Clear coat touch up carbon fork
12-14-20, 10:31 AM
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Clear coat touch up carbon fork
Hello all,
Hope this is posted in the correct section, if not I apologize. I recently purchased a Trek 7.4 FX. The bike was purchased new by the original owner in 2015 and was kept in his heated garage. It was never ridden. Last night I was going over the bike and I noticed a small imperfection in the clear coat of the front (carbon) fork. It appears that the outer layer of clearcoat is flaking off in one spot (about the size of a quarter). There is no damage, scratches, gouges, etc. Its not even visible and I only noticed it when I was running my hand across the fork.
Now my concern preventing future flaking. The bikes color is a bright metallic white. Now in terms of repairing this small spot, what would you recommend? I don't want to invest a fortune (only paid 400$) for the bike lol, but I also want to take a proactive approach in caring for the finish. I've read that some have used clear nail polish, followed by a polishing compound/wax. Others mentioned taping off and sanding down that spot and spraying it with an aftermarket clear? Others mentioned putting a sticker over it lol...
Looking for advice from those who are knowledgeable in this area. Thank you in advance.
Hope this is posted in the correct section, if not I apologize. I recently purchased a Trek 7.4 FX. The bike was purchased new by the original owner in 2015 and was kept in his heated garage. It was never ridden. Last night I was going over the bike and I noticed a small imperfection in the clear coat of the front (carbon) fork. It appears that the outer layer of clearcoat is flaking off in one spot (about the size of a quarter). There is no damage, scratches, gouges, etc. Its not even visible and I only noticed it when I was running my hand across the fork.
Now my concern preventing future flaking. The bikes color is a bright metallic white. Now in terms of repairing this small spot, what would you recommend? I don't want to invest a fortune (only paid 400$) for the bike lol, but I also want to take a proactive approach in caring for the finish. I've read that some have used clear nail polish, followed by a polishing compound/wax. Others mentioned taping off and sanding down that spot and spraying it with an aftermarket clear? Others mentioned putting a sticker over it lol...
Looking for advice from those who are knowledgeable in this area. Thank you in advance.
12-14-20, 11:18 AM
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Super glue. I wouldn't worry about it if it were my bike though.
12-14-20, 11:59 AM
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The best thing might be to remove any loose flakes and then shoot a bit more clearcoat over that spot. The toughest is probably 2K clear but it's expensive, toxic (use outdoors and wear a respirator) and once you pop the can you have to use it all within 48h.
So might be better just to get a regular aerosol clear like the spray.bike one. Then you can keep the can around for touching up any more minor damage in the future.
So might be better just to get a regular aerosol clear like the spray.bike one. Then you can keep the can around for touching up any more minor damage in the future.
12-14-20, 09:20 PM
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I'd use brush apply clear coat repair from an auto parts store. Build up a few layers over the imperfection area. If you want to go for a killer job then follow up with blocking sanding with some 800 grit sandpaper used wet. Once you get the repair area flat with the existing finish then move to polishing compound to restore the shine. Honestly though, for most people the brush touch up is good enough.
12-14-20, 09:57 PM
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I've found that the more I try to conceal a paint touch up the more likely the spot grows in size and still can be noticed. Andy
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