Questions tagged [damage]
Dents, tears, scrapes, scratches to your bike received in falls, crashes, parking failures, roof-rack collisions, etc.
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How bad is switching derailleur gears under load?
I have heard several times the wisdom that you should not switch derailleur gears while pedalling hard ("under load"). The "right way", according to those people, is to pick up ...
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What is a taco?
I figure that "tacoing" is a typo but I can't work out what it should be.
What is a taco, or tacoing a wheel?
Originally from this question
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Does riding high gear up a hill damage a recumbent bike?
I have a recumbent trike with 26 gears. While normally I would shift to a low gear when going up a hill, I found that I can go up hills in the highest gear, the configuration that gives me the fastest ...
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How does a bike 'degrade' whilst unused
What (if anything) will happen to a bike whilst it sits unused, that wouldn't happen to it whilst being used for a work commute over the same period?
Suppose I take a 3 month sabbatical and leave my ...
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What do I do when I am unsure if damaged carbon fiber is safe to use or needs replacing or repairing?
Intended as a canonical answer to the many questions we have about damage to carbon parts.
It is well known that carbon fiber parts can be damaged and fail, and carbon parts can be fragile when ...
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How is this damaged aluminium frame likely to fail?
I had an unplanned collision with a car yesterday (everyone is fine, thankfully) but my bike – a Giant Revolt 1 – now has a lovely new pair of dents.
I cycled it home from the collision (~6km) and it ...
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Is it safe to ride an aluminium bike with a big top tube dent?
Someone tried to steal this bike - they damaged the top tube. The frame is designed with a wide flat top tube. Is this still safe to use?
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What options do I have if my rear derailleur breaks when I'm out on a trail?
I ran into an unfortunate situation earlier this week. I was out on a mountain bike trail, alone — just me and my hardtail. I'm pedaling, when I suddenly hear a CRUNCH and my bike stops. The hanger ...
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How can I tell a bike is safe after a crash?
I was recently in an accident where a car pulled out on me. I hit the car around the front wheel and me and the bike went over the bonnet and landed on the road, the other side of the car. I was ...
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Front disc brake wobbling / grinding on pads after full braking and minor plunge
The front disc brake grinds after a light accident with full braking and plunge.
To give an idea of the forces involved:
The bike fell to the left, mostly cushioned by me. The bike had no more ...
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Big dent on frame: How did this damage happen?
I just bought this second hand Ridgeback Impulse folding bike for my partner. I'm a wheelchair user and it was dark and rainy when I collected the bike.
So... I didn't check it (facepalm) I just got ...
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Warranty on lock damaged during attempted theft
Someone attempted to steal my girlfriend's bike tonight and they damaged the lock.
Do you guys know if we can use the warranty to get it exchanged? The lock has a 2 year warranty and I'm planning to ...
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Bubbles in carcass/ casing of Schwalbe Pro One TLE
I noticed two small bubbles on the carcass of my rear tire.
I am running the 32mm Schwalbe Pro One tubeless at around 4bar /60psi and it wasn't particulary hot when the bubbles appeared (~20°C). The ...
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I have a question regarding the structural integrity of my aluminum frame after its having... incurred damage;
Apologies if this has been covered previously, but I didn't see it if it had been, and at this point I'm at a loss.
For context, the bike in question is this year's Haro Double Peak Sport 29
https://...
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Which parts of a wrecked bike would be OK to use or sell?
A few months ago I was in an accident with a car on my way home from work (oncoming car turned left in front of me). My bike was severely damaged, the frame broke in two and the front wheel is bent ...
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Method for shortening a damaged hydraulic brake hose?
I had an incident recently that resulted in a damaged hydraulic hose. It was munched by the chain.
Curiously, the brake still holds pressure and functions, though I have limited confidence in it. I'...
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Is this aluminium rim saveable?
I have an 8 inch rear wheel off an adult scooter. It appears to have suffered crush damage - at a guess someone's driven a car over the wheel while on its side.
The bend is smooth and covers perhaps ...
- 121k
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Spokes damaged by chain – should they be replaced?
When servicing my rear hub I discovered that the drive-side spokes have been damaged by the chain. The spokes are rough to the touch (one even had a sharp edge that caught my nitrile glove) and some ...
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Can this crack in the steel chain-side dropout be welded?
I have a thru-crack on the driveside dropout near where it meets the chain stay.
The bike is an early 1980's steel frame Trek mountain bike.
See pics.
Bike rides fine otherwise and I have invested ...
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I have a bent aluminum rim on my Merida MTB. Is it damaged beyond repair?
Consider:
I was riding my local trails today, got a flat tire (due to not riding tubeless) and before I realized it, I hit a jump with too little air in the tire and I bent my rear rim.
Is it is ...
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Did my frame just break?
Bike: Raymon HardRay E-Nine 6.0
I just finished adjusting the gear shifting for my first time.
As I went for a test drive the chain immediately slipped down.
Then I saw this.
First I thought the ...
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Frame with bottle cage boss ripped out - how serious is the damage?
I'm a huge fan of Greg Lemond so naturally when this frame showed up in my local Facebook page with just the frame and headset, no fork. I got very excited. The seller says that the bottle cage boss ...
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Can chain-slap cause damage to a chainstay that is beyond superficial?
Yesterday a coworker insisted electrical tape on his chainstay was necessary, as "[he] gets so much chain slap [he's] literally snapped frames".
Now there's a couple dubious aspects to this--but my ...
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What does it take to damage an internally geared hub?
What behavior can easily damage an internally geared hub (Shimano Nexus or Alfine for example)?
can one jump off high (say 50cm) curbs?
can it be damaged by shifting gears under too much torque?
...
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Why is a damaged bike tyre a problem?
I have seen / heard of cases where bike tyres get damaged (like for example riding on a flat). But what I don't fully understand is why the damage becomes a problem or whether the tyre actually needs ...
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For a broken chain on a child's small bike, do I replace the whole thing or just a single link?
I have a toddler bike that has lost one of the side plates to a chain link.
Should I replace the whole chain or can I just get a new side plate for the missing link?
If I should replace, the whole ...
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Cause of broken spokes (pictures included)
I never had this problem before. Two spokes on the drive side of my road bike's rear wheel broke at the J bend, and I'm trying to identify the cause. The wheel has 32 spokes total, made of steel, ...
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Broken rear brake - told it was unfixable
I have an older model Trek mountain bike. I took it to the shop for an annual tuneup and they called me to say that the rear brake broke off the frame and that it can't be fixed. The entire brake is ...
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Rear Tyre torn at rim - what was the cause?
I had a blowout the other day. On investigation, it was a C-shaped cut in the tube. It patched okay and on reinstalling I found this culprit :
The tyre is not new but its not old either - plenty of ...
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Why are 36-spoke wheels a touring thing?
I've been looking at tourers recently and they tend to have 36 spoke wheels (as does my hybrid on the back after I broke my original rim). What I don't understand is why high spoke counts aren't used ...
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How can I determine whether rust has made my bike unsafe?
I ride a 1972 steel frame bike year round through Canadian winters.
When I got the bike it was in good shape, but after putting a few thousand km worth of commuting on it, it has a lot of scratches ...
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Tips for dexterously handling bike lights with winter gloves
I've got some battery-powered LED lights which are mounted using the typical "click-in" bike mounts somewhat like the one pictured below:
Unfortunately, I've got the fine motor skill of an elephant. ...
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Should I replace this frame with a badly scraped chainstay?
I crashed yesterday and damaged this aluminum frame. At first I thought I shouldn't worry, but giving it a second thought, I think I should just replace before it breaks while riding. I would say it's ...
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Why doesn't my (battery-powered) light work in the cold?
I've got a cheap LED lamp running on three AAA NiMH batteries which stops working when exposed to near-freezing temperatures; is there a likely reason for this?
The lamp has been dropped a number of ...
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Dropout damage mystery, how to fix it? [Photos and videos]
This is a 90's aluminium frame with 130mm spacing between dropouts which originally had a 7 speed cassette. 2 years ago I changed the rear wheel for a standard 135mm and put a 9 speed drivetrain. I ...
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Cracked rim around the spoke
I purchased a pair of Carrera Vendetta wheels, 27.5" with 2.8" tyres.
I found a couple cracks where the spoke sits around the back rim.
Is it okay to ride or is it okay to weld them?
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Cycled through pothole on carbon frame - damaged?
Yesterday while out on my daily exercise (I live in London) I had to cycle through a pothole (bus too close behind so couldn't swerve or stop) that jolted the whole bike. I then noticed a rattling ...
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Chain damaged carbon frame. How to remedy?
During a recent fall, my chain came off my front chainring, and scratched up my frame. It looks to me like it's just the paint that's damaged but would appreciate a second opinion. The bike is a Trek ...
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What can I do to fix or replace this broken axle?
I cased a jump badly and I broke either my bottom bracket or crank, I’m not sure which. What can I do to fix or replace this?
Picture is of my broken bottom bracket or crankset.
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How to check bike damage after impact
I got involved in a frontal crash with another cyclist: they turned back to greet a friend and while doing so they invaded the opposite lane of the cycling path, where I was transiting. ...
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Fixing damage to brake rim surface
somehow the alloy braking surface of my rear wheel's rim has got a series of quite shallow lacerations, less than a mil' deep bunched quite closely together (the effected area is no more than 1/8 of ...
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Tightening a compression plug - manufacturer says 9-12 Nm, seems too tight at 6 already
First time working with carbon. Bought a longer compression plug, because it came with a very small one, not even covering the whole height of the stem.
I tightened it to 7 Nm. Took a while… Made ...
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Should I replace the tyre or can I keep going?
I just noticed a small tear in my Continental GP 4000s. It does not bulge out from the side. The tyre have been on for some years now but dont have more than 1000km on them.
I am worried though if I ...
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Shredded bits of material under my trainer
I'm starting to get a pile of what looks like tire rubber under my trainer. Could it be something else like dry chain lube coming off? Is this normal? Have I set up my trainer incorrectly? Do I just ...
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Attachmentpoint rim brakes carbon bike, sratches/crack?
I own a 2019 Rose XLITE carbon road bike with rim brakes.
Today, I conducted a thorough inspection, taking things apart. At the rear of the bike, on the attachment point where the brake is fixed to ...
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What does it feel like to ride a mtb that has a bent frame
What are the signs and symptoms of a bent mtb frame? Or bent forks? What does it feel like when riding it?
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Small dents on bicycle frame
Two weeks ago I bought Trek Checkpoint ALR5. Bike rides pretty well. It has aluminium frame. I bought it primarily for bike packing trips as it has ton of mounting points.
After riding it for 2 weeks ...
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How bad is this broken brake cable strand?
I just bought a new bicycle. While I was fiddling with things (removing tags, mounting a light, etc.) I noticed that the boot on the rear brake cable was loose. When trying to reseat it, I found that ...
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Worried I damaged my fork fitting crown race
I'm an idiot. I've been working on building up a Surly LHT frame and was all going fine until I got to fitting the crown race.
I couldn't get it to fit properly and instead of making a cup of tea and ...
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Is this rim safe?
The rim has a parting at the join:
This is a brand new wheel, and I was wondering if this is a safe one. Could it split at the join?
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