Professional Inspection

[Skiholmanm]

Considering buying a frame, would it be a good idea to have it professionally inspected before building it. Where might I find an inspector, and how much should I expect them to charge.

Would it be reasonable to ask the manufacturer to take the frame back if it fails inspection (With advance notice). Specifically, I am looking at a Carbonda mountain bike frame (The FM936).

Assuming I go ahead with this plan, would anyone be interested in the results?

[carbonazza]

Do you know Raoul Luescher from Luescher Teknik ?
For instance, he cuts frames in two, to inspect them and report on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY9JUMYI54lLOHpb_zbIedQ
If you want a true inspection, you need to find a real composite material specialist like him in your area.

I would love to know the result of such investigation.
Although this would only be a test on a single frame, not the whole Carbonda production, which seems great from all the reviews for years.

I'm not even sure Carbonda would take a frame back because they discover you a void in the carbon layup or wrinkles somewhere.
It looks many branded frames have them, and they are massively ridden, even raced.

Ask Carbonda what they think !
I would save that money for better components instead

[cst_jpr]

A proper inspection is going to cost as much as the frame itself and may use ultrasound. If you are a real newbie, then the LBS might do a basic inspection, but those will just cover things you will inevitably find out when you build it up.

Chances of the manufacturer taking it back if its not clearly broken yet is low. Luescher said Look will replace their frames under warranty, but thats only after it has failed and he has found a manufacturing defect in the frame. Many other vendors aren't even that good.

Quick google finds stuff like this: https://carbonbikerepair.co.uk/wp/?p=2927
Which is useless for a new frame, as they are looking for cracks and failures that wouldn't have appeared yet.

I've bought a boroscope camera to look inside the frame, which will give you some info, but tells you nothing about internal voids or general poor design (eg too thin in some area).