Carbon Repair from Fibre Lyte (Hansell Composites)

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

Post Reply
User avatar
Stolichnaya
Posts: 2621
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:55 pm
Location: Vienna, AUT

by Stolichnaya

A few months ago I had a tragic accident and cracked a Canyon Ultimate CF frame on the drive side seat stay.
And by tragic I mean, tragically stupid - a workshop fall and impact with a tool box. Stomach turning to watch it happen in slow motion...

The frame is a 2008 or 2009 model, in red, and Canyon's customer service was less than inspirational in discussing options.
Their solution was send them the frame back and they would give a crash replacement, but the value was minimal with that route as I purchased the frame through the Canyon Outlet.
I like the frame, and the color. It was not used much prior to the fall.

At the recommendation of some threads here, I contacted Fibre Lyte and spoke with Stephen at Hansell Composites. The experience was excellent and I wanted to encourage those with carbon damage to reach out to them. I provided photos of the damage and color codes and was given a quote via email. The frame was sent out and in very short time the damage had been repaired.

Fibre Lyte uses Shelby Art for their color matching and Steve there was very proactive in providing me pictures of the work when done and even moving me up in his schedule a few days to accomodate a timeline.

Ultimately, Stephen at Fibre Lyte contacted me and advised their estimate had been a bit high and he adjusted the total charges.
I was lost for words. Amazing. Needless to say, this was a very enjoyable experience.

I received the frame back from the UK yesterday! It was packed up in the box I used, but padded to survive a three story free fall. I thought I was OCD about wrapping it, but Stephen made sure the frame was well protected for the trip home. (It took me 15 minutes to unwrap it!) :D

I then went about trying to decipher where the repair was done. Honestly, I could not see it. The color matching is spot on and I cannot identify the expected bulge in the area of the repair. I started holding the frame under different lamps attempting to find the flaws.
I then, laughably, went to the length of checking the rest of the frameset for the identifiable scratches I had made in riding to determine that they had not swapped out frames! Hahaha. It is the same one.

So, to wrap up, a shout out to Fibre Lyte and a warm thanks for getting me back on the road before my Südtirol adventure.
Also much appreciated gratitude to Shelby Art for their work.

I am not affiliated with either of these companies in any way other than being a grateful customer.
Both have an excellent customer service orientation and seem to truly enjoy doing good work.
Thanks Stephen and Steve.

If you need carbon repair, I recommend you contact Stephen at Fibre Lyte.
http://www.fibre-lyte.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Steve at Shelby Art:
http://www.shelbyart.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once the frameset is built back up I will post photos.

User avatar
stephen@fibre-lyte
in the industry
Posts: 605
Joined: Thu May 29, 2008 12:22 am
Contact:

by stephen@fibre-lyte

It's always great to see a happy customer, thanks for the write up. :D

Just for the record, our Special Projects Engineer who does all the repairs is called John, so if anyone is looking for any info, they can either contact myself or speak to John and we'll do our best to help.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



fdegrove
Tubbie Guru
Posts: 5894
Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 2:20 am
Location: Belgium

by fdegrove

Hi,

Good to hear it all turned out so well, Stoli.
I remember having a similar amount of enthusiasm and joy when I received something as seemingly simple as a RD inner plate made by Fibre-Lyte.
One look and you instantly feel these guys know what they're doing.

Good show. :thumbup:

Ciao, ;)
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

User avatar
53x12
Posts: 3708
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:02 am
Location: On the bike

by 53x12

Stolichnaya, good to see you around again. Thanks for sharing. Always good to hear of a WW with good experience. Thumbs up.
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."

User avatar
Mattias Hellöre
in the industry
Posts: 531
Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:34 pm
Location: Insjön, SWEDEN
Contact:

by Mattias Hellöre

Even I repair frames and carbon stuff for living but I can recommend Stephen at Fibre Lyte just because he is a good guy.

Seeing this write up does lighten up my day as there´s more people like me who takes the work with pride.

Excusing me for eventual wrong words as I´m translating directly from swedish in my head.
Experimental Prototype

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



User avatar
Stolichnaya
Posts: 2621
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 6:55 pm
Location: Vienna, AUT

by Stolichnaya

And yes, let me state, my apologies for the oversight of not mentioning John at Hansell Composites who did the exceptional work on the frame repair. it was not my intention to have such an oversight. The bulk of my interface during the process was with Stephen.

John, thank you. Your enthusiasm and attention to detail is inspiring.

It was, in part, ownership of one of the Fibre Lyte RD plates that told me they would be a fine place to send the Canyon for repairs. WW commnts certainly helped out.

Thanks again all.

Post Reply