Dented Aluminum frame

A few weeks ago my Alu/Scandium frame received a nice ding on the seat stay thanks to someone sprinting with his head down. My first instinct was that the frame was toast, but I'm getting conflicting messages from mechanics I trust about whether or not the frame is rideable. One opinion runs if it's not actually cracked, ride it. The other that I risk catastrophic failure, shards of metal in the legs, and a nice ride in an ambulance.

Anyone have any experience with scandium frames denting? Does it matter where on the frame the dent is?

tia.

can you post a pic?

I crashed a Klein once and the handlebars swung around, causing the brake to dent the down tube. I put about 50K miles on the frame after that.

__________________
"You are like the wind and I like the lion. You form the tempest. The sand stings my eyes and the ground is parched. I roar in defiance but you do not hear. But between us there is a difference. I, like the lion, must remain in my place. While you like the wind will never know yours." -- Mulay Hamid El Raisuli, Lord of the Riff, Sultan to the Berbers, Last of the Barbary Pirates

[img]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/CHRIST%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/img]It's attached -- sorry I couldn't figure out how to paste it into the message body.

thanks.

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Doesn't look that bad as it is not cracked and it is on a seat stay. I would go ahead and ride it unless I could get the other guy to pony up for a new frame .

The deep nicks can lead to cracks forming especially where there is vibration and cyclic loading like pedaling. Keep an eye on that thing; the more cycles the greater the likelihood of cracks.

If it didn't look so ghetto I would wrap that part of the frame in a few layers of fiberglass/epoxy.