Like we’ve been saying recently, MTB season brings tons of “oops” moments when out on the trail. Most often these little slips or crashes are just that…little, and have no overall effect on your bike. Or body, for that matter. This Trek Superfly SS came into the shop after one such little slip, where our customer bailed off the bike, turned the handlebars and clipped the toptube with their shifter. For moments like these, we’re so glad we have an ultrasound.
On the exterior, it SEEMS fine, responds normally to an acoustic tap test and generally had only a little bit of scuffing. But our customer wanted to be sure everything was OK. After a scan, we realized a pretty substantial area of delamination that was actually going to need repair. We take no chances with safety, which is why we also leave nothing to guesswork when inspecting frames.
Toptube repairs are some of the most complex repairs we perform; they require immense patience when removing the damage, an accurate layup, and usually an interesting way of extracting the resin from the laminate.
At Ruckus Composites, we pride ourselves on quickly and safely repairing carbon fiber bike frames. It is our continuing mission to use carbon fiber repair to challenge the status quo of both the bike industry and throwaway culture by keeping good bikes and their memories rolling.
Our proven carbon fiber bike repair process goes like this: first, we inspect the damaged area, using ultrasound technology, and removing all the guesswork from the repair. The detailed info we gather helps us provide an incredibly accurate repair with fewer materials needed, which makes a quicker turn time for you! Next, we remove all the damaged materials from the toptube, which guarantees no further cracking. We then replicate the factory lay-up using our high-end prepreg carbon fiber and cast the area with heat and pressure to remove the epoxy. Finally, we send the bike to our master painter who expertly matches both the paint and decals of the original frame.
Carbon fiber bike repairs are delicate and time-consuming art, in which we perform every step by hand. Have a Trek with a broken or cracked part? Submit a repair form today to get started with your repair. Submit a repair form here!