jjmolyet

While moving my bike inside after a ride I dropped the bike and the frame hit the metal of the doorframe causing a couple chips in the clearcoat, it seems to be at carbon level but no damage to carbon, what should I do to repair clearcoat? Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Goldnblazer

I would have your LBS give it a quick check to make sure there is no damge.
If no damage to carbon then go to auto parts store and buy a small bottle of clearcoat touchup. Apply a couple of thin coats over chips and you should be good to go.

Mike

seely

It sure is nice being able to crash my bike at 23mph, have it flip 5x and then get back on it and ride without worrying about a scratch compromising frame integrity. Ahhh steel...

Sorry, just had to rub it in

Brian

Yeah, we bang the tandem up pretty good. And never even have to worry about paint.

LóFarkas

Expatriate wins He doesn't have to worry about rust, either.

Brian

Good luck finding much steel on our tandem. For a while, we even had titanium brake rotors. It's a sickness.

Bob S.

Unless you have experience with it, it would be wise to take it into the shop for a quick once over. My suggestions: If it is indeed only a clear coat finish that is scratched, forget about it. However, if it is the resin matix which is chipped or damaged, get it repaired to protect the laminate integrity. Methods may vary upon manufacture, resin type, etc. Check with them for specifics or with an experienced tech. If you go the tech route, try to find out the resin type. It sure will make his work easier. Bob

DannoXYZ 

Heh, heh... I've done that at 45mph on my Allez Epic too when one my teammates got his handlebars turned 90-degrees on a downhill by another rider crashing into him. I destroyed both wheels, the fork, my handlebars, bent one crank and destroyed the other pedal. Good thing was my frame was perfectly OK and I got some nice doses of morphine at hospital.

Most likely, it's just the clear-coat paint on top of the carbon-fibre. Not even the gel-coat and definitely not the binding resin underneath. Take it to the shop, they should have some clear touch-up paint that'll fix it right up.

cydewaze

Hahaha! I've crashed my carbon mountain bike hundreds of times, into trees, rocks, you name it. I've broken a bone and several helmets while riding it, not to mention most of the original components and two wheelsets. It has chips and gouges and chunks missing out of it, and even though I keep hoping it'll finally give out (so I can justify getting something else) it lives on year after year.

People have this image of carbon as being this brittle, shatter-prone material, but it's held up for me extremely well.