check shipping costs before I commit.

Not a big deal for me to breakdown and re-build so no added costs there.

Given the cost of a DIY kit and having never work with carbon and epoxy before, the $250 quote to repair seems reasonable.

New S-works frame is $3000 and the best I have seen on ebay for a used S-works frame is $900 plus shipping. Given the risk of carbon structure breakdown not sure I want to buy a frame sight unseen.

I already built a second bike (aluminum) last year that I am going to use on my long tours - so I can live without the frame for the 3-4 weeks it will take to repair.

As someone just recommended, I stripped most of the add-ons off the carbon bike yesterday and put it on my trainer.

So it will have a useful life in any case. Thanks for all the advice.

If you don't care about the look of the repair, go to a marine supply store and get a piece,sheet,strip of stranded fiberglass (boat builders layer this to make hulls) and some epoxy, wrap the fiberglass around the frame, hit with the epoxy, repeat if you feel it needs it.

The repair will be super strong, ugly but strong.

kt22mike · Jun 27, 2015

Repaired Frame

I ended up sending my bike out for repair. I lucked out and was at my local bike shop and they had just received a postcard from a new company on the east coast that was doing carbon repairs called Swamp Ghost (We Repair Carbon Bike Frames | Fix Cracks & Paint Damage).

I sent them a picture of my frame, they gave me a reasonable quote and off my frame went. I shipped the bike on a Friday, they received it on Monday and the frame was returned to me the same week.

They gave me a choice of leaving the frame clear coated or painted (I opted for clear coat). As you an see they removed the Specialized sticker as it would have been obvious that a repair was done - looks great! When the frame is standing you can hardly see the repair.

Check them out - ask for Tom....

Tachycardic · Jun 28, 2015

Happy that everything worked out for you. $250 and a week turnaround for the repair seems very reasonable.

Hole in Carbon S-Works frame

Gregory Taylor

ibericb

Agent319

ibericb

Roland44

duriel

Special Eyes

ibericb

penn_rider

MMsRepBike

aclinjury

ibericb

looigi

crit_boy

Shuffleman

Tig

kt22mike

kini

kt22mike

Tachycardic

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