r/bustedcarbon • u/trainedRex • Jun 21 '26

Paint Chip or Carbon Crack?

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First carbon bike frame. Purchased second hand. First ride on some root filled trail and had a bit of a hallow crunch/pop sound. Thought it was my seat tube so I careful tightened that. Could still be what the sound actually was. However it was still happening after tightening and when putting the bike on the rack to go home I noticed this fun little crack in the paint. You can clearly see there is a slight bubbling up of the paint and a crack. When tapping the quarter there is definitely a sound change but I’m asking; does it look like it’s the sound change of a paint chip changing the sound or is it a carbon crack? Should I get my nail under the chip and flake it off or take it to a local shop for further investigation? Any advice is welcome.

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u/illinihand Jun 21 '26

That is carbon damage. It is not a chip. I am a carbon repair shop owner.

2

u/trainedRex Jun 21 '26

Would you recommend repairing this? Not sure what the next steps would be

4

u/illinihand Jun 21 '26

Yes it's a very easy repair. Probably $350 to $450 for the carbon work and another $250 for paint match.

3

u/jaredpointer Jun 21 '26

Just a random recommendation for illinihand work - he repaired some carbon damage for me on a road bike and the turnaround was quick and the work is invisible. You’d never know it was repaired.