Noooooo! Not my bike!!
February 7, 2013 4:24 PM Subscribe
My Cervelo P2 has a puncture on the top bar/tube. Will I further damage it if I ride it on a trainer for a few hours?
So. I'm a dumbass. When I was cleaning my home office the other night, a decorative African spear that I had hanging vertically on the wall came falling off when my downstairs neighbor slammed our shared outside door.
It's a clean, 2inch, perfect puncture to the middle of the top tube between the seat and handlebars. I have plans to bring it to my bike guy at the shop I frequent (and purchased the bike a year and a half ago). I haven ridden it since.
However, I was thinking about putting it on my nod or trainer and biking for 4 hours this weekend while we are getting a spectacular snowstorm.
Is this a bad idea? Could I lose the frame by this one time ride? What if I tape the hole with masking tape or paper wrapped around it with duct tape securing the paper so any moisture would stay out, and then maybe a face cloth draped over that? Could I further damage it?
Help?
So. I'm a dumbass. When I was cleaning my home office the other night, a decorative African spear that I had hanging vertically on the wall came falling off when my downstairs neighbor slammed our shared outside door.
It's a clean, 2inch, perfect puncture to the middle of the top tube between the seat and handlebars. I have plans to bring it to my bike guy at the shop I frequent (and purchased the bike a year and a half ago). I haven ridden it since.
However, I was thinking about putting it on my nod or trainer and biking for 4 hours this weekend while we are getting a spectacular snowstorm.
Is this a bad idea? Could I lose the frame by this one time ride? What if I tape the hole with masking tape or paper wrapped around it with duct tape securing the paper so any moisture would stay out, and then maybe a face cloth draped over that? Could I further damage it?
Help?
My gut feeling is that riding on a trainer could be worse than (smooth) roads, since the bike is locked in place. Also, it's a sad sort of poetry to have a carbon fiber bicycle taken out by a spear.
posted by exogenous at 4:39 PM on February 7, 2013
posted by exogenous at 4:39 PM on February 7, 2013
Response by poster: I meant to add that the puncture is just to the top side and did not go all the way through.
posted by floweredfish at 4:41 PM on February 7, 2013
posted by floweredfish at 4:41 PM on February 7, 2013
Is this the newer P2, which is carbon, or the older P2, which is aluminum?
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 4:43 PM on February 7, 2013
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 4:43 PM on February 7, 2013
Best answer: If the puncture is clean and in the middle of the tube, it probably isn't very safe. The top tube is under compression all of the time and that puncture will make the tube fail very quickly - especially on a trainer.
My first thought is to chop it at the puncture space and put SS couplings on it. It will actually add value to the bike. This can be done for any frame except material except Aluminum (and maybe Titanium). Couplings allow you to break the bike in half for travel. More info and pictures on their site. Not sure if you can do this with your TT bike though.
The good thing about this is that all of the components are still new and you would be surprised at how little it costs to have the bike frame shipped off and repaired at the factory. Its what all crashed fiber bikes have to have done, so it's a simple process for any localbikeshop.
posted by bensherman at 4:55 PM on February 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
My first thought is to chop it at the puncture space and put SS couplings on it. It will actually add value to the bike. This can be done for any frame except material except Aluminum (and maybe Titanium). Couplings allow you to break the bike in half for travel. More info and pictures on their site. Not sure if you can do this with your TT bike though.
The good thing about this is that all of the components are still new and you would be surprised at how little it costs to have the bike frame shipped off and repaired at the factory. Its what all crashed fiber bikes have to have done, so it's a simple process for any localbikeshop.
posted by bensherman at 4:55 PM on February 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
The plus one (former bike shop guy, current science guy) says: do not ride it. Since it isn't likely a perfect plane you probably have fracture plane and you can't know how it is propagating.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:56 PM on February 7, 2013
posted by sciencegeek at 4:56 PM on February 7, 2013
Best answer: I work in a bike shop. I also ride a P2.
If this is an older, aluminum P2, I'd say you now have a trainer bike. I would never ride this bike on the road again. I'd ride the hell out of it on the trainer, but watch that puncture closely. Maybe mark it with a permanent marker so you can be aware of it getting bigger. Put a piece of tape over it to keep the sweat out. Sorry dude, that really sucks.
If this is the current, carbon P2, then you're in luck. I definitely would not ride it on the trainer. I would, however, send this off to Calfee to be repaired. Sorry dude, that really sucks.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:04 PM on February 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
If this is an older, aluminum P2, I'd say you now have a trainer bike. I would never ride this bike on the road again. I'd ride the hell out of it on the trainer, but watch that puncture closely. Maybe mark it with a permanent marker so you can be aware of it getting bigger. Put a piece of tape over it to keep the sweat out. Sorry dude, that really sucks.
If this is the current, carbon P2, then you're in luck. I definitely would not ride it on the trainer. I would, however, send this off to Calfee to be repaired. Sorry dude, that really sucks.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:04 PM on February 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
NO BECAUSE THIS.
Srsly, carbon fiber is tricky as heck. 4 hours on a trainer is a lot of stress. If you were closer, I'd let you take my road bike, G!
posted by kpht at 5:27 PM on February 7, 2013
Srsly, carbon fiber is tricky as heck. 4 hours on a trainer is a lot of stress. If you were closer, I'd let you take my road bike, G!
posted by kpht at 5:27 PM on February 7, 2013
Your bike is broken. Don't break it more.
Send it to Bike CPR, Ruckus Composites, or any of a number of carbon-repair shops.
posted by entropone at 5:54 PM on February 7, 2013
Send it to Bike CPR, Ruckus Composites, or any of a number of carbon-repair shops.
posted by entropone at 5:54 PM on February 7, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks all! I know my bike dude is going to send it to calfree. I guess I'll just slap mt cyclocross bike on there instead!
posted by floweredfish at 6:14 PM on February 7, 2013
posted by floweredfish at 6:14 PM on February 7, 2013
I have a friend who broke his back when a perfectly fine carbon fiber frame shattered under him on a huge downhill. His life has never been the same. Please don't chance it!
posted by mollymayhem at 10:38 PM on February 7, 2013
posted by mollymayhem at 10:38 PM on February 7, 2013
You've compromised the structure of the bike and it may or may not be repairable. Sitting on it for 4 hours will only make it worse and will not improve the chance of a successful repair. (And what mollymayhem said.)
posted by epo at 3:08 AM on February 8, 2013
posted by epo at 3:08 AM on February 8, 2013
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Second, no, I wouldn't ride it. But I'm not really an expert on what could happen if you do.
posted by RustyBrooks at 4:32 PM on February 7, 2013