Can You Repair A Carbon Fiber Bike?

Breaking or cracking your carbon fiber bike is every cyclist's worst nightmare! Ollie took a visit to Carbon Bike Repair to find out if carbon is repairable and how the process works.
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Repairing carbon fiber is not an easy process and takes meticulous work in order to make it successful. In this video, Ollie is shown through the whole process of repairing broken carbon fiber. He also talks through the cost of the process and whether it's always worth repairing.
Would you repair your carbon bike or buy a new one? Let us know in the comments. 👇
If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. 👍
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Leave us a comment below!

[@lukedavies.91]

14:30... Thats my frame!!!!!! The Izalco Max! it went in after an accident in France during a holiday in July!

[@Mububban23]

Luke Davies what happened and what was the repair price if you don’t mind sharing?

[@JMcLeodKC711]

Hey Luke.... Did that accident happen during a race?

[@DANEX-tw9cj]

@@Mububban23 great questions, I hope Luke will answer them

[@boomerangfreak]

yes it would be awesome to know indeed.

[@geogofficial9047]

TheFall3n hahahaha

[@backpacker3421]

I'm actually amazed at the 15:50 mark when they talk about price. This seems so labor intensive it's hard to imagine the repairs are that reasonably priced. That's awesome.

[@madpeddler8263]

I wonder whether this is a business founded on passion for the sport or the desire to make a living. It would take a lot of repairs to pay the rent and wages not to mention the investment return on the equipment.

[@TGRacing]

I am guessing if you want stripping/reassembly then that is extra. Also, repainting ?

[@petercort3566]

Seems like you could move things through pretty quickly as long as you have a decent process. Their website says most repairs are done in a day, with a few more days added on for QC, curing, and profiling. By the looks of it, it's more of a volume business than anything. That being said, for a volume business it's really impressive that they maintain such a high quality and provide a lifetime warranty on their work.

[@truantray]

@@petercort3566 It's easy to provide a lifetime warranty when most people will use this service to fix their bike to sell.

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

I was expecting like $500 at least.

[@samgooding-matthews3175]

Blown away at the skill of those painters I mean all of the workers there are clearly very skilled but the paint jobs blew my mind 🤯

[@FirearmTutorials]

Agreed, people don't realize how hard it is to work at that level.

[@grafspirt]

This Ray Liotta knows everything in carbon repairing.

[@rubo1964]

After this I love my fine Reynolds steel bike even more.Tough, light, classic and beautiful

[@zopEnglandzip]

I am 100% with you on that on every count. But I'd never ride competitively!

[@kieranchallis4581]

I remember discussing this when you first discovered it at cycling weekly. So much cooler than it sounds and you made it sound awsome

[@tsmith1487]

Great interview. Very thorough, and asked intelligent questions that required thoughtful responses. That’s an amazing shop. Entirely impressed with the quality of work. Nice job.

[@jonb77]

A huge congratulations to you and your team for the hard work you have put in to get your company up and running. By encouraging people to repair their frames, as opposed to buying a new one, you're also doing a huge help to the environment. I wish you all the best for the future.

[@Psyrecx]

Broke my carbon handlebars. The repair was simple... I bought an aluminum set to replace them.

[@comicart1st]

I'd buy noodle and super glue.

[@krisnacater]

Simply genius

[@DamienMalakay]

this place looks like the exact place i'd wanna get my bike serviced! experts in every level and it appears to be a descent price! the work from the looks of it looks amazing!!!!

[@DeanJohnson67]

perfect timing on this! cracked my chain stay at a race a few month ago and was debating on if I should or not! for sure will now get it sent in over the winter !!

[@phillwhitlam6999]

Fantastic insight into what can be repaired, always thought it would be prohibitively expensive to get a frame repaired. Great video Ollie, interesting and well worth making. Keep em coning.

[@COYSMike]

Love these type of GCN videos. Great stuff guys, actually makes me a bit more confident in going carbon for my next bike.

[@gcn]

Cheers Mike!

[@boomerangfreak]

yes very much so, next year I'll most likely be selling my 3yr old CX bike and build me a new gravel bike, I've seen a carbon fiber frame I could build up below €2K I think running shimano 105

[@aglees2b]

They had a bike of mine in recently for repair. Very happy with the results.

[@2001MBKBooster]

Great video. Very informative. I love watching these types of 'how things are made' features. Top quality work from Carbon Bike Repair IMO.

[@gcn]

Thanks Charles, glad you enjoyed it

[@Irnmn123]

Excellent video, informative, interesting, and entertaining. Hopefully will never need their services but good to know they exist and do such high quality work with tremendous dedication.

[@tomwilliams3342]

That was fascinating! I've always wondered how/if that could be done. Got to love engineers!! Always see solutions not problems..

[@JohnMiranda44]

Just cracked or broke the top tube close to the saddle post. This is a great video to understand if I should get a new bike via homeowners ins. or have mine fixed!

[@crazy8sdrums]

Having made fiber-reinforced composite helicopter parts for the most advanced helicopters in the world, I recognize the challenges Carbon Bike Repair faces in repairing CF bike frames. It looks like they are doing a great job at it, and going the extra mile...and the price estimation Mr Granville stated to fix a chain stay, a very respectable price! Great video GCN!

[@houseofsolomon2440]

I know a helicopter mechanic in Connecticut that uses cyanoacrylate (generic crazy glue) + bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) for repair of carbon reinforced parts, regularly. It cures to a harder & even more durable finish.

[@andriesmkansi7613]

I took my broken frame there 2019. I cannot tell where was the brake now, this guys know their work. Thanks to this ad i got them from it

[@Yasser.Abuharba]

That’s the most thing that I love about CF, if damaged it’s always repairable to become brand new again :-) Also hats off to those gentleman and their tremendous amount of skills and mastery with such a cost, massive respect.

[@bhumiriady]

Spectacular video as always! The process of repairing is a carbon fiber bike is so fascinating! Hats off to Ollie and Carbon Bike Repair.

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@bhumiriady]

(^_-)v

[@stevenpitts6290]

I had my carbon Specialized frame repaired a couple of years ago and it didn't look as good as these did. I am very impressed with their work. My Specialize frame lasted another year of riding didn't look as cool as it originally did when I first bought it but I was able to put a ton of more miles on it after the repair was made

[@rosscads]

Wow, I didn’t know such repairs were even possible. I hope I never need it but if I do, my bike is going to these guys! 👏🏻

[@chrismoore1439]

I'm sure you had my Canyon frame in your hand. Chain stay damage totally blown away by the repair and Matt paint match. Highly recommend CBR. Very good to deal with, as mentioned communicate by phone and or email for quote. Compare the price of a new frame against a CBR. Even under a crash /accident replacement scene Canyon wanted £1500 for a new frame. CBR goes without saying. Great video.

[@jaygee434]

I'm unfortuantly in this position currently; my Thule carrier broke on route to a race and my TT bike dropped onto the roof bars cracking the rear triangle. Safe to say every single day I look at the bike now and see the crack it breaks my heart all over again. So its nice to know I can save my pride and joy :)

[@mariusvermaak2918]

I cracked my frame yesterday, in Johannesburg! Thanks for that info!

[@gcn]

Glad the video could be of help!

[@kylehuber3323]

You can tell that dude loves what he does. Good for him. Look what passion can do

[@krisberntzen]

I have my bike in for a break right as we speak. I hope my carbon guy does as good a job as these people do! It's so good and reassuring to see utter professionals talk and work like this.

[@andymc60]

Had my frame repaired by CBR. Perfect job and great service

[@anthonynicodemo6388]

Been looking for a video on this. Not that much out there. Just found a crack in my Bianchi frame. Sent it back to them for what I assume will be a similar diagnostic process.

[@zackyang2332]

I admire the professionalism and work ethics of the owner.

[@exonsayo4969]

The guy explaining is well knowledgeable about what he is saying, he is the carbor fiber repair King! Amazing!

[@RGCastro7]

Super interesting! Thank you for sharing.

[@tegworld]

I had my carbon S-Works repaired a few years back and it rides and looks absolutely perfect. They even repainted the cracked area. It was a massive relief. It is practically invisible, I'm sure I could even sell it without declaring it had happened... :-)

[@frazergoodwin4945]

Crashed in the sprint of BxlTour18 in June. My beloved Specialized Roubaix had a long gaping crack in the seat tube. Terminal said the bike shop. Found a specialist carbon technician here in Brussels who said it could be repaired. €200 only, and guaranteed for 5 years. I've just come back from a ride on it and watched this whilst recovering. Couldn't be happier!

[@VickersDoorter]

At the tender age of 60 and a ¼ I've just purchased my first carbon fibre gravel bike and live in fear of it cracking under the strain of my relatively inept cycling technique. Having seen this video, I need worry no longer as this looks an amazing repair shop and located not that far from me. So thank you for the heads-up GCN.

[@edwardjohntaylor99]

Excellent video, such dedication and attention to detail at CBR

[@Tonytruand09]

Got my GIANT TCR Adv Pro 1 2016 repaired on the non drive side chain stay. Flawless.

[@timothywalding3142]

Great video. Makes a person more apt to get a bike repaired. I know I have really thought twice about cf frame repair.

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed the video Timothy!

[@desmation]

Thank You, LOVE this shop

[@nickmarshall2585]

Really interesting. I carefully shield my Serotta Ottrott from potential harm and pray it never needs repair. But if it ever does it seems like three are more options than I’d known. Thanks.

[@485scottc]

Im so glad ollie went back here for another video, was was better then the one he done with cycling weekly

[@gerardnc]

Besides the total dedication to a seamless repair, what also stands out is their dedication to protect their workers. Compared to Look where you see employees sanding, grinding, drilling and painting carbon frames without masks, out in the open, CBR has sealed rooms and workers wearing protective respirators. Tip o the hat to Rob for protecting his most valuable assets.

[@gcn]

Heya, what we didn't point out at Look is the extensive ventilation systems above the workbenches.

[@gerardnc]

@@gcn Can Ollie snap his fingers and teleport back to Névez then Tunisia to show us?

[@PeatCowman]

I'm shocked at the price. For the amount of skilled hours going in there, I was expecting at least £1000.

[@GeezeILoveMTB]

amazing, will be in touch with them now for a quote on my mountain bike

[@mattnugy]

Fantastic video, really demystified a lot of this process. Often seems like black magic to me.

[@georgiaguardian4696]

This repair and restoration process is extremely impressive. Even more than making the CF bikes.

[@FMeyer-zg5mg]

Proves the worries. Here i saw another 50 reasons to never buy a carbon farme, fork, wheel, seatpost, handlebar, seat or pedal. Also made my experience that 1kg at the frame doesnt matter as much as 200gr at the wheels, or how much effect the profile of the tire has. It's insane.

[@CheeseyWotsit]

Top vid. Seriously impressive.

[@janwillemkuilenburg7561]

I already knew about the vulnerabilities of carbon and right now I am even more delighted with my aluminium Caad12.

[@johnhormaza5469]

At 15:00 I could see the repair there is a bit of dry over spray, matte is almost impossible to blend, they did a great job

[@livibam]

Fantastic service. Very impressed by the repair price.

[@thecarpetman7687]

Pretty good value.

[@hydra3361]

i like how the boss touch the tech manager and said he is the genius

[@NKUSoccer07]

Yes you can, most of the time. A friend of mine repairs carbon bike breaks in the area I live in for alot of cyclists. He is a Carbon Fiber Materials engineer at a company and does this on the side. Mine is personally fixed by him and has been running awesome for 4 years strong.

[@melb3005]

They can absolutely be repaired, punched a hole in mine, had to be sent interstate to the only repairer in Australia that specialized recommend. Perfect repair, yet to meet a person who can tell it’s been repaired. Pretty $$$$ to repair, probably should’ve bought a new frame! But can’t put a price on sentimentality.

[@knightwhite99]

I am riding on a repaired 2016 Trek Domane (and have been for nearly a year), with no issues. The repair was to the downtube, where you would think would be critically important. I bought the repaired frame on eBay for a good price after I crashed my 2015 Trek Madone and was told that it was NOT repairable. The Madone was cracked at both the top and bottom of the head tube (after I crashed into the back of an illegally parked pick-up truck that shouldn't have been there). I actually rode the bike home after the crash, as I didn't notice any damage at first. It was only the next morning when I really looked closely that I could see the buckles in the paint at the top and bottom of the head tube. Inspect a crashed frame carefully before you ride it! I wonder if CBR could have repaired my Madone frame??????

[@nancysmith9487]

Very cool shop, very interesting explaination and tutorials and work,paint,patching ... good job hosting your find,awesome hair style... Please say hello to G3 carbon based in florida

[@williamsharrett1283]

Great video GCN... but you need to speak to the guys at Calfee about carbon repair... They did my Cervelo S2 repair four years ago and gave the work a ten year warranty

[@siafilia3935]

Thank you for saving lives

[@jordancohen474]

thank you very much.Quick shipper.Good Product.

[@jade4805]

Very impressive, nice job Ollie !

[@gcn]

Thanks Jade!

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

I'll admit, that's actually a lot cheaper than I expected too! Very cool.

[@johnpotter4555]

Excellent video Ollie. Not too advertorial which can be a challenge. Looked very professional and indicative costs seemed well worth it, particularly if there is a good warranty.

[@charlesmeadows6869]

Duct tape. Lots of duct tape.

[@markankone9362]

Of you can't fix of whit duct tape, you don't use enough duct tape

[@mizuki749]

I think flex tape would be a better choice

[@The_Other_Ghost]

Or gaff tape, for techs that bike.

[@COYSMike]

There's nothing that magical material cannot fix

[@matthewlewis2072]

Plus some superglue. Good to go (joking)

[@vitaliik5596]

Very professional and nice work guys doing.... still repaired bike wont ever behave same and have characteristics as original as tensions and load will find finally repaired section. Repair will just extend a bit life of the frame till you can buy new one. Not sure I`ll be confident to ride fast on repaired frame :D

[@samuelljungqvist2100]

Now I almost want to break my bike just to go here! Amazing video!

[@gcn]

Well glad you enjoyed the video!

[@MangySquirrel]

Excellent info.

[@ragzard]

That was deeply interesting! For anyone that have or will got a carbon bike, this is a certain concern. I know of one carbon repair shop here in Brazil. I would lovo to know how they are compared to those amazing folks at Carbon Bike Repair.

[@JMcLeodKC711]

How much interaction do these guys do with the OEM? I would be curious if they have ever uncovered any design and/or manufacturing defects on the part of the OEM. How many counterfeit frames have they uncovered?

[@earthstick]

I am intrigued to how the new carbon fibre is laid up in an existing frame. As I understand it most frames are made by laying material into a mould with an airtight bladder in the centre. The bladder is filled with air and the pressure causes it to push the material and resin together against the inside of the mould and squeeze out voids. But when you repair the frame it is no longer in a mould and I'm guessing you cannot put a bladder inside it. How do you apply pressure to the new carbon fibre to remove voids?

[@langy8525]

Fantastic video! However I’m now paranoid about every single scratch on my bike 😱😩

[@guitarman4242]

As well you should be paranoid. I was. I would monitor each "scratch" . If I saw it grow in length then I know I had a problem. Tap the scratch with a quarter. If scratch appears dead in ringtone compared the area next to it you might have a problem. Not totally scientific but its worked for me in certain situations.

[@harrie974]

I bought a fork and seatpost online and got a damaged frame with it for free. The guy wanted to throw it in the bin and I just couldn’t let that happen. I had it repaired and it’s now one of my all time favourite (and fastest) bikes. I ride it multiple times a week and so far always with a smile from ear to ear.

[@philipwooldridge9606]

Oli upping his game for GCN - he got the company name right this time :p

[@holinografias]

Yes, mine broke, got it fixed and runs like a charm.

[@yourhandlehere1]

Did you get run over, fall off a cliff? How does riding a bike break it? I'm just curious as to the appeal of carbon fiber.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@@yourhandlehere1 A GOOD carbon bike is stiffer than the best aluminum bikes. But also has a much smoother ride, more aero and better fatigue properties. Price is important. But price is the only place where aluminum wins. Personally, if I wasn't racing, I'd take an $1800 carbon bike over an aluminum bike with $2500 components and $3000 wheels. Or even a used carbon bike for under $1000

[@yourhandlehere1]

Still doesn't answer how you break a bike by riding it. You're talking about thousands of dollars...and bicycles that won't hold up to regular use as a bicycle.

[@JMise]

That "only dented" alloy frame is not safe to ride. It can't be repaired either.

[@andystone5487]

How can there be any dislikes on this vid....??? 😲 😲 😲 Absolutely Awsome. 👍 👍 👍 I knew carbon could be fixed, but this is a different level. So, almost exactly 2 years ago I was knocked off by a car. Proper front end T bone, over the bonnet, right shoulder/back through the windscreen, ragdoll mid air manoeuvres and then tarmac... 🤕. His insurance paid up.... In the end.., but didn't want the bike back. Now, it was a Trek P1 Madone (2011) and was my 40th bd present. Still got it, and now wondering whether to have it repaired,bearing in mind the top tube is smashed through and there is a split in the down tube and a bent mech hanger..... It's worth asking right???

[@kevinhornbuckle]

This is fascinating. Very informative.

[@lifereflections4834]

A video about carbon rim repair would be much appreciated. Thanks

[@stuartclark1982]

So didn't expect it to be that cheap. Nice one!

[@janwillemkuilenburg7561]

It is not so much about not being able to visualy detect the repairs, which of course is great, it is about structural reliability of the repair.

[@tselker]

wow... love the tools for evaluation!!!! I chose to fix mine with linear carbon and compression tape so i didn't have to disassemble ... but mine was obvious!... seats stay 1/3 broken through...

[@OczyKobryhh]

Would have liked to see more indepth how they actually remove the cracked spot und how they fill it with new carbon patches etc. so it does look like original when painted.

[@thepie4052]

Hi GCN, I’m interested to know if a rider would know if their carbon frame was fractured. Would you be able to feel something wasn’t quite right whilst riding? Thanks Paul UK

[@RedCometNurse]

I am liking the fact my bike has an aluminum frame more and more. I'll take the extra weight over the possibility of major heartache associated with a damaged frame. My fork is carbon, but a broken fork isn't the same as a broken frame.

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

This is my second time watching this video ... I had my first carbon bike ... and I crushed it ... 'mounted in the standby the wrong part of the frame' ... stress cracked the 1/3 of the top tube ... I was lucky the LBS let me replace the frame... but it cost me 50% of the 3k frame cost but... they got it done .... I wish I had photo's as I would have been curious if that kind of crack could have actually been repaired ... but this was a TREK Checkpoint SL6 ... not sure if that level of fiber 1 could have been repaired or 2 if it would have been worth it ... now though I am meticulous about how I hang my bike and I do not mess around ... it was an expensive life lesson but benefits of CF bikes for weight and such make it had to just go ... oh I'll 'never' get another CF bike ever again ... because that'd most likely be a lie... just don't be a dumb like I was... and I hope this experience I shared might help someone reading it who perhaps has not made that mistake before

[@neilclunas2368]

Amazing product ,company

[@chriss1672]

These men are more artists then mechanics.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

Maybe more engineers than artists. They aren't creating anything new.

[@madpeddler8263]

Artists tend to go hungry, I wonder if this is a long lasting business.

[@magpiegroup]

Hi . You are right. We are not creating anything new just trying to do something properly that few others cannot. :-)

[@parttroll1]

@17:30 "We've only just scratched the surface" LOL! Topical pun

[@dave2767]

Great vlog

[@elliottharley1386]

really impressive!!!

[@geoturcotte]

17:31 “we’ve only scratched the surface”... phew!

[@andreasboger8261]

At CBR: you should try out ultrasound scanning for structural analysis. It can even detect production flaws, which can’t be seen on the surface or through thermal analysis (here misleadingly called “x-ray”), and it’s cheap, unlike actual x-ray scanning. By the way, CANYON in Germany do actual x-ray scans of carbon parts and frames for about 100 to 500 €.

[@magpiegroup]

:-) we do have it and use it as well.

[@andreasboger8261]

Marek Homola Ah ok, that’s nice. I was just wondering why it wasn’t in the video, because personally I would consider it as the main analysis tool.

[@timetrialist]

These guys are awesome!

[@denisdrc5836]

Very intresting!!! Question: what about carbon wheels? Are they repairable?

[@petercort3566]

According to their site they can.

[@matt7775]

As long as you use a resin that won't melt when the rim brakes get hot

[@K.A89]

nice info

[@timothybell9005]

I’m pretty sure I could have one of our certified NDI guys scan and find delams in his finished product. There’s a reason we use eddy current on aircraft carbon fiber repairs.

[@jakobpeters6068]

Very nice video!

[@gcn]

Thanks Jakob

[@shinrips]

On my Titus Modena, I have a chip in my clear coat on my down tube, a very slight chip from either a rock or when I had my LBS tune my derailleurs. Probably nothing but I was wondering, does this affect rigidity? Chip seems like the clear coat only, barely noticeable. I weigh 192lbs. Should I have it looked at by a carbon repair frame shop?

[@SR-fm1ft]

Oliver has made a strong impact on GCN in a positive way. More of this please! #askgcnanything have any of the GCN presenters ever broken a carbon frame?

[@485scottc]

I could be wrong but im sure ollie broke a carbon chain stay and took it here to get it fixed when he was with cycling weekly

[@petercort3566]

yup, believe it was his scott foil

[@akkatonezapkin536]

Not sure whether a bike was damaged, but I remember quite well his video on cycling weekly after a traffic accident.