Last night I met an individual selling a Trek TTX 9.9. The bike seemed like it was in good shape (not ridden in 8 months, shifting was off), but had two chips in the frame, one more concerning than the other. One is on the inside of the fork, and the other is just rear of the crankset on the left side of the bike (from a riders perspective). How do you distinguish cosmetic blemishes from those that might compromise the integrity of the bike?
We are meeting again tonight so that I can make sure the bike fits (both of use forgot tools), and take a better look at these chips.
Not sure how to post pictures, but I have two, and can email you if you’re willing to take a look.
Chips in the paint or clear coat? Every bike that I have owned has had paint chips after the first year. I would be especially leery of anything that looks like a crack.
More often than not, chips are just unsightly and upsetting.
Unless you see rust from a steel frame, pitted aluminum, bubbles in the surrounding paint, or damage in the carbon fiber, you shouldn’t be too concerned. Find some Testors touch up paint, clean the area, and apply. A clear coat (nail polish if DIY) isn’t even necessary if it’s the enamel kind.
it’s part of normal wear and tear on a used bike. It’s important that you realize a used bike may require you to do some maintenance and repairs and if you tend to take everything to the bike shop, it might get expensive. The chips are generally no big deal, I’d be more interested in the wear items like bearings, chain, cables and housings, wheels, tires, etc and assess how much life is left in each and the cost to replace. A bike that has been ridden with a worn chain and used on a trainer with sweat running down into the headset can be expensive to set right if you take it to a shop. Many of the triathletes I know do an awful job of doing even basic maintenance on their bikes and as a result they ruin a lot of equipment prematurely.