Bicycle Mechanics - Inspecting Frame Integrity

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DogBoy
08-10-06, 08:27 AM
I have a Felt F30 road frame. It's AL with CF CS and SS. The 3 year warranty has now expired (about 8k miles on the frame), leading me to think its a good idea to start checking over the frame on a more regular basis to make sure everything is still hunky dory. Thus far I have been just looking it over carefully and checking for cracks or dents. Is there anything more to it than that? What specifically should I be looking for and how often should I check it closely? My area of biggest concern is where the CF is merged with the AL on the SS and CS.

Any advice?

moxfyre
08-10-06, 09:01 AM
Cracks are the biggest thing to look for, absolutely. Deep scratches on carbon fiber are also a concern, so if you ever drop the chain on the chainstay or anything like that, take an extra look at it. Another issue is that the CF sections may come unglued from the lugs that join them to the aluminum portions. Make sure there's no sign of warping or separation at the lugs.

Fortunately, CS and SS failures are not likely to cause serious crashes, as opposed to head tube, fork, or stem failure. So it's a good idea to check those portions too.

I have a 1990 aluminum frame which is joined with internal glued lugs... its total mileage is probably similar to yours (sat in someone's basement for a while), and it's doing great.