Bent Frame...What do I do?

This afternoon, my friends and I were riding casually and they accidentally drove my old schwinn tandem bike into a curb. The frame bent and is kinked in 2 big places behind the headset on the top tube and down tube. The frame was bent enough that the wheel went past the frame, so we pulled it back until it was in good enough shape to ride back home. Any suggestions on how to fix the kinks and small dents, plus touch up the paint? I was absolutely astounded that the frame bent, but the wheel is in perfect condition. Also it is absurd because they only hit the curb going about 5mph.

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"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place." -Lance Armstrong

If that was the STANDARD Schwinn tandem with American cranks and NOT a Paramount, then the frame isn't safe to ride with TWO people on it ... and, undoubtedly has a lot of internal rusting because you should not have been able to bend it by simply running into a curb UNLESS you were going over 20mph ... the fork should probably have been damaged before the frame's tubes bent.

If it is a Paramount, then you need to have a frame builder check-and-possibly replace the tubes.

I'm not sure about rust, it was always stored inside in a garage, probably about 20 years old, not a paramount...The frame and front wheel have no damage...we had to get home somehow so we put the frame over a fire hydrant and pulled....which probably harmed the frame more, but at this point I think it is done...unfortunately I am a high school student still living at home, and I will have to explain this to my dad somehow...he probably won't believe the truth...any ideas?

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"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place." -Lance Armstrong

Rust happens ...

Regardless, the handling on those meant-for-the-"boardwalk" type tandems is probably a bit squirrelly at speeds above 15mph UNLESS you have experienced tandem riders on the bike ... heck, if you have two inexperienced "tandem" riders on any tandem, I'm sure the handling can become squirrelly if the stoker doesn't lean as much as the captain expects ...

Just tell your father that you & your buddy were riding the bike ... took a turn too quickly ... and, had the mishap.

He'll probably just be glad that neither of you were hurt ... NO GUARANTEES on his reaction!

BTW. Other than possible "sentimental" value, those old Schwinn tandems don't have significant resale value -- heavy & oversized AND consequently difficult to ship ... so, demand is only as much as someone who is local to you would be willing to pay (i.e., under $100). Similarly, even a GOOD used tandem has a much lower resale value than you might think compared to a "half-bike" (as tandem riders refer to single rider bikes) which cost the same when new.

So, the trashed Schwinn tandem probably has almost as much value as "parts" for someone who is having a "rosebud" moment and restoring another Schwinn (tandem OR half-bike) if the rest of the components are clean.

I think that anytime a frame is bent to the degree that you are describing it, you take a risk when you ride it again. It does not take much to bend a bicycle frame....just one hit at jsut the right angle ought to do it. You are risking your life and your passenger's life everytime you take it out from this point forward. Please understand that I am not a metallurgist, but I'd imagine that the slightest ding has to contribute to metal fatigue. In your case, imagine bending a paper clip out of shape and then bending it back.....it never really goes back to its original shape, and if you bend it to a particular point and then bend it back, it sometimes just snaps in half on you. Does that make sense? Sorry friend, I think it is time to find a new bike.

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Unfortunately, that makes perfect sense, and when we began trying to bend it back to its original angle, a small tear in the bottom appeared. So I think you are all correct, I need to retire that bike and buy a new one. I still have not told my dad about this accident, but he will not believe the truth even if I tell him exactly what happened. What would you want to hear if somebody just ruined your bike? It is probably 20 years old, and has not been ridden for at least 10 years. It was just something taking up space in the garage until my friends and I took advantage of that unique vehicle.

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"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place." -Lance Armstrong

Your dad may or may not believe you and he may or may not be angry. You know your dad better than I do. However, I'm the dad of two kids, one a teenager, one a former teenager. Frankly, if they broke a 20 year old bike that wasn't being used, I would maybe be a little irritated if I thought they were careless (which I think is the truth), but I'd also be glad they were messing around with the bike because that's a good thing.

BUT - you and your friends should do the right thing and replace, and it will cost very little money. If you can find one of those old Schwinn or Huffy tandems in ridable shape, I'd bet you could get it for $100 or less. I'd insist that my friends who actually crashed it help replace it, and you should also because it was your responsibility too. If you split the cost three ways, you can do the right thing with very little pain, and I'd bet your dad will be pleased that you man up and make the offer.

Actually, you can probably get a servicable new single speed tandem on line for around $2-300. Search ebay sellers and amazon.com You can probably find one with free shipping. You might have to pay $50 or so additional to have a shop put it together for you if you don't have that skill.

Your opening line to your dad should be: we (buddies and you) owe you a new bike, Dad....

If the bike did sit around, unused for 10 years, your father might also be happy that he has a reason to dispose of it now. At least that would be my father's reaction. Still make the offer to replace it, but don't buy one until he says that this is the course of action that he wants you to take. He might just tell you to forget about it, but then again, he might want you to compensate him at the fair market value.

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