Blog
Notes on carbon.
Carbon fiber inspection, used-bike economics, NDT methodology, and the failure modes we see in the field.
compositesdefine-compositesanisotropyWhat are composite materials: the working definition
6 min readA composite material is a fiber-plus-matrix system in which the fibers carry load along their length and the matrix transfers shear between fibers. A single ply is therefore anisotropic; stacking plies at multiple angles builds the multi-axial laminate.
mikes-bikeshuckleberry-bicyclessummit-bicyclesWhere to buy a used carbon bike in the Bay Area: trade-in chains, CPO channels, and the adverse-selection problem
6 min readThe Bay Area's used carbon bike channels split between commercial trade-in chains (Mike's Bikes, Sports Basement, Huckleberry, Summit), non-profit clearinghouses (BikeX, The Bikery), and an unregulated peer-to-peer market that concentrates structurally compromised frames the commercial channels reject.
carbon-fiber-delaminationdelaminationcfrp-delaminationCarbon fiber delamination: what it is, what it looks like, and why a clean paint surface guarantees nothing
13 min readDelamination is the central failure mode in carbon bicycle frames, and most of it is invisible from outside. A reference on the physics of ply separation, the surface signatures that hint at subsurface damage, and how visual triage and NDT slot together to confirm it.
autoclavecomposite-cureprepregWhat is an autoclave (composite cure cycle), in plain terms
5 min readA composite-cure autoclave is a sealed pressure vessel that cures prepreg laminates under simultaneous heat and gas pressure. The combination drives void content below 1 percent and is the quality benchmark for primary aerospace structure and high-performance racing parts.
carbon-bike-inspectionsan-franciscobay-areaCarbon bike inspection in the San Francisco Bay Area: who does what, where, and what it costs
8 min readNorthern California's carbon repair capacity is mature but geographically decentralized. Local shops do triage; structural repair concentrates in Monterey Bay specialists; quantitative NDT ships to a national mail-in network. The full Bay Area carbon inspection and repair landscape, with the operational terms that matter.
carbon-bike-frame-repaircarbon-fiber-frame-repairndtCarbon bike frame repair: what inspection determines before any work begins
14 min readCarbon bike frame repair starts with an inspection that sorts findings into Safe, Serviceable, or Unsafe, separates cosmetic marks from structural ones, and where damage is found returns an actionable remediation quote that may advise replacement over repair.
kbb-for-bikeskelley-blue-book-for-bikesbicycle-blue-bookIs there a Kelley Blue Book for bikes? The state of the used carbon bike market in 2026
10 min readThere is no audited registry-based KBB for bikes. Bicycle Blue Book is the nearest analog, and its limits (no VIN, no audited transactions, depreciation multipliers, conflict of interest) are precisely the gap that explains the used carbon bike market's structural information asymmetry. The 2026 state of the market in one structural reference.
bicycle-accident-lawyerbicycle-accident-attorneybike-crash-lawyerBicycle accident lawyer: what a documented carbon inspection adds to the legal file
11 min readA bicycle accident lawyer building a defensible file on a carbon-frame failure needs a third-party NDT report that separates observation from opinion, preserves the failed part, and survives Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and the Daubert standard.
open-mold-carbon-framedirect-to-consumeruci-approvalInspecting open-mold and direct-to-consumer carbon frames: layup, BB tolerance, certifications
14 min readThe cluster reference for open-mold and DTC carbon frames. What UCI, TÜV Rheinland, and ISO 4210 do and do not certify; how the Xiamen and Shenzhen manufacturing ecosystem actually works; the inspection methodology a buyer can run themselves; and where independent NDT escalation fits.
specialized-turbo-creoturbo-creocarbon-ebike-inspectionInspecting a carbon e-bike: motor mounts, battery cavities, and bonded inserts
13 min readCarbon e-bike inspection is not pedal-bike inspection with extra attention paid to the battery. Interface failures (motor mounts, battery cavities, bonded inserts) matter more than mid-tube cracks. Visual inspection misses what NDT catches.
used-triathlon-bikeused-tri-bikesused-tt-bikesUsed triathlon bike inspection: what to check on a Canyon Speedmax, Cervelo P5, Trek Speed Concept, or BMC Timemachine
11 min readA used tri bike isn't really a frame. It's a tightly integrated system of frame, fork, proprietary cockpit, hidden routing, storage, and fit hardware, and 'no cracks in the frame' is far too low a bar. The inspection burden is structurally different from a used road bike.
used-carbon-mountain-bikepivotssuspensionBuying a used carbon mountain bike: pivots, suspension, and the harder-impact lifecycle
8 min readThe buyer-side inspection framework for a used carbon mountain bike. Pivot-bore ovalization, shock-tunnel cracking, inner-ply delamination from rock strikes that leaves outer paint intact, and the discipline-specific risk pattern that road-bike triage does not catch.
pulsed-thermographyinfrared-thermography-ndtflash-thermographyPulsed thermography for composite NDT: the physics, the defect envelope, and the 3 to 5 mm depth limit
16 min readPulsed thermography reads how a subsurface feature perturbs heat flow at the surface, not the defect itself. The 3 to 5 mm depth rule on standard CFRP is a working guideline set by diffusion physics, not a material constant, and tight vertical cracks are a documented blind spot.
bike-crash-insurance-claimbike-accident-insurance-claimtotal-lossBike crash insurance claim: how to document a carbon frame so the claim survives an adjuster
12 min readA bike crash insurance claim on a carbon frame succeeds or fails on the documentation built in the first hours after the crash: a forensic photo set, a total-loss case for any lateral vehicle impact, Loss of Use accrual, and strict component segregation if the bike is bought back as salvage.
bike-resale-valuebicycle-resale-valuebike-valuationBike resale value: how condition, comps, and documentation set a used carbon bike's real price
10 min readThe reference page on what a used carbon bike is actually worth: the depreciation curve, the private-versus-CPO spread, how to normalize comps across model year and groupset generation, and the documentation that moves a private listing from mid-band to the top of the private range.
buy-used-bicycleused-carbon-bikeinspectionBuy used bicycle: the carbon-frame due-diligence playbook for the secondhand market
14 min readThe buyer-side reference for evaluating a used carbon bike: why carbon hides damage that metal would show, the 20-minute hands-on triage that runs in a seller's driveway, the listing photo red flags to filter on before traveling, the financial math for walking away, and the script for requesting an independent inspection without killing the deal.