Carbon Bike and Wheels

nigelworvell

Hi, I've recently upgraded my bike to some nice carbon! Only thing is I have no Idea on how to maintain a carbon bike, can anyone give me some tip's on do's and don't s, and what to check?

Many Thanks in advance

Nige

jonE

1.wipe down the frame regularly with a damp cloth and whilst doing that inspect the frame for any cracks and chips,carbon may be strong but it chips easily,try not to drop anything on it.
2.check the front mech hangar for looseness,some manufacturers are abit lacking in this respect.
3.If your shiney new wheels are full carbon,i.e. Not ones with an alloy braking surface,ensure you use the correct brake blocks,usually cork but there are other ones on the Market.When riding in wet conditions,at least double your expected stopping distance,failur to do so may result in items 1 and 2 being checked more regularly whilst recovering from your accident.
4.enjoy.

nigelworvell

Cheers fella!.....Regarding the carbon wheels, I've noticed a tiny patchy build up of like residue on the breaking surface, is this normal? should I scrape it off?

Zacnici

Congrats

Build up is normal, I clean it off but some forums reckon you should leave it on

You may want to look at this:
post78293.html

memphis

Hi all,

I've also recently upgraded to full Carbon and was
Wondering what the best type of bike carrier would be?
I own a rear mounted cycle carrier but was advised
Not to use it with a carbon frame?

I spoke to a friend who has a roof mounted carrier and he's
Also not too keen on that so would like to know
What others do?

I know one option is to put the bike in the car but what about
My fans..... Aka wife and daughter?

willieverfinish

Quick tip lads

Get some pipe lagging from B&Q etc
It's 20p per metre
Cut to size to fit top tube, down tube, stays, forks etc
Use tape to hold into position
Mark each bit of lagging with what bit of the bike it goes on
Voila
Great protection when the bike is on the roof on bike carrier.
No stone Chips etc.

I've done it for my bikes and cost circa £8 for both of them

jonE

+1 for the pipe lagging,
instead of tape use Velcro straps(reuseable),a couple of quid from B&Q and cut to length.

willieverfinish

I think it was you Jon who, a couple of Years ago, suggested the pipe lagging idea to me

jonE

I don't have many good ideas,but that was one of them
Another tip for carbon frames is use a torque wrench when tightening the screws etc,over tightening may cause the frame to crack
Small cycle ones can be bought cheaply.

sonofsammo

jon.E wrote:

Small cycle ones can be bought cheaply.

Ooooh! Where?
Cos I can only find expensive ones!

nigelworvell

Cheers For the advice guys!

Nige