Carbon bike maintenance

dalkener

Heya,

Decided to be very good to myself this christmas and went up north to buy my new bike. Went a bit over budget and got myself a Specialized Tarmac comp.

I'm nearly afraid to ride it in case I damage it, has anyone any tips for looking after carbon bikes. Can I/Should I oil the crankset etc?? Can this damage a carbon frame.

Any tips greatly appreciated

Freddy687

Congrats on the new bike. Enjoy it you should see a big difference on the first couple of rides.

There is no real difference between a carbon bike and any other when it comes to maintainance. If you oiled it on your last bike, then oil it on this one.
But remember that grease on a carbon component makes it slippery, so dont put grease on a seat post for instance.

mikemac

Not to hijack this thread but are there are good sites with maybe a checklist of things you should be doing to maintain a bike?
I do watch youtube videos but I don't have a checklist

Kinda clueless but eager to learn

dalkener

thanks for the replys. had a quick look around the net but couldn't find anything carbon specific so must be like you said, if you oiled parts on the old one do the same on this.

Just took the bike out for the first time, didn't go too far. Just an adjustment ride but feck I think im in love with this bike already:D:D:D

Gavin

don't know of a website a checklist, but bicycletutor.com is very good for specific tasks.

Myself, before a spin on the road bike I would check:

• Brakes - Make sure there is enough rubber on the brake pad
• Tyres - Inflated to the right pressure
• Chain - Oiled properly and not rusted
• Batteries/Lights - If you might be out latish, make sure you have batteries that will last

A more comprehensive check list for when you have a full day to do bike maintenance might be:

• Tyres - pressure and tyre wear. May need new ones
• Brakes - Make sure the pads are good, bolts are secure, the brake cable is oiled and moving well. May need to replace cable and tighten brake to account for brake pad wear
• Wheels - Take each wheel and spin it, checking for noise/a rumbling sensation from the hub. You may need to regrease the ball bearings. Take the top of the wheel and try to move it from side to side. If there is movement, again, may need to grease bearings and make sure the cup and cones are correctly tightened. Check wheel rim for wear from the brake pads. Maybe give the rim a going over with steel wool to remove detritus and improve the braking surface
• Drivetrain - check that the gears are calibrated properly. Check for wear on the jockey wheels and remove/regrease if needs be. Oil the pivot points and adjustment screws on the deraillers. Check for wear on the cassette and chainring. Check for chain stretch. Clean chain thoroughly with a degreaser and re-lubricate. Remove cassette and chainrings for a thorough clean if inclined. Oil the gear cables or replace if needs be
• Bottom Bracket - Do the same checks from the wheels with the cranks and bottom bracket. Check for noise and play. If there is, you may need to replace the bottom bracket
• Stem - Check for play in the stem and front fork. If there is movement, tighten up the stem bolts
• Fork - Spin the fork around with your ear on the saddle nose, listening for grinding noises. If so, remove the fork and grease the ball bearings, clean bearing races etc
• General - check over all the bolts and nuts ensuring you tightened them all up correctly. Make sure you re-installed your cranks at 180 degrees to each other...

That's all that I am aware of, what else is there?

Manone

Was in cyclesuperstore a few months ago buying some cleaning fluid for my chain and the guy did ask whether it was for a carbon frame as he said some products are not suitable such as 'Muck Off', so just double check the label of the product you might be using to lub and clean etc.

Not sure if anyone else has heard of this. I use various products on my carbon bike and nothing to report.

blorg

Muc-Off is fine on carbon, it even says so on the bottle.*

I believe the only thing that really isn't good on carbon is paint remover.

*EDIT: Actually it's Fenwicks that says it is fine on the bottle but pretty sure Muc-Off is also OK (I have used both and suspect they are pretty similar in makeup.)

FrankGrimes

I'm awaiting delivery next week of my first carbon bike. Interesting to read the above and I'll try to do as much of the maintenance listed above as possible.

Aside from maintenance, are there any other differences with carbon frames I should be aware of? E.g. do I have to be careful not to overtighten the seatpost or fixings on bars than I would be with aluminium/alloy? Do I need to treat it differently when putting it in the car/hanging in shed? If I have a crash/fall what should I do?

Or is it a case that it is a misheld belief out there that carbon frames are majorly different and I should just regard it the same as any bike?

Interesting to note that the following from Wikipedia page on carbon fiber is yet to have a valid citation added: " Despite carbon fiber reinforced polymer's advantages, it has been known to fail suddenly in bicycles, causing devastating crashes[citation needed]. "

penexpers

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Aside from maintenance, are there any other differences with carbon frames I should be aware of? E.g. do I have to be careful not to overtighten the seatpost or fixings on bars than I would be with aluminium/alloy?

I wouldn't tighten anything on a carbon framed bike without a torque wrench.

Lumen

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Interesting to note that the following from Wikipedia page on carbon fiber is yet to have a valid citation added: " Despite carbon fiber reinforced polymer's advantages, it has been known to fail suddenly in bicycles, causing devastating crashes[citation needed]. "

Carbon Fiber Care and Warnings

...which links to:

Carbon Bicycle And Component Care

Proper carbon fiber care & maintenance (Trek)

Article by Thompson about why they won't use carbon fiber

Also:

EFBe Frame Fatigue Test

...and some criticism of those tests:

EFBe Frame Test: how NOT to test a Bicycle
Commentary on the EFBE Frame Tests

FrankGrimes

penexpers wrote: »

I wouldn't tighten anything on a carbon framed bike without a torque wrench.

Thanks for that. Guess I should pick up a torque wrench so?

I was thinking of getting this toolkit from Wiggle though it doesn't seem to have a torque wrench - can you suggest one or is this something I could pick up for cheap in B&Q or an autoparts place?

gman2k

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Thanks for that. Guess I should pick up a torque wrench so?

I was thinking of getting this toolkit from Wiggle though it doesn't seem to have a torque wrench - can you suggest one or is this something I could pick up for cheap in B&Q or an autoparts place?

Cheap and B&Q are two words that don't go together.:)

FrankGrimes

I read most of the links that Lumen posted (though the ones on testing were too technical for me!). This article was particularly interesting and really makes me think that either the article is overstating the dangers or else owning a carbon frame bike is fraught with hassle and dangers, though I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between?

E.g. the article says never to clamp a workstand onto the frame, but the LifeLine frame I've just ordered does just that and thinking on here was it'd be fine as long as I don't go too tight and put a cloth onto the frame first.

It's clear from the article that I need to get a torque wrench, but I'm not sure what to look for. Should I go for one like this and then buy separate end pieces for it (what to look for?) or one like this that comes as a set?

I checked the B&Q website and they didn't have any torque wrenches listed and the Woodies website doesn't list one though I think they have a Drapers one. Any advice on where I might pick up the right one much appreciated.

Lumen

FrankGrimes wrote: »

either the article is overstating the dangers or else owning a carbon frame bike is fraught with hassle and dangers, though I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between?

If I was buying a bike to chuck around (park on the street, throw in a packed shed, clamp child seats to, strap with a bunch of other bikes to the back of the car) I would chose metal.

If I was buying a bike whose only stress was riding, I'd be happy with carbon.

I'm not sure what the deal is with crashing, i.e. presumably if you crash a carbon bike you need to inspect it more carefully for damage.

DirkVoodoo

Yup, as mentioned before Carbon is an excellent material, the only concern is its failure mode. Whereas steel will tend to suffer a large amount of plastic deformation before failure, carbon simply snaps. If you happen to have a fall, inspect the frame thoroughly for any small cracks.

I don't want to scare you, but a friend of mine cycles for UCD and he said that a friend of his was in a race when his headtube suddenly failed on his carbon racer. Unfortunately he ended up getting pretty badly hurt.

If you look after the bike then you will get many great years out of it. If you can store it indoors then do. I refuse to put mine in the garage because my dad is a bit of a "bull in a china shop" when moving stuff out there. I went out after xmas and he had knoecked over my brothers (Heavy) bike onto my surfboard (epoxy resin). Fortunately it was undamaged.

If you carry it in the car or on a rack, wrap as much of the frame or just the contact points in old rags, or even bubble wrap (I seem to have loads of bubble wrap lying around).

FrankGrimes

Cheers guys, I do plan on commuting on it too unfortunately, but it's straight to the underground car park in work and then straight back into a spare room in the house so it shouldn't take much beatings.

Any thoughts on the torque wrench? Would like to pick one up this weekend so I have it when my new bike finally arrives.

short circuit

3 weeks after I bought my bike ... coming to city centre from sandyford ... down the hill ... was going pretty fast when suddenly the carbon seatpost cracked ... no reason that I could think of ... brand new bike .. no crashes before that or anything .... had to push the seatpost all the way down and continue home.

Didn't stop me from getting it replaced with another carbon seatpost ... no problems in the last 8 months ... apart from the current one .. where the seatpost is stuck to the frame .. :rolleyes:

Having said that ... I've had 2 front end crashes with cars ... both fairly hard I would have thought ... but the carbon forks haven't failed on me ... YET

I am not sure with carbon components ... you can ever be 100% certain ... there is probably an x-ray or like to identify cracks/dents/pits etc on the 787 dreamliner .. but not sure there is anything available to be used in a bike shop just yet.

scottreynolds

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Any thoughts on the torque wrench? Would like to pick one up this weekend so I have it when my new bike finally arrives.

i'm guessing halfords --- I'm trying to get one this weekend probably as well.

DirkVoodoo

Yes to the torque wrench. Just make sure it is a small one with a suitable range like 5-15 Nm. I asked for a torque wrench, dad came back with an automotive behemoth, 40Nm up to whatever.

Also, if its a clicker type remember the three golden rules: Don't drop it, don't use it as a normal wrench to loosen bolts and always leave it set at "zero" when putting it away!

I was gonna get a BBB one, tis about €80 in CSS. Of course, a deflecting beam type torque wrench is probably the one to go for for a bike.

Pinarello

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Yes to the torque wrench. Just make sure it is a small one with a suitable range like 5-15 Nm. I asked for a torque wrench, dad came back with an automotive behemoth, 40Nm up to whatever.

Also, if its a clicker type remember the three golden rules: Don't drop it, don't use it as a normal wrench to loosen bolts and always leave it set at "zero" when putting it away!

I was gonna get a BBB one, tis about €80 in CSS. Of course, a deflecting beam type torque wrench is probably the one to go for for a bike.

€55 in my local bike shop.O'Mahony cycles Dungarvan...:D

Tackleberry

Interesting thread - been curious about this issue since i purchased my carbon bike, but 2 and a half years later I only have the greatest things to say about carbon frames and components - I'm probably the poster boy for carbon's strength - at my worst I was 17.5 stone and the bike and parts were flawless, and this is not just the frame, I've a carbon stem, s/post, handlebars, cranks, wheels (basically a bad case of freditis) but have never had any issue with them, touch wood, couldn't recommend carbon stuff highly enough, IMO they're just so much slicker than their aluminium cousins!

Hermy

Regarding torque wrenches, I have one that only registers torque clockwise and I only found this out when I stripped the threads on a BB tightening counter-clockwise.
I'd agree with Dirk that the deflecting beam type torque wrench is probably the one to go for.

FrankGrimes

Cheers for all the info - wouldn't have known how to look after a torque wrench so it probably would've ended up getting damaged and giving bad readings.

Would this one on CRC be a good purchase?

Here is a list of all results for a search of 'torque wrench' on CRC - would the one above be the best option for under £50?

DirkVoodoo

Park Tool Torque Wrench

EDIT: Beams aren't favoured for working on engines because it can be difficult to read the scale when getting stuck into an engine block. They are, however, nearly bomb proof and will never lose accuracy as long as the needle rests on "0" when unloaded. Pretty much the safe option for bikes, even if they don't look as cool as a clicker type there is far less to go wrong with them.

FrankGrimes

Thanks Dirk. That one has readings in inch pounds instead of nM - how much of a pain would that be (do manufacturers list both values?).

So is a 3/8" going to be more useful than a 1/4"?

If I went with that one where should I look to get the nuts for it?

Sorry for all the questions - its just not as straightforward as I thought it might be!

Funkyzeit

An example of what can go wrong with a Carbon bike...!! If this ever happens to mine I'll have to glue it back together...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N9uZupdGhQ&feature=related

DirkVoodoo

Frank, I don't know where you can get the bits actually, possibly a hardware store but maybe an email to CRC might clear this up.

The TW-1 accepts 3/8" and 1/4" bits, but if you are buying them from scratch then I guess it doesn't matter which one you buy.

According to the spec here the TW-2 has a dual readig scale in inch-punds and Newton metres.

I was tempted by that BBB one too, but I have a habit of breaking things so I was gonna go with the park tools one. At least now you have a choice

scottreynolds

I looked around this weekend for one and decided the best option was the Park Tool one. Halford have a house branded one in three different weights but its not as practical for bike I think as the park Tool. I'm just going to call CRC tomorrow to process a return then I'll send my order for another one.

FrankGrimes

Right, I still haven't gotten round to ordering this yet. Just got word from Planetx that my bike should be delivered on Friday, so I want to be sure I have everything I need to get it going for the weekend.

Wiggle have the Park Tool TW-2 Torque Wrench in stock but have no bits for it.

CRC don't have the torque wrench in stock but do sell these bits.

Cycle Superstore have this BBB one with bits - a bit more expensive but at least I know I could have it on Friday, will that wrench and those bits (Alley keys 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10mm) do the job?

penexpers

I have that BBB one and it's fine. Really 3,4,5 and 6 should be all you need. I don't think you'll ever use 8 or 10. (open to correction here).

CheGuedara

penexpers wrote: »

I have that BBB one and it's fine. Really 3,4,5 and 6 should be all you need. I don't think you'll ever use 8 or 10. (open to correction here).

+1. Have it also and no problems ever. Good value for money when you see the price of some of the equivalents out there. Got mine cheap on Ebay - could be worth a chance