I don't have a clue what happened… Got the frame this way.
Mountain bike is Lapierre Zesty 2014.
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1Is it carbon or aluminum/titanium/steel frame?– Grigory RechistovSep 21, 2018 at 9:15
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1The dent is on the lower side of the downtube, right? The main triangle of the 2014 Zesty comes in either carbon or aluminium. Which do you have?– StefanSSep 21, 2018 at 9:24
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Yes, about 10cm from the downtube, aluminium frame.– Ioan Bogdan IliesSep 21, 2018 at 9:36
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As far as i know the bike has been used this way for a good while by a 15stones guy and it doesn't look that he has done more damage so far, looks like a dent from a rock– Ioan Bogdan IliesSep 21, 2018 at 9:44
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Have you asked the person who sold it to you?– David RicherbySep 21, 2018 at 11:45
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2 Answers
If it's an aluminium frame it's fine. The dent is relatively small on a large diameter tube so will not affect frame integrity.
I guess you just bought the frame used. If you bought it in person you should really have checked for damage before making the trade. If it was bought online and the dent was not mentioned in the ad you technically have a reason to return it the seller and get a refund. If used a site like Craiglist you'll have to negotiate with the seller, if a site like Ebay you can use their dispute resolution tools.
In any case it's fine. If and when you crash on this frame at least you won't feel so bad about putting scratches or small dents on it.
answered Sep 21, 2018 at 12:42
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Thx for youre advice, i feel more confident building the bike now, the frame was for sale in a different town, asked a friend to pick it up for me and i was told about the dent but i've got the frame for 200e with fox shock just serviced, new bearings all around so i sayd i chance it, allready have a bb plastic protection on so the dent is not visible, other than that frame looks great so goin to put some money in to it Sep 21, 2018 at 13:33
Add this area of the bike to your periodic maintenance checks, ideally monthly. If you see a change in the area then reevaluate whether its safe to ride. A change would be cracks getting longer or wider, or a sudden softness to the ride.
Given its your downtube, that's a major structural component. If it did break suddenly, you'd probably fall down between the wheels and bend the top tube with your chest. This would be a very bad thing on the flat, and even worse if riding at speed or on a technical part.
It is unlikely to fail catastrophically, but could slowly deteriorate. Any additional damage in this area could also have a larger than expected effect.
tl:dr Keep an eye on the area and look for changes.
