So I got this bike ( Koga Miyata) from the wife of a deceased friend. He never drove it, and it was being kept in a garage for 10 years. Put some new tires on it and took it out (50 km). Now these cracks appear in the back fork. Is it wrecked, or repairable? Is it normal that carbon bikes break after 10 years doing nothing?
by bertil_01
7 Comments
“Is this cracked / safe to ride?” – If you have to ask, don’t ride it. We probably can’t tell from a picture just what condition your bike is in. Take it to your Local Bike Shop and ask them. If it’s carbon, a specialist repair shop may be required.
It just cracked, but not completely t just above the back fork at the oval hole, near the brake cable at the back, on both sides.
Yes, it can be repaired *relatively* cheaply. I suspect it was cracked before you took it out and your ride opened them up.
It can be repaired if you want to.
It doesnt look too bad, but the true extent of the damage can be seen once you sand the paint away. Its hard to say from those pictures, but it doesnt look too bad, nothing that cant be fixed. And it depends on how handy you are, you might be able to fix it yourself, fixing carbon frames isnt as hard as some people might have you think.
Is this a aluminum lugged carbon bike? It appears to be.
This is an extremely common failure of this style of frame and requires no use for the failure to occur. The carbon, and the aluminum lugs will react with one another causing corrosion and eventual failure at the joints.
The only terrible thing I see is the seat angle.