Lost count of the number of times I've see crashes in the pro peleton, usually resulting in a high speed pile up and bodies lying all over the road. Usually they get back up as they are hard as nails.. But what about the bikes?
I was under the impression that riding pre crashed lightweight carbon was not a good idea.. As the damage isn't always visible. So do they just bin them? Send them back to the manufacturer? Keep riding and hope the forks don't fall off?
I’d imagine they get sent back to the supplier
I'm guessing you haven't seen the video clip of some racer (can't remember who) smashing their carbon V10 SC clean in half.
Have a little imagination will you - they go to bicycle heaven with the lady from mint sauce who mends their inner soul carbon fibers.
some racer (can’t remember who) smashing their carbon V10 SC clean in half.
Greg Minaar
depends on the crash, the vast majority of them are small scale shunts or scrapes along the floor. they'll be given a good going over and fix/replaced as necessary
look closely at any Pro bike and they're covered in scuffs and scratches, they're tools for a job, not showroom fresh precious exotica
aHA! that be Greggy.
And a lot of the pro teams have very right budgets. They don't have an endless supply of bikes! Look at the TT bikes of some of the 2nd tier teams or the spares on top of the car - they don't have enough for everyone so the domestiques and sprinters have to do with regular bikes with TT bars.
Used to be that at the end of the season some of the spare bikes were given to helpers/ associates. I rode for a shop team in the 80s , the shop provided service to the Peugeot team in the tour of Ireland. Payment was kudos plus a few of the service bikes.
I ended up with a 753 Peugeot for a very good.price off the boss, just a bit scratched where it has been on and off the roofrack. Dunno if that still happens.
That Greg Minaar crash looks like the frame broke first and the crash resulted?
it didn’t, there are other angles I think. It folded around a solid post at pretty high speed.