Where to Carbon fra...
 

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Where to Carbon frames go to die?

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So a tyre change / mini cleanup and service reveals a very tatty 2018 Spark race bike under the mud, worse thing is a couple off grooves in the frame under the BB from cables.  With plenty of scratches, requiring a new linkage kit & shock / fork service, what do I do with it when its Epic 8/Oiz replacement arrives in September?

The shock is proprietary, and perhaps its unlikely anyone wants a 100mm Fox SC 32 these days and lightweight seat post and bars have seen much better days, although it still functions as a race bike.

So, flog it as a cheap starter race option, or strip it, sell the components for peanuts and throw the frame & shock in the bin?

Or is there a recycling option for these things?


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 3:05 pm
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Shock isn't proprietary.. it's a standard dimension trunion mount with the benefit of remote actuation. It'll fit on other bikes.

But yes, nothing wrong with selling a starter race bike for those who might have a financial barrier to going as fast as they could.

There are some carbon recycling startups, no further info though.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 3:38 pm
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FB marketplace for the win.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 3:46 pm
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I sold the shock(s) from my old frame, stripped the parts to build a hardtail, and left the frame in the “might be useful to someone” section of our local recycling centre.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 3:50 pm
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42mm tyres and a drop handlebar... It'll be cutting edge again.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 5:03 pm
leegee and leegee reacted
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What size? Smaller sizes always have a market as junior race bikes, and you get to feel good about it too.

Carbon recycling is kind of a question of two halves... Even industrially it's a complicated thing, but also the logistics mean that there's essentially no point in doing it on such a tiny scale as bikes. Transport etc has an environmental cost and even if you reprocessed every single end of life carbon bike part in the country it'd be, what, a couple of tons a year?

Not just a carbon thing this, it applies equally to titanium- higher value than aluminium but there's so little of it in circulation.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 5:22 pm
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There is a company planning on building electric Morris vans and they claim the bodies will be recycled carbon fibre.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 5:48 pm
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It'll be easy and cheap (I'd guess around £150) to repair then it'll have more resale value.

Scott recommends H Q Fibre products in Norfolk, and I've used them twice. He used to do work for Mike Burrows. They're very old school (no website, phone only and usually his wife answers) but they are cheap and good and know Scott frames inside out so will have it fully useable for the rest of the year. Turnaround for my last repair was about a week.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 5:56 pm
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Oh that’s amazing thanks Munrobiker.

So hmm, with that and the linkage + suspension servicing about £400 would get Jnr a FS bike for a season or two if he grows a couple of inches.  Although it may not be needed, the rub marks are about 1.5mm deep only and I’ve covered them with a thick frame protection to stop it getting worse.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 6:13 pm
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Sounds like you're worrying about nothing tbh. Give it to junior and let them flog it.


 
Posted : 06/04/2024 8:02 pm

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