Took delivery of a poorly packed, used carbon frame, what should I check?

[slowpoke]

Just received a carbon frame. The rear derailleur hanger might have been bent during shipping, but luckily it's a replaceable hanger.

The frame and fork were wrapped in pool noodles, then placed in a lightly padded box (styrofoam peanuts in some plastic bags), but stuff still jostled around and I suspect the rear derailleur hanger bore the brunt of the impacts this way.

What else would the hivemind recommend that I check?

Thank you

[CMiller]

Depending on the bike, and just how bad it was packaged, I would return it for piece of mind. I am on the overly cautious side of the carbon spectrum.

[nmrt]

It is carbon bike. In my book, it's pretty strong. But that does not mean it cannot get damaged.

I'd look for front and rear alignment along with any scrapes/dents/damages on the carbon frame and fork. If nothing found, I'd ride the heck out of it.

[bikinchris]

Just inspect the bike in every nook and cranny for cracks and scratches.

[slowpoke]

CMiller, I'd generally agree with you, but these come up in my size/color maybe once every 6-9 months, so bit of irrationality here.

No cracks in the paint and tapped around and everything sounds good. Front dropouts still measure 100mm, and rear is at 130mm.

[Carbonita]

Pictures help. Depends on the frame...if it's a 600g one, carbon will be optimized for riding load, and possibly fragile for other loads (top tube side impact while shipping). Maybe check the box for clues as to where loads were applied (crushed corrugated cardboard) and how that load transferred to the frame.

[batman1425]

my risk tolerance has diminished significantly as I age.... if it was flopping around in the box I'd contact the seller and ask for a return or enough of a refund to pay for a thorough (ideally x-ray or ultrasound) inspection with an option to return if damage found. Many will disagree with me, but i don't want to end up on my face or veering into a car because I overlooked an obviously bad packing job.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by batman1425

my risk tolerance has diminished significantly as I age.... if it was flopping around in the box I'd contact the seller and ask for a return or enough of a refund to pay for a thorough (ideally x-ray or ultrasound) inspection with an option to return if damage found. Many will disagree with me, but i don't want to end up on my face or veering into a car because I overlooked an obviously bad packing job.

It is unreasonable to ask the seller to pay for a fishing expedition to look for a reason to send the product back.

[Old Frog]

If unpainted, as earlier, closely inspect for scuffs, scratches, etc. Closely look at the surfaces, use magnification as/if needed look for cracks & macro cracks. Typically, the resin will micro or macro crack first. If you see such, get concerned and to an expert familiar with the laminate. Good luck with it.

[kiwisimon]

I'd check the outer box for obvious damage otherwise change the hanger and if it steers straight and changes gears well ride it like you stole it.

[batman1425]

Originally Posted by prototoast

It is unreasonable to ask the seller to pay for a fishing expedition to look for a reason to send the product back.

The seller is responsible for getting the item to the buyer in the condition it was advertised in and chose to pack it improperly. Buyer can't confirm how much force it saw or where it saw it in transit, but presumably enough to cause some damage (suspected bent hanger). So no, not really a fishing expedition. Now it's determining the extent of the damage. The nature of the material its made from makes it difficult to confirm that by visual inspection alone. It could be fine. It could not be fine.

You may notice I said ask for a refund OR compensation to confirm that it was not damaged due to the improper pack job. The seller could (and I expect would) just refund and have it sent back. Which I think it reasonable. But the buyer said it's not a common item and seems to want to find a way to make it work. Personally, I wouldn't keep it with out a thorough eval and frankly, it's not the buyers fault it arrived rattling around in the box. So paying out of pocket for an eval, and worse, getting stuck with it if they find something that requires a repair is a non-starter for me. To me, next best option is give the seller the choice and see what they say.

[HowardCosellsPR]

Was the box crushed or impaled?

Call me optimistic but if was wrapped in pool noodles and not crushed or impaled, and there's not easily noticeable damage, all you need to really care about is that drop out.

That said, as Carbonita mentioned, this shifts a bit depending on the actual lay-up. If it's a hi-mod wonder bike... it will be a bit more brittle. If not, IME/O unless you can really see damage I wouldn't worry at all.

As for derailleur hangers. They stick out and get bent even when packed well. Why people ship/travel without removing them is a total mystery to me.

[charliedid]

If the hanger was damaged in shipping I would think there would be obvious damage to the box.

The hanger may have started out that way.

Photos

[slowpoke]

Sorry I thought I had added some photos!

See here:https://imgur.com/a/XRhp6X3

The packing job wasn't terrible (pool noodles everywhere), except for the fact that the frame could move around enough to puncture the box (second photo in above link).

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by slowpoke

Sorry I thought I had added some photos!

See here:https://imgur.com/a/XRhp6X3

The packing job wasn't terrible (pool noodles everywhere), except for the fact that the frame could move around enough to puncture the box (second photo in above link).

All great suggestions above. I wouldn't send it back unless you found damage. I'd worry that the seller, after opening the box at their end, would claim YOU damaged it.

But regardless, you MUST tell the seller what a crappy job they did packing the frame. If there's a way to give feedback(eBay?), I certainly do that...