1

I had a crash a couple of weeks ago with my BH Quartz. The front wheel got caught in a crack in the road, I heard a crack and I fell on the side. I was worried that the frame cracked, but couldn't find anything. I kept tapping and pressing every inch of the fork and tubes, can't feel any weakness. I think it was just the wheel cracking, not the fork, but I don't know if I can be completely sure of that.

The other thing is that there is a chip on the chain stay, and it looks a bit deeper than I initially thought.

wheel damage

frame damage

What do you think? I want to keep riding this bike and got new wheels and a new derailleur, but maybe I am being too optimistic?

This is the second time I crashed this bike, first time was two years ago and I didn't see any damage.

0

1 Answer 1

1

Welcome to Stack Exchange. Really the best way to determine if and to what extent the carbon fiber has been damaged is via ultrasound which will reveal whether the carbon layers have begun to separate. This is called delamination and areas where this is occuring are structurally weaker. That you have not visualized any obvious damage coupled with an apparently negative tap test is encouraging. One place to begin is to enlist the assistance of a bike shop where staff have at least more experience seeing a variety of carbon fiber damage. Also, it's likely they have access to further resources--namely, an individual or business specializing in carbon fiber fabrication and issues relating to it. A Google search for carbon fiber experts will yield results of many businesses specializing in carbon fiber analysis and repair (and specific to bicycle frames, though that needn't be a limiting factor if there is an entity close to your location you feel you can trust an evaluation with). Often, these businesses start the process with you communicating a description of the accident, photos, and details of the bike model. From there, you will get advice on how to proceed.

The process to this point is generally one that doesn't require compensation of a monetary nature. You should follow any contact instructions they may give you and use good quality photos and the narrative should be clear, thorough but succinct. Eventually these businesses will require the bike frame to be properly shipped or delivered to them at your cost for further evaluation and possible repair.

Regarding the chip near the dropout: it looks silver and shiny in the photos. Like metal. Oftentimes, a carbon fiber bike or fork will have aluminum dropouts bonded into the carbon fiber portion of the frame. This may be the case here if it is, in fact, a gouge in metal. It would still bear watching for any changes but I'd be more confident continuing to ride a gouged aluminum part as opposed to a carbon fiber one.

1
  • Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate the amount of details and effort you put in there. Yes, I think you're right, it probably is some mix of aluminum and carbon in the dropout area. I will ride the bike on flats only for a while and keep an eye on it. I have been trying to find shops around here that specialize in carbon repair / inspection but no luck so far. Thanks again.
    – hagi10
    Commented Nov 13, 2023 at 5:18

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.