Carbon frame manufacturing defect?
 

So I have this 2011 Scott Contessa CR1 Team. Carbon frame. Hardly a mark on it. The middle of the top tube though has a weird line in it. Looks like it was just the way the carbon layed up. It's completely flat at that spot and no marks, bends, or scratches. So...they made it this way?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...24f43f3c7b.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2badfb0416.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4708f1f7fd.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4cc9c9f03e.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4897080d25.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c455c52187.jpg

Cosmetic blem at worst, but take it to the dealer for evaluation.

Did the bike come with that or is this a change? I don't have the answers either way but that is a clue.

I just bought this bike used yesterday. I have no idea of the history. I was going to take it to the local shop, but I thought I would start here.

that is clearly two carbon tubes that have detached from each other, i would imagine the strength of that tube is highly suspect

That frame was not constructed from tubes. It was laid up in a mold from small sheets of woven carbon and the sheets overlap, leaving lines like that. Some manufacturers will paint those sections black, before applying the clear coat, in order to hide the layup lines and avoid panicking customers who think there is something wrong with the frame.

you realize a warranty of defects in materials and workmanship only applies to the original buyer.. not you.. just live with it,

you saved money over buying it new ,

Wow, I wasn't looking for a refund or even mentioned one. I was just wondering why it was there.

Is the outside finish smooth? you do realize there is more than 1 layer of carbon used in laying it up inside the Mold?

gel coat goes in the mold first then fabric with resin, then another

I made some fiberglass boats not carbon bikes .. but the idea is similar before the epoxy cooks you get the air bubbles out..

they have molds for each size of bikes or was the one adjustable,, ? i don't know..

Yes. As stated in my first post, the outside is totally flat and smooth.

That sucker looks ready to asplode. Carbon bikes do that all the time you know.

Pretty sure I read that somewhere on this site.

I would have that looked at. If nothing else for piece of mind. However, the first place I would take it to is someplace where they actually work with carbon fiber. Just my opinion, but I would think that if it's a factory blemish that it would have been caught during the sanding process after the frames are removed from the molds.

Looks like a blemish.....but to be on the safe side I 'd use some duct tape to hide it and strengthen the tube in case of an asplosion (jk)
Nice bike!

I'd inquire with the photos directly to Scott. I'm sure their only obligation is to original owner, but I bet they'll still give you guidance. Most likely, they will tell you "yes, that's a recognized aspect of our layup process on that model." But they might tell you something else. Worth trying. I had a good experience with their customer service a few years ago.

I could never trust a bike with something like that. I would never feel comfortable riding hard or taking a fast descent. It might be absolutely nothing, but I would never have peace of mind.
Bummer!

The Scott webpage says to go to the local dealer first, which there is one. I'll go by my preferred shop first, Action Bikes in San Antonio, then to the local dealer to see what they say. Thank you.

I can't believe how much bad advice you're getting.

There is nothing wrong with the bike. If you look at carbon layups with clear coats, you can see something like this on pretty much every piece ever molded.

Carbon fiber itself is very fine and silky. It's laid up in multiple plies and set in epoxy. Picture many layers of loose, very fine silky threads frozen in clear glue. Sometimes there will be a little ripple, or one sheet of carbon fiber will end, and you can see that.

Some manufacturers are better at layups than others. Some put a cosmetic weave coat over the top. But what you see here is very normal and no cause for concern.

I agree - the beautiful smooth and seamless weave you frequently see on frames etc is usually a cosmetic layer and doesn’t reflect the multilayered structural- and frequently less aesthetic nature of the layup underneath. The carbon sheets are layered for function and strength, not beauty, and these sheets have to overlap somewhere. If the manufacturer chooses not to cover the whole thing with as seamless-as-possible top layer , the structural nuts and bolts of the layup will be evident - like here

Ignore the high drama background music, though the baritone narration is kind of nice. However, this is a good overview of how your frame was constructed.

The 2011 Scott Contessa CR1 Team (and Scott CR1 Team) is a "HMF" (high modulus fiber) "IMP" (integrated molding process) frame, though the entire frame is not IMP. It's a hybrid of IMP parts.

Starting at 0:30 they cover "HMX" (high modulus extreme) but "HMF" is very similar.
Starting at 1:00 you can see a variety of the removable cores that the carbon pieces are layed up on.
Around 1:30 you see them working on a suspension frame (the main unsprung triangle, the WHOLE triangle is IMP).
Starting at 2:19 or so is the bonding and final layup (they are showing a road frame here, Foil?). This frame is made up of multiple IMP components. Similar to yours.


So, please do visit your LBS, because free internut advice (particularly ignore the always "helpful" asploding crowd) is worth every penny. But until you visit the LBS, that looks like a bonding artifact, not a ready to asplode frame. (It's also why newer frames are more likely to be finished with an opaque primer before final colors.)

Nice bike, I still miss my CR1 Pro, and I still can't believe road debris took out my rear deraileur which took out my Addict dropout and seat stay.

-mr. bill

If you ask a LBS if they think the frame is OK, most will not risk the liability of saying yes.

And free legal advice too.

-mr. bill

This thread is why you don't turn to forums like this. Basically the three standard responses for everything is;

1. You are screwed and got screwed, this thing is a death trap caused by a massive industrial conspiracy forcing you to buy more bikes. I am staying with my 1976 Sears special because it's steel and made in America.

2. Looks good but I say ask another person just to be sure.

3. Someone who actually is informed and can clearly see there is nothing wrong here and enjoy your new purchase.

If the bike was painted you would not see a thing and would be happily pedalling your bike around right now. Previous threads have shown that this random Carbon frame failures are an urban legend. You are at exponentially more risk for a tire blow out causing a crash and even those are rare.

Sigh. There's a reason you can't diagnose many things from pictures on the internut.

"How much is this Black Lotus card worth?" (pic of card)
"Do I have Covid toe?" (pic of toe)
"Is this a replica 356 or the real thing?" (pic from across the street)
"Do my roof shingles need replacing?" (pic of roof shingles, digital zoomed, from the ground)

-mr. bill

real (Rudge knock offs)
https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/8b...r-for-sale.jpg

Fake (4 bolt VW wheels)
https://i.imgur.com/LiUFRtG.jpg