Repairing a Cracked Carbon bike frame myself...

[@TraceVeloCharlie]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! It was a genuine privilege to be invited to help Luke out with one of his videos - he's an absolute pro and puts his all into every video. We both had a blast and I'm so glad we managed to pull it off in the end. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat! You guys are always so supportive of what Luke does and I can tell you that it means the world to him to have such an awesome bunch of people cheering him on. You rock! 🙂 🚴‍♂🔧🪛🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@MarvinWestmaas]

No, Luke rocks ;) You got a lil bro to be proud off ;)

[@Sr.406]

@tracevelochannel please do some Chinese bike builds for kids. I've been looking for a bike for my son for a year, and the junk out there is pathetic heavy overweight road bikes. 40 lb bikes for kids, what's wrong with these manufacturers. I'm looking at 44cm or 46cm Chinese bikes. Make a whole series out of this. It'll be a great hit on a huge problem.

[@iaintrotter455]

I had a similar noise coming from my tarmac SL6 when on the turbo. I have now checked using your method and no creaking, turns out the noise was coming from the turbo so thanks again

[@jackmccallum3835]

Vascular surgeon here. Love watching you reinvent a stent delivery system - makes me appreciate the tools I get to use to do basically this for people daily!

[@cyclingsfatsuma9808]

Two pot epoxy?

[@jackmccallum3835]

@@cyclingsfatsuma9808 not in stenting no but there are glues that are used in medicine, on the skin as well as internally for embolization and sealing venous reflux

[@benhaywood2510]

@@cyclingsfatsuma9808 MTB inner tubes

[@TraceVeloCharlie]

This is such a cool comment! You are so right! We didn't make the connection at the time, but perhaps we were subliminally inspired by a stent delivery system!

[@user-dm84]

This was edge of the seat stuff! No spoilers but absolutely loved this!

[@MrKOenigma]

I love the "trace velo" special edition, what an insane surprise ❤❤❤❤

[@spongiebob94]

Totally, was not expecting that 😂 this is the manliest video in youtube cycling

[@HNedel]

Nail biting 😂

[@hisdadjames4876]

What a cracking piece of storytelling😊.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks! Yeah was a bit of a roller rollercoaster 😅 At times I was sure we'd f*cked it up, but with a bit of persistence we managed to prevail!!!

[@whataname955]

"In the sunlight, this thing is gonna look really cool." Sir, you're in the UK.

[@bobyoutube4037]

The boys Uncle here, let me tell you all, I've witnessed some hair brained schemes from these two welly heads and this one is the first one that hasn't ended in near death and hospitalisation! On top of that it looks like it worked, that's a first too!

[@mickchaganis6607]

You're brother is a genius, the thing with the magnets and sandpaper 🥖.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah he's always got a few tricks up his sleeve! If he wasn't there to help, it never would have worked out 😅

[@mrpercussive]

Dude!!!! This is absolutely the best cycling video on youtube right now!!! Thanks for sharing. Always great following you on your mechanical adventures!

[@TraceVelo]

Thankyou so so much! Yeah this was such a fun little project to work on, and having my brother in the garage was awesome. But yeah super lovely comment, really appreciate it 🙏🙏🙏

[@rapaczjakub]

Luke, more content like this please! Best video i ve seen so far!

[@Al.2]

More broken carbon frames!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks so much! Yeah this was an absolute blast to put together, and working on carbon repair was super interesting, definitely going to give projects like this a go in the future!

[@blabla5604]

I'm a mechanical engineer and I would ride this frame.

[@sebbo9696]

im not an engineer and i would take this down some singletrack

[@DerRofflers]

all Luke had to do to make this job work was clone himself for an afternoon

[@TraceVeloCharlie]

I was on this earth first! He's the clone!!! ...or perhaps he's the upgraded v2.0 model.

[@TraceVelo]

I'm like you with the patch update to remove all the day one bugs

[@jamesbarber6375]

Wow what an emotional rollercoaster that was! I went from being sure that you were wasting your time to praying it would work.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks James, yeah was such a fun project to work on! At times I was sure we had ruined it, but the final result was worth the struggle!

[@yanuk818]

In normal CF production where they put the CF parts in a vacuum bag, the force exerted onto the bag is 1Bar of atmospheric pressure, that equates to about 14.5 psi, so your tube pressure was spot on!

[@StephenRozier]

Yes but pressure bag removes air whereas here you just pushing hence bubbles can be trapped

[@yazidyusop]

Oh wow trace velo signature frame... Nice..... This video got everything from mysterious creeking sound to drama of a fail attempt then anxiety before success.... Plus bonus reward from OG... 🥖🥖🥖👍

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks, yeah we got a great little fix patched up, then a few weeks later that custom frame arrived. All round it been a cracking month 😁

[@Michael-lw9mo]

I honestly think this is the greatest video you've ever made. I was very curious when you originally pitched the idea of fixing the frame in a earlier video. When I saw that you released this video I saved it to watch it later, like for a movies night. And oh boy this video exceeded all my expectations. The whole process felt like thrilling detective movie to me. I was honestly emotionally involved just by watching. Your anxiety and excitement when you checked the results of your experiment really conveyed to me as a viewer and I started to also feel nervious and cheerful afterwards. What a ride in 34 minutes! Thank you for your good work here on YT!

[@chris1275cc]

Using the HD magnets to key inside the frame was weapons grade genius. 😂

[@nebbykoo]

you and your brother are very smart and resourceful ! Excellent work.

[@TraceVelo]

Thank you very much!

[@BikeVibes4You]

This is hands down one of the most entertaining bike videos I’ve ever watched! And that bonus clip was so heartwarming-it really added a special touch. I can't wait to see this beauty in action on your channel, it’s going to be amazing!

[@Kim_Miller]

When you unwrapped the new frame and we saw what they'd done for you it put a great big smile on my face. What a wonderful end to the story.

[@johndavidalexander6646]

Build up the repaired frame for the turbo trainer. You can make it an identical fit to your new frame and leave the turbo setup permanently

[@canuckonabike]

And it's a safe place to stress the heck out of your repair for years to come

[@randalclark6283]

I've repaired a snapped carbon frame in the past too. I talked to many industry experts before I attempted and still made a significant mistake. However, I did plan on something going wrong so, there was extra carbon layed up on it. My only concern is that you only used a single layer of weaved carbon to, in essence, replace a unidirectional layer. This means that you may not have enough carbon laid in the direction for the stresses. It will probably be okay though, since you also re-epoxied the cracked carbon back down.

[@phynex5555]

In addition, according to my experience with carbon fiber repairs, such carbon damage need to be repair on outside as well and use rubber tube to apply pressure to the carbon patch. If there's no pressure applied, the carbon may not bonded well with the existing carbon, it would be bonded only with expoxy.

[@babyrabies]

This is sketchy at best. U really don't know how deep the crack is. Proper repair will require to sand down the crack. U stand better chance drilling/cutting a hole thru crack and then patching it back up.

[@mpvsystems9302]

@@babyrabies Yes indeed, the stress at the roots of the crack will be infinitely high; best to remove the entire area of the crack. At the very least, it would be wise to drill small holes (1/8") at both ends of the crack to prevent it from growing; then apply both an internal and external patch. When I repaired a carbon chain stay last year, I ended up cutting out a 1.5" length of the stay where it had cracked and then I bridged the gap with a removable wax insert. The tube was then repaired using multiple layers of tow plus carbon braided sleeve. When fully cured, the wax plug removed with a little heat.

[@babyrabies]

​​​@@mpvsystems9302 Yeap, tell that to tracevelo. While I applaud his effort in this video but he has lots to learn about repairing carbon. People might get the wrong idea from this and start slapping carbon patches on cracks thinking it'll solve the problem

[@rosomak8244]

@@mpvsystems9302 The carbon matrix doesn't have a homogeneous cristaline structure. I absolutely don't see what would you want to achieve with those round holes there? The crack was parallel and longitudinal in the direction of the main load. In fact the frame didn't loose anything of its structural integrity at all in the areas relevant to riding it. The patch and the resign are mainly there to simply stop the creaking and to compensate for the perpendicular integrity loss, which is basically just there, so you can lean your bike safely on the wall. Sketchy is good enough in this case. If this would be some damage that happened during riding, where you would have to substitute for loss of integrity in the vectors that are relevant to it, this would be a different story.

[@Dustmadeout]

The magnet sandpaper was really satisfying to watch lol

[@e_n1984]

What a fun video, like how your brother thinks out of the box , and the new frame is sickkk but please do another inspection from inside just to be sure, 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@cornishcat11]

That replacement frame is lovely. going up in the world mate.

[@hmudesign]

What a friggin awesome video Luke, I went through all this myself, blew out a tube in exactly the same way, and my repair setup was incredibly similar to yours. I had put up a wire contraption that I have to pull on to release the carbon patch after been pilled in a certain distance :) I messaged you last time, tempting to warn you about the pitfalls, but I am so happy you didn’t get in touch and rather tried to figure it out your self, which made for such a fantastic episode. Repaired many frames in the same way and some other different ways since, all holding ip beautifully. Congratulations on your frame design, looks awesome.

[@flemmingpedersen5927]

I was actually a sceptical to this repair, but I must say, that I am very impressed about the way you did it👏👏👏👏

[@mrrodriguezHLP]

Guy I know does carbon repair. He makes his clients sign a waiver that he is not responsible for injury caused by any frame failure. That said, he has no way to fix internal cracks...until now. Congratulations on an incredible video.

[@joegamas1194]

Omg that’s absolutely, positively, wicked AWESOME 👏👍🙏 Custom Trace Velo logo bike ( I don’t think many people can brag about that…..lol )I am so so so happy for you….you totally deserve it….awesome job and lots and lots of baguettes for you and Charlie 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@Natuh21]

Wow so nice to see one of the best Chinese carbon brands to support THE Ambassador of the good and affordable bike parts. That black paint job is awesome 😎. You could get more OG Evkin stuff to test, get some older road bike and try some carbon forks in it plus other Chinese stuff to make an old bike more.modern and comfy

[@rosomak8244]

The coolest thing ever is that they just added that as a customer option. Just like that.. "You like it? Just pay us some reasonable money and it is yours.".

[@alenkovacic7913]

Light carbon make that frame...og-evkin probably just paint it. Velobuild sell the same frame and it is the lowest price of them all.

[@rosomak8244]

@@alenkovacic7913I highly doubt that. I can't find any images confirming those claims whatsoever.

[@rosomak8244]

@@alenkovacic7913From the self description on their website: "OG started to OEM carbon fiber components for some overseas bicycle brands in 2013. After five years of OEM manufacturing experience, the OGEVKIN team decided to create their own brand". And the way they handled our host here is fully in line with what they declare about herself.

[@alenkovacic7913]

@@rosomak8244 Could be they are sharing the mold, wich hihgly resembles an old canyon endurace, of course now modified to fully internal disc and rim. I have the previous iteration of this mold wich is semi internal rim brake (got it from velobuild 3 years ago) and build the newest fully internal for a friend this year. Velobuild have this model listed as their 2023 VB-R-066 in rim and disc. As far as lightcarbon that's my mistake, tantancycling have the same model listed as FM201. Mixed it up... Lightcarbon have only the previous semi internal version. Someone outhere made the mold and different factories are pumping them out. It's a wonderful frame fairly light and wonderful to ride.

[@stuka78]

Next, you visiting their factory in china!!!

[@rosomak8244]

4 years ago when looking for a bike frame I bought on OG-EVKIN long before knowing your channel (did it even exist than?). It is quite nice to see that I choose an actually quite cool company. And this is the power of an actual original manufacturer - they can just by a snap provide you with customisations.

[@67daltonknox]

Hats off... a fine piece of work.

[@Em.2403]

Can we have more projects done of you together? Love it so much.

[@stuartgrady2567]

That trace velo frame is really nice. I think I may have to do a new bike build. 🥖🥖🥖

[@frazmars]

That magnet idea to sand the inside was genius!

[@grantnyenes3742]

Wow great episode Luke!! And you know you have arrived when a supplier does a branded frame for just you!

[@Driss-g1l]

Brilliant episode we were all fingers crossed, smiling and cheering at the same time

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks, yeah I'm really chuffed with the final result!

[@rfwillett2424]

I think this might be your best video yet, Talk about high drama, really well done. The new frame is super cool!

[@MrLambik]

Great to hear Charlie salvaged the magnets from old harddrives and to see him on you channel. You both showed brilliant ideas with the preparation for the repair.

[@NonLegitNation2]

as a person from the US it took me a few minutes to figure out what you were referring too when you said "bin bags" lol.

[@arose62]

as a person in Australia, I thought he was saying "bean bags", and assumed he was talking about the plastic bags which the polystyrene balls are packaged in 🤔

[@PhilDiasPJD]

Mega. The magnet sand paper trick was ingenious!!!

[@hoopdoggydogg]

Seriously impressive. I bet that must've been an adventure. And the new frame in Trace colours - you're now officially famous.

[@FPLMikkel]

Perhaps my favourite episode to date! Cool to see family helping out and major congratulations on getting a super cool looking frame!

[@andor_yoko]

One of the most satisfying videos you've made! So much fun to watch you work on this, and the custom frame at the end was the baguette on top

[@rcdogmanduh4440]

I also was very impressed with condition of the internal surface, very smooth and clean!

[@PTL2502]

What an episode!!! Hands down one of the best you’ve ever aired! 🤟🏻

[@ax1066a-ghd2]

That repair was excellent! I wouldn't have any concerns about using the repaired frame. Well done!

[@richardguggemos6336]

For working with inexpensive and readily available materials, you’ve done a great job. Congratulations!

[@grinningidiot]

That new frame is gorgeous, I love the 90s neon feel. If I had the budget for a new bike, this frame would be at the top of my list.

[@nickdorsett7777]

Repair seems fine. Your frame was experiencing some local buckling, although I wouldn't say there was any real failure occurring, although over time, it's possible that would have propagated. Your repair will suppress that buckling and should be all good. Wouldn't worry about changing the properties of the tubing. That thin of a patch likely makes a negligible difference, especially being fabric. Also I bet that's a manufacturing defect as opposed to being due to impact damage

[@tomwatts22]

What a brilliant episode. Was so nice to see you and your brother working together. Thanks for sharing.

[@mikesymons3646]

Hi Luke, just one thing I would do is use a coin to tap on the outside of the frame on and near the repaired area. If you hear clear sound differences, this will indicate that the delamination is still present under the patch. If it's a uniform sound, then I'm certain the bike will be fine long-term.

[@CAAutoElectronics]

A few years ago I repaired my aluminium framed CX bike with a snapped chain stay using the same repair kit. I used it on road for years (+3000 miles) before selling it on with declared repairs. As far as I know, it's still going. Great work Luke an excellent result. You and your brother deserve a pat on the back for this repair. It was in a technically challenging location and was executed really well.

[@esanchez47]

This video sets a new precedent for me of type of content. Also congrats for the Trace Velo frame paintjob, looks amazing! Nice to see them kinda collaborating with you work 👏👏

[@emilifd]

So cool to have your signature frame man!

[@maiconleonard69]

Thats a whole new level of content... and merch... glad i found this channel a few years ago to help me with my own aliexpress cheap parts spree, now carbon repairing is a whole new level. Keep the good work Luke, might as well build your own carbon frame at home

[@herminio001]

Great work and congrats with getting a custom frame with your logo, the company you bought it from really took care of you. I’m looking forward to the next frame build.

[@zedtony8110]

Great video Love how you saved this frame from land fill and it's still serviceable.

[@albrpgo]

I love your creativity and how you always move forward without fear of failure!!! Awesome

[@SaschaRissling]

This is why I watch KZbin. Thanks so much Luke! Just a person trying ridiculous things

[@greigmackay8465]

Well done Luke! Superb video and what a result on the Trace Velo frame 👌😎 love it 🥖🥖🥖

[@tomhowells8986]

Brilliant vid - the dynamic duo back together again! It was great seeing Charlie make a guest appearance, say hi for me. Nice to see a River legacy as well 😂Oh, and the new frame - love it!

[@TraceVeloCharlie]

Hi Tom! Hope you're well 🙂 Glad you liked the video!

[@jempanuncialman9361]

Congrats Luke for your successful repair on your frame and a new frame. 🙌👍

[@johnbertram]

Impressive video! OG-Evkin clutching victory from the jaws of defeat with their actions - Gucci frame!! Top job. Plus, more Charlie please!

[@jonesmikej]

Great problem solving and ingenious thinking. You and your brother are an engaging team....more guest appearances!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks! Yeah was really fun having charlie in the garage. Definitely having him back for more projects!!!

[@anthonylarsen2757]

I love this video cos it pretty much sums up my twenty years of bike building. Problem solving, fettling and ultimately bodging. Chapeau

[@WhiteMFingRabbit]

Love the brotherly energy! Going on an emotional roller-coaster ride together like this while staying positive and creative is a special thing you guys have! 🥖🥖🥖

[@CharlesM236]

Luke, you deserve it all👍 Making good from a manufacturer with your logo on it is incredibly awesome.

[@davidpackard8330]

Brilliant stuff, repair and re-use! How cool to have your own frame too.

[@lk7412]

Well played, I thought you were going to fix it from the outside but this is class.

[@davidb2]

Luke, that Tracevelo frame by OG-Evkin is sweeeet. I hope they sell a bunch!

[@rcdogmanduh4440]

De myth-ing epoxy black arts. Before monocoupe construction, carbon frames were pieced together just like this. I repaired my Gaint TCR Comp BB shell blow out and held up 10 years. It can be done, and preparation is the key. Excellent video as alway!

[@bluemovies3397]

I love the all the Trace Velo ingenious solutions to mystery bike problems but this episode takes the cake! Such a fun watch. Loved how your brother added even more ingenious solutions to the collection too :D

[@Owen-wg1md]

I just bought a cheap second hand carbon frame with a tiny crack in the top tube so I decided to buy a similar carbon repair kit but i ended up wrapping the outside in carbon, very impressed you were able to make that work

[@kilianortmann9979]

With this working as well as it did, might be worth it to get a cheap TPU tube, specifically as inflation bladder. Truly amazing work and that new frame is just gorgeous..

[@AG-el6vt]

Props for the first part where the diagnosing happens. It can be so frustrating to hear weird noises while on the bike and not being able to pinpoint where the problem is!

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah it honestly took me about a week to figure out what the problem actually was in the first place!

[@se9741]

You guys are improvisational geniuses. Well done! Impressive result.

[@Caedo01]

That diagnosis technique on the wall was genius

[@hammer313]

i was thinking of little tools, maybe like keyhole surgeons use, but you and your brother came up with a low cost solution that worked well. time will tell if the new layer on top of the crack will last. it's a great video and well worth doing for the experience, thanks for sharing.

[@Wilier1]

I'm not an expert or anything like that but i'm experimenting and working with carbon fiber as a hoby. I think you did a very good job. You only use one layer, it's enough for this job but i don't think it'll effect the Young's modulus that much to crearte stress around the ends of the patch.

[@johnmarsh8578]

Well done. I honestly thought that you would fail on this one. Congrats mate. I would have repaired it on the exterior and resprayed the down tube. But what you did was excellent.

[@jasonkroll2735]

Awesome video. Great comeback from the patch slipping out the bottom bracket. . And the chopframe test amazing idea. Never thought a creak would be that insane.

[@filipdeneve7712]

Absolutely awesome!! One of, if not the best video you’ve ever made! Congrats on the custom frame as well!

[@HasanIbrahim147]

Absolutely loved this video mate. Your chemistry with your brother is so amazing. It was obvious how much you both were enjoying being around one another. Carbon repair = job well done to both of you. And that frame simply looks epic... congratulations my man! Truly one of the best cycling channels out there - wishing you all the success and more! 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖 P.s. massive kudos to OG Evkin!

[@patrickdrewello4196]

Amazing video! Can't believe it, but I went to Uni with your brother in Manchester! Great video - I've got my own carbon repair planned in the future. Well done Luke and Charlie!

[@TraceVeloCharlie]

Hey Dude! What a blast from the past! Glad you liked the video and hope your repair goes with fewer hitches than ours. Hope you're keeping well :-)

[@Przemo-c]

One thing I'd suggest is to wet the original place with epoxy and provide pressure from both inside and outside even "pump" the crack a bit to penetrate the layers and leave it to cure a bit and then proceed with the patch. But with access being so problematic I'd probably try this in one shot. Hope it holds up. Sometimes when fixing such stuff both in fiber and metal the patch makes the spot more rigid and the tension concentrates on the edges of the patch. Would be nice to follow up with a professional to rate your work/test it :-)

[@steveindorset]

Now that’s a great idea mate…”Up there for thinking, down there for dancing.”

[@TraceVeloCharlie]

"pumping" the crack once the wet layup was in place is actually a great idea - I wish we had thought of it. I actually brought along a fine syringe tip on the end of a length of aquarium airline tubing with the idea that we might be able to use the endoscope to help guide it down and into the crack, then inject some epoxy right into the crack itself. Seeing it in person made it immediately clear that idea was folly... It would have been way to awkward and would have just resulted in swearing and a mess. Cheers, Charlie

[@fredtheegg7479]

Love the video and love the chapter titled "Discussing the crack". It's time we chatted about cracks

[@simonwoodthrillerwriter]

Well done on the repair. Nice (yet stressful) work. It'll be interesting to see how it works out over time.

[@foivoleon]

Kudos on the bespoke frame and all the love from an avid viewer and fellow MTB rider! 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖

[@markorjoycedehaan2855]

Luke, you are my new hero! Dude, you nailed it 🏆 I have some experience here, and Funny, as I watched it, I kept coming up with "suggestions". Only to watch you come up with the same idea. Sweet video with great courage and ingenuity. Kudos 🎉

[@TheEman301]

The new frame looks amazing.

[@mcvittees]

Cracking video - really enjoyed this one! Must admit, it all sounded a bit of an unlikely fix-bodge but wow, really happy I was wrong. 😊 Glad you had your bro there to help with the fix; you're a bit of a dynamic mechanics duo! 😄

[@01FozzyS]

Well done to both of you,Luke! The anticipation was real on my end too! lol Love the replacement frame!

[@omerduzyol8741]

Amazed that the plan worked almost perfectly!

[@Name-vu1kn]

I love creative problem solving. This was great.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah thanks, it was a bit hit bad miss, but I'm really pleased with the final result!

[@Rick-e2f3p]

That was a totally brilliant video! 😊 I've been riding OG Evkin bar, stem, post for years and never had a hint of a problem...

[@michaelbradbrook9575]

Thanks Charlie 🥖🥖🥖 for helping Luke successfully repair the damaged frame. And Luke, that new frame is 🤩🥖🥖🥖

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Michael, yeah was a great little project to work on together!

[@RandyMiller-oo5tq]

Pure genius, congrats on a succesful repair!

[@Agarayr]

This one should get millions of views, well done Luke ❤

[@lucasherculano5563]

Hey, congratulations on your custom paint frame design. Really cool , you deserve it

[@jeromeutitco7952]

Wow! My favorite video. Thanks for doing the repairs and sharing the detailed steps. Congratulations on your personalized frame. Woot woot!