Come to our store and take a carbon fiber handlebar, seatpost or front fork, or better yet, pick up one of our all-carbon fiber dream machines, and you will be surprised at how light they are. However, the real surprise comes from riding. When the lightweight and beautiful miracle material transfers your more energy to the ground, the acceleration, climbing, control and even comfort dazzle you, which is more than anything you have stepped on before. Everything is good.

Carbon fiber is so light and strong that Boeing chose it for their 787 Dreamliner jet. It has more than 80% carbon content and includes a fuselage that can accommodate more than 300 passengers. And, perhaps the ultimate carbon creation ever, a 197-foot wide wing. With the Dreamliner's 360,000 lb takeoff weight and 0.85 Mach cruising speed, this amazing carbon fiber structure with hairspring must be able to withstand approximately 450,000 lbs of lift.

However, even with incredible strength and toughness like this, as long as an indiscriminate behavior, such as inserting the wrong carbon fiber on the repair rack, over-tightening with an Allen key, or letting the handlebar swing and hit the upper tube, you Some serious damage can be done.

This is possible because carbon is very different in quality from steel, aluminum, and titanium, and you may have ridden it before. Unlike these metals, carbon is a synthetic composite material composed of fibers soaked in epoxy resin, then compressed, heated and cured. Essentially, your carbon fiber jewelry is made of super strong fabrics, which requires you to master some new expertise. Most importantly, although the metal shows signs of damage, usually bends, dents, or bumps, the carbon may look normal, but if it is damaged enough, even if you can’t see the defect, the component may not Failure occurs in case of warning. Another issue is notch sensitivity, which means that deep cuts, gouges or scratches can cause carbon cracking and should be checked by a professional immediately (and avoided!).

Now that we have caught your attention, as long as you treat your carbon fiber gears correctly, there is no reason to worry. To help, we asked our mechanics about their best techniques, selected the brains of every industry carbon expert we know, and selected information from the websites of major carbon fiber bicycle and component leaders to bring you Here comes this guide to take care and maintain your carbon fiber bike and ingredients.

Everyday Care

A few simple steps can ensure that your carbon fiber bike becomes a family heirloom. One of the easiest ways is to stop safely. Do not tilt it, lest it can roll or roll over or hit anything. For example, don’t lean the seat or frame on a pole and think it’s safe (no matter how soft you place it there), because the bike may move and the frame hits the pole, which can easily damage it . Or, the handlebar may keep swinging and hit the upper tube. To prevent these risks, keep the bicycle in a safe place when parking the bicycle, or at least make sure it is placed on a level surface and against the wall. In addition, some companies recommend avoiding exposing your bicycle and components to high temperatures, such as putting them in a car parked in the sun or storing them next to a heat source or radiator. Similarly, if you live next to an ocean with a lot of salt in the air, or you are a person who sweats too much, you should take extra care to clean and rinse the salt on your bicycle and parts to protect them from any possible harm Corrosion of metal parts.

Crash and Wear-and-Tear Inspections

If you crash or abuse your bike, or forget that it's on your roof rack and ram it into your garage, look for signs of damage, and have them checked out. Remember that damage may not be visible to the untrained eye. We're always happy to inspect and advise so bring it by the shop. And, do not ride until you're sure the bike/component is safe. Even if you never crash, you should frequently inspect your carbon bicycle and components for any gouges, deep scratches, cracks, loose fibers or other surface cracks and stop riding until you fix the problem.

Wheels and Rims

Safety first! If your wheels have carbon fiber rims, be sure to buy and use specific types of brake pads recommended by the manufacturer. In addition, only use plastic tire levers when fixing the tires, because metal tires can damage the carbon fiber rims unless you are careful.

Speaking of flat tires, you may know not to ride on any flat tires, but on carbon fiber rims, it is more important and may damage the wheel, especially on open carbon rims, where its sidewall is very high if you touch The pavement may delaminate for a long time. Of course, as with all wheels, you must check the tire inflation before each ride. Failure to do so may result in damage to the rim, as on aluminum rims, if you hit a pothole or rock and cause the soft tire to bottom out.

For stitched (tubular) carbon fiber wheels on which tires must be glued, be sure to prepare the rims and gently scrape them with steel wool to clean and lightly wear them. Then glue the tires. Remember, as with any stitching, if the tire stays on the rim for too long, it may be difficult to remove, while on a carbon fiber wheel, when you try to remove the tire, this may cause damage to the rim and some carbon along with it. Come. If you know that you will not use carbon fiber wheels for a long time, such as in winter, it is best to take precautions to remove the tires to avoid this.

The spokes on any wheel may be loose and should be checked regularly for optimal tension. Carbon fiber wheels usually have very hard high rims, which makes it difficult to tell whether the spokes are loose, because the wheel may hardly deform. If you continue to ride, the spoke tension will hardly affect the strength and ruin the ride. Therefore, be sure to check the tension regularly by squeezing the spokes, or if you are unsure, let us check it for you. A good practice is to check the tension of any wheel at least once a year, and more if you ride often. It is also a good idea to also inspect the bearings and perform repairs as needed.

When securing a bicycle with carbon fiber wheels to the frame, make sure not to use straps that will rub against and cut into the rim. For high rims, you may need to use longer replacement straps. Be sure to pad the rim to prevent damage.

One thing that will not damage the carbon fiber rim/wheel is to hang the bike on a hook for storage. They can easily support the weight of the bicycle.

Crash or damaged wheels that show signs of damage (such as cracks, chips, loose fibers or fatigue marks, or wheels that you even suspect are damaged) should be stopped immediately and checked by us or other qualified experts to ensure that they are still safe . If signs of damage are found, the parts should be replaced or repaired.

If you have your own ideas, please contact us(sales@top-fire.com) to discuss and provide you with customized services.