in the seat tube of my carbon fibre Whippet. Anyone got any ideas of the cost of getting it repaired? Or if it is worth it.

Cheers

Don’t repair carbon fibre. Get a new frame under warranty/just buy a new one. It is completely inadvisable to try to repair carbon fibre in the slightest, it is always going to be weak.

Perhaps turn it into a wall lamp?

On one warranties only last 2 years. Had the frame since 2010, not sure I will get much joy there.
Will ring them tomorrow

Don’t repair carbon fibre. Get a new frame under warranty/just buy a new one. It is completely inadvisable to try to repair carbon fibre in the slightest, it is always going to be weak.

eh?

You want to run past that theory with people with carbon fibre masts on yachts?

OP: first is it in warranty?

second they may offer crash replacement if out of warranty

third: try one of the carbon repair places. They are very good and a seat tube should be quite straight forward.

Don’t repair carbon fibre. Get a new frame under warranty/just buy a new one. It is completely inadvisable to try to repair carbon fibre in the slightest, it is always going to be weak.

Really? personally I thought CF was one of the easier materials to repair.

Don’t repair carbon fibre. Get a new frame under warranty/just buy a new one. It is completely inadvisable to try to repair carbon fibre in the slightest, it is always going to be weak.

Perhaps turn it into a wall lamp?

Nonsense. Carbon can repaired, I’ve good things about these guys
http://www.carboncyclerepairs.co.uk/index.html

Also there was an article in WMB this month about how easy carbon frames can be repaired by those in the know.

You really think carbon is easier to repair than steel or ally? It will always be weak, if the fibres have broken unless you can wrap more sheets than are currently there onto the frame then you are always going to have a weakness in the frame.

Why do you think bike companies throw out frames with internal defects instead of ‘repairing’ them?

Edit: also possible a lot more shock loading in bike frames than in sailing masts, even with gusts of winds I imagine it is a lot easier to repair something that large than a seat tube.

HQ Fibre in Norfolk. Will cost you about £60 plus postage. Then put a sticker on it. Google them for references.

You really think carbon is easier to repair than steel or ally?

pretty much, yeah.

You really think carbon is easier to repair than steel or ally?

Yes, of course it is.

Do tell us about all the aluminium frames you’ve had repaired…

Then tell us how easy it is to repair steel frames that aren’t bog standard 531.

maximus, take a breath and have a look at that link. Yes, carbon is easily repairable, but not in the way you’re thinking.

HQ Fibre in Norfolk. Will cost you about £60 plus postage. Then put a sticker on it. Google them for references.

That place looks awesome.*

http://forum.errl.org.uk/entry.php?356-Repairing-Carbon-Fibre-HQ-Fibre-Products

*Honestly.

Edit: also possible a lot more shock loading in bike frames than in sailing masts, even with gusts of winds I imagine it is a lot easier to repair something that large than a seat tube.

The loading in masts is huge and the deflections they are expected to go through routinely are very significant compared to a seat tube or pretty much any tube on a bike. A mast repair has to be properly designed to maintain the correct flex and is a lot harder.

Is that not where they make Lotus cars… Norfolk?

Possibly in that very shed.

the place that prawny linked to is not far from me and ive seen some of the stuff he’s repaired. amazing work really. and the majority of the guys who ride them ride them pretty hard.

That place looks awesome.

It is. Ive been there. It’s an old bloke and his wife in a farm shed. But he’s got a hell of a pedigree. He’s built loads of CF stuff for Mike Burrows, he’s the official Scott repair centre (yep), and he’s done dozens of repairs for people locally. Even wheels. I’ve not known one to fail yet.

Hi Max 😉

Norfolk unlikely?

Do tell us about all the aluminium frames you’ve had repaired…

Infact I have repaired a trek 4300 frame that cracked on the drive side of the chain stay which was 6061 aluminium frame by tig welding. and has been ridden by a pretty heavy bloke (>250lbs) around FTD. For proper riding it would require some heat treatment though (thankfully the guy who bought it was happy about it anyway).

maximus, take a breath and have a look at that link. Yes, carbon is easily repairable, but not in the way you’re thinking.

I can not see where they explain how they repair them, I can also not see and before/after photos of bikes (the racing bike was filler so no damage to carbon). I am assuming they are adding more and more layers, how do they know how many were there in the first place, the orientation of the layers and then the bonding of the old to new carbon is going to be sketchy and a source of stress concentration.

Different shed.

There’s no secret to it. You can stand and watch if you want to.

Works for Burrows and Scott? That’s all I need to hear. Approved.

Norfolk bloke fixed my mates enve wheel. We couldn’t actually spot where he’d done the fix it was that good

For proper riding it would require some heat treatment though

So not repaired then?

Sorry fella, but the world has moved on and it won’t wait for you to catch up.

The reason it may look like a tip outside.. is because he’s got so much work to be getting on with,inside. ;O)

the bonding of old and new carbon will be fine if done corectly getting the orientation and type of weave and stiffness and flex correct will be the tricky part but at the end of the day its a push bike

Thanks for the replies everyone. Will give One One a call tomorrow. I suspect the warranty is finished(says 2 years on website and I bought the frame in 2010). But, you never know.
If that fails I will try out the repair folks listed and get a quote. The crack looks like it has occurred right at the end of the seatpost…which is slightly worrying

I’ve used HQ fibre repairs and they were indeed awsome.. 😀

Sorry only skim read. But I’m taking it that it crack right near the high direct mount. If so it was a known fault which has now been rectified with an alloy plate bonded into the frame. I know this because it happened to my whippet. Mine was in warranty though and I was allowed to pay the difference to get a dirty harry 29er frame. Hope this small bit of info helps.

Edit: Just read your last post. Just sounds like you’ve had too many pies 😉

I suppose they just bin Typhoon jets if a bit of carbon breaks

Carbon may sound all high tech but it isn’t that different from fibreglass 🙂

I did a thesis on this over ten years ago, through that was related to the repair of fighter aircraft in battle; lots of FEA and cloth/resin/autoclaves/strain gauges. The details are critical but if you know what you’re doing and are very particular about the process you can easily repair composites to stronger than original.

Only weigh 11 stone, so not too many pies…cheeky

On One offered me 10% discount on a crash replacement as the warranty had run out.
Got a quote of £68 for repairing from HQ Fibre, which sounds good to me, so got the frame packed and ready to send to them tomorrow

Carbon may sound all high tech but it isn’t that different from fibreglass

Many people assumed my Elise was ‘carbon fibre’ I never felt any need to correct this 🙂 – fibreglass and glue doesn’t sound half as glamorous.

was related to the repair of fighter aircraft in battle

Where the biggest problem is keeping the repair crew on the wing during high gee turns 😉

Then tell us how easy it is to repair steel frames that aren’t bog standard 531.

Very. Any competent welder with a TIG set (if it’s welded) or a brazing torch (if it’s brazed) should be able to do it.

This is why long-distance/round the world tourists prefer steel frames because even Oxy-Acetylene Ali in Shitholerabad can bodge a steel frame… 🙄

Some nice before and after shots for the doubters here:
http://www.carbonframerepair.com/index.php/repair-gallery/

On One offered me 10% discount on a crash replacement as the warranty had run out.

Is that on ones’ crash replacement programme? 10% off?

It is a year out of warranty. Not a very good offer, so won’t be bothering. Didn’t even crash it, just rode it to work

On One offered me 10% discount on a crash replacement as the warranty had run out.

It’s stuff like that, and the fact they’re a nightmare to get hold of pre-sale, so god knows what they will be like after they have ones money. That makes me think twice about buying a bike from P-X/On-one.

Was that 10% off £500 or 10% off £350?

10% off whatever I liked…I assume