gadgetadam 

Hello, I'm also going to post this in other categories.



I have a Novara Squadra and noticed a bulge on my downtube near the bottom bracket. I'm not sure if it's always been like that or if it developed over time. I'm concerned about it. In the pics you'll notice each inch I go away from the bottom bracket the diameter increases then decreases(black tape is each inch). I'm not sure if that's normal or not. In the last pic you'll see how it's not very straight.



I'm asking for opinions to see if it's normal or not and to see if others with this model see it. If it's not normal and/or safe I'll contact REI and inquire about their satisfaction policy.



Thanks.



5.35cm

5.50cm

5.58cm

5.48cm

5.45cm

HillRider

Judging by the fact the downtube seems symmetrical at the "bulge" I have to think it's normal and part of the original layup. i can't believe an incipient tube failure would be that uniformly distributed. Also, carbon doesn't deform gradually and plastically, it cracks and the paint would show cracks too.

FBinNY 

Carbon fiber structures have near zero ductility, and therefore don't deform without cracking. This is almost certainly an intentional reinforcement, or overlap of extra layers of carbon fiber sheets to transition from the downtube to the bottom bracket.

Stop obsessing about your bike and get out and ride it.

AEO

I think it's a sleeve joint.



PS. this makes me want to say some double entendre jokes.

gadgetadam 

Thanks everyone. There are not any cracks in the paint or anything. I just noticed it and it's been bothering me but for all I know it was there for 2 years.
I'm thinking with the replies it's ok.
Thanks again.

ultraman6970

The bike is like that man

58Kogswell

I suggest you call REI. Not the local store but the main office in WA. They will be happy to talk about something like that, and, unlike the folks here, they actually know the answer to your question rather than just speculating.

Phone

From the U.S. and Canada call
1-800-426-4840

Monday through Sunday, 4 AM to 11 PM Pacific Time.

Our Contact Center is open Monday through Sunday, 4 AM to 11 PM Pacific Time.

We are closed on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

International: Call 1-253-891-2500 Monday through Sunday 4 AM to 11 PM Pacific Time

Fax: Dial 1-253-891-2523

FBinNY 

With all due respect this is poor advice. Not because the OP might not get a correct answer, but because it encourages wasting the time of people who probably have better things to do. It would be akin to calling the head research virologist at John's Hopkins every time you got the sniffles.

It also assumes that you'll be able to track down the right person at headquarters, which may not be as easy as it seems. IMO, the OP is being obsessive and letting something that he just noticed bother him needlessly, and it should be obvious by the symmetry and condition that it's normal. But he could comfort himself without bothering anyone, by simply visiting any REI and looking at other similar bikes on the floor and seeing if they all have the same "defect".

Or he can speak to a local person, who's job it is to deal with a retail inquiry, and can get him the right answer. If everyone with a question about anything insisted on going to the top, those at the top wouldn't get anything done. That's why organizations have pyramid structures and a chain of command.

HillRider

I agree with FBinNY's comment that this is poor advice. First, the executives at REI's headquarters are very unlikely to have first hand information on any specific product and particualrly not on the nuances of a bike frame's construction. Second, the answers here were not idle speculation, they were based on the photographs the OP provided and a fairly broad background in bicycle construction and experience.

Jed19

I disagree with those who said not to call REI headquarters for the following reasons.

If he calls REI and ask for the buyer(s) in charge of bicycles, then his question can either be answered (mind put at ease) or the buyer can get to the manufacturer for the answer if he needed to. Also, supposing the buyers have not been asked this question before, then the right answer can be passed on down the organisation for when the same question comes from another owner.

I think it's okay to call REI. Just make sure to ask for a buyer in cycling instead of being passed from people to people who are irrelevant to the question at hand.

demoncyclist

BTW, it is relatively common for the wider axis of a down tube to be vertical at the headtube and horizontal at the bottom bracket shell. It makes the frame less likely to twist under power.

jim hughes

What's wrong with calling REI? Sounds perfectly normal to me. Looking at those pictures, I think I might have the same question. This is an expensive, somewhat high-tech product and the buyer has every right to ask questions. I'd actually like to know how REI handles this question and if the OP is eventually able to connect with someone knowledgable about the product.

Chombi

Nothing wrong with calling REI....AND asking for comments/advice on this forum too. What I don't like is the pooh-poohing of FB member comments and advice in this forum by 58Kogswell. I would say a lot of people have been helped by other FB members through the years figure out their bicycle mechanical problems. Of ocourse there will be some advice and comments that may not work for the problem or totally off topic, but the benefits from the knowledge base from a lot of members in these forums totally outweigh any instances where the wrong advice is given.....that is usually caught anyway and corrected for the OP.
If the comments and advice is so unreliable in these forums anyway, then why even maintain the BF site in the first place???? I think the forum being around as long as it has answers the question.

Chombi