I have ridden aluminum for fifteen years and finally broke down and decided to buy a carbon bike. As I do not make the most money in the world, I decided to buy a used frame. It has two scatches/cracks in the frame. They seem superficial, and purely cosmetic, but I can't help but think that they may be more than just that. And I don't know much about care of carbon frames, nor do any of my friends. I was the first to venture into carbon country.
Is there a way to tell if these are scratches or cracks? Am I being stupid? Would I know if these are cracks? Would it be obvious?
I have ridden aluminum for fifteen years and finally broke down and decided to buy a carbon bike. As I do not make the most money in the world, I decided to buy a used frame. It has two scatches/cracks in the frame. They seem superficial, and purely cosmetic, but I can't help but think that they may be more than just that. And I don't know much about care of carbon frames, nor do any of my friends. I was the first to venture into carbon country.
Is there a way to tell if these are scratches or cracks? Am I being stupid? Would I know if these are cracks? Would it be obvious?
Any and all advice welcome.
Why not have some one other than a nose picker actually look at it?
Is there a way to tell if these are scratches or cracks? Am I being stupid? Would I know if these are cracks? Would it be obvious?
Just take a look at them with a magnifying glass. If they look white they're scratches. If they're cracks, don't worry about them unless you can see broken fibers.
If it makes you feel any better, my carbon mtn bike frame has around 50,000 scratches, gouges, and even a few chunks missing, and it's still going strong. The missing chunks always make me a bit wary, but so far it still survives.
