Jordan Weininger of East Bench Composites Talks Carbon Bike Repair

By Steven L. Sheffield

When I worked at A Bicycle Odyssey, in Sausalito, California back in the mid-to-late-1990s, building bikes out of carbon fiber was still a relatively new phenomenon; most of the bikes we sold were custombuilt steel, aluminium, or titanium. Some of us were wary of carbon fiber because it was perceived as being brittle and unrepairable. Over time, of course, engineers and builders at bicycle manufacturers become more experienced with the material, which has now effectively replaced all of the metals previously used on high-end bicycles.

Even so, the fact remained that when carbon fiber fails, it tends to fail catastrophically. As such, even small dings must be investigated to make sure there are no cracks or other underlying damage which could cause a total frame failure. Until recently, damaged frames were generally written off as a total loss that needed to be replaced. However, in the past few years more companies are opening with their primary business being the repair of carbon fiber bicycle frames. One such company is East Bench Composites, based in Ogden, Utah, which was founded in late 2020 by Jordan Weininger. Cycling West recently sat down with Jordan to learn more about his business.

SLS: Jordan, tell us a little bit about yourself; your background and education, and how you came to the sport of cycling.

JW: My first real introduction to the cycling world was in college at Clemson University, when my roommates and I bombed through the woods of upstate South Carolina on Gary Fisher hardtails, with zero knowledge of the sport or cycling culture. We were just having fun (in those few moments we were not going OTB). Eventually, we joined the university’s club cycling team, and I also got a job at Clemson University’s outdoor program managing their bike shop, and leading outdoor trips for other students. Soon I was the kid reading more pinkbike tech articles than anything related to school, but still interested in it from a mechanical engineering perspective.

Professionally, my first introduction to the cycling industry was a job with SR-56; the product development arm for Crankbrothers, Fizik, and Selle Royal, which at the time was based in Ogden, Utah.

SLS: How did you start to work with carbon fiber and other composite materials?

JW: At SR-56, I was a Junior engineer on the Crankbrothers Synthesis carbon wheel line, and I was learning, but just too slowly. Eventually I moved on to a position in the Advanced Composites Office on Hill Air Force Base. With the resources of the aerospace/defense industry, I was able to learn the skills required to inspect damage, design structural repairs, and carry out composite repairs for structural components on various airframes.

SLS: What made you decide to apply your engineering skills and knowledge to bicycles, rather than continuing to work with the Air Force on planes?

JW: Mainly it was for environmental reasons. Once I learned how taxing carbon development is on the environment, I just couldn’t stay a part of that system. All the red tape involved in aerospace tested my patience, and my values of conservation and efficiency just didn’t align with the Air Force. I always planned to take what I learned back to the outdoor industry eventually, in one form or another.

Meanwhile, I noticed other major cycling communities have a local carbon repair shop: California has Calfee, Portland has Ruckus, and Denver has Broken Carbon. Utah has a HUGE cycling community that I am proud to be a part of. But before EBC, there was no professional local carbon repair company. Which is crazy to me!

I realized that based on my background, I was in a unique position to offer the service I wanted to see in our community. With the help of my friend Clay Ahlf, a long time Enve employee, we got to work starting what has become EBC.

SLS: How is what East Bench Composites does different from other carbon fiber repair companies, such as Ruckus Composites or Calfee?

JW: First of all, I have a ton of respect for Calfee and Ruckus; Their repairs look great, and they have been doing this for a while.

While there are many ways to fix a bike, most other carbon repair companies will use the same layup or a wrap for the similar repairs; (i.e., all mountain bike seat stays get the same layup). This neglects considerations for geometry, and can create large stress concentrations at or near the repair area. For example, a 1” diameter downtube and a 3” diameter downtube require quite different layups to achieve the same stiffness.

By contrast, our repairs use the Scarf repair method taught in the aerospace industry. This method removes the minimal amount of original material necessary, and orients the fibers of each layer to match the original design. This is the best way to replicate the strength and stiffness that the bike manufacturer intended. At East Bench Composites, each bike has a specific layup because the bike was designed to fulfill a specific purpose.

Additionally, we only use prepreg carbon fiber with a toughened epoxy resin system. This means the carbon and epoxy are perfectly mixed from the factory at the correct ratio. Some companies use wet layups for their repairs, and while this requires less specialized equipment and is a cheaper option, it is more wasteful when it comes to processing materials, and the resulting material is often much weaker than a prepreg composite since it is very difficult to get a perfect carbon/resin ratio every time.

SLS: Can you walk us through your process of doing a repair?

JW: The main steps involved in a repair are:

1. Ultrasound inspection to determine the extent of the damage (unless the member is clearly broken all the way through). Sometimes damage is just superficial and no carbon repair is necessary.

2. Sanding away the damaged plies: Carefully sand away the damaged plies of carbon and read the layup. This means determining exactly how many plies, their order, and fiber orientation with a mag-

process and/or unrepairable frames? Is there a way to recycle carbon fiber, or to dispose of it in an environmentally sound manner?

JW: I started East Bench Composites to reduce waste in the cycling industry. The current carbon fiber industry is not environmentally sustainable at all. While carbon fiber can be downcycled into lower grade materials, such as milled fiber tire levers and 3D printing filaments, it just isn’t the same as recycling. It is extremely rough on the environment to produce carbon fiber bikes (or anything else) and they cannot be recycled, period. So, when a bike gets warrantied, it goes to the dump. With the rate the sport is growing, it is entirely unsustainable for people or manufacturers to simply throw away cracked carbon frames.

We want to give people another option. Instead of throwing out damaged frames, we are taking products that are effectively waste and repairing them correctly, therefore drastically minimizing the resources it takes to get riders back on a bike. We have dialed in our process to use minimal processing materials; for an entire repair the waste created is only about the volume of a baseball. When done right, carbon repair is a perfectly safe, sustainable option.

SLS: I understand that in addition to doing repairs on bikes belonging to individual cyclists, EBC is also acquiring broken frames, repairing them, and then reselling the frames. Can you tell us about that program? Are there any particular manufacturers that you’re working with?

nifying glass. It takes practice, but when we are doing 4 bikes a week, it becomes second nature.

3. Ply tracing and cutting: Once the layup is determined, the outline of each ply is traced and cut it out in the proper orientation. Prepreg carbon fiber with a toughened epoxy resin system is used, with the resin already mixed perfectly; no wet layups.

4. Layup: Each 0.005” thick carbon ply is placed onto the bike in the correct order and orientation. 0.1” of contact is needed for each ply to the matching ply on the bike to ensure proper load transfer from the bike to the patch.

5. Curing: The full patch gets a proprietary combination of release agents, heat conductors, and high CTE uncured rubber added for processing, and is then vacuum bagged for compaction. Then, the repair area is heated at a specific rate to a specific temperature for curing; no need to fully disassemble the bike.

6. Cure removal and finishing: If there is any doubt in the repair, the Ultrasound is brought out once more to inspect the cured repair. The repair is then sanded smooth, and finished with an automotive grade clear coat for ultimate protection. Customers can also pay for a singlecolor paint match.

SLS: I know that building an environmentally sustainable business is part of EBC’s core beliefs, but also that working with carbon fiber is not greenest industry one can be in. How does EBC help minimize their impact on the environment with regards to waste from the repair

JW: We are stoked to formally announce our partnership with Trips for Kids. Trips For Kids national non-profit organization works to make bicycles more accessible to kids in communities across the country. Funding this mission relies on sponsors, volunteers, and donations, including those from the bicycle shipping company BikeFlights.

Here is how it works:

Occasionally, bikes – especially those that have been inadequately packed – get damaged in shipping. After a damage claim is approved and paid, damaged bikes are often donated to Trips for Kids. If these bikes are newer and have repairable carbon damage, East Bench Composites will purchase the bikes from Trips for Kids and repair them for resale. This means that a nonprofit gets the income they need to help get more kids on bikes, and the frames stay out of the landfill and get a second lease on life. It’s a winwin, and we are immensely proud of this relationship.

SLS: Are these frames repainted and sold without the original manufacturer’s branding (or with EBC branding), or are they sold as a used & repaired brand-name/model?

JW: Yes, these bikes are being sold as a repaired, used frame with the company’s branding. We aren’t trying to hide the fact that this is a repaired carbon bike, because carbon is rad. We are proud of the fact that this bike was repaired correctly and can be safely ridden indefinitely.

SLS: Does EBC repair other items, such as carbon wheels, forks, or cockpit components (handlebars/ stems/seatposts), or do you strictly work with frames?

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Continued from page 3 to see the Jacobite train, aka the Hogwarts Express, cross the viaduct in Glenfinnan, and we got there just in time to hike up to an overlook and watch it come across, puffing steam the whole way. It was easy to imagine Harry, Ron, and Hermione on their way to become wizards and witches. It was well worth the 30-ish mile detour on a scenic road along the edge of Loch Eil. We had a lot of must-dos on our list, so on we went.

The terrain got steeper, if that was even possible, and some questionable navigating by yours truly made for a very long day, in fact well past dark, again. Add in some cold rain and wind, and by the time we reached Fort William, we were pretty well soaked, frozen, and more than ready for a hotel with a hot shower. Camping was not high on the list at that point. Fortunately, the first place we stopped had a room, very reasonably priced for a swanky place, and we settled in for some recovery time so we could continue on the next day.

Belinda and I are somewhat notorious for being slow movers in the morning, but we got going after a lot of breakfast (maybe too much breakfast?) and hit the road in good spirits and much better riding conditions. Our initial plan had been to do an eighty plus mile day to make up some lost time, with a brief stop in Glencoe before making our way to Oban for some muchneeded whisky. The previous couple of days had taken their toll on our bodies, however, so we decided to stay in Glencoe, and I’m so glad we did. We stayed at the Red Squirrel Campground (amazing) and had a stellar evening at the Clachaig Inn just a short walk up the road. If you find yourself in Glencoe, I highly recommend a visit to this Inn/Pub. The exposed wood beams, stone floor, and feeling of cozy age are everything I could ever imagine in a Scottish pub. I introduced Belinda to the wonder that is haggis, played some pool, and sampled some delicious local whiskey while enjoying the ambiance. Belinda also discovered that she absolutely loves steak pie.

The ride out of Glencoe heading south is the stuff this trip was made for. A long, deep valley surrounded on both sides with looming mountains, lush green contrasted with low hanging clouds and fog, with waterfalls cascading down everywhere. It’s no wonder they chose to film Braveheart and The Highlander there. To top it off, as I rode up the long climb out of the valley, I began to hear bagpipes. Faint at first, but louder as I went on. Much to my surprise and profound joy, there, on the side of the road at a parking area, was a gentleman in full kilt and regalia, playing his bagpipes with the sound cascading down the valley. As a huge fan of bagpipe music, it made my day/week/life to come across this scene. Naturally I had to stop and hang out for a bit and chat.

Belinda was already far up the road ahead of me, and this delay dropped me even farther behind, so I was getting a little worried when I wasn’t catching up to her. Fortunately, she waited for me at the Glencoe Resort, a mountain biking and skiing mecca. We took a short detour to ride a lift to the top and watch the riders training for the Great Britain Downhill Mountain Bike Championship that was to take place in two days’ time. I was sorely tempted to rent a mountain bike and take a few runs down the course myself, but I know my luck (and skill level) and probably would have broken something vital.

As we made our way toward Dunoon, we passed (and stopped at) numerous castles, stone bridges, and quaint villages and the Rest and Be Thankful Viewpoint. It’s a tough slog getting up there, but worth it. I can never get tired of any of those. In Dunoon we stopped briefly at the house I lived in as a child, went by my old school, and I generally bored Belinda to tears with stories from my preteen childhood. As we rode through my old neighborhood, I had flashbacks to my first “racing” days on a bike. My friends and I had a loop where we would race NASCAR style, complete with pit stops and rider changes. I was fast(ish) once upon a time.

My father passed away a few years ago, and I took this opportunity to scatter some of his ashes in Holy Loch where he had been stationed for the Navy many years ago. It was a surprisingly challenging moment for me emotionally, but good. I didn’t expect it to be that hard. I clambered out on the rocks during low tide, beneath the ruins of the old pier that was the access point to the Navy ships out in the loch and took a few moments to recall my dad and record a video for my daughter. By the time we arrived in downtown Dunoon, the rain had begun again in earnest and the temperature was dropping rapidly, so we elected to stay there in a warm hotel rather than continue on. Glasgow has been there for a long time, one more day probably wouldn’t make a difference.

The ride through Glasgow was rife with navigational challenges, technical malfunctions, and torrential rain. Those all may have been related. Glasgow roads and traffic were difficult to navigate, and there was a fair bit of profanity (only from me) as we struggled through wrong turns and going around in circles, but we made it through and enjoyed the Caledonian Canal all the way to see the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies, both modern marvels and major bucket list items. It’s odd that I’m an enormous geek about all things medieval, but I was super excited to see these two sites from far more recent history. The Falkirk Wheel is an engineering marvel connecting two canals, and the Kelpies are two enormous horse head sculptures. From there it was a short jaunt into Edinburgh for our planned rest day, and that’s where things started to go downhill.

Our rest day itself wasn’t the issue. We spent the day walking the Royal Mile, touring Edinburgh Castle, buying yet another sword, and generally being the tourists we were supposed to be. We had lunch at the World’s End Pub and marveled at how a city could still look pretty much the same today as it did four hundred years ago.

The next day, we decided to take a train to Stirling rather than backtrack the forty miles we had just ridden, and while waiting in the station, we grabbed a couple of sandwiches from a coffee shop. I will never eat a Chicken Caesar sandwich with bacon again. The food poisoning that hit me later in the day was epic. Long story short, we toured Stirling Castle (amazing), and I spent the next three days holed up in bed and breakfasts wishing I was dead. I lost twelve pounds in those three days, and while I’m okay with the weight loss, it was definitely not my preferred method. Belinda was a trooper, nursing me back to some semblance of health, and somehow didn’t smother me to death with a pillow in my copious sleep. I guess a small silver lining was seeing the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands in Carrbridge (also home of the World Porridge Championship) that we otherwise would not have seen.

Once I was capable, we continued on back to Inverness with stops at the Tomatin Distillery, Clava Cairns, and Culloden Battlefield. It was an easy day of riding through rolling farmland to finish the trip, and we took our time with lots of stops for rest and photos. Neither of us was ready to be done. Scotland is so rich in fascinating history that it would be impossible to see all the sights in a lifetime. I guess we’ll just have to go back sometime.

Part of the reason for this trip was to see just how much things were either the same or different from my childhood memories. In a country known for its history going back over a thousand years, I didn’t expect a lot of significant change, and was surprised that my memory was accurate after forty plus years. I recognized buildings and landmarks, street names and locations without any problem at all. It made me happy to think about things staying the same in such a rapidly changing world.

While this trip deviated from all the planning I had done, I wouldn’t change anything. Well, maybe the food poisoning. Definitely would not recommend. In many years of bicycle touring, I have finally learned that you can’t, and shouldn’t, plan for everything. It’s the nature of the beast that things will wander off course, and sometimes it will be awful, but usually it will be epically better. I got to cycle around a gorgeous country with an amazing and beautiful woman (and she didn’t kill me, again), and see some of the most stunning landscapes on the planet. Would I do it again? Absolutely and in a heartbeat. But my return to Scotland will have to wait. This is a great big world with lots to see by bicycle, and while I know I won’t get to it all, I certainly want to try.

If you go:

• Some thoughts on routes. I planned with RidewithGPS. It’s a great tool for finding bike friendly roads, but don’t trust it blindly. It will lead you through some truly questionable areas and pathways, including down staircases and literally through buildings. Cross referencing with Google Maps Streetview is highly recommended.

• The Great Glen Way is a popular route between Fort William and Inverness and is well worth it for the scenery, but it is tough, and a lot of it is more suited to mountain bikes rather than fully loaded touring bikes. There are several versions of the trail and finding the right path for your needs and equipment can be challenging.

• Scotland has multiple routes on their National Bike Network that are for the most part very well signed and easy to find. They keep you off of main roads and onto lesser used, smaller roads and bike paths. Look for the little blue numbered signs or in the case of the Great Glen Way, thistle signposts.

• Although many of the roads are tiny, one lane paths, we found Scottish drivers to be amazingly patient and considerate. Many times, they would wait for miles for a safe place to pass, even when we were crawling up steep climbs. Yes, they drive on the wrong side of the road, but they can be forgiven.

• Speaking of riding on the wrong side of the road. There’s a sharp learning curve there when looking for oncoming traffic. Be careful. Cars are not always where your brain tells you they should be.

• Camping in Scotland is easy and beautiful. Their land use code allows camping virtually anywhere that is not obviously fenced and posted. Just leave no trace or leave it cleaner than you found it. Paid campgrounds are numerous and not hard to find, most for about twenty dollars per night. Hotels/bed and breakfasts are reasonably priced and easy to book online. We took advantage of that fact more than we had planned due to illness, and glad we did. Food poisoning and a tent would have been a very bad combination.

• We averaged around 50-55 miles per day. In past tours, and this one, I have found this to be a pretty good distance to allow plenty of time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. Remember it’s not about get- ting from point A to point B. It’s about seeing all the sights along the way, and if that means stopping for a couple of hours to crawl around some castle ruins, all the better. At that distance per day, there’s plenty of time for sightseeing.

• Be flexible. I tend to over plan because I like to know what’s coming. The best laid plans invariably change, whether it’s due to weather or a wrong turn or there’s somewhere you just want to see more of. Roll with it and enjoy.

• Embrace the local food. It’s fantastic. It may have funny names like haggis or spotted dick, but give it a whirl. You won’t regret it. Unless it’s a cold sandwich from a train station.