Carbon break...any suggestions?
So, I was down at CapTex olympic tri on Memorial Day Monday. As usual I go into transition in the morning and spin the wheels of the bike and make sure everything is lined up and working well.
I spin the crank while holding the back of my bike up off the ground and the forward pedaling works fine, but the backwards spinning keeps catching and the chain slackens, bunching up. I cannot figure out what's going on, so I go stand in line for the mechanic. He takes the rear race wheel off and finds this (image). This is the rear derailleur hanger off the right rear chainstay/seatstay. As you can see, as with most bikes, it's a combination of carbon and steel/metal.
The washer-looking-thing (only about half of it is left) is what the cassette sits against while spinning. It's broken off completely from the carbon and half of it has disappeared entirely. The electrical tape is what the mechanic put on to hold it through the race, and it worked for that 25 miles, but it's obviously not a long-term solution.
My beloved "Kristyn", a Kuota Kalibur tri bike, is 13 years old. But I'm still setting PRs on her and we've bonded quite nicely over the her lifetime!
I've recently wanted a new "super bike", but I wanted it on MY timeframe, not to be decided on a broken part!
Would a place like Calfee be able to repair this, or is she done?
I spin the crank while holding the back of my bike up off the ground and the forward pedaling works fine, but the backwards spinning keeps catching and the chain slackens, bunching up. I cannot figure out what's going on, so I go stand in line for the mechanic. He takes the rear race wheel off and finds this (image). This is the rear derailleur hanger off the right rear chainstay/seatstay. As you can see, as with most bikes, it's a combination of carbon and steel/metal.
The washer-looking-thing (only about half of it is left) is what the cassette sits against while spinning. It's broken off completely from the carbon and half of it has disappeared entirely. The electrical tape is what the mechanic put on to hold it through the race, and it worked for that 25 miles, but it's obviously not a long-term solution.
My beloved "Kristyn", a Kuota Kalibur tri bike, is 13 years old. But I'm still setting PRs on her and we've bonded quite nicely over the her lifetime!
I've recently wanted a new "super bike", but I wanted it on MY timeframe, not to be decided on a broken part!
Would a place like Calfee be able to repair this, or is she done?
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I am no carbon repair expert, but if there is a carbon crack at this location, or if those screws pulled through I would opt to trade up on the frame. I would be a basket case in races waiting for it to break again at an innoportune time.
I do not know how the washer-thing is attached, originally.
There's not even an active Kuota dealer in the USA any longer! Grrr.
I've already sent an email thru their website contact link.
Yes, this is a case of the tri-world sending you a message: BUY A NEW BIKE!!!
Now all I have to do is shop, which for me is difficult because my torso (reach) is much longer than my legs (stack). Makes available bikes and fittings real interesting. I've done the Retul pre-fit from a respected fitter here last year, so I've got the measurements.
Oh well, time to SHOP!
This shop is local to me and they do a ton of carbon repair. I've seen some of their work and it's top-notch:
http://www.cyclehauslg.com/carbon-repair/
I totally understand not wanting to part with a bike that just works for you. I absolutely LOVE my Cervelo P4. Even though it's going on 9 years old now I have absolutely zero interest in replacing it (unless Cervelo comes out with a new "long and low" geometry bike with disk brakes, optimized for 25c tires and di2 integration, and a rear brake that works
For any of these, I'd be getting Shimano Ultegra di2 with Zipp 808 FCs. I'd also insist on it being a locally-bought bike for support purposes.
Test rode a Specialized Shiv ("Expert" model, I believe) last week at a LBS. If I were to go for a Shiv, it'd have to be an S-Works model. The only S-works frame available this year would look like this, an iridescent blue/black/purple/green depending on the angle of view and the light.
Yesterday, I rode a Cervelo P5 (not pictured, as it fell out of contention after riding the next two), Felt IA16 (pictured) and Scott Plasma 5 (pictured):
The Felt was solid. Didn't seem mushy on the accelerations under my fatarse (very important to me, even though not really a tri-related issue so much) and was quick. And I LOVE the red!
The Scott was FAST! Felt super light and accelerated like lightning. Not so much of a fan of the black/yellow.
The Felt is also $2k lower price tag. I could even add a quarq crank-based PM for the Felt and still be under the Scott price.
I'm waiting on a final price quote for the Shiv S-works from two LBSs before making a final decision, probably early next week.
Opinions?
My only other thought is regarding di2. I'm a huge fan of technology, and have DA di2 on my road bike and love it, but I'm not sure I'd do electronic shifting on a tri bike. First off, it's not really necessary (not that it's necessary on a road bike) as there's not as much shifting going on. Secondly, it's another thing that can fail on race day. There are many accounts on Slowtwitch of folks that have been stuck in a single gear when their electronic shifting dies. In my last race I had both my PM and head unit freak out on me. I'm happy to shift manually on the tri bike in exchange for having one less thing that can fail in a race.
Edit: I was typing this as you were typing your previous reply. Good to hear that you already have a fit to reference!
Your warning is heeded though, believe me it worries me too. I've had several of my friends have incidents too, but a vast majority do not.
I've been more impressed with di2 on the tri bikes than with it on my road bike, which I've had a few years now.
while now and wouldn't go back to mechanical, at least for racing. With
etap, if rear derailleur battery dies can swap in front derailleur battery
... so you're stuck w/ either big or little ring, but have all your cogs.
Good luck with your purchase Scott!
Scott: 8.05kg (2.2lbs per kg) = 17.71lbs
Almost 3lbs difference. That's more than I'd suspect, but given my experience it makes sense.
She should be ready to go in about two weeks (if no items are on backorder)!
Her name is TBD.
I had that signed up months ago for one this weekend, which is why I was hoping to have a new bike by then!
I already got a 52 mile ride in last Sunday too. Smooth as silk!
I'm still getting used to her, but simply...That bike is AWESOME! So fast, responsive, it's like riding on glass...SMOOTH! Sits a smidge taller than my old ride, but it's fully controllable. The di2 shifting on the tri bike, OMG, I LOVE IT!
@Al Truscott, I had the fastest bike split in my AG at that sprint, out of 18 folks! Granted, it was only 12 miles, but I crushed it!
I've got another sprint this wknd, this time with an 18 mile bike course, that I usually do pretty well on. So, with the new bike I cannot wait to see how I do!
And, no, I haven't named her yet. I'm waffling between Misty and Carmen. haha