I recently bought a carbon frameset(like a dummy) from someone on eBay who said the frame was never dropped or damaged. Once I received it I noticed it had been wrecked or dropped and had a crack in the down tube. What can I do with it at this point? Is it safe to repair or should I just toss the frame and get something new?
What To Do With A Cracked Fiber Frame
- Thread starter rchemsley
- Start date
Yes, go for PayPal protection or eBay's. Get your money back if you're certain the frame was not damaged in transit to you from the seller. Digital pictures and all that jazz.
There are several outfits that can safely and cost effectively repair busted carbon. One outfit is in California...Google around for it. Ride quality 'may' be affected a bit, it will probably end up stiffer than when originally made and it will gain a few grams of weight. Not a deal killer for a safe repair IMO. A repaint/touch up job will be a significant part of the cost of the repair and is handled in-house by at least one of the repair facilities.
The problem being...repairing a lesser frame is usually not worth the expenditure and hassle of shipping, etc. Now, if you bough a Dogma F8 or Colnago high zoot and only have a couple hundred in the deal so far...a professional repair might be a worthwhile investment. Balance all this against any future resale value you may be looking for.
There are several outfits that can safely and cost effectively repair busted carbon. One outfit is in California...Google around for it. Ride quality 'may' be affected a bit, it will probably end up stiffer than when originally made and it will gain a few grams of weight. Not a deal killer for a safe repair IMO. A repaint/touch up job will be a significant part of the cost of the repair and is handled in-house by at least one of the repair facilities.
The problem being...repairing a lesser frame is usually not worth the expenditure and hassle of shipping, etc. Now, if you bough a Dogma F8 or Colnago high zoot and only have a couple hundred in the deal so far...a professional repair might be a worthwhile investment. Balance all this against any future resale value you may be looking for.
I'm definitely going to go through eBay and PayPal to get my money back but it's going to be a hassle. It's a 2015 Felt AR1 and other than the small crack the frame is in great shape. The other option is to ask for a partial refund so I can patch the crack and counter a decrease in value. I just want to make sure there aren't any long-term issues if I do decide to patch and keep it.
You're definitely protected, as both PayPal and eBay tend to favor the buyer over the seller. The seller took a big chance by selling you that dodgy frame. But he will be the one that comes short once you complain to eBay about the matter. Don't do anything in the meantime, just take photos of the frame as proof of the condition you received it in.
Calfee is among the best: http://calfeedesign.com/repair/
Joe's was the outfit I was thinking of that does repair and killer paint: http://joescarbonrepair.com/
And then there's Spyder: http://spydercomposites.com/
http://predatorcycling.com/pages/carbon-repair
Pricing info on repairs posted with this company: http://www.carbonframerepair.com/index.php/contact/
10 years ago carbon repair was a sketchy bit of witchcraft. Now...there's plenty of choices and the safety factor is more than merely 'acceptable risk'.
Joe's was the outfit I was thinking of that does repair and killer paint: http://joescarbonrepair.com/
And then there's Spyder: http://spydercomposites.com/
http://predatorcycling.com/pages/carbon-repair
Pricing info on repairs posted with this company: http://www.carbonframerepair.com/index.php/contact/
10 years ago carbon repair was a sketchy bit of witchcraft. Now...there's plenty of choices and the safety factor is more than merely 'acceptable risk'.
The big deal with CF repair isn't how to make a functionally acceptable repair, but how to make an aesthetically AND functionally acceptable repair.
Basically it's down to seam strength vs material strength.
Steel, you can often get away with butt welds, and still be OK.
You want to patch fibreglass, you need a scarfed seam that's 10 times as wide as the material is thick to create a functionally invisible repair.
To put a good patch on CF, you need a scarfed seam that's 40x the thickness of the material. Tricky, particularly when the material is maybe 1-2 mm thick
Basically it's down to seam strength vs material strength.
Steel, you can often get away with butt welds, and still be OK.
You want to patch fibreglass, you need a scarfed seam that's 10 times as wide as the material is thick to create a functionally invisible repair.
To put a good patch on CF, you need a scarfed seam that's 40x the thickness of the material. Tricky, particularly when the material is maybe 1-2 mm thick
I used to buy a lot from Ebay and sold 2 items on it and only one time had a problem. It was with a purchase of an LCD cable for a laptop LCD unit. I simply contacted the seller first before doing anything else. That is really important -- the reputable sellers will work with you to solve the problem. So I suggest contacting the seller first of all to report the damage.
The seller should work out something with you. If the seller does business on EBay a lot, then the seller has every reason to try and work out a solution. They don't want negative feedback, and Ebay doesn't want unhappy buyers.
Good luck!
Thanks a ton
Bob
The seller should work out something with you. If the seller does business on EBay a lot, then the seller has every reason to try and work out a solution. They don't want negative feedback, and Ebay doesn't want unhappy buyers.
Good luck!
Thanks a ton
Bob
I forgot to complete the story of my purchased LCD cable. The issue was, the cable never arrived, and I had someone's laptop that needed this part. I contacted the seller, and also complained to the United States Post Office since I had some type of a tracking number for the First Class Mail envelope. The seller shipped me a second cable right away. I got it 3 days later. Then about a week later, the original cable I ordered mysteriously showed up in my mailbox. The packaging was filthy on the outside and looked like it had been stepped on and dragged about on a floor. I never got an explanation, but my guess is, the original item got lost in a Post Office mail handling facility.
I contacted the seller again, told him of the arrival of the original cable, and shipped that back to him.
The Post Office is okay....some of the time. I don't trust our Post Office. Anything sensitive that I need gets shipped by Amazon's Lasership service, or United Parcel Service if possible.
Thanks
Bob
I contacted the seller again, told him of the arrival of the original cable, and shipped that back to him.
The Post Office is okay....some of the time. I don't trust our Post Office. Anything sensitive that I need gets shipped by Amazon's Lasership service, or United Parcel Service if possible.
Thanks
Bob
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