High end service, repair and mods

rpd_steve

I am a partner at a motorsports team and myself and one of the other directors are both keen roadies.

It seems quite apparent to us that 99% of bike shops and riders alike have no idea on the properties of CFRP (carbon fiber composites), how to safely assess damage, repair methods etc. A lot of this is due to the significant capital cost of the NDT kit and also the high skill/cost of experianced and profesionally trained composites engineers.

As a race team we have a composites dept, and do both repair and manufacture of composites structures from bodywork to wings to monocouque safety cells - but recently we have been doing a fair bit of bike work repairing frames both Al and carbon, fitting grouppos and also some servicing. Mainly friends, then friends of friends etc.

If the general feeling was that there is a need/want for engineering quality carbon repair, clinical quality servicing (the workhop bays look like operating theaters!) and also custom work like custom paint and decal making then we were considering creating a spinn off company, which could be made to work by shairing the facilities and staff from the race team.

Whats the consencus? Most repairs to frames would come in at the £200-£300 mark and servicing at the premium end - but it would always be aerospace standard service, reliability and quality.

Any point, or unwanted?

jibberjim

I had my bike repaired for under 100 - so with that you just look expensive.

rpd_steve

That would be including strip down, re-paint into original colours and re-build and adjust, and full clean of course.

Monty Dog

When you consider that most carbon frames come out of factories in China for between $100-200, and you can buy replacements on ebay from $300 then what you're offering doesn't really stack up. Getting to the stage where if you break a carbon frame you simply chuck it and get another.

rolf_f

Monty Dog wrote:

When you consider that most carbon frames come out of factories in China for between $100-200, and you can buy replacements on ebay from $300 then what you're offering doesn't really stack up. Getting to the stage where if you break a carbon frame you simply chuck it and get another.

I don't think that $300 dollar frames are counted as high end

If I damaged the frame of my Look, I don't think I'd be too upset to pay £200 to have it stripped, repaired and painted if I couldn't tell that it had ever been hurt.

Monty Dog

By the time that $300 frame has been resold through a manufacturer, a distributor and retail it soon becomes £1500 down your LBS i.e. a £3k bike because it effectively doubles in price for every level of distribution - is that still your idea of 'low end'?

jibberjim

For the full service with decals you're talking about then the price is more reasonably certainly - cheaper than calfree who offer the same. Personally I couldn't see the reason to have the decals and paintwork returned, although I guess it makes it easier to sell the frame on...

mrdsgs

sounds reasonable to me, imagine a top quality carbon frame (Colnago/Pinarello /etc.) frame damaged in a car/bike crash. Is it repairable? Insurance write-off? If a £5k bike could be stripped, mended and rebuilt all good as new, who wouldn't go for it for £300?

My particular recommendation for a niche business proposal would be perhaps £100 for an initial assessment as to whether the frame is repairable, examining frame integrity, x-ray? etc. If it is then repairable the £100 is offset against the £300 repair. Insurance companies would also jump at the chance to have frames assessed rather than the current assumption that any damage to a carbon frame makes it a write off.

rolf_f

Monty Dog wrote:

By the time that $300 frame has been resold through a manufacturer, a distributor and retail it soon becomes £1500 down your LBS i.e. a £3k bike because it effectively doubles in price for every level of distribution - is that still your idea of 'low end'?

You're not making any sense. You may as well start at the point that the frame was a piece of raw material worth 50p if you are taking that argument of its value - if it costs £1500 by the time it gets to me it is an expensive frame worth paying a few hundred quid to repair. I can't get a replacement Look 585 frame on Ebay for $300.