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Carbon frame has a bump/bulge in the middle. Should I worry?

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Carbon frame has a bump/bulge in the middle. Should I worry?

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Old 10-13-21, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by pashlit
OK. More details. That seller finally started talking. Here is what he said:

"Ok i bought it new like i said, the frame had a scratch and the customer that ordered it did not want it anymore they told me they sent it back to reinforce it with carbon fiber, i didn’t even know where it was since i didn’t see it before and honestly i did not care, all i saw was the opportunity of having a top of the line bike at a great price
This is the part I don’t understand. If you know the LBS that originally sold the bike, why don’t go there and talk to them.

If legit, I don’t think there is a chance the shop won’t remember that bike. If they confirm the story then go ride it. If they have no clue what you are talking about, you can still ask them what they think about the repair.

But they might say that it looks like it was backed over by a Model S.

John
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Old 10-13-21, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by 70sSanO
This is the part I don’t understand. If you know the LBS that originally sold the bike, why don’t go there and talk to them.

If legit, I don’t think there is a chance the shop won’t remember that bike. If they confirm the story then go ride it. If they have no clue what you are talking about, you can still ask them what they think about the repair.

But they might say that it looks like it was backed over by a Model S.

John
Hi John. Well, I should ve mentioned that. But that is what I originally did. I went to that shop...just to find out it went out of business a month or so ago.
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Old 10-13-21, 08:29 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
Undoubtedly he has also treated his real estate clients in the same manner.

Give it a month or two for some of the dust to settle, then you could post a "professional review" of his services. Make it general enough that it is truthful, but ambiguous.
XYZ grossly misrepresented condition of the property, stating it was in new condition when in fact it had been damaged, poorly repaired, hiding major defects, and greatly diminishing the overall value.
Thanks for the hint. It will satisfy my ego and might ruin his career. I usually avoid doing that. But I guess he deserves it.
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Old 10-13-21, 09:18 PM
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Originally Posted by pashlit
Hi John. Well, I should ve mentioned that. But that is what I originally did. I went to that shop...just to find out it went out of business a month or so ago.
Sorry to hear that. I would contact Argon, give them the SN and see if they have any history on the bike. I have doubts that any mfg would authorize a repair on a new bike with that being the result.

Unfortunately this is a situation that once it starts going south, it just keeps going. I’d try to find someone knowledgable in CF repair who can give you an opinion. At least if that is the typical result.

And I would probably not post anything online that is associated with the seller’s business.

John
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Old 10-13-21, 10:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Crankycrank
Small claims court is maybe your only option. Sounds like seller didn't disclose the entire history of the bike that he was aware of when he sold it to you. Save all your communications and a copy of the ad you saw the bike advertised in. Hard to say if you would have any luck in small claims but if you're stuck with the bike it may not be so bad to ride and you can have it checked out by another shop to be sure it's safe. You could also get some estimates from some legitimate carbon repair shops which even if it turns your bike into a not so great deal after paying for a professional repair at least it would be as good as new. Also consider it a hard lesson learned and make sure you don't make the same mistake again.
Really? Thanks mom.
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Old 10-14-21, 04:18 AM
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Originally Posted by pashlit
OK. More details. That seller finally started talking. Here is what he said:

"Ok i bought it new like i said, the frame had a scratch and the customer that ordered it did not want it anymore they told me they sent it back to reinforce it with carbon fiber, i didn’t even know where it was since i didn’t see it before and honestly i did not care, all i saw was the opportunity of having a top of the line bike at a great price, like i said there is nothing wrong with the bike, the frame never broke, it was never in an accident".

I don't know if I can trust him. Why would you want to cover a scratch with layers of fiber glass? Was it really a scratch or most likely a crack? I can probably return the bike or ask for partial refund. I do like this bike a lot. And good bikes are sold out everywhere.
When you repair carbon, you don't reinforce it. You don't make it stronger. You restore it to the exact point it was before the damage. Otherwise, it puts stresses on other parts of the frame, which could cause failure.

From the looks of it, it was not repaired correctly.
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Old 10-14-21, 04:51 AM
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I'll be the devil's advocate for a bit...

I don't know how well it would work out to try to sue the guy. I'm also not sure that this is a big enough case to get the attention that will ruin the guy's career. I'm by no means a lawyer and while he probably isn't either, as a real estate agent he is probably more familiar with caveat emptor laws if any in your state. It is a pretty obvious bulge and I would think it would have been visible in photographs the seller would have used in his facebook ad. If you test rode the bike, you had to see it then. You didn't seem research this bulge or the bike until after the sale. For the money involved, I would have researched not only values for this particular bike but reviews as well. That alone would have most likely shown that the bulge isn't present in other bikes of the same model.

I do feel for you too though as I know this is going to eat at you now every time you get on the bike and have to look at it. Perhaps this is why it is reported to have such low miles on it, it ate at the guy you bought it from too.
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Old 10-14-21, 05:38 AM
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Im not a lawyer, but my wife watches alot of The People's Court. Normally OP would be SOL with caveat emptor but the vendor specifically first said there were no issues, then retracted to scratch. This is a dishonesty that a judge will pick up on, and the vendor made a claim that turned out to be false. The issue is then, did the vendor know that at first? Seems like he did. A trip to the dealer who sold it new can settle that doubt.

As any potential case, OP should stop writing in public about this.
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Old 10-14-21, 06:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Chuck M
I'll be the devil's advocate for a bit...

I don't know how well it would work out to try to sue the guy. I'm also not sure that this is a big enough case to get the attention that will ruin the guy's career. I'm by no means a lawyer and while he probably isn't either, as a real estate agent he is probably more familiar with caveat emptor laws if any in your state. It is a pretty obvious bulge and I would think it would have been visible in photographs the seller would have used in his facebook ad. If you test rode the bike, you had to see it then. You didn't seem research this bulge or the bike until after the sale. For the money involved, I would have researched not only values for this particular bike but reviews as well. That alone would have most likely shown that the bulge isn't present in other bikes of the same model.

I do feel for you too though as I know this is going to eat at you now every time you get on the bike and have to look at it. Perhaps this is why it is reported to have such low miles on it, it ate at the guy you bought it from too.
Well, its too late to say "I would've researched... I would've done that and that.." We all think we are the smartest ones until we face smth like that. He lives like 5 miles from me. I just trusted him. I couldn't imagine one can hide such details. Especially fellow cyclist. Well, I should trust people less. I have never had any carbon bikes before so, it was impossible for me to really start picking on that bulge. Having a negative review on public websites can be very damaging. You don't even need to go to court for that. Having a court case on his profile can be even worse. One thing is a $2k bike. $500k house is another story.
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Old 10-14-21, 06:43 AM
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Originally Posted by DorkDisk
Im not a lawyer, but my wife watches alot of The People's Court. Normally OP would be SOL with caveat emptor but the vendor specifically first said there were no issues, then retracted to scratch. This is a dishonesty that a judge will pick up on, and the vendor made a claim that turned out to be false. The issue is then, did the vendor know that at first? Seems like he did. A trip to the dealer who sold it new can settle that doubt.

As any potential case, OP should stop writing in public about this.
As I mentioned, a trip to a dealer was the first thing I did. Unfortunately that dealer just shut down it's doors. Not sure what you mean by saying "OP should stop writing in public about this."
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Old 10-14-21, 07:11 AM
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Originally Posted by pashlit
As I mentioned, a trip to a dealer was the first thing I did. Unfortunately that dealer just shut down it's doors. Not sure what you mean by saying "OP should stop writing in public about this."
I missed that about the dealer closing doors. It seems like many old shops are taking advantage of this moment to dump all inventory and retire.

All I hear from lawyers is "don't talk about your case." But what do I know?

Edit: Having worked in shops that have closed, many times the emails are still active for business matters. Most shop owners are local cyclists and live nearby. If you can find an email, it may be worthwhile to write them.

Last edited by DorkDisk; 10-14-21 at 07:22 AM.
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