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Help Carbon Frame Repair

Excellent info. For what it's worth - both our Chinese factories offer repair services. Typically they'll use bladder and bag technique, then fine sand and finish with clear. The only downside is the shipping costs to and from - but we can save something on the 'from' by combining with other orders.

Attached link is to a Velonews article on carbon frame repair. Some good useful info for this tragic situation:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011...ons-for-repairing-carbon-bike-frames_196178/1

Nothing specific to Japan, but a Australian is mentioned.
 
Repair did the job for me

Mike,

I had already sent my carbon frame for repair with Calfee in the US when I heard from Tim that his guys could do it also.

If they do it the same way as the Calfee guys did, I would definitely suggest you look into it. They did a beautiful job on my bike. With Calfee, the actual repair was 200USD, postage out was 6000yen, but they shafted me 200USD for return. I also forked out an extra 75USD for the clear coat. All up just over 500. Pricey, but well worth it to resurect a top shelf frame. Can see where they repaired, but it looks lovely, and a few thousand km later is still riding very well.

Incidentally, my frame cracked after a fall coming down a mountain in Nagano. I was fine, but landed in such a way as to ram the shoulder of the drops into the top bar. Didn't even notice the crack until I had ridden another 30km or so out of the mountains, by which stage it had grown and threatened to snap the top tube in half. If I had only the original small crack, the repair quote would have been a little lower. Yours looks like a pretty significant job, but if Tim's boys say can do it, then for sure, give it a shot.
 
Calfee is really top notch - but , yeah, the main hassle is the shipping. Mike's frame is busted up pretty good - headtubes are a bit tricky because you need to maintain perfect alingment and it looks like the whole tube is crunched - along with the integrated bearing set. If the bearing set is not crunched, then this should be fixable without too much hassle.
 
Mike's frame is busted up pretty good - headtubes are a bit tricky because you need to maintain perfect alingment and it looks like the whole tube is crunched - along with the integrated bearing set. If the bearing set is not crunched, then this should be fixable without too much hasslehoff.
Then let's see what happens.

" * Gentlemen - we can rebuild him. We have the technology. Maybe."
 
Well, I'd do it myself here, but just to let you know, the last experience I had working with composites was repairing logging truck fenders AND helicopter blades ... in the same building!
 
I had my Cervelo R3 repaired with Carbon fiber repairs in Melbourne, Australia. Raoul did a great job for me. The damage was a huge crack in the chain stay . The crack was about 2.5" in length and there was quite a huge bit of carbon that broke off the bike. It was caused when I dropped the chain. I have been using the bike for a while with no issues now. It is as good as new and have just ridden from Tokyo to Biwako on some pretty rough surface roads with no issues. I am glad I got the frame repaired. I would highly recommend anyone to consider frame repair if it is a cheaper option. I cost me $650 which Raoul said was one of the more expensive repairs that he had done. The entire process took 2 weeks including postage and handling which would be about 2 or 3 days.

Jon
 
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