walksomemore

Ok, so I brought my CF roadie in for its annual check-up.....just regular stuff - derailleur adjustments, rim truing check, etc......

So the guy there tells me I need them to strip the bike down to bare frame and do an internal check of all joints, etc. Then I can be assured to get the max shelf life out of the bike (he says shelf life is about 8 years if I DO this, but less than 5 years if I don't). In fact, he said, I need to have them do that once a year. Otherwise, he says, the CF bike just won't last very long..... My CF bike is about 15 months old.

Hmmmm. Not only had I never heard of that, but none of my club buddies do that, nor is there anything on the internet about that particular procedure. I do a lot of my own stuff - chain clean and check, cassette maintenance, brake adjustments, stuff like that, but paying lots of $$ for ripping the thing apart and doing an 'internal frame check'?

Anyway, this drove my BS meter to about a 9 or so, so I thought I'd throw it out to you folks..... And since I am seriously considering going from CF to a Jamis Quest Elite steel bike or a Ti bike frame, I don't wanna sign up to buy from this LBS if they are lying to me - for obvious reasons.

p.s. No, I do not throw my bike around. No, I don't let it bang around on my car rack, and I don't jump potholes, or sit on the top tube or let it fall over. Etc Etc.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

RocThrower

Sounds shady to me. If I had been in a serious crash or knew my frame had sustained a fall off of a rack or something, I would consider it. I'm also pretty sure your bike will last beyond 8 years regardless.

Andrew R Stewart 

Wow, I'm going to tell this to my the shop I work at. What a value added (read profit generating) "device". I know of no one who does this, or any shop which suggest this, independent of any incidents which might suggest an integrity issue has occurred. I also take issue with the claimed lifespans stated. Big issue with the claims.

I would contact the brand you have directly and explain what the shop suggested for the brand's response and for their future dealings with their shops.

Now doing an annual check is actually a good idea but to have framed the need in the manor they did is, IMO, very wrong. To have suggested a complete overhaul for the continued best performance of the components AND THEN also offered to do an internal check (I wonder if this shop has a borescope or other in the frame examination device, really would like to know) as a added service would be another situation. We do this any way if we have access to the insides. When we do a Bb or HS overhaul we do look at the exposed surfaces best we can. But we make no claims about this extending frame life.

Please follow up and report back if you can. Andy.

dabac

On top of that the use of the phrase "shelf life" is as inaccurate - if not more - than his life assessment.

Shelf life is just that - how long an item remains useable while sitting in storage. Like the "best before" date on food items. But usually longer.
Once you start using the item, the phrase "shelf life" is no longer applicable. Then you're into "service life".

FastJake

Complete BS. How could looking at something possibly extend its "shelf life." That's like saying, if you pull out that bag of spinach in your refrigerator every day and inspect it, it will last an extra week Now, if you crash your carbon bike having it thoroughly inspected is a good idea. But even then, almost all of it can be done externally.

Carbon frames/forks can last a LOT longer than 5-8 years. Even some of the early ones (20-25 years old) are still going strong assuming they haven't been crashed out or had a systematic defect from day one.

Find a different shop. I would never go there again. Any shop with the nerve to try and pull off such a ridiculous lie like that doesn't deserve your business.

berner

I no longer work with composites as I'm retired. Previously and for a time I worked in a composite shop producing components for Boeing, MaDonald Douglas, the army and navy. I also had a lengthy conversation with a physicist who at the time worked at Grumman where he did much testing of carbon fiber composites. Carbon fiber parts have nearly infinite fatigue strength and so will last for a very long time. Your bike will outlast you if it was properly built. The mech at that bike shop, at best, is ignorant and at worst is fraudulent. Find another shop you can trust, not only their advice but their experience maintaining bikes.

jimc101

You need to re-calibrate that meter, 100% BS from the bike shop.

Thinking the only real way they could get an idea of the condition of the joints would be to x-ray them, which wouldn't need parts to be stripped of the frame.

CafeVelo

What a crock of sh*t. As already stated, I'll be sure to tell my boss about this new revenue stream. If bikes only lasted 8 years then we should be replacing about half our repairs. Every spring we get a few of the original cadex bonded carbon frames, they're still good to ride. What a boon for the shop. I suggest finding a new mechanic who won't blow smoke up your ass, and maybe going to the manufacturer since this shop is representing them poorly. You should check carbon for crash damage, but it you have no reason to suspect it has a failure then it probably won't.

turkey9186

I need to replace my 10 year old 6/13 and 7 year old System Six then. I will let my wife/CFO read this and see if she agrees.

I do strip the bikes every three or four years and check everything. Otherwise, change the cables and tires every year, and maybe the chai,n and keep going.

Spoonrobot 

Sounds like the guy we had a couple of months ago who's local shop was going to "stress-test" his carbon fork.

rydabent

There is probably some truth in that statement. Remember a carbon frame bike is actually a plastic bike with carbon fiber reinforcement. Plastic deteriorates at a relatively fast rate. Im sure this will harvest replies bordering on hate mail by riders that have spent thousands on their CF bikes, but it still doesnt set aside the facts about plastic bikes.

IrishBrewer

You might want to alert the military with this new found information. I hear they widely use this plastic carbon stuff in their gear as well. Bound to disintegrate right out from under our best fighter pilots.

AlmostTrick

When the annual internal frame inspection becomes due is actually a popular time for CF riders to upgrade to steel and save on those costly inspection fee's.

chriskmurray

I'd re-calibrate your BS meter as it should be around 11 after that. Time to find a new shop and I would even go as far as writing the manufacturer of your bike (assuming you bought your carbon bike from them) and ask them about what the shop told you. The shop needs to be corrected if they honestly believe this and if they are knowingly using this line to sell more service work they should loose their rights as a dealer.

AnkleWork

Ryd-a-hobby-horse never lets anything get in the way of his agendas.

walksomemore

Wow! Just got back from there, having my front wheel true'd, and while I was there I was getting notifications from the folks here. Funny! Thanks(!!!) for the replies - I know I'm not that stupid, being an aging engineer-turned-IT-guy and all, but ya never know..... I like the suggestions here. I already do a lot of maintenance, and I actually buy old vintage bikes and rebuild / sell during winter months (that's how I get my GU money), but since this is my first CF bike I figured --- well, maybe there's some cosmic thing going on......

Bingo! Yeah, maybe. When we had that talk, I asked about the Ti's in teh store and the Steel frames as well. Turned out they were both the absolute best materials in the world...... (well, there may be some truth there - after all, I LOVE my '93 Trek 520....)

I also asked about the Ti bikes at BD (Motorbecane), and they said those bikes lie somewhere between s big box and an LBS. Not WalMart bad per say, but just not quite right.....

Yeah, I'm feeling the sucking sound about now.....

So thanks again for setting me back on course with this!

Homebrew01

Good idea.

fietsbob

I'd have to see it myself to do any more than say " feel better, having vented?"

leob1

Where you talking to the shop owner or an employee?
If it was an employee, I'd let the owner know what he is trying to pull. Of course the owner might be in on it.
If the owner was telling you this bunk, I'd find a new shop, and quick.

Is Superman in the back doing the 'internal inspection' with his x-ray vision?

JohnDThompson 

While I agree that it's unlikely that carbon fiber bicycle frames are that fragile, airframes of all types do undergo regular inspection for structural problems. That's not (yet) a routine service for bicycles, though, but apparently the OP's shop is trying to change this…

AnkleWork

Seems a non-sequitur but since you mention it, do carbon airframes require more inspection or less inspection than aluminum ones?

corrado33

I'd say this is isn't quite right. Many BD bikes are kinesis frames, which are generally well regarded. (They also make frames for many name brands.) The "not quite right" comes from having to assemble it yourself. Most people are idiots who think they can assemble a bike when in reality they couldn't assemble a bike if their life depended on it. Built by someone who knows what they're doing, a BD bike can be just as good as a LBS bike. My motobecane USA has performed admirably for the past 3 years with thousands of miles on it as this point. It actually rides better than my Felt. (Probably because it's the right size, unlike the Felt, but that's a story for another day.)

If you want to argue that they are built slightly cheaper, then sure, but that would only make them very marginally below a typical LBS bike. Not anywhere near a wal-mart bike.

RubeRad

I'm looking really hard at Fantom Cross Comp Ti as my next do-everything commuter+, I mean $1400 for Ti+105? C'mon, how is that even possible?

Crankycrank

As bikes become more complex and high tech, electronics, Carbon Fiber, Hydraulics, etc., don't expect every bike mechanic to be an expert on all things of bike maintenance. Years ago I took my aluminum bike with CF fork to get the headtube faced. The mechanic who was no fan of CF informed me that the fork had cracks near the top of the legs and recommended I buy a nice Ti fork at some ridiculous price. I couldn't really see what he was talking about as the shop was dimly lit so when I got home I had a look and the "cracks" he was talking about were just joint seams where the legs attach to the fork crown. 15k miles later the fork is still going strong. The alu frame, unfortunately, recently developed a crack in the headtube though.

walksomemore

Yeah, I am looking at the Le Champion platform right now.... It may not have a sexy logo, but you certainly can't ignore the value.....especially when some of the review sites and web publications endorse it.