This bike has huge sentimental value to me (I rode it from London to Istanbul) and I’m very relieved it wasn’t stolen but I was looking forward to some weekend trips soon. Would it be a bad idea to continue bikepacking with this? Are dents like this fixable? Would love advice for what to do here 🙏
by tomscruiseship
7 Comments
Unfortunately it can never be called “safe” with those dents.
You could still ride it for years without an issue, or it could catastrophically fail.
Depending on the value of the frame, your renters or homeowners insurance may cover the damage from theft.
May it rest in peace. That frame is dead. Aluminum can’t be repaired and those dents will fold further if you try to ride it.
The short answer in my experience is that the frame isn’t safe anymore.
The longer answer is that it depends a bit. If the frame is steel, it will tolerate some amount of denting and still be fairly serviceable if you’re a very light rider and ride on smooth pavement all the time.
If the bike is aluminum, you are not a very light rider, take the bike off pavement, add extra weight, etc. I wouldn’t continue to ride it. Frames are cheaper than hospital trips and dental work.
What I would encourage is keeping the frameset and turning it into something that would be useful to you in your daily life. A piece of art, or something of that nature. Lots of things can be done with retired bike frames that keep them with you.
Cheers, that really sucks…
Id say give it a hard bumpy test ride. Then decide to keep or ditch it
Sorry to say but your frame is probably compromised. Whatever the material is, it will depend on the round shape for strength.
If your bike is carbon you can probably get it fixed at a carbon repairer. Aluminum or steel frames might be a bit harder to fix.
That is absolutely trashed and I would not ride it
If it was steel, I’d be willing to mark the damage and monitor to see if it’s spreading or getting worse but on an aluminum plane… Absolutely no way
Is that the top tube? If it’s cracked, I wouldn’t ride it on a fast downhill or a heavy load. Take it out for a few rides and see how it feels but I personally wouldn’t plan any trips with it. Sorry that happened!