Hi

My bike has been on 3 plane flights recently and has since developed white spots/blisters under the lacquer, has anyone else ever come across this before and if so what was the outcome?

Thanks

James

Some pics would help.

For reference mine has been on about 30 flights and the only marks are riding scars. Plan cargo holds are temp and pressure controlled these days at the same as the cabin so the equivalent of big ride in the high alps.

I haven’t got a carbon bike but I have seen it happen after a few years on other carbon lacquered products (fishing poles). The spots looked like bubbles under the lacquer, almost like the lacquer was coming away from the carbon but only in small (1-3mm) spots.

It didn’t seem to make any difference in performance with them so I doubt it would make any difference to a bike frame which will have far more material. I’d be a little more concerned that the lacquer might crack/peel.

Could be stress blisters where the frame has taken a knock and the lacquer starts to separate from the underlying surface similar to stonechips on a car.

It could of course be something totally different.

Could be knocks causing the lacquer to come off. If the release agents are not fully removed then you can get adhesion problems and as people want to see the carbon weave or UD then they don’t use an adhesion promoting primer before the primer which may not adhere that well anyway.

The other problem, which was what immediately sprung to mind on seeing your thread title is hydrolysis damage to the lacquer or epoxy.

Acne?

I turned out to be a slight seperation of the lacquer from the carbon, nothing to worry about too much.

Tippex?

Had a ‘special intimate moment’ with your bike?

Thrush!