CrowSeph

during a ride , i was taking a little break with my bike standing next to me... whitout any forewarning the wind changed direction causing my bike to drop and hit the floor.
the lever has been inclined but nothing has been damaged, the pedal is still intact but the frame has an huge chip into the clear coat.
bike is almost new , 20 days exactly since i buyed it.

the clearcoat chip was shattered almost as glass, but i can't find anything else on the frame.
looks like that only the clear coat has been damaged, i know i can even fix by myself but this doubt about the carbon fiber integrity is driving me insane,

should i really worry?
any test i can do?

image: https://i.ibb.co/sjn4H8F/1673136410117.jpg

Kontact 

That area of the bike is likely solid carbon. I wouldn't worry.

The usual test is to tap the area with the edge of a nickel, listening for areas that sound dull or soft - like soft wood.


That clear coat sure isn't sticking great to the paint underneath. That would bother me on a new bike and cause me to contact the manufacturer. Clear coat should stick to the paint, not flake off like peeling a boiled egg.

SoSmellyAir

Did the bike just hit the flat floor or did it hit something sharp or otherwise protruding from the floor? If not ...

No. See linked paper, p. 1

Yes. MRI. See, generally, linked paper.

preprints201912.0295.v1.pdf

CrowSeph

I think hit a rock or smt.

CrowSeph

They do not cover damage areas from crash or situations like mine. The cc looks like high quality 2k since is hard but honestly never heard of shattered cc in this way. Even with hits....

At this point I'm thinking that the cc saved the frame since took the hit instead ti the underneath paint or carbon layer.

SoSmellyAir

I agree that the clearcoat is brittle and shattered and that the CF frame is most probably fine, but I don't think the clearcoat saved the frame.

Kontact 

Yeah, if the frame wasn't even painted that dropout would be fine. Carbon is reinforced hard plastic, not plaster of paris. Tubes are only fragile because they are so thin.

CrowSeph

Thanks im already feeling the relief

Iride01 

You might put some clear coat of some sort over that area to help keep the top coat from peeling or chipping away over time.

SoSmellyAir

Lacquer or nail polish?

Iride01 

Not all lacquer is the same just like not all nail polish is the same. If it were me, I'd go to the auto parts store and buy a small can of touch up paint in clear coat.

But most anything will be better than leaving the raw damaged edges of the upper coats of finish exposed. Some clear 2 part epoxy adhesive might work well too if it can be spread smoothly.

CrowSeph

I've done some races, more than 1500kms into bad roads including some small potholes.
frame is still the same but sometimes I check the dropouts because my mind it's a bit obsessed.