Crashed my bike - what should I do with regards to getting it checked/back on the road?

[rogerzilla]

The reason I wouldn't just take it to a bike shop is that they'll either give you an uninformed guess and charge you, or refer you to an even more expensive inspector (who will probably tell you to scrap it). I don't think anyone other than the manufacturer can inspect it much better than you can, and the manufacturer WANTS you to scrap it and buy a new bike.

 

[Webbo2]

The problem is as far as I know an X-ray won’t necessarily pick any damage. My mate crashed in the Alps and despite no obvious damage he scrapped the frame. He chopped it in to bits before taking it to the tip. So no one could fish it out and use it.
It was an S Works frame However he could easily afford to do this.
I was hit by a car and the bottom bracket shell came loose in the frame. My mate who was a mechanic at the local bike shop and also a qualified aircraft engineer did me a report for my claim against the driver.
Basically he stated there is no way you can tell whether a frame that looks undamaged is damaged or not so it’s basically a write off.

 

[postman]

Nice bike very nice.

 

[Drago]

If it's CF and you have functioning eyes you can very carefully visually inspect the frame and forks for damage. If it has a caebon steerer you might want to drop the forks and inspect that.

Check Sheldon Brown's website for instructions on how to check a frames alignment using string.

That's all a bike shop can do, no matter how well equipped. They cannot do anything you can't. If theres no visible damaged its probably ok.

The only way to be sure is to have it x rayed, which requires kit only available to the aviation sector, F1 teams and the like.

 

[rogerzilla]

Checking the steerer is a good idea. Another non- invasive test is to check the head tube angle with an inclinometer on your phone, provided it's not tapered. Crashed and bent bikes usually have an improbably steep head, like 76 or 77 degrees. Obviously the bike must be on a level floor.

 

[Webbo2]

Checking the steerer is a good idea. Another non- invasive test is to check the head tube angle with an inclinometer on your phone, provided it's not tapered. Crashed and bent bikes usually have an improbably steep head, like 76 or 77 degrees. Obviously the bike must be on a level floor.

I suspect a carbon fibre frame isn’t going to be bent.

 

[Drago]

I suspect a carbon fibre frame isn’t going to be bent.

Probably not.

Butm probably is the key word to all lf this.

 

[PaulSB]

@Dan Lotus I don't have a view on whether or not you should have the bike inspected. I've never crashed a carbon bike hard enough to warrant it. I've fallen off a few though!!! 🤣

A friend recently crashed a carbon Scott. My understanding is she touched a wheel and went down heavily. She sustained a broken pelvis.

The bike is being checked for damage at a cost of £485. I asked why she was doing this as she'd only fallen off? Is it because it was a big crash? The reply was it was for her confidence, reasonable, but also she may give up riding and want to sell. She feels she doesn't want to risk the pain again.

I didn't like to say a heavily crashed carbon bike is going to be worth much at all. I wouldn't go near it.

 

[fossyant]

She sustained a broken pelvis.

but also she may give up riding

That's not a reason to give up (ahem - pelvis and hip socket) nor was a broken spine that almost left me in another set of wheels.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Steel is real 😉

 

[Drago]

Broke my pelvis in a bike smash and Im still riding.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Broke my pelvis in a bike smash and Im still riding.

Is that you, Elton?

 

[Drago]

Twas in 1977 attempting the land speed record two up in a chopper. Transponic buffeting spat me off breaking my pelvis, and my passenger broke a leg.

 

[Alex321]

If it loks OK, it probably is. Head on collisions are stressing in the direction it is intended to be stressed. It is when somebody hist you from the side that the frame is much more likely to be damaged.

I had a really big crash back in March 2022 on my fully carbon framed Cube (head on into a car which managed to stop while I didn't - broken wrist, two dislocated fingers, damaged rotator cuff), and I am still riding it happily, having done something like 14K miles on it since (with another leser crash or two in between).

 

[Webbo2]

If it loks OK, it probably is. Head on collisions are stressing in the direction it is intended to be stressed. It is when somebody hist you from the side that the frame is much more likely to be damaged.

I had a really big crash back in March 2022 on my fully carbon framed Cube (head on into a car which managed to stop while I didn't - broken wrist, two dislocated fingers, damaged rotator cuff), and I am still riding it happily, having done something like 14K miles on it since (with another leser crash or two in between).

This does make sense as you see some pretty bad crash’s in pro racing. If the rider can get up and their bike still works they just start riding it again.
I think there was some YouTube videos where someone was trying to get carbon frames to break and it was a lot more difficult than expected.