| Subject: | RE: dented top tube safety? |
| Date: | 12/30/2004 04:48 AM |
| From: | Kirk Willett |
|
Chris, I would definitely have an experienced mechanic inspect the dent and do an alignment check. Having said that, I have had teammates and team-riders race on some pretty ugly top-tube dents which sound similar to what you have described, and finish the season on those frames if the alignment was not significantly out of whack. Crooked aluminum frames were retired. Of course, we were privileged to have professional mechanics... So, there is a reasonable chance the frame is still OK, at least in the short-term, but I'd have it looked at! Good luck, Kirk Chris Brandt wrote: Hello out there, I'm inquiring for my little (bigger) brother who crashed on Christmas eve while running over a weiner dog, folding his front wheel and denting his top tube w/ his handlebar. Bike is an '03 Specialized S-Works 58cm. Dent is in middle left side of top tube, it probably is dented in 1/2 an inch or so. Width of dent is probably 2" or so. No visible cracks, except for paint in the immediate dent area. Looking down the top tube from the rear along the right (non-dented) side, it appears to be straight still. He thought it felt a little squirrelly, but I noticed his headset was loose and I tightened that. I'm just looking for input from the OBRA crowd who have experienced this situation before... how do you determine when the frame is dangerous, etc? I imagine this is a pretty common type of dent from crashing. If it were my frame, I'd replace it. He's putting in the 400 mile weeks down in LA and I'd personally prefer that he wasn't doing that on an unsafe bike. Thanks for your ideas and happy holidays! Chris Brandt |
