Markus_79

Good morning,

I have a question about a secondhand bike I just purchased online from a shop. It's a carbon fibre frame - Cannondale SuperX - and it has been used for the past season of cx riding (the owner of the shop said for about 10h of racing..it was not the main bike of the rider) - The deal was very good, almost 45% off from the original price but as soon as I received the bike I was a bit astonished by the chips on the frame (not advertised on the ad and by phone) - everythng else, brakes, gear are in very good condtions, and the shop owner kept saying that no falls happened to the bike - I am not too picky and not really fuzzed about scratches but when you spend 2000£ on a bike - even if used - still you want to be sure that everthing is ok. When I enquired the seller he told me that the chips (seatstays and fork) come from carrying the bikes on planes (on soft boxes) for international races, still I have some doubts that such scratches can be done "only" by transport - also I am a bit scared that if the bike had poor maintenance - having been raced - it could show problems at the bb30..but so far looks good. A carbon expert checked the bike and said that the damages are not structural - I have two options: send the bike back with a full refund or have a repaint job done by the shop for an additional 200£ - yeah, they are not willing to cover the expenses. I attach some pics of the damages. Thanks a lot for your opinion.

Kovkov

I would go for the full refund. If you wanna make absolutely sure it‘s not a £2000 deathtrap you‘ll have to x-ray the frame. Guess that‘s more than £200.

nomadmax 

I'm with that guy ^^^.

delbiker1 

Refund!

zacster

That's a lot of scratches and bumps for a bike that was 'never crashed'. I'd go for a refund myself. 45% off list is not a great deal on a used bike if you ask me. When I'm spending that kind of money, in either dollars or pounds, I want something pretty much perfect. I have a 38 year old bike that I rode a lot that has less marks than that (until my son started using it ) It doesn't look like it was cared for.

HillRider

Well, 10 hours of cyclocross racing has got to cause a bunch of scratches and chips so that's not surprising. What is surprising is that you paid 55% of full price for it. I would either return it for a full refund or ask for a significant price reduction.

Wilfred Laurier

Most of those do just look like chips in the paint, but a couple looked deeper - specifically some of the marks on the seatstays. I wouldn't want to ride that bike.

Markus_79

Thanks a lot for all your replies - I really appreciate. Now I'm more and more convinced that I should return it - even if it was (for my needs) the perfect bike with a 2x chainring and beautiful paint color ^_^ - Not to mention that the bike came also with a bent spoke (pretty loose)... easy to fix and cheap but a clear sign of low care..

Markus_79

I had the same impression about the ones on the seatstays - and to be honest I cannot believe that they come just from the handling during the transport..

Markus_79

Again thanks for your insight. Even if the guy from a local lab doing carbon repairs said that the frame is intact, I cannot believe that those chips are from the bike being carried without a hard case on the plane. That's enough to be suspicious.

woodcraft

"no crashes" and cyclocross racing is an oxymoron.

I would put some nail polish on those dings and ride on,

if the price is right for the bike.

zacster

I should add that I bought a used frame about 15 years ago, a Kuota Kredo to replace the Kouta I'd crashed, and that frame didn't have a scratch on it. The shop said it was used for a season of racing but looked like it maybe had been used 2 or 3 times at most. It was also deeply discounted, less than half of the new price. It was perfect for this hard recreational rider. I'm still riding it.

Markus_79

Yes, I agree.. but it looks like - considering also others opinions on the thread - that the price is a bit steep for the bike's conditions...and in terms of reselling value I'm going to loose - if I decide to sell it - quite a lot of money I guess.

Markus_79

Do they look like the fibers have been compromised?

CliffordK

The problem is that there is a lot of fear of carbon fiber. It is quite strong, and will take some amount of stretching and bending, and return back to the original shape. However, it doesn't do well with certain crush and impact types of damage (which can happen in a wreck, or even simply falling over in a bike rack).

A lot of those look like superficial paint chips from mishandling. Bike rack, hauling around, etc. But, it is hard to tell.

There is a "coin test". Dropping a coin across the tube, if the pitch changes, make sure it can be explained such as reinforcement for a brake bridge. Symmetrical on both sides? It may not be 100% accurate, but should help a bit with peace of mind.

You might also do the coin test on the fork. In many cases, the fork crown is made of solid aluminum, and would be more resilient to small chips.

Hard to say. Coming from a "bike shop", I'd be pretty upset with that amount of undisclosed damage. But, I might go ahead and ride the bike myself.

I'm not sure about used value. Some bikes like cyclocross bikes may hold their value some. But, don't go by the MSRP, but go by a portion of the lowest price you can find on the internet for a similar NEW bike. Then knock some off for the frame (for being USED). And a bit more for being ABUSED.

Try BicycleBlueBook (in their lowest condition category).

How are the components? Rear Derailleur?

Wilfred Laurier

I can't say. But I have enough uncertainty that they are not compromised that I would not want that bike.

02Giant 

I believe the chips don't affect the structural integrity of the frame but, there should have been full disclosure up front. You should have had an opportunity to make the decision before laying out the $$$.

Loose Chain

A chipped up and possibly delaminated CF frame is dangerous potentially and worse than a dented steel frame in value reduction. Not to mention the difficulty of knowing the true extent of the damage.

Mad Honk 

So folks,
If you were buying a used Indy car that hit the wall would you be concerned about the frame? Bikes are just like Indy cars as being made from CF, and any chips dents and gouges are suspect. think before jumping in. Smiles, MH

redlude97

Looks like its been raced. My SuperX is covered in similar paint chips all around from racing and crashing and I have no qualms about hopping on it

Markus_79

It was my first reaction - but the fact that the damages has not been described upfront (jsut very generic description) and the potential loss in reselling value are two things that I don't really like. And also the fact that I'm not 100% sure of the origin of those marks and chips. Why would ever say that it has happened only during the transport? In any case it's an awesome bike really sad to let it go.

Markus_79

Thanks for your message. I tried the coin test and no significant variation in pitch sound - yes the main annoiance is the undisclosed damage and the possible reselling value. From 3600£ it has been sold at 2000£ - other components are ok, chainrings not in great shape, cassette new, discs replaced, front der some marks, cranks rubbed, rear der a bit abused.

Mad Honk 

I'm gonna reply one more time on this one. First off $2k euro's is sky high for a bike like this. Are those brakes hydraulic? etc. on the questions. But I'm not convinced that it is a good buy. Racing for me has always worked this way: I buy it and the sponsors pay for it. I race it and at the end of the season I sell it for whatever I can get for it. Stock cars work this way bikes work this way and Indy car is just a bit different, but still the race machines are worn out after a season of racing. I suspect this is one of those bikes. If you pay more than half price for it you are being taken advantage of as it has already been paid for by a sponsor. And it is worn out as a racing machine. If you even think of racing it I would be suspicious about your intentions. JMHO, MH

Markus_79

thanks again for your wise opinion. Yes those are full hydraulic ultegra brakes and also the groupset is the latest Ultegra version. No intention of racing on it, but got your point.