incubit_frame_services

Hi Eugene, No, there is no body that accredits carbon bicycle repairers as there is for the aviation industry. This is a truly tiny industry with a handful of businesses in SA doing it and less than 5 who actually know what they're doing. This makes it tricky to know who to trust but I would suggest going by a proven track record with satisfied customers and reviews etc. This day and age it's very easy to sort the bad from the good service providers with all the online and transparent feedback vehicles. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that peer review ratings are more reliable than an accreditation. I know of many accredited service providers in various industries who do not provide very good service, due to diminishing quality brought on by new management, trying to maximise profits or the like. I don't want to argue but the point I was trying to make is that carbon repairs and paint touch ups can be done in a way that restores the bike or wheel to its original integrity and aesthetic. One just needs to somehow trust that your insurer makes use of a good provider as part of their approved panel, just the same as you trust them to send you to a good penal shop when your car goes in for body work.🤷‍♂️

Thanks😁 Drop me a WhatsApp and we can chat about your touch up at 0718903187

I know this an old post but I'd like to give my 2c on the topic of carbon repairs and insurance. I have been repairing carbon aircraft my whole adult life so have pretty decent insight on the matter. Composites are complex and in order to repair them, a very good understanding of all the theory behind it in essential. If an aircraft which has a highly regulated maintenance and repair process and is safety critical beyond anything that is used on the ground (like a bicycle) can be repaired and deemed safe, then obviously any other composite part can also be repaired successfully. That said, there are some exceptions due to certain constraints. The area to be worked and ground around the fracture is so big that in some areas it's simply impossible to properly do the repair. Now this won't stop someone who thinks they know how to repair carbon from making a quick buck and doing a half assed job. This is one of the issues with carbon repairs. Some folks have a shoddy repair done which fails and they are then convinced that carbon repairs are not an option. So my advice would be to make sure whoever you or the insurance companies use for the repair has a warranty on their repairs and have a stellar track record. I have had a number of people approach me who have a carbon repair business and ask for training on how to do repairs. This is very concerning since they are clearly winging it. Then on the note of insurance opting for a repair over replacement. I'm obviously biased in being a repairer myself but there is clearly a strong bias from the insured since anyone would prefer a new frame over a repaired one. This is true wether it be your broken iPhone or your smashed BMW. However, the insurance model would not be viable if they had to replace your BMW every time you have a fender bender or if they had to buy you a new iPhone every time you crack the screen. Instead they have you take your iPhone to an iStore where you know you're getting a quality, guaranteed repair or your BMW to an accredited BMW panel shop that you know will deliver your car the same way it was before the sh*t hit the fan. Point is, like most services we make use of in life, there are cheap and dodgy service providers and there are expensive, highly skilled and qualified service providers. If you use the latter, you may not get a brand new bike back but you will get your old bike back and you will not notice that it is any different than before.

Hi Scott, this is repairable. I've repaired a set of ENVE hoops with worse heat damage than this. I took a chance as I though they were toast but I got them perfectly back in shape. Have a look at the before and after. Give me a shout at 0718903187 if you're keen on a quote. Check out the rest of my work at https://instagram.com/incubit_frameservices?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==

This is totally repairable. Most carbon hoops are repairable given the repairer knows what he's doing. This one especially since the carbon is merely an aero fairing as mentioned above. Also as mentioned above, the cost of replacing the hoop is a factor to consider since the repair is time consuming and the skills required are highly specialised. We charge a flat rate at Incubit Frame Services of R3,5K for a carbon hoop repair excl. paint (in most cases a polished carbon look is perfect, so no paint required). The repair is guaranteed for life under normal use. See photos of one of our wheel repairs.