mdilthey

I saw a thread on broken gear on ******'s bicycling section, and the poster had made several repairs using resin and fiberglass.

He fixed a derailleur in Mongolia, and it held for years.





Is anyone else repairing things with fiberglass? How would I go about learning how to use it, and are the materials portable enough for ultralight bike touring and bikepacking?

phughes

I learned to use fiberglass by watching my father while growing up and by simply buying the materials and learning hands on. I don't think I would carry it on tour with me. I think it would be unnecessary.

fietsbob

Boats.. they make them out of it.. and Corvette sports cars Too .

LeeG

That's the sort of thing you do when you have no other option and the place you're at has nothing else, it isn't something I'd prepare for. Zip ties, spokes, niconel wire, 1/16" polyester/specta line, polyester whipping twine, gorilla tape, etc. will be more.versatile. "Resin" could be polyester resin which is near useless compared to epoxy.

Doug64

Any good farmer knows it is JB Weld when you want to fix something.

Having done several glass boat repairs, and forming a couple of mountaineering sleds out of fiberglass; I have to agree with the folks above. Why would you want to carry it?

Fiberglass is a much better material for building sleds and boats than for repairing bikes components.

The "Bob trailer" of the ski world--fiberglass and polyester resin.

phughes

Yes it is. I actually patched a motorcycle gas tank on a trip once after the bottom seam gave way due to rust. I had to patch at least 2 1/2 inches along the bottom. I even used the quick set variety. I was on my way after letting it set up for about 40 minutes. I rode the bike that way for two years before I finally replaced the tank. Great stuff.

MassiveD

I have mentioned this option in several threads on roadside welding. It is absolutely feasible to use composites to fix frames, or even possibly parts. Not so sure about that birdsnest of fiber in the picture. Carbon is a lot stronger, and cheap enough in some forms. Just look at all the bamboo bike threads, they are held together with everything from twine to carbon tow. Epoxy is good, JB is good, but it doesn`t wet out fiber all that well. Small bottles of WEST and some carbon tow could fix almost anything.

phughes

I have used thread with JB Weld and other epoxies in the past. While I agree that carbon or other fibers are much stronger than JB Weld by itself, I am not going to start carrying fiber and carbon fibers on my tour. Epoxy and part of a shirt or other cloth can do a lot for an emergency repair.

Rowan

Adapt. Use mail order over the internet for spares.

I have never considered using fibreglass as a repair aid, much less carry it with me. Max, if you are a lightweight tourer, why clutter your kit with something you might use once in a decade, if that?

mdilthey

Rowan, I was more curious about it as a fix in areas where a mail order doesn't work. I'm getting into bikepacking, and if something critical breaks in the woods, I need to find a way to fix it. Can't duct tape everything!

I'm thinking the resin and fiberglass seen in the photos would only weigh a couple of ounces, and can fix any theoretical break short of a frame crack.

I'm not saying "I'm definitely doing this," this thread is more about "Is anyone else having good fortune doing this?"

dbg

I've become a huge fan of Fiberfix since seeing it on Shark Tank and ordering some for very successful home reapairs.

FiberFix | Welcome

It is simple to use, only requires water to activate, and becomes rock hard in 10 minutes. I plan to carry a small packet of it (lightweight also) on future touring rides.

adding: I've worked plenty with fiberglass and carbon fiber. The epoxy is messy and can be difficult to work with. That fiberfix stuff is MUCH easier to work with.

sstorkel

I think the answer is: nobody is doing this. I've read numerous accounts of cross-country and Tour Divide rides and can't remember anyone mentioning taking a fiberglass repair kit. Also can't remember anyone breaking parts that could potentially be repaired using such a kit. Broken spokes, bent rims, broken suspension forks, bent brake rotors, and the occasional bent/broken rear derailleur hanger are the things that stick in my mind. Based on my (limited) experience working with fiberglass and resin, I don't think it would be helpful in fixing any of those problems...

fietsbob

See Movie All Is Lost with Robert Redford All Is Lost (2013) - IMDb ..

MassiveD

Carbon weighs next to nothing. Epoxy is available almost everywhere, though you can't get the best stuff on the spot. In fact, for those who are all about "you can get it air freight over night, blah blah", could just order it.

The weight and space argument in nonsense when people regularly discuss camp chairs, pillows, and hammock stands here. A common thread is about the weldability of metal frames this is a game changer where every frame is equally repairable. And not everyone is doing a pas de deux, there are large group for whom an ounce of tow could be a very useful addition.

There are also products like carbon rope that might be useful for something, and could then be pressed into use for a repair. Most people have nylon cord for tents, etc... Haven't looked into the properties but carbon is 100 time stronger than nylon, and carbon cord could conceivably be used for a tent guy, and then be used for a repair, though I think working with tow (which is in some cords), sounds more practical.

There is this thread in the frameforum about a cracked BB, a few yards of tow would fix this nicely, or enough to build up 1/16", probably more than a yard.

https://www.bikeforums.net/framebuild...ston-area.html

And this youtube where they fixed their spinaker pole on the fly (these guys are royalty in certain boating circles, the WEST guys). Starts 3:30

Mead and Jan Gougeon On Their Mackinac Race - YouTube

With carbon tow you can repair just about anything, for instance a tire casing.

Of course you don't have to carry it, that isn't really the issue. The point is that it is available, everyone has different experience, has suffered different material failures, or will be in situations where help is readily available or not. It is knowing what you can use to meet various problems that is key, not whether one chooses any particular one or not.

MassiveD

That was bs, he so screwed up that repair,which was easy, It should never have happened. He had a long period of calm weather to effect the repair. He was carrying lots of stuff, and he seemed generally pretty competent. You grab a piece of ply or other panel material, you bog it up, and screw it on from the inside. Or use a brace to hold it till it dries. Then you fill the outside, and fiber re-enforce it. Look at the video I posted just above they effected a far more difficult repair in worse conditions, though it did not affect the ability of the boat to stay afloat. Mike Birch repaired his Newick tri, mid atlantic when a similar sized hole was punched in, and If I am not mistaken, he did it during a storm. They make epoxies that bond underwater, if that were an issue.

I don't fault the movie though. Stuff goes wrong, and people make mistakes. When they survive or not, the point isn't that their behaviour was typical or inevitable, it is only that the behaviours in question were noteworthy. If the same guy in a parallel universe had patched the boat, no movie.

MassiveD

You could be right about some of those things, but frame repairs are simple with carbon and epoxy, or glass, you just would need to carry more of the latter. Working with carbon is easy and pretty common these days. People building guitars, or models use it a lot. When people say fiberglass and resing, it sound like fiberglass and polyester resin. Sorta the same idea as going down to the club and talking about your new plastic bike, when what you have is a carbon framed bike. People that are using epoxy normally say so. Epoxy and carbon will fix just about anything on a bike, in many cases there are carbon versions of rims, spokes, and so forth. You can't manufacture quality parts on the fly, but you can fix a fair number of them.

Not to mention my minor frame building experience, I come at this mostly from boatbuilding experience. When making wood composite boats, everything is cut out one part at a time and glued into the boat. Unlike some other boat building methods the boat is essentially built one repair at a time. I made these panniers for my mother over 25 years ago, now one of my daughters is using them. They replaced at lower weight both the rack and the bags, had they been designed for touring I would have added cloth tops. But they were just for around the town stuff

fietsbob

yea damage control critique I heard .. put something solid over the hole ..the table top? then bolt and glass it in place ..

Rowan

We're talking about bicycle tours are a long way from boat in the middle of the Atlantic. I still cannot imagine a repair that would be worthwhile on a bicycle with fibreglass.

If you are going into remote areas, ensure your bike can handle what you expect. Make sure it is properly maintained and check it regularly for potential problems.

And let someone know where you are going, and when you expect to be home again or back in civilisation (which should be SOP for anyone going into remote areas anyway).

Get a hold of the Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book for some tips on how to adapt to circumstances with fixes from the environment around you.

By the way, fibreglass resin is not the best stuff to spill in a pannier or bag. And the catalyst is particularly unpleasant in my opinion.

However, if there is a burning desire to take it, ensure you practise before leaving. There are things such as ensuring the surfaces to which it is to be bonded are roughened up with sandpaper (something else to carry) to ensure a good take, and knowing how long you have before the catalysed resin goes off (and that could be minutes or hours if in a cold environment and you haven't added enough catalyst).

mdilthey

Some good info in this thread, some bad.

I think the most useful piece of advice so far is this:




Not useful:

"It's not worth the weight."

Give me a break. i cannot think of an all-purpose repair material lighter and more compact than carbon tow/fiberglass and a bit of epoxy. My toothbrush and toothpaste is probably twice the weight of a useful amount.

"If you are going into remote areas, ensure your bike can handle what you expect. Make sure it is properly maintained and check it regularly for potential problems."

The answer to "How does this repair work?" is not "Don't break your bike." A repair is unpredictable and, in some cases, an inevitable challenge on long tours. This advice is as close to useless in this context as possible; this is better left to "Tips and Tricks" or a new thread called "Common Sense."

"X/Y/Z is better."

I'm not asking a general repair question. Sure, duct tape and spit might be a great repair for some things, but I'm asking for specific advice pertaining to fiberglass. If you have no experience, this is a good place to listen rather than speak.

"It'll never hold./It's useless."

I literally have a picture in the OP of a derailleur repair that held for hundreds of miles...


Thanks to everyone offering actual advice and information, floating above the chaff.

/rant.

fietsbob

Never had any Problems with breaking my RD .. so YMMV.. still use the same Campag Euclid MTB RD I got in the Mid 80's

The rear pannier in place does keep the RD from hitting the ground when you lay the bike down on the right side .

If really worried get 2 new RD one on the bike and 1 in a package

ready to be airmailed to a place you indicate when you write back to your support friend at Home.

Rowan

Sorry max, but you've turned me off ever offering you advice again on anything to do with touring.

Good luck with your endeavours. But be careful how you treat well-meaning people with your snooty reactions.

sstorkel

Sounds like you already know everything you need to know. Which makes me wonder: why'd you bother to ask the question if you're already an expert?!?

mdilthey

This was the question:

"Is anyone else repairing things with fiberglass? How would I go about learning how to use it, and are the materials portable enough for ultralight bike touring and bikepacking?"

With some very helpful exceptions, most of the responses are from people who have never performed a fiberglass repair in their lives. They just want to tell me how wrong I am for even seeking the knowledge of a material i'm unfamiliar with in this application.

The plural of opinion is not data.

Rowan, i don't remember saying anything snooty. The only thing I see that resembles snooty is you putting your advice in a lockbox publicly, like you're the arbiter of knowledge and i'm unworthy for even considering challenging your word... That's never the kind of advice i'm after anyways.

bradtx

midithey, While I don't foresee me performing fiberglass repairs, I don't see why it couldn't make many emergency repairs. Even if it only allows a bicycle to be pushed, it beats carrying it.

Brad

John Nolan 

By far the best, and easiest to use, are the West Systems epoxies. But, I'd never consider bringing these materials on a bike tour. While they could be used, they are too messy and cumbersome; they don't work properly unless one uses their metered pumps. Just too awkward.

If you want to learn about techniques, the West Systems site is a good bet:
Epoxy by the Leading Epoxy Manufacturer | WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

The repairs in the photos are extremely crude, seemingly done by someone who had never used the materials before. If they worked, great, but there's a lot of extraneous material that's adding nothing to the repair.

I'd say your chances of needing a repair that would be well served by fiberglass techniques are slight.