Normal carbon or swirls/scratches?

[Beantown11]

Hi all, just got a new Cervelo R5 in the five black colorway - ie pretty much raw carbon finish I think. It seems like a pretty delicate finish. I cleaned it the other day with my usual Park tools soft brush and soap/water. I noticed these marks in bright sunlight - took some close up photos with flash - just wanted to know whether these are true swirl marks/scratches or just what normal raw/barely painted carbon looks like. The marks are uniform across the top tube and downtube and not really in the orientation I was gently scrubbing with my soft brush so I am thinking (hoping?) it's just normal carbon layup appearance.

To avoid scratching my frame in the future though, thinking of getting a microfiber cleaning glove as I was reading that is gentler on carbon finishes than soft brushes.

[Steve Curtis]

Pictures are a bit poor so I can't really tell, but it looks similar/ same as my Caledonia 5.
The "grain" is the carbon where they're sanded prior to having the satin clear coat over the top. not something you can anything about.

It's a very tough finish but can still be scratched with small stones in winter grime as you rub it off during cleaning.

[Beantown11]

Thanks, by "grain" are those the marks I see for example above the "e" in the last photo of the downtube? They do indeed look like sanded marks but stop abruptly along a longitudinal plane so leaves me to think this is just part of the normal layup of the carbon and not something related to scratches from cleaning?

[Steve Curtis]

If you can feel them with your nail, they're scratches. If not, they're sanded carbon

[Sub2]

If small marks and scratches will annoy you have you considered a clear wrap, either satin or gloss ?
I put one on my bike and am so glad I did , now when I get a small mark I know it's just the wrap that has marked.

[LeMillion]

I do detailing work on cars as a hobby - those look like swirl marks from a poor polish job combined with any handling issues from the bike shop and wash. Since the bike is not in front of me I can't really tell if it's under the clear coat. I think it's unlikely since sanding results in a different appearance than the ones in the picture.

Always go with a microfiber mitt and towels to reduce marring the paint. If the swirls and scratches are on the clear coat itself, which they often are on bikes and cars, the finish can be restored with some compound and/or polish.