Four rides into a new (to me) carbon frame and worry every time a rock flicks up. So far they've hit the carbon pivot mount and only chipped paint off.
Am I worrying without good reason?
I know how you feel ... but I don't know why I'm paranoid about its vulnerability ... its a rocky msl by the way ... I decided to bodge myself a downtube/bb shell protector out of an old rear mudguard (attached to the underside bottle cage bolts.
The thing is for every horror story on here about damaged or cracked carbon theres just as may stories about aluminium ... I suppose you make your choice and live with it ... and insure it too.
so far so good (probably break it tomorrow now!)
Inner tube + zip tyres + downtube.
If you want to spend money there are loads of downtube protectors on ebay.
I wouldn't worry about the carbon pivot mount though, that will be incredibly study.
TBH this is why I don't want a 2.5k frame anytime soon, I could probably afford it but writing it off would leave me heartbroken. I'd rather have a 1 to 1.5k (max) alu frame and be comfortable riding it into the ground.
@sleigh62, any pics of that bodged protector? I'm also a Rocky MSL owner who gets anxious.... I was looking to zip tie a piece of knobbly tyre around the down tube/BB.
No need for a tyre...a tube or two would do the trick...attach it to the bottom two thirds of the frame.
I've dinged an alu one (and a bloody stron one at that). The carbon has shrugged off similar strikes so far *touches wood*
Not carbon, but wrote off my Yeti ASR frame with a rock strike on the downtube which cracked the weld to the bottom bracket shell (Thank goodness for M&S accidental damage cover to personal possessions with away from home cover).
And against other frequent threads about Ti, my original geared Tinbred is still fine after 7 or 8 years use 🙂
This is what you need:
http://www.rockguardz.com/
Note: I'm biased but they still do their job perfectly.
Getonyourbike - none for a tallboy?
Get in touch with the main man (Ian Walker) and if go to Oswestry with it then he can get a mould from your frame and I think will either give you one for free or very cheap. I appreciate that for some, it's a long journey. If you don't then I'm sure somebody will take one in for a mould to be taken for before long, so you can buy one.
Ive had many large rocks hit the downtube and bottom bracket shell of my mojo hd (in raw carbon fibre, not painted) and its fine, totally unmarked.
No problems in use but my fisher superfly fell over in the garden and cracked the top tube on a concreat planter.
I think this video would reassure me:
@bwaarp... plenty of old tubes hanging around, so will give your trick a try. Thanks.
Got a down tube guard for my Blur trc which has earned its price already. There's a chip on the rear triangle too but other than that it's shaping up to be quite robust.
@fandango ... sorry for the delay ... went out today and it was so muddy you couldn't actually see the protector!
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probably still leaves the ends of the bb shell vulnerable but its all I had at the time.
Thing is the frame IMO is a work of art so I didn't want anything that spoiled it too much.
I should get one of those fancy carbon ones but I can't find one that the right shape.
just watched the youtube vid that Superficial put up
... I'm officially 'not bothered about it' now ...
..... might leave it on though ... just in case 😕
just watched the youtube vid that Superficial put up... I'm officially 'not bothered about it' now ...
Sorry... but that video shows how strong and impact resistant an [b]undamaged[/b] carbon frame is. That's not the same as hitting it with a rock, creating a weak point and [b]then [/b]testing the strength.
But it's the tubes I'd worry about, not the pivot mount or the BB, which will be pretty solid.
Did you watch the last bit of that video greybeard? They take a downtube and smash it against the corner of a concrete pillar...
Did you watch the last bit of that video greybeard? They take a downtube and smash it against the corner of a concrete pillar...
This is what put my kind at rest when deliberating over a new Alu frame or a new Carbon frame.
Yeah, good bit of propaganda on Santa Cruz's part, that video. I'd happily buy carbon if I could justify it.
Having said that, scrapes are a worry. I've got a carbon rear end (Yeti ASR5) and one rock managed to score a line in the topcoat of the chainstay. I almost cried. It doesn't seem to have affected strength, but I can't help think an alu frame might have shrugged it off a bit better.
My guess is the paint on an aluminium stay would have suffered similarly.
Road bike? Or china collecting?
Yup. And if there's any carbon mountain bikes where the topcoat is structurally important I'd be amazed. I heard a funny one, a chap who'd scratched his naked finish Mojo and was wishing he'd bought a painted one because then he'd not have to worry.
That video is insane! Totally not worried about my 456C anymore... and people say the 456C frame is over built...!
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I did this to my lovely new Trance at Coedy last week. Bought in January, and the first time that I've ever bought a new bike! Oh well....
Did you watch the last bit of that video greybeard? They take a downtube and smash it against the corner of a concrete pillar...
I did watch it... it looks to me as if they smash the frame so the headtube hits the concrete, so it's loaded the way it's meant to be loaded. If they smashed it so that the downtube hit the concrete side on, I think it would be damaged. So would an aluminium frame, but carbon is particularly sensitive to impact loads across the tube. I'm not trying to dis carbon frames, just that I think the video is a bit misleading in the context.
it looks to me as if they smash the frame so the headtube hits the concrete
Are we watching the same bit? 5:00 onwards? Because to me it looks like they're aiming for the downtube and hitting it bang on. Obviously it's not the most objective test, plus (as you said) they didn't stress the frame after (potentially) creating a weak spot, but it looks impressive nonetheless - I'm sure that my aluminium-framed bike would fare worse.
Update: out over High Stile, Red Pike last night, front wheel hooked up and I slo-mo super manned over the bars into the rocks (it was windy alright.......). Bike followed me over and smashed down into the sharp edged boulders - gulp. One strike close to seat stay/chain stay bend. Damage has gone through paint and looks to have damaged the surface carbon. Must be thick there though, so will be fine. Towards the end of the ride (now pretty dark) a ba&?ard rock sent the rear much into the wheel, trashing both cages totally (xtr - carbon and All both snapped). NSB hanger was mangled and one attachment screw was torn out - carbon undamaged.
£60 repairs and bruised shoulder/shin, but frame survived. Still reminds me why I stuck to steel hard tails for a while prior to the TBoy......
Sounds like a lucky escape mate.
Have you got the frame helitaped at cable rub points? Carbon is much more vulnerable to rub damage than alu.
it happened some years ago..and CFK frames are now surely much better..
but..
while riding a slow section in rocky, technical terrain I hit a rock with the downtube of my votec C9..
this caused a minor damage to the carbon, nothing serious...talked to the company and lbs ..all guaranteed that this will not cause any problems...
one year later there was a crack starting from this little mark..frame destroyed..
If your lucky enough to have a company that Carbon wraps cars, pop down and ask for some 3M DiNoc offcuts.
It makes a good easy fit frame protector and is pretty tough...
This is what you need:
http://www.rockguardz.com/
+1 Popped up to see Ian and he fitted one to my Whyte 29C on the spot. Looks great and gives me reassurance
I use an old crudcatcher upside down, held on with an inner tube
looks pro 😆
Yes I have, but I have bought exactly the same frame again. I have done far worse to steel and ali frames.
Yes. I crashed into a massive rock that rose up like an iceberg. Hit the downtube of my ASR5C. It looks minimal damage, but it now creaks, clicks, cracks, etc. it's been replaced on insurance. In fairness, it probably would have destroyed any tube and it would have looked far worse.
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8750709379_b9a5501821_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/8750709379/ ]Ouch!![/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
The santa Cruz video tells us nothing about the frames resistant to impact tot he tubes. As said above it shows the bike being subjected to intended loads
In the end it all boils down to the fact that all frames can be damaged in use and that this is one aspect of deciding how much you can afford to spend on a frame/bike