frame damage: is this bike safe to ride?

[[email protected]]

my wife had her Aluminum bike (2005 Felt f60) mounted in a yakima roof
rack (wheels clamped, the bottom tube of the frame in the "claw"). She
drove into a low-clearance garage at ~5 mph. The bike got pulled out of
the yakima "claw", and the cross bars of the roof rack bent/broke. The
major damage to the bike is that the frame, when it got puled out of
the claw's jaws, got "squeezed in". I'd say the bottom tube is
"squeezed in " by about 20% of its width over an area ~2 inches long. I
can see where the jaws were biting into the tube. I can post pics if
this description is not precise. Also, the front wheel needs truing.
Otherwise, the bike looks fine (the frame does not look bent, the carob
fork is intact). She insists that she will keep riding the bike as it
is. Can she? Or is not not safe b/c of other potential damage we
cannot see? If not, can te frame be repaired/is it worth repairing?

 

[Werehatrack]

On 26 Nov 2006 21:09:25 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

>my wife had her Aluminum bike (2005 Felt f60) mounted in a yakima roof
>rack (wheels clamped, the bottom tube of the frame in the "claw"). She
>drove into a low-clearance garage at ~5 mph. The bike got pulled out of
>the yakima "claw", and the cross bars of the roof rack bent/broke.

Yakima steel bars? That takes a lot of force. Bad news.

>The
>major damage to the bike is that the frame, when it got puled out of
>the claw's jaws, got "squeezed in". I'd say the bottom tube is
>"squeezed in " by about 20% of its width over an area ~2 inches long. I
>can see where the jaws were biting into the tube. I can post pics if
>this description is not precise. Also, the front wheel needs truing.
>Otherwise, the bike looks fine (the frame does not look bent, the carob
>fork is intact). She insists that she will keep riding the bike as it
>is. Can she? Or is not not safe b/c of other potential damage we
>cannot see? If not, can te frame be repaired/is it worth repairing?

Just my opinion here...

The description of the impact doesn't say whether the point on the
bike that took the hit was on the wheel or above it on the bars. The
wheel might have been knocked out of true (read: bent) regardless of
the bike/obstacle contact point. If the front wheel took the hit, the
fork has a strong likelihood of having been overstressed rearward, and
should be considered suspect even if it looks good. As for the frame,
if the downtube remains straight despite its deformation (which isn't
a given; I'd expect it to be somewhat curved), it is conceivable that
the working of the material has not significantly weakend it...but
aluminum is finicky stuff. If you can verify that the downtube is
still straight, and she wants to continue to ride the bike, I would
strongly recommend that you inspect the frame for cracking in several
areas on a frequent and very regular basis; check the area of the
deformation, check both ends of the downtube, check the headtube,
check the BB end of the seat tube, and check the headtube end of the
top tube. These are the areas in which I would expect failure to
occur if the shape of the main triangle has been changed...which, if
the downtube is bent, it has been.

There is also a good possibility that the carbon seat stays have been
weakened. Unfortunately, carbon components are often close to
impossible to inspect for damage effectively.

If the downtube is not straight, I say scrap the frame and fork; I do
not believe that there is a safe path that does not include this given
a bent downtube. If the downtube is straight, you *might* be safe
leaving the bike in service, but I'd still start looking for a
replacement frame and fork if this was mine.

Others will have their own recommendations. Weigh them all and make
your own decision.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[* * Chas]

"Werehatrack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 26 Nov 2006 21:09:25 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>
> >my wife had her Aluminum bike (2005 Felt f60) mounted in a yakima
roof
> >rack (wheels clamped, the bottom tube of the frame in the "claw").
She
> >drove into a low-clearance garage at ~5 mph. The bike got pulled out
of
> >the yakima "claw", and the cross bars of the roof rack bent/broke.
>
> Yakima steel bars? That takes a lot of force. Bad news.
>
> >The
> >major damage to the bike is that the frame, when it got puled out of
> >the claw's jaws, got "squeezed in". I'd say the bottom tube is
> >"squeezed in " by about 20% of its width over an area ~2 inches long.
I
> >can see where the jaws were biting into the tube. I can post pics if
> >this description is not precise. Also, the front wheel needs truing.
> >Otherwise, the bike looks fine (the frame does not look bent, the
carob
> >fork is intact). She insists that she will keep riding the bike as it
> >is. Can she? Or is not not safe b/c of other potential damage we
> >cannot see? If not, can te frame be repaired/is it worth repairing?
>
> Just my opinion here...
>
> The description of the impact doesn't say whether the point on the
> bike that took the hit was on the wheel or above it on the bars. The
> wheel might have been knocked out of true (read: bent) regardless of
> the bike/obstacle contact point. If the front wheel took the hit, the
> fork has a strong likelihood of having been overstressed rearward, and
> should be considered suspect even if it looks good. As for the frame,
> if the downtube remains straight despite its deformation (which isn't
> a given; I'd expect it to be somewhat curved), it is conceivable that
> the working of the material has not significantly weakend it...but
> aluminum is finicky stuff. If you can verify that the downtube is
> still straight, and she wants to continue to ride the bike, I would
> strongly recommend that you inspect the frame for cracking in several
> areas on a frequent and very regular basis; check the area of the
> deformation, check both ends of the downtube, check the headtube,
> check the BB end of the seat tube, and check the headtube end of the
> top tube. These are the areas in which I would expect failure to
> occur if the shape of the main triangle has been changed...which, if
> the downtube is bent, it has been.
>
> There is also a good possibility that the carbon seat stays have been
> weakened. Unfortunately, carbon components are often close to
> impossible to inspect for damage effectively.
>
> If the downtube is not straight, I say scrap the frame and fork; I do
> not believe that there is a safe path that does not include this given
> a bent downtube. If the downtube is straight, you *might* be safe
> leaving the bike in service, but I'd still start looking for a
> replacement frame and fork if this was mine.
>
> Others will have their own recommendations. Weigh them all and make
> your own decision.
> --

I agree with you completely. I was reading along thinking - eh, a 100
Lb. woman might not stress the frame very much until I got to the carbon
fiber part.

How much does "the little woman" weigh. A friend's wife is about 6'4"
200 Lbs no fat. She rides a 64cm frame.

Chas.

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

[email protected] wrote:
> my wife had her Aluminum bike (2005 Felt f60) mounted in a yakima roof
> rack (wheels clamped, the bottom tube of the frame in the "claw"). She
> drove into a low-clearance garage at ~5 mph. The bike got pulled out of
> the yakima "claw", and the cross bars of the roof rack bent/broke. The
> major damage to the bike is that the frame, when it got puled out of
> the claw's jaws, got "squeezed in". I'd say the bottom tube is
> "squeezed in " by about 20% of its width over an area ~2 inches long. I
> can see where the jaws were biting into the tube. I can post pics if
> this description is not precise. Also, the front wheel needs truing.
> Otherwise, the bike looks fine (the frame does not look bent, the carob
> fork is intact). She insists that she will keep riding the bike as it
> is. Can she? Or is not not safe b/c of other potential damage we
> cannot see? If not, can te frame be repaired/is it worth repairing?

Probably fine as long as there are no cracks in the frame and the frame
is still straight. Lotsa aluminum tubes are shaped this way and that,
bulged, shaped, all sorts of things that doesn't do anything to it.

 

[[email protected]]

> Probably fine as long as there are no cracks in the frame and the frame
> is still straight. Lotsa aluminum tubes are shaped this way and that,
> bulged, shaped, all sorts of things that doesn't do anything to it.

My sife is 5'6" and she is 120 lbs.

The frame LOOKS straight, by eye.

I'll get a quote on that FELT frame.

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> my wife had her Aluminum bike (2005 Felt f60) mounted in a yakima roof
> rack (wheels clamped, the bottom tube of the frame in the "claw"). She
> drove into a low-clearance garage at ~5 mph. The bike got pulled out of
> the yakima "claw", and the cross bars of the roof rack bent/broke. The
> major damage to the bike is that the frame, when it got puled out of
> the claw's jaws, got "squeezed in". I'd say the bottom tube is
> "squeezed in " by about 20% of its width over an area ~2 inches long. I
> can see where the jaws were biting into the tube. I can post pics if
> this description is not precise. Also, the front wheel needs truing.
> Otherwise, the bike looks fine (the frame does not look bent, the carob
> fork is intact). She insists that she will keep riding the bike as it
> is. Can she? Or is not not safe b/c of other potential damage we
> cannot see? If not, can te frame be repaired/is it worth repairing?

Come on, we know it was you! Fess up!

;-)

Joseph

 

[[email protected]]

> Come on, we know it was you! Fess up!
>
> ;-)
>
> Joseph

I know, I should've posted that is was me on the first place. Then
you'd think I weigh 120 lbs (I would not mention the 5'6" part).

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> > Come on, we know it was you! Fess up!
> >
> > ;-)
> >
> > Joseph
>
> I know, I should've posted that is was me on the first place. Then
> you'd think I weigh 120 lbs (I would not mention the 5'6" part).

I buy that it was her bike, it's who ruined it that is the issue!

I kind of agree with some of the others. If it looks good and you can
find no cracks, since she is so light, go ahead and ride. I'd check it
quite thouroghly, and again after a few rides. But if it seems like it
really is only a dented down-tube, I wouldn't worry about it.

Joseph

 

[Donga]

[email protected] wrote:
> my wife had her Aluminum bike (2005 Felt f60) mounted in a yakima roof
> rack (wheels clamped, the bottom tube of the frame in the "claw"). She
> drove into a low-clearance garage at ~5 mph. The bike got pulled out of
> the yakima "claw", and the cross bars of the roof rack bent/broke. The
> major damage to the bike is that the frame, when it got puled out of
> the claw's jaws, got "squeezed in". I'd say the bottom tube is
> "squeezed in " by about 20% of its width over an area ~2 inches long. I
> can see where the jaws were biting into the tube. I can post pics if
> this description is not precise. Also, the front wheel needs truing.
> Otherwise, the bike looks fine (the frame does not look bent, the carob
> fork is intact). She insists that she will keep riding the bike as it
> is. Can she? Or is not not safe b/c of other potential damage we
> cannot see? If not, can te frame be repaired/is it worth repairing?

Don't feel bad - I've done that, he's done that, so has he, and he, and
he, and she and all of them. Motto - carry your bike inside the car and
put your kids on the roof.

Donga