lexus1995

Is there any danger of using this? Was cleaning my bike and it felt straight onto the corner of my house which is covered with sharp paint. Results on screens below. Is there also any possibility to repair this? Cheers.

cxwrench

That's a little more serious than a scratch. I'd do the tap test, and I'd bet money that frame is cracked.

cpach

That looks potentially compromised. The mechanism of a square edge into the middle of an extremely light frame also gives pause.Tap test isn't a bad idea but it its not an ultrasound, either. If you want to be confident a carbon repair shop like Calfee or Ruckus can really check if it's damaged and repair if necessary, but the bike will have to be stripped to the frame and shipped to do so in most cases. Still cheaper (and much more ecologically conscious) than a crash replacement frame.

I'm sorry, that really sucks. In the future, consider cleaning in a repair stand. It's safer and its also easier to do a good job.

easyupbug 

Does not look good from here, sorry. Hopefully your local shop should be able to help with a "expert" near as you need one I am afraid.

smd4

Looks more like a hole or divot, rather than a scratch.

Crankycrank

Always hard to give advice on CF damage from just a photo. As mentioned, take it to a specialist CF repair shop who can check it in the flesh.

lexus1995

I have visited local trek dealer and mechanic told me that it is ok (carbon surface was not damaged). Here are another photos. On first photo perspective wasnt quite good. Let me know guys what do you think about it. Cheers.

squirtdad

If it were me, I would get a second opinion, sure looks like the carbon structure took a hit dead center

2old

Looks more than superficial, but repairable to me (possibly without disassembly). Ask an expert like Craig mentioned above.

smd4

Good pictures though!

SoSmellyAir

Both the red outer paint layer and the pink base coat paint layer are chipped off at the point of impact. If the carbon fiber surface was not damaged, then what are the three wavy lines that start parallel to each other at the bottom left of that spot, before diverging at the bottom of that spot? Sure look like layers of something to me. Are those apparent layers caused by fractured epoxy resin? Impossible to tell from just photos. Should check with a carbon fiber frame specialist; a mechanic specializes in other aspects of the bike.

lexus1995

If it was as easy as you say I woud've done it today but I am living in Poland so...
The main thing is that this guy said that thats expoxy layer scratched. I've forgot to mention: There was no load during this "accident". The bike was leaning against the wall by the seat and it just slided straight onto the corner which was sharp. I wasnt on this bike and the bike was not on the bike stand tho. It just slipped a little bit. Are carbon components that soft? I have no idea what to do now.

SoSmellyAir

I think I now better understand what happened.

In your original post, you said that the bike "fel[l] straight onto the corner of [your] house", so I had understood that as the bike falling all the way down to the ground, and on its way down, the corner of your house impacted the (top?) tube at an angle more or less perpendicular to the axis of the (top?) tube.

However, this post clarified that the bike had just slid along the wall, with the seat in contact with the wall until it cleared the edge of your house, at which point (in time) the bike fell against the corner of your house. Thus, the distance the bike had fallen was much shorter than originally described, and the impact would have been much less severe, and the spot on the (top?) tube was caused by more of a gouge (parallel to the top tube) than a strike (perpendicular to the top tube). If that is the case, your mechanic is probably right. But you should still get it repaired so that the spot does not propagate.

lexus1995

My bad tho. Bike just slided throught the edge of the wall with no velocity.

Iride01 

I'd keep getting opions from whomever is in your area that can see the bike in person and look at it close up in differing light angles.

However the opinion of the bike shop you took it to might be correct.

I can't tell, is this the top tube? Maybe you should wait for our resident frame builders to show up and reply, but I don't think it should be a worry on the top tube. Just keep an eye on it. Certainly if you can go to the expense of having it feathered and filled that'd probably ensure it lasts long. But that will be expensive and you'll have a much bigger spot to re-paint.

veganbikes

I would still get a second opinion, it wouldn't trust it personally. If you are bold enough to ride on it I would keep a very close eye on it and check it before, during and and after each ride and not ride if it fails,

Camilo

The photos are great, but still, I think someone actually looking at it has a better chance of seeing the nuance of the damage better than us looking at photos on our computer screen. Reflections or normal carbon fiber filaments can be mistaken for chips or scratches, for example. It's also very hard to really tell how deep it is even with the excellent photos.

I would put much more weight on the opinion of a good shop person who actually saw the damage. But I also agree that you should get a second opinion from someone who has a good understanding of carbon fiber FRAMES. A bike mechanic or shop sales person might not have any expertise on this. At least, take it to another good bike shop and see what they say.

If you post in the frame/frame builder forum here, someone might be able to point you to a frame builder or expert close to where you live in Poland.

That person can also advise you how to treat the injury. You might want to fill it with a dab of epoxy and paint it or just fill it with layers of paint. I'd look for a fingernail polish that is a close match.