Bicycle Mechanics - Got a crack in my carbon - repairable?

Found a small crack in my Trek 5200 frame - top tube, abount1/2 inch long. Its about 7-8 inches from seat post. Is it repairable? I understand I can only put some epoxy and hope it does not progress further. BTW-Not under warrenty-.

You should contact your local Trek dealer. Don't assume that Trek will not warranty the frame. I bought a 1969 Trek Carbon 2300 in 2003 on Ebay. The LBS found the frame cracked a couple of months ago, probably from a crash I had in my driveway. Trek gave me $197 credit toward a new frame or bike. I'd say that's a pretty good warranty.

Abandon ship!!
Epoxy will not hold, the stress riser is still there since epoxy just acts as another layer.

Found a small crack in my Trek 5200 frame - top tube, abount1/2 inch long. Its about 7-8 inches from seat post. Is it repairable? I understand I can only put some epoxy and hope it does not progress further. BTW-Not under warrenty-.

I thought Trek had a lifetime warranty.

Epoxy may hide the crack but it certainly won't fix it. Are you certain it's not just your paint cracking? I've heard that Treks has had some problems with cracks in paint only, which are not harmful to the frame itself. Check with your LBS.

i have a little 820 trek and i know for a fact i have a LIFETIME warrenty on the FRAME so is you have a big bad carbon killer im sure they will help you out.

BTW: carbon fiber is pretty darn strong did you "crash it" carbon fiber is nothing but a cloth until the epoxy is applied. call trek im sure they will help you

i have a little 820 trek and i know for a fact i have a LIFETIME warrenty on the FRAME so is you have a big bad carbon killer im sure they will help you out.

BTW: carbon fiber is pretty darn strong did you "crash it" carbon fiber is nothing but a cloth until the epoxy is applied. call trek im sure they will help you

Carbon also doesn't give that much before it breaks. I can crash hard and put a dent in steel or aluminium bike and limp home. You crash hard and the carbon either holds or it snaps in two. Keep in mind a lot of these bikes are designed to be light, they're stressing the structure to the utmost limit for the amount of carbon in the frame.

I bought a 1969 Trek Carbon 2300 in 2003 on Ebay. Wow I didn't realize that they had carbon fiber bikes all the way back in 1969 :D



Of course they didn't.

I can crash hard and put a dent in steel or aluminium bike and limp home. You crash hard and the carbon either holds or it snaps in two.

If you crash hard enough to break a carbon fiber frame 95% of the time you won't be limping home on your Al/steel bike either. The impact needed to "break" a properly built CF frame is about 30-40 times higher than the closest competitor. Not saying it isn't possible, and there are certainly ways in which CF is not as strong as steel, but it's nowhere near as fragile as some believe.



I thought Trek had a lifetime warranty.

They do, but I doubt they will warranty anything other than a manufacturing flaw. They may give a credit towards a new frame as another poster mentioned, but I doubt you'll get a new frame out of the deal.

Either way, if it's really a crack in the frame and not just the finish, you need to get it looked at by somebody who has some composite experience, have the Trek rep look at it and find out what they'll do for you. If they aren't willing to do anything, crack open the phone book and find a place that does composites and go ask what they can do for you (if anything).

Andrew

I have cracked 2 carbon frames in a year not really sure how but once a frame cracks the crack gets bigger pretty quick. My suggestion is to stop riding it and get it looked at quick by a Trek dealer. Usually the LBS will wait for the rep to come out to verify then the rep and LBS will discuss what your options are.

If you're the original owner, Trek should honor the lifetime warranty to the frame. If not, don't even try to repair it.

Carbon isn't repairable the way you want it to be repairable.

You're going to need a new frame.

By the way, how'd the crack happen?

. . . I bought a 1969 Trek Carbon 2300 in 2003 on Ebay. . .

Trek wasn't in existance in 1969, their first frame offerings were 1976.
I'm guessing you meant 1996?

FWIW if your frame is cracked, DO NOT RIDE IT until you get it checked by
LBS. If its paint (and yes, there is a problem with paint cracking on Trek OCLY frames)
you should be fine. If its the CF itself get it replaced.

Marty

Wow I didn't realize that they had carbon fiber bikes all the way back in 1969 :D



Of course they didn't.

I don't know. That's just what the bike shop told me. The only thing that mattered was that I got the credit toward a new bike :)

Trek wasn't in existance in 1969, their first frame offerings were 1976.
I'm guessing you meant 1996?
Marty

Your right Marty, the first Trek models came out as frames and forks only in 1976 and they were not CARBON even then! All they made then was steel. I bought new a 1976 TX900 with Columbus tubing, which I then spec'd with Campy Nuovo Record components...I went a little nuts; then a year later I sold the bike to buy a better car! But the TX900 did not seem to have as good of a frame as my current 84 Trek 660 which seems more responsive (from memory). The 660 has a much tighter geometry for racing then the TX900 had; I could easily remove a aired up rear tire on the TX900, but on the 660 I have to let all the air out (current 700X26 I have to press the tire against the seat tube to get it off but do not have to press the tire with smaller tires but still must let the air all out); and the TX900 had 27" rims and the 660 has 700c rims!

I think the first carbon frames by Trek was in 1983 or 84 because when I went to buy the 660, the sales person try to sell me this "new" technology that Trek was using; it had black carbon tubes with aluminum lugs. The first OCLV was made in 1992.