Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - bent frame - can it be saved?

Well, this weekend my pursuit bike got done in but good. I just noticed this damage to the right rear of the frame - bad stuff. See attachments below.

This either came from bombing around on the streets (unlikely - didn't hit things that badly), or from when this kid fell off a high planter and knocked my bike over. I had my back to it when this happened, but he could have put some weight on it.

I am really worried on this one. Can I take it to a metal shop and have the tubing straightened/replaced?
This is the 80's Nishiki steel frame that I truly cherish and I'd hate to give it the viking funeral :(

Any NYC'ers in touch with someone local who might be able to save my bike? Please let me know, thanks.

dude that sucks ass good luck man, that is horrible looks like a beautiful frame.

if you bend it the other way all the metal will get weaker, keep that in mind. in theory you could have the seat stay replaced, but for a 80s steel nishiki? you could get a better frame for less than what it would cost to do it. if you bend it back into place you will further compromise the integrity of the frame. you should just use this as an excuse to upgrade your frame.

maybe bend it back for quick jerry rig temporary fix, but keep eyes peeled for something new.

or from when this kid fell off a high planter and knocked my bike over. I had my back to it when this happened, but he could have put some weight on it.

Was the planter in an airplane? That is a hell of a bend from a fall. I hope he is able to walk still. Poor kid. I wish you the best luck though. That's sad. Sorry.

That bend is actually minor enough that an experienced metal fabricator could probably bend it back into proper shape. That's reason #2,546 why steel is great; you can bend it and it doesn't lose much of its strength very easily. If that were an aluminum frame you'd be out of luck. Take it to a metal fab shop or even just an exprienced welder. They bend stuff into shape all the time. Steel does not loose its strength easily. Expect to lose some paint in that area though.

that looks exactly like what happened to a frame of mine. I didn't know how it happened either, but eventualy I figured out that a car had backed into it while it was locked at a meter while I grabbed a cup of coffee. i rode on the frame for a while after I eased the bend back with a 2x4, but retired it because I was afraid one day it would collapse on me.


edit* I kept my frame beacuse I know it can be repaired, I just haven't gotten around to it. so I wouldn't be too bummed out. it looks so much worse than it is

take it to a framebuilder, they should be able to give you a definitive answer.

Just take it to your local bike shop.If they're any good at all they have a tool to strighten this. Park makes a tool , has a couple of hooks on a bar with a third hook on a lone screw that just pulls out the bend---shouldn't even damage the paint too much----sam

bend the other side to match and you have sweet hourglass chainstays --- fancy feast.

Man, as severe as that bend is, I'd be worried about work hardening it without first heating it up. My vote is not to cold set it, but take it to a metal shop. A little bit of flame to soften it up and it should be easily bent back into shape without too much stress. After it cools, you can fine tune the spacing and alignment.

It's almost certainly not heat treated, so you don't need to worry about that. It will nuke your paint, obviously.

Or do the hourglass stays and sell it on eBay for thousands of dollars as a custom track bike.

i suggest contacting Jonny Coast in brooklyn and see if he can help you out. There's a link somewhere in the forum

it doesn't look too bad. I'd just keep riding it

I rode it all the way home from NJ on sunday night without realizing it, that was maybe 20 miles. The handling seemed a little off, at the time I didn't notice the damage.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try and get it fixed somehow. Feel almost useless without it.

www.coastouttabrooklyn.com

drop a line

Just wanted to bump this thread with an update and a happy ending.

After searching around for a bit, I got Mike over at Bicycle Station in Brooklyn to work on the frame.
Straightened it out for 25 bucks!


http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/83/fixedfix10ss.jpg http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/4342/fixedfix29jg.jpg

It's back on the road and it's on, baby!

http://img325.imageshack.us/img325/5682/fixedfix37cj.jpg

For those in Brooklyn looking for a good local wrench, check him out on Vanderbilt Ave.
Also, it's a place for the good random find.

[edit: Yeah, and people want me off this bike, apparently. Already went down, tho it was kinda light. BMW on B'way squeezed me into some parked cars. No damage to the bike.

Yesterday, I nailed a guy on the West side path while he was showing off on his Ironhorse. It spun him right into the ground. :/ ]

Wow! That rocks.

glad you got your baby fixed, thats a sweet frame.

i'm impressed. I thought that frame would need a date with the torch.

Who, what how.

Congrats, man.

in the shops that I've been in (worked in, helped in, drank a few beers with the wrenches in) We'd just take our 'Frame allignment tool' (which looks an awful lot like a 2x4) and bend that back into place. Your wrench probably did much of the same. No real problems with non-oversized steel frames, especially midway up the seat stay (not a whole lotta pressure at that point, and the metal is plenty thick.) Looks like your wrench was quality enough to do a decent dropout allignment, too!

Good thing it's fixed.

When that happened to my girlfriend's bike, we laid the seatstay on a 2X4, placed a broken table leg on the peak of the bend (the table leg had the perfect bend to get around the other seatstay), and whacked the table leg with a mallet.

Results? Good as new, and she rides it every day to work, class, the bar, and on longer distance recreational rides. Steel rules.