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I own a 2019 Rose XLITE carbon road bike with rim brakes.

Today, I conducted a thorough inspection, taking things apart. At the rear of the bike, on the attachment point where the brake is fixed to the frame, I found scratches. The brake also felt somewhat loose. I realized that the brake must have been slightly loose for some time now, as I adjusted it by hand two weeks ago on a ride with a flat tire.

I have never touched the bolt before. Tapping with a coin, I cannot find a dull spot. I removed everything and took these photos. I re-tightened the brake without any visible flex. Is this already carbon fiber damage? If so, is this a crucial spot?

I already went to my local bike shop. The owner did not even want to look at it and suggested contacting Rose.

photo of the mounting point for a bike's brakes

close-up photo of the mounting point for a bike's brakes

photo of the mounting point for a bike's brakes

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    The crack at the 2-3 o'clock position looks way more than a scratch, in my opinion. I'm no expert, hence no answer but if the bolt hole disintegrates, it would be a sensitive area and depending on how bad it falls apart you would end up somewhere between a misaligned rear brake (and pads rubbing against the tire) to not having a functional rear brake, anymore. Can you do a more detailed shot of the hole, with some direct lighting?
    – DoNuT
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 11:38
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    Yeah. Two more fotos now with the bolt in place. the crack you mentoined is now at 6 6 o clock
    – roverhendrix
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 11:50
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    I’d certainly contact Rose about the issue. It almost looks like rust which expanded and caused the carbon to crack? Or maybe the carbon cracked first and allowed water in? I’ll certainly have a look on my Rose X-Lite 4 2018 today.
    – Michael
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 12:02
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    The fact that "the brake felt loose" is also not very promising, did the caliper already move a bit because of the crack? Definitely check with Rose, I'm not sure if that is still to be considered "safe to ride", to be honest.
    – DoNuT
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 12:30
  • I had a very close look on mine. I have absolutely no cracks or rust in that location. Only one scratch on the underside which clearly happened because something got caught between tyre and seatstay bridge. Mine has only been ridden for a bit over 10Mm, but in all kinds of weather, including salted roads in the winter. I have the original Ultegra R8000 brakes installed.
    – Michael
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 15:06

2 Answers 2

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The frame is cracked and should be repaired. It's likely nothing to do with the crash, unless perhaps the brake was impacted. This could result from the recessed nut either being overtightened, from being used in loose condition, from the bridge being underbuilt, or some combination.

Edit in response to the idea this is just in the paint:

enter image description here

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  • Indeed - those cracks are from the brake flexing in its mount when it's used. Even if it is "just the paint cracking" (which I seriously doubted even before the OP's update...), the brake shouldn't be flexing in its mount like that in the first place.
    – Andrew Henle
    Commented Aug 15, 2023 at 18:30
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I realized that i have a Rose service Partner in town. I brought the Bike there to See If my 6 year frame warranty needs to be used. They inspected again and said: Cracks are in Paint Job. Carbon and Bridge Not affected. They seemed competent and really thorough. Anaway: I will write Email to Rose with their repair Statement. In Case it fails in the next 3 years ... Thank you all

Update 12 days later: Wellt that went done the drain fast. checked everyday for new cracks outside... none. today i did a testride for a short bikebacking trip. noticed break rubbing 4 k in. Realized the break was loose again. again no new cracks from the outside. Unscrewed the breaks again. Inside i can now see carbon fibre, delaminating i guess. Can even pull it out. The foto shows an allen key with some in front of it. So i guess the frame is broken -_-. I will try to get my 6 year warrantie but now i am really sad... was planing a long cycling holiday.

Update 14 days later: Really disaiponted in Rose here. They said there needs to be a report of an indpendend expert. If the expert says: Yeah, no fault by me=> The get me a new frame. But because they dont offer rim brake frames anymore I would get a disc break frame and would have to boy: wheelset, groupset, handelbar (the cockpit).... So : never trust the warranty system of rose enter image description here

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    You can see the crack reaching down into the unpainted part.
    – Nathan Knutson
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 19:51
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    I am not sure I see the crack going through the carbon - the thing is, we're on the Internet, and photo compression can obscure the details. It definitely looks a bit bad for just regular paint cracking.
    – Weiwen Ng
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 20:06
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    No comment on the assessment - they have the luxury of physical inspect, not just photos over the internet. You have good photos, keep them as evidence, and get evidence you to the frame to them for inspection, and what you were told. Even after warranty expires, you have a legitimate claim if they rejected your first approach. I would mark the end of the cracks with a fine point marker and inspect regularly for evidence of changes. Problem is hard or emergency braking might lead to sudden failure which could be catastrophic.
    – mattnz
    Commented Aug 3, 2023 at 21:29
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    I would be strongly tempted to refit the brake caliper, lock it up and push the bike/wheel back and forth to simulate braking. Stress test it hard while its still "under warranty" If it fails or flexes too much, then clearly the damage was deeper than "paint cracks"
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Aug 7, 2023 at 21:22
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    Given your update, I'd strongly recommend doing as @Criggie recommended: Put the brake back in, reassemble your bike, put it wheels-down on the ground, squeeze the rear brake lever to engage the rear brake, then push the bike forwards and backwards. If the rear brake calipers move/wiggle/rock back and forth as you push forwards and backwards, have a friend make a video, then go back to that shop and show them the video. If the shop still says "It's just a flesh wound", err, "it's just the paint cracking", post the video here and contact Rose directly, including a link to your question...
    – Andrew Henle
    Commented Aug 15, 2023 at 18:20

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