Dengfu carbon road frames

[Flawless86]

Hello all,

I have some general questions regarding carbon frames from dengfu which I hope you guys can answer.

I have just ordered a carbon frame (FM098 version 2) from Dengfu. This will be my first carbon road bike. I have ordered it in UD matt finish due to the stealth-like look which I really like. I do not plan to paint the frame.

I intend to build the bike myself and I will mainly ride it in non-rainy weather on roads.

My questions to you guys are:
1. Is the frame "as is" UV-resistent? Will the integrity of the frame be damaged after many rides out in the sun? I have read somewhere that the resin which keeps the carbon fibers together is UV sensitive. Do you recommend me to apply an UV resistant clear coat on the bike?
2. Do you recommend me to apply tape on areas where to the frame is more prone to be hit by small rocks in order to prolong the lifetime of the frame?

In an email from Dengfu, they write:
"We will paint all in carbon matt finish".

I am not sure if that means that I simply can ride the bike "as is" and not worry about the things I have mentioned.

Please let me know of your experience with carbon frames from dengfu and how they are holding up over time. Thank you.

Ps. I am not a native speaker.

Best regards, Malek.

[tripleDot]

Welcome to ChinerTown and congrats on your new purchase. To answer your questions...

1. Yes, you can ride it as is. Not painted and no clear coat. Most of us here in ChinerTown do that. I am, however, not sure about the UV coating but the resin isn't just gonna melt and let your carbon fiber frame fall apart... at least not for several years. The worst is you probably get some patches that may or may not be damaging to your frame's structure. Do ask DengFu if they have UV coating. If not, it's really your call if you want to have a UV coating.

2. Protective tapes for your frame isn't a must but it sure will minimize some unsightly chips or dent caused by flying debris.

[lRaphl]

I'm on my 5th summer on my FM098. Mine is 3K gloss and I didn't put any protective anywhere. No chips or anything so far on the frame and I don't see the point of adding any protection to it. It's a road bike frame after all.

Btw, it's a great and solid frame. I really like it.

[adbl]

In an email from Dengfu, they write:
"We will paint all in carbon matt finish".

I believe what they mean is all carbon frames have paint on them. I have a DengFu 098 and love the bike! I do have some paint on it but left a lot of the frame plain matt. If you look at the matt finish you will notice it is painted. If you saw a raw UD frame come out of the mold you would never accept it! They can be very ugly looking so they spray a thin coat of matt paint on it to make it look uniform.

I have never had an issue with chipping or fading. What i can say is resin is a material that continues to cure over it's lifetime. There is a thought the UV rays from the sun can speed up the curing process which is a plausible idea. If this phenomenon were to happen it would leave you with a more brittle frame then when it was new. This is very common in the boat building world. Older boats get brittle over time as the resin continues to cure causing the hulls to become brittle and crack/break. That's why fiberglass boats do not last forever. They have a shelf life. The same can be said for composite bikes although the technology is better and therefore longer lasting.

As for my 098 I placed a small strip of heli-tape on the drive side chain stay just for protection. It has some grease on it but that's about it.