This new carbon fiber Specialized Roubaix came in for repair recently after one of the all-time scariest crashes on the road: slamming on train tracks. Our customer wiped out during a corner after losing grip whilst turning across a set of them. Luckily, it was not a heavy traffic time! These accidents are scary and have the potential to mangle a bike due to the usual sudden and abrupt slam that co-insides with sliding out or getting a wheel stuck in the tracks. The customer landed on the seatstay and cracked it about halfway down the tube, luckily walking away mostly unscathed. Being a new bike, crash replacement policies tend to still be quite expensive so for our customer the choice to repair was a no-brainer. Our inspection and repair processes leave no stone unturned.
We always start the repair process with an ultrasound scan of the damaged to see how far the damage spread with exacting accuracy. This Roubaix’s crack started at the surface and broke through about 5 plies of carbon, so it was a pretty substantial fracture of the structure. We sent the Specialized frame to have all the damage machined out of the seatstay, which is what the above photo below depicts. WIth lots of water and a medium-fine grit, we slowly remove all the damaged areas so the cracks cannot propagate.
During the ultrasound scan and the damage removal process we note the original layup schedule and orientation of the plies in order to replicate them during repair. We then design a layup schedule mimicking the original, cut the pieces of prepreg carbon fiber we need to recreate the design and then delicately lay them up on the frame. This process requires ultimate cleanliness, patience, and precision.
After repairing this Specialized Roubaix we sent it over to our paint and art department where they are tasked with replicating the original decals of the frame. Our repairs look amazing naturally, but we’re even better at hiding them behind a new finish. We dialed in the bright green of this Roubaix and sprayed it on matte black to match.
All said, we are quite grateful that our customer was able to end up walking away from this accident. We love the way this Specialized Roubaix repair turned out and we do love matching a matte black and matte green paint scheme. Our customer is safe, the bike is repaired, and nothing gets thrown away. Another happy ending to another Ruckus repair tale.
Do we love new Specialized bikes? Yes. However, we love saving new ones even more. Get in touch with us if you’re in need of a repair!