Carbon dropout wear

buder

Hi all - not have a good time of it lately bike related, seems to be one thing after another !.

I’ve been using the turbo and as such been removing the rear wheel, I’m doing so I’ve noticed the drive side rear dropout has some wear to the face.

When I run my finger over it the top right does run deeper. There are no issues with seating the wheel bit obviously it’s a concern.

What’s people’s thoughts on this, does it need repairing ?. What am I doing wrong to have caused this, skewers are tight and not loose but not too tight.

bondurant

Looks fine to me, my front forks have similar marks.

joe2019

Can't see anything wrong; mine look completely f*cked compared to yours, and I have been riding them daily like that for many years.

thegreatdivide

As the others have already said, this is normal, regardless of them being aluminium or carbon. It's all fine.

buder

Thanks for the replies. It is concerning as especially in the top right there is some carbon material which has been removed it is slightly deeper in this area.

Am I doing something wrong here, any tips for stoping it bitting in as much ?.

Ben6899

You're not doing anything wrong. Everything looks fine / normal.

buder

Apparently I am told that this is common wear and the face can be built back up but it will not last the lifetime of the frame. I just want to try and minimise it getting worse, would a thin metal shim or something do ?.

joe2019

You worry too much, just ride your bike.

buder

joe2019 said:

You worry too much, just ride your bike.

Murder I know..... spoil the enjoyment, I just can't help it. I saw the wear and thought it was buggered.

Ben6899

buder said:

Apparently I am told that this is common wear and the face can be built back up but it will not last the lifetime of the frame. I just want to try and minimise it getting worse, would a thin metal shim or something do ?.

It won't get any "worse", there might be some further indenting, but that happens on dropouts. You don't need a washer.

This frame is hung up now, but perfectly serviceable - look at the dropouts. I took this photo when advertising it for sale, just to highlight general condition. It's not a problem...

david37

if you send the bike to me I'll ride it for a few years and let you know what I think.

buder

Ben6899 said:

buder said:

Apparently I am told that this is common wear and the face can be built back up but it will not last the lifetime of the frame. I just want to try and minimise it getting worse, would a thin metal shim or something do ?.

It won't get any "worse", there might be some further indenting, but that happens on dropouts. You don't need a washer.

This frame is hung up now, but perfectly serviceable - look at the dropouts. I took this photo when advertising it for sale, just to highlight general condition. It's not a problem...

Thanks for this Ben - Is that a carbon dropout it looks it but I can't be sure ?.

I won't worry about it unless I see it getting significantly worse. I do use the bike on a wheel on turbo trainer and have been wondering whether the way it clamps to the skewers means it has been causing them to dig in more than they would ordinarily but I have been careful to not tighten them too much and equally so they are never loose. I suppose there has been frequent wheel changing which may have accelerated some wear in the area as I have a dedicated turbo wheel. I have only been using the turbo during lockdown which is how I have come to notice it.

I know some places can rebuild the face and bond in an alu plate, If it gets worse and causes the wheel to sit off centre as a result I will have to no doubt go down this root. I am also considering not using it on the turbo now.

bondurant

If you are worried about it still, and it sounds like you still are, then go for it.

But you shouldn't be.

Ben6899

buder said:

Thanks for this Ben - Is that a carbon dropout it looks it but I can't be sure ?.

It's a carbon dropout.

If anything, QR being tighter is better. And the wear will have been there for a long time, I would bet. Of course, if you have the bike on and off the turbo every day, then you will notice things which you didn't before.

I think you'll only see an issue with the wheel sitting off centre if the inner surface - where the axle meets - becomes worn. And that is rare.

buder

Ben6899 said:

buder said:

Thanks for this Ben - Is that a carbon dropout it looks it but I can't be sure ?.

It's a carbon dropout.

If anything, QR being tighter is better. And the wear will have been there for a long time, I would bet. Of course, if you have the bike on and off the turbo every day, then you will notice things which you didn't before.

I think you'll only see an issue with the wheel sitting off centre if the inner surface - where the axle meets - becomes worn. And that is rare.

Thanks Ben, I will try and be more careful with the wheel changes and make sure it is tight enough. I won't worry about it for now...

Cheers.