29
votes
Frame failure sudden death?
If an aluminium frame has to be bent back into alignment, it's trashed. Aluminium cannot be deformed without causing weakness in the material.
If the bicycle repair shop literally hit the seat stays ...
- 75.9k
23
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to use a bike tire that was on a wheel that got tacod?
It should be perfectly safe to re-use the tyres. Many tyres are stored folded/twisted in their packaging to save space.
I would however recommend carefully inspecting each tyre first, checking for ...
- 18.5k
23
votes
What do I do when I am unsure if damaged carbon fiber is safe to use or needs replacing or repairing?
Carbon fiber (CF) composites are made up of sheets of carbon fiber filaments. The key motivation for the question is that they can sustain damage that isn't visible, but that can propagate and later ...
- 36k
20
votes
Accepted
Recently had a slow-speed crash - wondering if I should replace my helmet
It is generally recommended to inspect a helmet and replace if necessary after an impact.
Inspection involves pressing on the outside shell looking for areas where the foam is compressed and taking ...
- 18.5k
16
votes
Is it safe to use a bike tire that was on a wheel that got tacod?
Tyres are flexible in all directions so tacoing the wheel won't in and of itself damage the tyre. However, in real life, it's hard to taco a wheel in an accident without pushing the bike sideways ...
- 17.1k
14
votes
What's the proper science-driven way to treat mild scrapes/abrasions (that have a bit of dirt in them) from a mountain biking crash?
Briefly, a quick rinse with clean water, and possibly dressing it, are probably all you need to do on the trail. This assumes a day visit to a typical trail centre or cross country riding near to ...
- 62.6k
13
votes
Accepted
Bending back a bent head tube - is it worth trying?
Not to disparage any of the very knowledgeable people here, but the best you'll get from a couple of pictures on the internet is a "good guess", or maybe even an "educated guess" but in my mind that's ...
- 1,581
13
votes
Bending back a bent head tube - is it worth trying?
I personally wouldn't ride this frame. The degree of localized distortion means the steel will be work-hardened at that point and will fatigue, crack and the front of the bike will collapse under you. ...
- 75.9k
10
votes
Bending back a bent head tube - is it worth trying?
The frame has undergone plastic deformation, which took it close to failure, and there might be small points of failure hidden under the paint, for all we know. The fact that it has completely buckled ...
- 30.6k
10
votes
Frame failure sudden death?
For the long term, that repair should not be trusted and the point of weakened aluminum is correct. However, if this is your only transportation and you can't get anything else immediately, I would ...
- 311
10
votes
Accepted
Post crash damage assessment: can I keep this carbon fork and this front wheel?
I can't see the marks on the fork to which you are referring. They may not show up well in photos.
The rim brake track appears to have some road-rash damage. I would remove the tyre/tube, and gently ...
- 131k
9
votes
Total brake failure - trying to understand what happened
Since recovering from my crash, I've put a bit more thought into this. I replaced the calipers, rotors and pads, with Avid BB5s - so very similar to the Promax ones that were essentially copies of ...
- 62.6k
9
votes
Bending back a bent head tube - is it worth trying?
The degree of crumpling is relatively unusual and suggests a thin walled, high strength tube selection, which also frequently goes along with handbuilt frames. The material property that is the ...
- 88.2k
8
votes
What's the proper science-driven way to treat mild scrapes/abrasions (that have a bit of dirt in them) from a mountain biking crash?
Simple skin abrasions/grazing:
Symptoms: bleeding, can still walk.
Sit the patient down out of the way. Let the blood flow for a short time to help push out embedded debris. Rinse the area with ...
- 131k
7
votes
Accepted
Safety guidelines when using MTB clipless pedals on a road bike
This answer is for SPD pedals, which are the most common MTB pedals. Other systems do not have multi release cleat, and some don't even have adjustable springs.
First: make sure you do not have multi-...
- 22.5k
7
votes
How do I stop people blaming me for a crash?
I dispute your claim that the collision was entirely the pedestrian's fault. Of course, the pedestrian shouldn't have stepped into the road without looking. However, you, as a road user in a busy city ...
- 17.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Replacing Ultegra R8000 'long cage' derailleur (crash repair advice)
The Evans site is in error. Generally road derailleurs come in SS (short) and GS (medium) versions. The SGS long types are found in MTB groups.
Your derailleur may be scraped up but not bent and ...
- 75.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Falling over on carbon frame bike -- likely to cause damage?
In practice, there is one thing I've seen enough to call it a pattern: aero/teardrop carbon seatstays and chainstays cracking near the joints after being flexed excessively during a crash. Some of ...
- 88.2k
6
votes
Replacing Ultegra R8000 'long cage' derailleur (crash repair advice)
A medium cage is fine with 11 up to 34. It may have been marketed by E. as a long cage.
BTW: check the derailleur hanger, it might be bent. Also, don't throw the bent derailleur away. It could still ...
- 8,379
6
votes
How do I stop people blaming me for a crash?
Note: this answer is not trying to determine or attribute blame for the incident, rather it focuses on why the general public may attribute more blame to “cyclist” than may seem appropriate to the ...
- 30.8k
5
votes
How do I stop people blaming me for a crash?
Have you noticed when people (especially road users) have confrontations in anger, they’re usually not listening to what the other person has to say? Normally each party is forcefully putting out ...
- 13k
5
votes
Falling over on carbon frame bike -- likely to cause damage?
Any lightweight road frame of any material can be dented very easily. As long as you don’t see a mark on the frame indicating that it touched the ground, there’s nothing to worry about.
- 17.4k
5
votes
Post crash damage assessment: can I keep this carbon fork and this front wheel?
The wheel may well be ok and is not too expensive to replace in any case.
The fork could be ok, but it's asking alot of this format to get a good answer. if the steerer tube is carbon, i would be ...
- 16k
5
votes
Would It be fatally dangerous to ride with this dent [Pictures]?
My opinion is, in short: buy a second bike.
The long version: if biking is so important to you that you can't wait 8 weeks to have it inspected by someone who is really qualified to answer, having ...
- 24.7k
5
votes
Front wheel skewer snapped
I did file claim against the supplier, and after 3+ years, it was settled out of court on an unofficial "50/50" basis after an initial derisory offer from the other side. Engineers, ...
- 119
5
votes
Is this a crack? Came off my Carbon frame for the first time
While one can't really be certain without performing an X-ray inspection, I think it's pretty safe to say this one is just a paint chip. The two later-added photos show the location and size of the ...
- 17.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Total brake failure - trying to understand what happened
This is purely a hypothesis
Firstly, i'm going to work under the assumption that the pads are either organic, or some sort of organic/ceramic hybrid compound. I can't actually find pure ceramic BB5 ...
- 18.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Front Fork Won't Stay Centered
Presumably what is happening is that the stem bolts are not providing enough clamping force of the stem onto the steerer, and the stem is moving off center. You can check the alignment of the stem and ...
- 75.9k
4
votes
Would It be fatally dangerous to ride with this dent [Pictures]?
Your frame is probably toast.
Aluminum tubing is much thicker than steel tubing, so it's possible you'd be ok, but I highly doubt it.
Now, I personally would ride it home with that kind of damage, but ...
- 12.2k
3
votes
Total brake failure - trying to understand what happened
I believe this could have happened due to brakes overheating.
I am fairly certain that by continuously dragging the rear brakes you could have overheated them. You should investigate the rear brake ...
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