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A guy on his phone just walked out in front of me into the bike lane and I plowed him at about 30kms. I walked away without a scratch and he absorbed most of the impact but my bike did hit the ground.

After getting home I found this. Which I am certain wasn't on my otherwise immaculate frame.

bike damage bike damage 2 bike damage 3

Looks at first glance that it goes through the paint and a tiny film of the lighter carbon??? where it gets black. It's not hollow and it looks more like a scuff mark than anything. As though it was glanced by a chisel. I would say 1.5mm deep?

Going to take it into the shop tomorrow for a full check, and also get my back brake tightened after the crash. But I wanted some second opinions.

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    Road or mountain bike? Where on the frame is this? I’m a lot more concerned about that large vertical split in the paint between the blue and black regions.
    – MaplePanda
    Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 17:33
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    Does this answer your question? What do I do when I am unsure if a carbon fiber component is safe to use or needs replacing or repairing?
    – mattnz
    Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 20:34
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    A guy on his phone just walked out in front ... Ah, the dreaded Meanderthalus iDioticus.
    – Andrew Henle
    Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 20:38
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    @MaplePanda Hey thanks for the reply. Here's another 2 photos: it's not a crack that part as you can see. It's a piece of metal to protect the pedal crank. The thing to the left of the mark I uploaded in my OP is actually a strip of plastic that came with the bike. It didn't seem like it was supposed to be taken off.
    – carboncarboncarbon
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 18:23

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While one can't really be certain without performing an X-ray inspection, I think it's pretty safe to say this one is just a paint chip. The two later-added photos show the location and size of the damage, and neither look to be problematic. Remember, carbon fiber composite is not a high explosive. Unless you see broken fibers, delamination, or other major damage, it should be just fine.

If you still don't have peace of mind, your best bet would be taking the bike to a composite repair place which has diagnosis experts and/or X-ray capabilities.

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    Yes, the extra two photo's give a much clearer picture. Almost certainly chain suck/chain slap. I'd keep riding that without a 2nd thought
    – Andy P
    Commented Jun 30, 2022 at 20:18
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    Concur. I'd slap something on the outside to minimise water ingress. Quality nail varnish comes in a vast array of colours, or you can use clearcoat (which leaves the chip visible)
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jul 1, 2022 at 2:10

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