Crash replacement opinions

[champ]

So Im rolling down a hill at the end of a ride last week going about 30 mph and suddenly an suv in in front of me, stopped. I locked up the brakes and skidded almost 90ft (according the police) but couldnt stop in time and t-boned the car causing some significant damage to the car. My bike, on the other hand, doesnt LOOK bad aside from the flat-spotted rear tire and an out-of true front wheel. I would guess I hit the car around 22 mph and just cant believe the bike is either not damaged or the damage isnt obvious. The bike has an an aluminum frame and bars and took most of the hit on the front wheel and ergo shifters (scratched up) although the seatpost was knocked a bit sideways after hitting me in the back. The driver was ticketed and her insurance will cover the damage but Im having trouble getting a shop to recommend replacing anything other than the rear tire. I am not confident riding the bike given the speed of the collision and the bike now makes creaking sounds that it did not before. The dealer says the frames are no longer made and grudgingly recommends replacing the fork although no replacement forks are available. So that leaves a crash replacement of the newer model of the frame as the only option. Or do nothing and trust its all okay.

So the question is at what point would you feel it was safe to not replace the frame, etc? I dont have access to an x-ray machine to check the frame and all so letting this slide amounts to some leap of faith, imo. Any similar experiences to mine out there and what did you do?

[pdmtong]

The bike has an an aluminum frame and bars

glad you are not hurt. as for the bike, if it was me, it's time for a new f/f. unless youhave a great deal of sentimentality or can live with a gnawing suspicion that will hamper you going 45mph, that accident just forced your hand into 2011.

[AngryScientist]

if you hit the front wheel that hard, i would say, at a minimum, ditch the fork. i cant imagine any shop in their right mind would hesitate to give you an assessment that the front fork should be replaced.

does your shop have the capability to check the frame alignment? i would think that's a must, make sure the frame is straight. if it is, i would say you're probably OK with an alu frame, but if it's bent at all, shouldnt be a hard sell to total the whole frame.

if it were me, i'd probably ditch the bars too, even if you dont get them paid for, bars are cheap, teeth are not.

[Pete Serotta]

DO not know the frame make or where you are located BUT

have the frame put on an alignment table and also see if fork is bent or mis aligned?.

Lastly, if there a buckle / bump in top tube or down tube? That is how I would see if a tube is bent or severely stressed

the Rim, a good dealer can tell if wheel can be trued or rim replaced/


Lastly. many insurance companies place a "value" on AGE and thus things get questionable -- unless they want you to sign off on injury and/or libel suit.


Glad you are not seriously hurt. PETE

[champ]

The fork is carbon and the shop did recommend replacing the fork but, perhaps understandably, would not go on record saying to replace the entire frame. The problem really is that the particular frame isnt made anymore nor are replacement forks so the only options are a new frame or take my chances.. and they wont put that on paper for me even though the shop guys said they would not feel safe riding a crashed bike. And, unfortunately they dont have an alignment table or gauges to check alignment so thats not an option. The frame is a recent Cannondale and although I have a few of them now I ride this one the most so I need a replacement but Im not dishing out $1k out of pocket to replace it. I understand the shop is in a hard place recommending a full replacement without crushed tubes and all but given the rock and a hard place situation I would think they would err on the side of caution esp if they benefit from a frame sale.

[gearguywb]

Great comments here...and I will ad; time for a new bike shop. They should understand the dangers associated wtih continuing to run a frame/fork/etc that has been in a crash like this.

[FlashUNC]

Definitely time for a new shop.

Someone needs to give it a thorough going over and their honest assessment in writing.

[forrestw]

If you were braking for 90' using f/r brakes then your speed @ impact had to be down to 5mph not 22, @ 22 you would have been seriously injured and bent the frame.

My experience with insurance companies in driver at fault situations has been they agree to replacement cost of damaged gear.

If your wheel is substantially out of true have them replace it. Your frame and fork are probably undamaged but I would tell them to replace the fork because they're hard to evaluate, get a serotta f3, you could also make a case for the scratched shifters but I wouldn't.

[champ]

Mostly rear brake and after it locked up my speed didnt slow much as it was all downhill and off-camber. I tried not to use the front brake to avoid locking it up and going down - there was oncoming traffic on the other side. I would guess I hit the car around 18-22 but who knows... there are two nice-sized dents and loooong scratches to the bare metal on the suv where my ergos hit. I got lucky in that I put my front wheel in the narrow space between the suv's front wheel and the fender - the driver stopped completely so that helped a bit as well. Either way I am amazed at the toughness of modern frames and am happy to be in one piece.

Agreed on the bike shop change. The problem is there are only a few Cannondale dealers here within 30 miles of me. The shop I went to is known for charging retail to everybody including some of their racers but I was expecting them to help out with a qualified "replace at least the fork" and probably the frame unless it is x-rayed.. etc. Maybe fears of litigation stopped them? Anyway, thanks to all who commented

[staggerwing]

With the mention of Cannondale, I gather an aluminum frame? If you really hit as hard as suggested, it would be difficult to suggest anything but a frame replacement.

There are reliable means of checking for cracks in aluminum, and are often carried out in the aerospace arena, but don't make much economic sense for a bike frame. If you know an aircraft mechanic, you might be able to inquire about a dye penetrant inspection (Zyglo is one of the original processes). Non-destructive, but messy. Don't know how well it would work over a painted surface. My father mainly used it on engine parts.

Sorry for your luck, but should something like this come up again, don't be afraid to use the front brake. In a rapid deceleration, much of your weight is transferred to the front, and that is the wheel you need to brake on. Also, you are less likely to swap ends locking up the front, although, you are going to stop shorter if you don't lock up at all.

[forrestw]

Xray would only show you the voids in the original welding and would probably cost more than the frame is worth. It's not that hard to evaluate a frame for straightness so trusting your shop has checked seems reasonable to me.

[RedRider]

Personally, I would never ride the frame again. The fork and frame should be destroyed so no dumpster diver gets it and it ends up on Ebay or Craigslist. An impact that severe can accelerate fatigue in aluminum even without showing signs. You can do a lot of tests but for peace of mind when decending at 40+mph I'd chop it up.
FYI - X Rays are worthless for testing carbon.