Crash check: carbon bits.

[giverdada]

Hey Folks:

So we've had a tough couple of months in the family and I'm hoping our bikes have made it through less scathed than our bodies. As it rests, my lady went down a stone's throw from the parking lot after a long day/weekend of miles, and she asked me to check over her bike.

It's a Cinelli Strato full carbon hi-mod business with Edge bar, 3T alloy stem, and Campy Chorus 11 drivetrain. I'm listing those parts because they're the ones I'm asking about.

First, nothing seems wrong. She scraped through the bar tape to the bar and through the clear coat to the carbon less than a quarter of a pinky nail size of scrape patch. It's also about 3mm up the bar from the end plug, so it's not a crucial point, but it's a point with a lot of leverage on the rest of the bar, so I'm asking what I should look for.

The pivot bolt on her RH shifter is scraped and moves when the lever is pulled. The bolt on her other brake lever does not move when the lever is pulled. Thoughts?

Now, here's my main question after asking your thoughts about other things to check for, how to tell if something is wrong, etc. (she went down on the drive side): the whole cockpit seems to flex a bit more than I would expect for an Edge bar and 3T aluminum stem. I've broken a steerer tube before and the cockpit doesn't flex like that, but I can SEE the movement in the bar when I pull on it side and side. I'm not a big guy, 165lbs., and my strength isn't what it should be, hit and run to thank for that, but I can flex the cockpit. I've never been a fan of her headset (FSA ****e bearings integrated into the carbon headtube), or fork, and I'm wondering if you think it's something there, and if so, if it's something that's really wrong. Anyway, your thoughts much appreciated. I'll explore things tonight. Thanks!

Nick.

[FlashUNC]

I'd give the stem, bars and steerer a thorough going over if you're that concerned about the flex. Sounds like it may be more bar/stem related, but as others will note, it can be tough to identify damage to carbon parts with just a visual inspection.

[soulspinner]

Hey Folks:

So we've had a tough couple of months in the family and I'm hoping our bikes have made it through less scathed than our bodies. As it rests, my lady went down a stone's throw from the parking lot after a long day/weekend of miles, and she asked me to check over her bike.

It's a Cinelli Strato full carbon hi-mod business with Edge bar, 3T alloy stem, and Campy Chorus 11 drivetrain. I'm listing those parts because they're the ones I'm asking about.

First, nothing seems wrong. She scraped through the bar tape to the bar and through the clear coat to the carbon less than a quarter of a pinky nail size of scrape patch. It's also about 3mm up the bar from the end plug, so it's not a crucial point, but it's a point with a lot of leverage on the rest of the bar, so I'm asking what I should look for.
.
The pivot bolt on her RH shifter is scraped and moves when the lever is pulled. The bolt on her other brake lever does not move when the lever is pulled. Thoughts?

Now, here's my main question after asking your thoughts about other things to check for, how to tell if something is wrong, etc. (she went down on the drive side): the whole cockpit seems to flex a bit more than I would expect for an Edge bar and 3T aluminum stem. I've broken a steerer tube before and the cockpit doesn't flex like that, but I can SEE the movement in the bar when I pull on it side and side. I'm not a big guy, 165lbs., and my strength isn't what it should be, hit and run to thank for that, but I can flex the cockpit. I've never been a fan of her headset (FSA ****e bearings integrated into the carbon headtube), or fork, and I'm wondering if you think it's something there, and if so, if it's something that's really wrong. Anyway, your thoughts much appreciated. I'll explore things tonight. Thanks!

Nick.

Did you readjust the headset and retry it?

[Mike Lopez]

Can you provide more details regarding her crash? Was it at speed or an "Artie Johnson" fall over in the parking lot?

Regarding the apparent flex in the cockpit. Had you ever really reefed on it before for comparison or does it just feel soft compared to your other bikes?

Did checking the headset preload as previously suggest make any difference?

Pics of the impact sites & damage?

[invertedhog]

Hate to ask but are you sure it wasn't that way before? Sometimes problems are really obvious when looking for them and less obvious when we think everything is fine and just want to go ride.

Suggest checking the fork steerer and re-adjust the headset.
Get a little torque hex to make sure all the stem bolts are properly tightened... the 3T alloy stem is probably fine and it doesn't sound like the bar is the issue...
Beyond that you'll probably need a proper carbon inspection of the head tube if the problem persists. Unfortunately if it isn't a big visual failure you can't really tell anything just by looking at it.

[Brian Cdn]

Hey Giver

Sorry to hear of the crash.. Hope Mrs. Dada is okay.

Sent you an email. Let me know if I can help.

[tiretrax]

Sorry to hear about the issues ya'll are having. Regardless of what you do after getting this advice, I suggest you take it to the best bike shop in your area and have it checked.

[Black Dog]

Another email sent your way.

[Black Dog]

Get the Pics up for Mike Lopez. If there is a guy around here with more experience with the fibres of carbon i would be shocked. Sort of like having De Vinci help you out with a painting...:D

[giverdada]

Thanks guys. We took off the clip-on aero bar she has on there (24h race in Saratoga coming up), and the Edge bar was cracked at the clamp point for the RH aerobar that also bears road rash. ***. So a crash at moderate speed onto the drive side has damaged a crucial part of her rig beyond repair due to a stupid aerobar extension. It was installed to torque spec, so I'm assuming it was the impact. I don't know. Either way, I greatly appreciate everyone's feedback. She's dropped the bike off at the shop across town and will now do her miles on the cross bike until the Cinelli is fixed up. Main problem is her specialty size - the bar was a discontinued 36cm (your shoes are probably as big as that!) Edge before they became Enve and bars in that size are near impossible to find. And then everyone wants $120 for an alloy hook. Ah well. Moving on. Thanks again for everyone reaching out. Y'all are full on awesome.

N.

[soulspinner]

Glad you found it, peace of mind. Can she get away with a 38 bar?

[Cicli]

Glad you found it the easy way.

[giverdada]

Glad you found it, peace of mind. Can she get away with a 38 bar?

She could likely get away with a 38 bar if it was center to center at the bottom flare of the hooks. The top she likes at 36, as her shoulders really aren't very wide, and the main thing is that her race is in a week and with it being soon and to take place over 24h, prolly not a great time to change up anything in her kit fit. Thanks though, eh!