Scratch on carbon frame?

[VeloVT]

Eek. I just took my bike off the trainer for the season and put a road tire on the rear wheel... as I went to go clean up my hands, I leaned the bike up against my glass dining room table. When I came back out to wheel the bike to the hall, as I was moving it from the table, a corner of the table scratched the top tube. The glass table has very sharp corners...

I'm freaking a little. The size of the scratch is small -- maybe half a centimeter long. Depth wise? It's not a major gouge, but it's not extremely superficial either - it may be deeper than just the clearcoat, although I don't think I went down to carbon. Aside from my horror at the cosmetic damage to my beautiful bike , I'm wondering if this is *significant* and if I should do anything about it, or if I should bring it into the shop and have them take a look at it.

It was hard to capture the scratch using a digital camera (at least given my poor photographic skills -- the finish of the bike is very shiny and the weave reflects light strangely, and it's difficult to get close enough and still keep the shot in focus)... But here's a rough idea of what it looks like:





Comments? Reactions? Am I completely over reacting?

[jpbayarea]

to me it's like that first little scratch you get on a new car. It's a bummer but once you suffer through it your bike has been initiated. I know the feeling! It sucks. But, it is the first of many probably as you ride your new beauty through it's trials and tribulations of the world at large. Think of it as an initiation process!

[aicabsolut]

looks like just clear coat damage, but it's hard to tell from the glare. you shouldn't have to worry about scuffs/scratches unless it goes all the way through the paint.

[TxDoc]

Liza,
the photo is a bit out of focus and there's a lot of reflection so I'm not 100% sure - BUT it looks like the scratch is on the clear coat only. Inspect it carefully, and if the carbon is undamaged as it seems you should be perfectly fine.

[MartianDestiny]

Looks like clear coat to me from the pictures. You have to get through the cosmetic layer of carbon before you have issues, so IM(uneducated)O you are fine.

[VeloVT]

Thanks guys. it's a bit deeper than it looks in the pictures... but tonight bf took a look at it and thinks it didn't go beyond the clear coat. Is there something (clear nailpolish? special carbon varnish?) that can be put on it to protect/camoflage it a bit?

[Aint Doody]

When I had a nick on my carbon fiber, I went to the auto store. They were able to match the paint for me. I got a small bottle that's about the size of a fingernail polish bottle. It's not perfect, but at least it's protecting and isn't noticeably different. I'd tried unsuccessfully to get touch-up paint from the manufacturer before I went this route. Good luck!

[aicabsolut]

Clear nail polish works fine.