★ WATCH this video next where I true a crashed carbon aero wheel kzread.info/dash/bejne/gK2EqbOrfsm7drg.html

Jim gets the Oscar for best carbon repair. I crashed my Roubaix and trying to learn how to repair my bike. For a week I’ve watched all the carbon repair videos. Jim is the best. He gave me enough confidence to jump in. Thank you Jim.

@JimLangley1

9 ай бұрын

My pleasure Chett - and thanks for making my day with your great comment! If you go ahead with your repair please share how it goes so other viewers can learn from you. Thanks a lot for watching and the awesome comment, appreciate it!

Thank you, Jim!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

You’re very welcome Ricky, thanks for watching and commenting!

Wow great job Jim, looks amazing we'll done & thanks for sharing.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot, Graham! I'm happy you enjoyed the repair, it was a fun one!

Thanks for your advice, your reply and a great DIY video!

@JimLangley1

8 ай бұрын

My pleasure David. Thanks a lot for watching & commenting 🙏 I’ll be interesting in hearing how your repair goes!

Good work Jim! As usual, you are crafty and meticulous.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks very much, Denis! I'm happy you enjoyed this video and appreciate you watching and the great comment!

I enjoyed watching your video and now I learned something new. Watching from the Philippines

@JimLangley1

11 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching and the great comment Niegel, appreciate it very much!

Great job Jim, I enjoyed your video..👍☘

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching HayBob! I'm happy you enjoyed the video and appreciate your comment!

As a former stress analyst the procedures for relate of aircraft composite structure requires complete removal of damaged material. Composites with voids or fractures internal tend to eventually fail which is why the X-ray or use ultrasonic testing to verify structural integrity. Covering a fracture is covering a void. Graphite fibers at very brittle, stiff and strong in tension. They have virtually no compressive strength unless supported by the matrix due to the fineness of the fiber they buckle under compression and fracture. This fracture tends to proprogate with many cycles then the member will suddenly fail. Composites without defects can have virtually infinite fatigue life but unsupported fibers tend to buckle. If the member is highly loaded it is best to sand out all damaged material then try to duplicate the layup or more likely do 0/45/90/-45 layers and over build it. It is difficult to do a proper repair that is invisible because you need over lap to develop the load trough inter-laminar shear. You could probably get away with a collar over the damage if you really over build it but best practice is to remove all damaged matrix and fibers. Brian Blum

@JimLangley1

6 ай бұрын

Appreciate you watching and educating us Brian, thanks a lot! 🙏❤

Awesome repair there Jim! That looks like a nice way to fix your carbon frame if you're able to use this.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting, Locks!

This video helped me so much! I broke a rare cannondale frame last year. Thanks to your guide, I repaired my frame and rode over 4000 miles on my favorite bicycle! No issues, even riding HARD, with lots of gravel.

@JimLangley1

3 ай бұрын

That's great to hear Big, thanks a lot for letting me know and congrats on fixing your C'dale! Appreciate you watching and commenting!

I was browsing KZread when this video produced a year ago has been attracting some attention. Firstly well done if you going to have a go to save money. I mean that. We hate waste and more importantly safe repairs are even more important. What constitutes a safe repair you may ask? In the case of very thin light carbon bikes- consistency with in the construction. Why? Because thin light bikes rely on the asymmetrical characteristics to share load. Remember these bikes are built to the absolute minimum in materials they deem correct for the function of the particular bike. The big difference between the method you see in this video and a professional repair (I say this with caution as not all are professional repairers or indeed know the correct method for some parts) is that the repair is reconstituted, undetectable carbon composite of the same thickness density and profile. Change that and your repair is not in harmony when under load. Beside this point the approach to each location of a fracture can vary in process and indeed materials. If we were talking 10 years ago this wouldn’t be completely valid but with todays bikes which are a great deal lighter the emphasis on consistency is paramount. We have robots now which emulate molds and repair precisely because even the most skilled repairer cannot honestly guarantee the wall thickness and densities are correct. So to conclude in the name of your safely: if you repair a carbon bike it could be a bit safer on very old carbon or very cheap heavy carbon bikes where mid tube fractures exist on the top down tubes and the 4 stays otherwise frames under 1kg you risk yourself or someone else’s life. Rob Granville, CarbonBikeRepair

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for sharing your expertise Rob, appreciate it. 🙏

@alistairmacfadyen9365

2 ай бұрын

I heard some great comments about CBR… very happy customers.

Nice video thank you.🚵‍♂️👍

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

You’re very welcome, William. Thanks for watching & commenting, glad you enjoyed the video.

Thanks Jim ! Very instructive video !

@JimLangley1

3 ай бұрын

You’re very welcome Pier, thanks for watching and commenting!🙏

I think you have made a splendid repair

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks very much, Gordon! Appreciate you watching and the great comment!

Hi, this is a great video. I have a similar crack on my bike. Bit less of a crack but more of a bruise if you like. I have been not riding for a while but want to get back on it and want to fix it before. This video gives me confidence that I can do it myself. Also I thought the coin was Australian $2 but reading the comments realized it is euro. Thank you the video.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching, glad you enjoyed the video Purvag. It’s a pretty straightforward process and the folks at Predator that sell the patch kit are very helpful if you need any.

really useful to see each step! many thanks - I just found a small hole caused by a bottle mounted in the seat tube hitting the down tube - as the bike rattles down trails the base of the bottle was hitting the tube and eventually put a small puncture in it. I'll repair it and your video gives me the confidence to try! THANKS!

@JimLangley1

8 ай бұрын

You’re very welcome Neil! Thanks for watching and please let me know how your repair goes.

wow ! awesome !

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching and commenting, glad you enjoyed the video so much!

Thanks a lots lots 👍👍

@JimLangley1

3 ай бұрын

My pleasure Elmer, thank you for watching and commenting!

Good job Jim.😊

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

My pleasure Spencer, thanks a lot for watching and commenting!

Great video Jim. Going to attemp to fix my MTB frame this weekend. I also see you like VW. I have a 2019 GTI. VW'S ROCK 👍

@JimLangley1

2 ай бұрын

Happy to hear you found the video helpful Tom, thanks for watching and commenting. It’s not that difficult a repair, you can do it. Yeah my first car was a Bug and I’ve had VWs most of my life. Our Westy has been great. Never owned a GTI but drove my brother’s - super fun - just gotta watch for cops😊

Fantastic video, thank you! I appreciate your DIY ethos, and share it as well. While interested in CF bikes, I am very wary of hidden frame damage on used bikes more than any other frame material. This is what is holding me back, as well as new bike prices, which I find increasingly ridiculous!

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video, thank you for watching and commenting. Carbon is actually super strong. It takes very specific types of damage to crack or break it such as how my top tube landed on a pointed rock. The good news is that there are carbon companies that can X-ray carbon frames to inspect them and ensure there's no hidden damage. So if you found a used carbon bike at an affordable price point you could have it inspected to put your mind at ease. Hope this is helpful and thanks again!

Excellent video. I repaired a Giant TCR Comp bottom bracket shell. Bottom on the chain stays side was shattered. I rode that bike 9 more years. I thought damage was from a crash I had but I think they had a recall on that frame (2003/2005).

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

Nice job rcdogman! Thanks for watching and for sharing your Giant carbon frame repair!

Really cool video, the repair looks super strong. I watched some other videos where they put the carbon fiber on, and paint on top after instead of pre-painting. Any reason why you pre-applied epoxy?

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Denis, the repair has been holding up great so it does seem super strong. The reason I applied the epoxy like that is just because that's the way the instructions in the kit said to do it and I wanted to follow their step by step to be sure to prepare and apply the epoxy, frame and patch according to their procedure. For the patches the epoxy goes on first so that you can flip them over and apply it to both sides of the patches. It definitely was a lot of epoxy and I probably could have used less and it would have been fine. Thanks for the great question!

Great job Jim! I have a similar crack but it’s on the bottom stay of the rear triangle of a Specialized mountain bike - I’m wondering if a repair of this sort would be durable enough for a bike designed for a lot of aggressive riding

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video Rossi, thank you for watching and commenting. Chainstays are usually pretty heavy duty so I think this repair would work well for your frame. The company that makes the kit is happy to look at photos and advise if the kit can fix the crack you have too. So you could ask them to take a look to make sure. Hope this helps and that you can fix it.

Merci!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

I very much appreciate this, Denis and it'll help my channel. Thank you so much.

Your video is inspiring me to fix my carbon bike that’s been sitting in the closet for years. I hit a car head on, snapped my fork but didn’t notice the crack until I went to the bike shop. The crack I have starts from the top of head tube and goes down about a centimeter. Now I know you might be more of a novice to carbon repair, but you seem to have some good knowledge about bicycles. Would you have confidence in this kit for a small crack in a head tube? I think I’ve been told repairing carbon there is a bit more risky. Thanks!

@JimLangley1

11 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching and the question James. I'm glad my video has inspired you to try to fix your frame, but a crash with a car that breaks a fork is a major impact and it's impossible to know how badly your frame might have been damaged just by looking. That crack that you see might just be the tip of the iceberg so to speak.. with more damage inside the carbon that isn't visible to the eye. So, I would recommend you take the frame to a company that x-rays carbon frames to check for damage to the carbon. That way you can be certain that it's only that small crack and not structural issues in other parts of the head tube that could lead to a catastrophic failure later. I don't know where you're located but you can find carbon bicycle repair places in different parts of the USA that can do this and also in Europe. It shouldn't be too expensive to just have it inspected and you'll also learn how easily it'll be to repair the frame. I hope this helps and you can get back out on that bike. Good luck.

Very interesting. Seems like a solid repair, I hope it holds up and provides thousands more miles 👍🏼

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Carlos! I'm sure it'll hold up - it's the same process basically that professional carbon repairers use - and I'm definitely looking forward to riding thousands of more miles🙂

@gianloplo

Жыл бұрын

Solid work ✌️

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@gianloplo thanks for watching and commenting, gianloplo, appreciate it!

@tariusvadoom6489

Жыл бұрын

How's the patch holding

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@tariusvadoom6489 thanks for watching and asking, tarius. The patch is holding up fine, no issues at all after hundreds of miles and thousands of feet of climbing the longest steepest climbs here.

I've got a crack in my carbon frame in almost the exact same spot, also from falling over. I don't really want to do this, but it's probably better than any other solution sans buying a new bike - which I want to, I just can't afford what I want at this moment.

@JimLangley1

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting Sean. The kit is $100 so it's much cheaper than a new bike 😊and the repair isn't that difficult. The only hard thing is repainting the repaired spot, which I chose not to do. But other than that, it's straight forward.

Honestly didn’t even knew this could be possible, so thanks for sharing!!! Only one comment, UV rays degrades/decay Carbon Finer some kind of paint would help a lot to preserving it

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and I'm happy you enjoyed learning it's possible to repair carbon bikes, dranenko. I think you missed the part where I talk about covering up the patch to protect it from UV rays. That's at 14:44

@alpl9605

Жыл бұрын

@@JimLangley1 super!!! And again amazing video, and really valuable information for the community!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@alpl9605 thanks a lot, Al PL! I'm happy you enjoyed the video so much and really appreciate the kind words!

good work! Did you add the missing blue tape for the final touch? Looks good as new

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Zer0, appreciate it! I have been too busy to find the right color tape and everybody keeps wanting to see the patch 😀 so for now it’s still unfinished. But I will see if I can do a nice tape finish sometime soon I hope. Thanks again!

I observed a crack in the seat tube of a Pinarello Prince SL (my dream bike at the time) soon after I bought it from a fellow who had at least 10 other Pinarellos hanging from the walls inside a room in his home. (Another room had as many Stratocasters.) (Guy obviously had more money than sense.) (On the other hand, who needs sense? He had a stunning 19-year-old girlfriend - he was probably in his 40s - and they were about to leave town to jet off to San Diego because they had heard the surf was up.) I asked him why he was selling and he said that he never rode this one. (I subsequently discovered the odometer showed he had put 10,000 miles on it. I suspect that this was his go-to ride until he cracked the frame somehow.) Word to the wise - buying a bike from a stranger for a price that seems too good to be true - check the frame over with a fine-tooth comb. Live and learn. Sorry, I digress. Being stubborn, I rode the bike for a year until a bike mechanic finally pulled me aside and told me I was flirting with catastrophic failure and likely certain death. (Tell the truth, I had been using this bike to crawl up and barrel down Red Mountain Pass in Colorado.) So I was left with the question of how to tell whether it was a superficial crack in the paint (what I had tried to tell myself it was) or a structural crack in the tube? I didn't try the coin tap (I actually tried it just now because I still have the frame - it didn't work - but I think my frame at this spot is aluminum, not carbon). So I thought I'd post what I came up with since it worked like a charm. Paint the outside of the crack with dish-soapy water, plug up all the holes in the frame, put the hose of a bike pump in a hole (plugging the space around it) and pump. Good news was, my idea worked. Bad news was, the crack blew bubbles like Spongebob Squarepants. (I promptly bought a Moots titanium frame with a lifetime guaranty, transferred over all the components, which were first class, and I'm still riding it 20 years later - all's well that ends well.) Anybody know how to fix a crack in an aluminum frame? Maybe a carbon patch like this would work.....

@JimLangley1

5 ай бұрын

Wow, great story Citizen, thanks for telling it and for sharing the cool way you determined that your Pinarello was cracked and not just scratched/chipped - well done! As for how to fix an aluminum frame that should be a relatively easy fix for a bike framebuilder who works with aluminum. Here in Santa Cruz, California rocklobstercycles.com could probably do it for you.

Hi, very nice repair vid! I have a crack around my front derailleur mount bracket - which was pop riveted and bonded in place, but had come loose. Crack is longitudinal, 2-3 inches long. Someone must have banged the derailleur into something. Will I need to wrap the repair material all 360 around the frame, or only over the crack + some side overlap? Also, what is the thickness of the repair patches?

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed the video Soren, thanks for watching and commenting! Your frame is cracked in a highly stressed area and that derailleur mount being pop riveted there complicates matters. I'm not sure you'll be able to fix this with a kit like the one I purchased from Predator (link to the company is in the description). I think to be safe you should take some photos of the damage and reach out to Predator or another carbon company to get their advice on whether you can fix it with a patch or if it needs a more extensive analysis (they can x-ray the frame) and sophisticated repair to deal with the frame and the front der. mount. Hope this helps and thanks again!

Thanks Jim - that was very informative.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching, glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Jim - if the crack in the frame is on one side, do you think I need to go all of the way around the frame? Or would it be enough to just cover the damaged area?

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and the question Karl. I used a kit for this repair that I bought from Predator (the link is in the description). I took a photo of my frame and sent it to them first to make sure their kit would work for my frame damage. You might want to do that just to get a professional opinion from a company that repairs carbon frames. I wouldn't want to give you the wrong advice because damage to carbon can be challenging to evaluate from looking at it. It might be that the crack is so minor it doesn't need a full wrap but it might also be that there's more damage that you can't see. Companies that fix carbon bikes X-ray them to see how badly these cracks are. If you wrap it fully you won't be taking any chances but maybe Predator will say it's fine to only cover the crack.

Did you use a 50/50 epoxy/hardener mix. Looks great.

@JimLangley1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed the video greaserleo. The kit I used provided the epoxy and hardener in a 2 to 1 ratio. The container of epoxy was 4 ounces and the hardener was 2 ounces and the directions have you mix them together fully. You can see the epoxy and hardener here: predatorcycling.com/products/epoxy-resin-and-hardener Hope this helps and thanks again!

Be interesting if the ride characteristics of the frame changed after stiffening it up in a flex section or if you could even notice. Masking tape doesn’t like excessive heat

@JimLangley1

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and the tip about not using masking tape to mask the frame off jonny, appreciate it. I do not feel any difference in stiffness but that's a subjective thing to feel and usually related to the size of the rider and their strength so another rider might. Thanks again!

Does the heat gun go on hottest temperature. Thanks for your video and help by the way.

@JimLangley1

Ай бұрын

You're welcome Andy and thanks for watching. Heat guns differ in how much heat they put out and moving them closer or further away changes how intense the heat is too. What your goal is is to get the heat shrink tape to shrink. You can see in my video that at first the heat gun has no effect and the tape won't shrink. As the heat gun stays on a little longer it gets hotter and I move the hot air a little closer and at that point you can see that the shrinking starts because the resin/epoxy starts getting squeezed out in between the tape. So basically it's by trial and error how you figure out how hot it needs to be and how close you hold it. But you go little by little - a little more heat, a little closer until you see it shrink. Here again you could put a piece of tape on the workbench and heat it up as a test to learn what setting on your heat gun and how close to hold it to get the shrinking to happen. That would give you an idea what it's going to take on your frame repair. Hope this helps.

Jim - great video - where can you purchase the non-adhesive compression tape?

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching Joseph, glad you enjoyed the video. I think you should reach out to Predator Cycling the company I bought the repair kit from. Maybe they sell the compression tape or know where you could buy it. If you find a source please let everybody know in a comment. Thanks!

Nice idea. I found a repair kit at shopee. May i know what thickness of the carbon fiber should i use? Thanks.

@JimLangley1

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching Roberto! The specs on the carbon provided are: 5.8oz - 3K, 2x2 Twill Carbon Fiber Fabric Weave, 6 in x 12 in Predator doesn’t say how thick it is but I would estimate 3mm. You can buy the carbon from them. Hope this helps and thanks again!

I'm going to give it a shot I'm kinda nervous

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting, Robert. If you have any questions about your frame and the problem you're fixing you can reach out to Predator - the company that makes the kit and they'll walk you through it. And the kit comes with pretty easy to follow instructions. Hope this helps!

Not witchcraft although the bike industry would like you to think so. People repair boats like this. I'm 100kg and I have done a downtube near bottom bracket like this. Good vid.

@JimLangley1

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for making this point Nicky, appreciate it, and congrats on repairing your carbon bike too! 👍

How long do you heat it for and if I don’t have a space heater what can I use? Does it just need to be near any hot air for 24 h to cure?

@JimLangley1

Ай бұрын

You could put it in a sunny small room that gets warm or turn the heat up in your house and put it in the smallest heated room near one of the heat vents but not on top of the heat vent. And you just wait until the resin has dried, turned hard. You can put some of the resin you mix on something and leave it to dry and check this to see when the repair should be dry. The resin will cure even if you don't keep it in a warm room but when it's warm the resin dries faster that's all.

Very helpful video, I enjoyed! Weirdly predator bikes has the kit removed from the shop and its unavailable on amazon. Wonder why that is...

@JimLangley1

9 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching Patty, glad you enjoyed the show, appreciate you commenting. I checked the Predator website and I still see the kit here: predatorcycling.com/products/carbon-repair-kit

@Patty-qy8qh

9 ай бұрын

@@JimLangley1 Oh now I see... obviously only available within the US. Got a "page not found" from Germany and with a few other countries I tried, choice for that is all the way at the bottom of the page.

@JimLangley1

9 ай бұрын

@@Patty-qy8qh there are German carbon bike repair companies.. try reaching out to them and asking and I think they might offer something.

Used the same idea for repairing nordic ski poles. But this kit appears overpriced at $100, unless the carbon tape is of particularly good quality. I had a head-on collision on my trek Madone. The fork snapped, and I have replaced it. The bike rides "fine", but I am paranoid whether the frame also has cracks that I cannot see. I wonder if there is a way to reveal these small cracks (better than a coin). Don't wanna wrap each tube "just in case" :)

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting, appreciate it. Yes, you can have your bike x-rayed to determine if the tubes were damaged in that head-on crash. Here's a website of a company not too far from me here in Northern California that does it for example: www.spydercomposites.com/ There's probably companies like this in other areas of the USA too. You could google "carbon bicycle repair" Hope this helps and thanks again!

Got mine fix for 300. By a professional. And they scanned the bike to see for other cracks. And painted it to match the old paint. It was black so pretty easy 😂 it was cracked all the way through though

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Wow that's a great price, Benjamin, congratulations! Thanks for watching and commenting, appreciate it!

Hi Jim, it doesn't look like preditor sell the kits anymore... do you know anyone else that sells them?

@JimLangley1

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and the question Chas. It looks like they changed the link. Here it is: predatorcycling.com/products/carbon-repair-kit Thanks again!

How long since the repair have you used your bike?

@JimLangley1

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and the question Andy. It's been over a year now and I haven't had any problems at all, the repair is holding up just fine. Thanks again!

i would do this for the top tube, which doesnt really carry much load.. but, would be more worried about diy fixing a seat or chain stay.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and the comment, JogBird. It's basically the same process used by frame repair companies so it should work fine. Predator Cycling offers great support, too. You can discuss with them whatever you're trying to fix and they'll tell you if their kit will work for it.

@benc8386

Жыл бұрын

@@JimLangley1 The only thing I wouldn't use it on is a fork since that is unsupported and very safety-critical if it does fail. Nice repair and I'd be very surprised if it doesn't hold up! Repainting tricky because of the pattern. Maybe have a look at the ETOE channel and respray the whole frame in an interesting colour scheme :)

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@Ben C thanks for watching, Ben. I broke a carbon fork once and it wasn't fun at all 😊. Thanks for the tip about the ETOE channel, that guy has done some impressive paint jobs! At this point I'm still thinking I'm going to cover it up rather than repaint. But it's great to have such a helpful resource, thank you!

Is it possible to fix carbon rear drop out. The wheel is no longer able to stay in the drop out as they have worn down

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and the question, Chris. The dropouts on carbon frames are completely different than the tubes like what I fixed with the kit in this video. Dropouts are solid parts made with molds not hollow parts like carbon frame tubes. If dropouts wear out or break you need to replace them with a new dropout because if you try to glue another solid carbon piece to what's left of the dropout it'll break off. So to fix that frame you should find a carbon bike frame repair company you can bring it or send it to because they'll have replacement dropouts and be able to properly install it in your frame to make it ride like new again. Here's one such company calfeedesign.com/carbon-repair/ Hope this helps.

My carbon is not uni directional so which way do I put my patches?

@JimLangley1

Ай бұрын

Thanks for the question. The patches only go on one way so they would go on just like I put them on in the video. I do that at 8:02. Hope this helps.

How is the repair holding up Jim ? I can't see any comments on the final use of the bike. I was trying to figure out how long ago you did the repaired . Please advise, thanks.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching and the question, Jo. I did the repair in August of 2022, so it's been 4 months of riding on it so far - about 1,000 miles on that bike with a lot of steep, long climbs here in the Santa Cruz Mountains. And it's been holding up just fine. I have not put anything over the patch yet which makes it easy to look at it and feel it to see if it's changing in any way and I haven't noticed any change at all. It's recommended to wrap it with electrical tape or paint it so as to keep the UV rays from affecting it and I'm going to do that soon. Right now all it's doing here is raining - we need it, too. Thanks again for watching and commenting. Hope this is helpful!

@joking6052

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your prompt reply .

Awesome video, how is the frame holding up? My bike shop just found a crack on my seat tube, I'd love to save $ doing it myself, but I'm not sure it'd be safe/sustainable since the tube holds so much more weight. Any thoughts?

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Paige, glad you liked the video! My repair is holding up just fine. I haven't had any issues at all and I've ridden the bike a ton. For your issue, the very first thing I'd do is to find out if your frame is covered by a warranty - most frames are. I would think the shop would have thought of that straight away but in case they didn't that's the first and best way to deal with it because the company that made the frame knows the most about their frame material, design, etc. and if it broke they might replace it under warranty. I know people who are on the second even third frame this way. If that's not an option, you might at least learn from the company whether the damage is repairable. If you want to do it yourself, take a photo of your frame crack and reach out to the company that sells the repair kit I used predatorcycling.com/products/carbon-repair-kit They'll look at your photo and tell you if the kit can fix the crack you have. Hope one of these options works and you can save that frame or get one under warranty.

@paigesettar2543

Жыл бұрын

@@JimLangley1 thank you so much, I'm going to reach out to the original owner to find out about the warranty!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@paigesettar2543 good luck!

What temperature does the heat gun need to be?

@JimLangley1

Ай бұрын

I didn't use a certain temperature, I just made sure it was warm around the frame probably 75 degrees. You might want to watch the 2-part video that Predator Carbon made to show how to use their kit. Here's part 1: kzread.info/dash/bejne/podr25iritmoldI.htmlsi=fRBF2NIn3wv3pZB_ And here's part 2: kzread.info/dash/bejne/YoOO2seAftG5ebg.htmlsi=H8mlloaVuzsHao-1

Hi Jim, I dropped my bike this evening and as a result I have cracked the frame, I went on the predator website, but I could not see the kit for sale… is the ram alternative, I live in the UK

@JimLangley1

2 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear you cracked your frame Alistair. Here is the link to the kit predatorcycling.com/products/carbon-repair-kit Hope this helps!

@alistairmacfadyen9365

2 ай бұрын

@@JimLangley1 many thanks Jim, much appreciated,

what strikes me is how fragile such frames are. The properties of carbon fiber being stronger than metal are clear, however, in case of impact, Aluminum and iron would only dent. This repair seemed visually ok, im wondering if you measure the true strength on the tube if it will be strong enough only with these 2 layers of carbon fiber. thanks for sharing

@JimLangley1

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting, appreciate it. Carbon actually is super strong but like all materials it has its weaknesses such as sharp objects and sufficient penetrating force. I don't have a way to measure the strength of the repaired tube other than riding the bike. I have ridden it a ton since the repair and it rides and performs as it did before the break. The way to look at the repair is not as just 2 layers of carbon fibers but all the layers that were in the frame already PLUS 2 more layers on top, so it should be even stronger than it was when new. Hope this helps explain more, thanks again!

@Gledii

9 ай бұрын

@@JimLangley1 this make sense. im sure the tube around the crack is even stronger, i was just wondering exactly where the crack is. Ive seen dropbars delaminating and breaking like glass when pressure was added to a crack (under the tape). thanks for sharing

Is the carbon fiber patch overlapped when you wrap it around the tube or end it evenly. I would think that overlapping would give the repair the maximum strength.

@JimLangley1

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and the question- yes you can see in the video when I apply the patches that they overlap.

@user-iu9lm7qn4f

8 ай бұрын

Yes I saw that the two patches overlap each other. My question is do the individual patches overlap themselves. When I wrap patch one around the frame does it overlap itself on the bottom? And when I wrap patch two around the frame (over patch one) does patch two overlap itself on the bottom. FYI, I have a cracked seat stay from the bike falling over sideways on a curb and I have ordered the Predator kit that you suggested. Thanks!!!

@JimLangley1

8 ай бұрын

@@user-iu9lm7qn4f on my repair which was a top tube - pretty large diameter tube - the smaller patch did not need to overlap in my judgment but the larger patch that completely covered the smaller one did to join its ends and fully encircle the patch underneath and the whole tube. I basically followed the instructions in the kit. For a stay, which is smaller diameter I think you might want to overlap the patch ends on both patches. I’m not 100% sure though. I think you should call Predator and ask to see how they would do it. I called them and they were very helpful. I had to call a couple times but I did get to speak to a tech guy when I got hold of them. Better to speak to an expert first before committing. Hope this helps and have fun fixing your frame.

i was looking for a video on how to remove small scratches from carbon wheels and look what i found. bad luck you had with your bike Jim. the repair looks good. i think the pain is if you try to paint and find the right colors, etc.. perhaps a big stricker somehow would help., btw , now that im here, do you know by chance, how to remove small scratches from a matt carbon wheel? thanks

@JimLangley1

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching Gledii! I did pretty much what you said and just covered the repaired area with electrical tape. It's not as pretty as the paint job I removed but it protects it just fine and it makes it easy to remove the tape and show the repair if anyone asks about it. To paint it correctly to match the original finish is beyond my skills with paint. And I don't feel it's worth it to have the frame repainted by a professional. As far as removing scratches from matte finishes, I think you'd want to reach out to or watch some KZreads from the car repair or car restoration people. I couldn't find anything very helpful searching a bit. Most of what I found says that the problem is if you try to buff or polish it out you will turn your matte finish into a gloss finish. Which makes me think you need a product to touch up the scratch with the same type of matte finish you have now. Sorry I can't help any more but painting and finishing is its own art. If you find something that works please share what it is. Thanks again and good luck!

@Gledii

2 ай бұрын

@@JimLangley1 thanks a lot. i reached DT swiss to see if they can give me a sugestion..no big deal thou..

@JimLangley1

2 ай бұрын

@@Gledii I washed my bike yesterday after a really muddy ride and my carbon wheels have some pretty good scratches too now after thousands of great miles, so I know what you mean by no big deal 😊

@Gledii

2 ай бұрын

@@JimLangley1 hehehe. yeah, i just read one good comment on a forum : "just embraced, a scare tells a story" :)

Nice thing about a well-made steel-framed bike is…they almost _never_ break. Just like well-made samurai swords. Funny how that works…🤔😉😺

@JimLangley1

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and making this point Stephen. A steel frame subjected to what happened to my carbon frame would just get dented, it wouldn't crack. You could keep riding both frames. The dent in the steel frame wouldn't be likely to change. It would look ugly but the tube probably wouldn't ever crack or fail. The crack in my carbon frame would probably have grown larger over time and might have continued all the way around the tube causing it to break.

@stephenscharf6293

4 ай бұрын

@@JimLangley1 Agreed. Personally, I'm still of the view that steel is an excellent material for bicycle frames. It's strong, tough, and resilient. Cheers.

Put unidirectional carbon first and then the 3k layer.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and the tip, Pierre. The Predator Cycling kit only comes with woven carbon.

Can we get an update on the frame

@JimLangley1

7 ай бұрын

Still fine, no issues. Thanks for asking!

Hi, how did it hold up after 1 year?

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and asking vadim, appreciate it. The bike is fine, the patch has held up perfectly. Thanks again.

@jacksobe

7 күн бұрын

​@@JimLangley1 I had the same question, but thought I'd scrub the comments first. Glad to hear it has held up!

@JimLangley1

7 күн бұрын

@@jacksobe thanks for checking out the comments to find the answer jacksobe, appreciate it! I did two climbing rides on that bike last week and it's working great.

Hi Jim, Is your repair still holding today?

@JimLangley1

8 ай бұрын

Yes it’s still fine, thanks for watching and asking.

Are you based in the USA? How come you use the 50 cent Euro-coin to tap on the crack? That caught me offguard. Otherwise very informative video!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Hey thanks for watching and the great question Ikarim - I wondered if anyone would spot the coin I used. I used it only because it looked better on camera and it’s thicker than a quarter- and yes I’m in California. Thanks again for watching, glad you enjoyed the video!

Imagine trusting your life to a company that has “predator” in its name.

@JimLangley1

4 ай бұрын

🤣

Well done! Lucky it broke in a less critical and linear area. The shrink tape was an easier way than vaccum bagging. Steel is still real though!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot, David, appreciate you watching and commenting! Yes, it was lucky the break was there and their shrink tape was truly ingenious and pretty easy to use, too. I love my steel bikes, too😊 Thanks again!

😮

Don't use wet n dry to remove paint it takes ages use a Stanley blade at 90 degrees and plane paint of it takes only minutes 👍👽

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Removing paint with a razor blade is fine with steel frames since the blade can’t cut into steel. But it can cut carbon. That’s why you use sandpaper. Yes, it’s slow but it lets you remove the paint carefully and not risk damaging your frame any more than it already is.

@guinnesslover2970

Жыл бұрын

@Jim Langley mate the blade doesn't touch the carbon it slides once you reach the carbon layer and you can see no more white ish lacquer flakes coming off,I've been professionally repairing frames since 2009 and come fram a composites back ground, at the peek I was doing 10 frames a day and you need at that point to find fastest way to achieve your goal

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@guinnesslover2970 appreciate you sharing your expertise and tips. My concern is that this kit is for beginners and comes with and says to use the included wet sandpaper. Also cracked carbon frames and rims, etc can cut you if you’re not careful. I wouldn’t want someone sliding a blade across a tube to run into the crack and splintered carbon. But I believe an expert like you can do it and I am sure it’d be a lot faster. Thanks again.

You only needed10ml of resin fo the whole job ! Max you need is same weight of resin to cloth

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and the tip guinnesslover. When trying to get the ratio of epoxy to hardener right you can end up with more than you need. The compression (shrink) tape and heat squeezes out the excess resin.

Don't repaint it, a gentleman in my club has the same kind of repair and he's left it as is. All he did is spray it with clear coat. Cheers!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching and letting me know your clubmate simply clear coated his similar repair, Valiant. I appreciate it!

Please wear a proper face mask when sanding carbon!

@JimLangley1

22 күн бұрын

Thanks for the safety tip, appreciate it!

Frames are built with ~4 to 8 layers of carbon depending on where the strength is needed. DO NOT patch your bikes like this. There's a reason why it costs so much to patch a frame. They put more than 20 minutes and 2 bandaids into the repair.

@JimLangley1

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for your opinion bentBuilder but this repair took hours and the frame now has its original layers plus 2 more. It’s a kit designed and made by a carbon frame company and they confirmed it was correct for my frame damage. I have many many hard miles on the frame now and it’s fine. Carbon is much stronger than it might seem.

Hello Jim. I hope you are aware that this is a replacement repair that does not guarantee the transfer of loads like the original. After such a repair, there are many dangers, which the strength of the materials speaks of. I will just mention that the cross-section of the same piece is different than that of the base element, there is still a notch there and there is a large material fault, which may cause bending stresses. In addition, there is a high randomness of execution, no tests and no control after repair beyond the control of the coin :). Generally it is very risky what you did, but .... whereas you are a sensible person with experience as a bicycle mechanic, you have all the risks at the back of your head. I recommend not to paint this bypass and make a visual inspection after each ride to see if there is a crack. On the other hand, the rupture of such a thin patch will be very violent and rather total. Apart from the topic, I am a little surprised people buy a product as risky, poorly made, dangerous and easy to damage as carbon bicycle components. In my case, I only have a carbon water bottle cage, which may also do some harm in the event of a breakage. Best regards and good luck with this frame.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and for your thoughtful reply Michal. I appreciate your concern for my safety. I probably should have explained more about the patching in the video. I'll do it here to try to address and ease your concerns. I bought the patch kit from Predator Cycling, a company that manufactures carbon frames and I first discussed my repair with them and showed them photos of my frame's crack. They told me that their kit was made for these types of repairs. The way the repair works, the carbon patches saturated with epoxy are pressed hard onto the sanded and cleaned carbon of the frame with the heat shrink tubing. During the process of drying, the carbon patches and carbon frame become one. The carbon patch presses down into any groove remaining where I sanded the crack. So, if it all worked as designed, that area of the frame is now 2 more layers of carbon thick and the crack - at least on the outside of the frame should be completely filled and reinforced, too. Thanks again!

@shaunsmith3660

Жыл бұрын

I've got to disagree, there are no dangers the more overlay of carbon the stronger it becomes, I've repaired lots of mtbs in a similar manner, even chain stays and they are bullet proof, there's no way that would continue cracking or break, its alright saying this will happen and that will happen when you've never experienced doing a carbon repair, or not really knowledgeable about it, it's no different from welding a hole up in a piece of steel, it's just a bike it's not under serious load, people like you worry about the smallest things 😉 that frame will be solid

@mutos82

Жыл бұрын

@@shaunsmith3660 Thanks for the comment, but I definitely disagree with you. The fact that you have repaired a hundred frames and they are still alive does not mean anything. If you had any knowledge on this subject, you should know what the fatigue calculations look like. I am referring to the material strength course, especially please pay attention to the section devoted to fatigue analysis.

@shaunsmith3660

Жыл бұрын

@@mutos82 I can see you you are ignorant and clearly never done a carbon repair in your life, you stick to your figures and calculations on that piece of paper or screen and let the big boys fix stuff 😉

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@shaunsmith3660 thanks a lot for sharing your experience fixing carbon bikes, Shaun, appreciate it a lot!!

This is not a proper job to repair any crack.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. Please explain why you think that.

@Anton-zb9dc

Жыл бұрын

It is not as good as prepreg + autoclave/rtm (as it is made at the bike manufacturer) due to small compression, not optimal epoxy to carbon ratio (more epoxy = more fragile) and possibly there could be air bubbles/voids in the laminate (not this case as it seems, but usually it comes with diy aproach)

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@Anton-zb9dc thanks, Anton. This is a kit that comes from a maker of carbon bicycles, so you're getting what they designed to fix cracks, i.e. what a professional carbon manufacturer recommends and that includes the carbon fabric, the epoxy and hardener in exact measurements and how to mix it (no bubbles) and how to compress it - in a different way than a mold is used but still very effective. But I can see how if you didn't use a kit and tried to figure out how to buy the materials and do it yourself you might not end up with a proper repair. But with this kit, you'd have to not follow the directions or make a major mistake.

@Anton-zb9dc

Жыл бұрын

It would be cool if you would inspect the repair from inside with endoscope to see if there are any drips of epoxy or something similar. That would be interesting!

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@Anton-zb9dc yes, that would be cool. I don't have an endoscope to do it, though. But it's a good idea for sure. Thanks!

unlucky you did nt get the pleasure of breaking it ,the wind done the damage damm ,they re expensive fad,, carbon bikes ,,,chromoly all the way

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting, theresnobody! Actually I've "had the pleasure" of breaking multiple frames and it can be a lot more pain than pleasure when you hit the deck, ha, ha 😆

@markcritchley9663

Жыл бұрын

I've just cracked my steal seat tube

1:26 It’s cool if you want to continue riding a cracked carbon frame if you are doing it solo, you are only endangering yourself. But you shouldn’t ride one in a group ride. If or when it fails, you could potentially take down other riders. You’d be surprised how many people don’t tend to think of that. Just saying.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

Sounds like you didn't watch the whole video, Tony. Keep watching until 14:18 and you'll see that once the patch is cured the frame isn't cracked anymore; in fact due to 2 more layers of carbon now bonded over the frame, it's likely stronger than it was when new. So there's no risk to me or to anyone I ride with.

@sylvainmichaud2262

Жыл бұрын

It's in the middle of the top tube. Of all places, this is probably the one with the least stress on the bike. If you were to scan the frames, steerer tubes, fork legs, wheels and handlebars of the people you ride with, you would probably be surprised and scared. Especially if these people carry their bikes around in cars, on racks or worst as plane baggage. The greatest danger come from the sudden failure of regions not known to be compromised. These days, I'm far more worried about the QC on new bikes and parts than I would be about this repair.

@TrekMTBikeRider

Жыл бұрын

@@JimLangley1 when reading the text, it makes it seem you were riding still riding the frame before the repair was made. I have done this same repair on a Trek Superfly carbon fiber mountain bike years ago and I still ride it to this day.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@@TrekMTBikeRider oh, I understand now, thanks for explaining. Yes, I put that text in there to explain why the crack might have been moving/growing. I was riding it while it was cracked mainly to see how it felt to ride when cracked and what would happen. I've been riding, racing and testing products professionally long enough not to put anyone at risk except myself. In this case, it was a top tube crack luckily. Top tubes are under compression so they usually don't break catastrophically. I have broken carbon, aluminum and steel forks, a titanium down tube, pedal axle, crankarm and so on and have only crashed from the breaks once - the broken carbon fork. But again, I wouldn't risk others, only myself. Thanks again for the comments.

@JimLangley1

Жыл бұрын

@Sylvain Michaud thanks, Sylvain! I've never had a carbon frame scanned (X-rayed) myself, but did work with a guy who crashed who did. His carbon frame and carbon bars looked fine on the outside but the scan found issues in the bars and frame and the insurance company totaled the bike. He bought a new one so it was a happy outcome except for the healing part 😊. Luckily he knew how hard the crash was so knew to have the bike checked. But, like you said, not everybody realizes that their carbon bike might have become compromised.