crashed carbon

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cccycle
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:39 am

by cccycle

What is your opinion on how safe a crashed carbon bike is to ride? In particular its a HM 066SL frame, there are no cracks that I can see. The frame is unpainted with matt clear coat so its hard to see if there is a ripple to paint from stresses to the carbon.

Any advice?

XCProMD
Posts: 1128
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:25 am
Location: Cantabria

by XCProMD

There are three ways to detect cracks in a CFRP structure:

1- connect the frame to a DC and scan it with thermograph equipment. Pretty reliable. Cracks and discontinuities reveal as heat sources as the resistance increases in those areas.

2- X-Ray . 100% reliable but expensive.

3- mechanical test: loading the frame, looking for weak areas that don't behave as expected and tapping it with a small hammer in search of abnormal absorption of vibration. Less reliable and very dependent on the skills and experience I the operator.

Use common sense. You know better than anyone how hard was the crash and how hard the bike is going to be ridden.

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cccycle
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2015 10:39 am

by cccycle

the bike gets ridden hard for about 200-250 miles a week, a lot of climbing and descending. So I don't want to take any chances at 40mph down hill

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

You didn't read the other thread then.
Take it to a shop.
They'll write it off, value it, you can then add it to your claim.
Unless they have a carbon expert to hand (very unlikely), in which case they can give you chapter and verse.

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

I don't think invisible damage is very common in carbon parts.

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