Classic & Vintage - Weird bike crash story

Today I sold an old Taiwanese frame I had sitting around to a guy in San Francisco. He wrecked his Raleigh Technium a couple weeks ago when he tail-ended a car while he was going a good clip. He ended up about halfway through the car's back window, and the Technium snapped both its toptube and downtube. Didn't bend the forks or the front wheel -- he wanted my frame so he could transfer his components from the Raleigh -- just broke the frame tubes.

You wouldn't think this speaks too well of the frame quality of Techniums, would you?

davis phinney went through the back window of a team car in the tour once...I wonder what damage his bike sustained? I can't say anything about the quality of the techniums, although I always disliked the way that they looked, with that wierd ring at each of the joints.

I know that I am among friends when two riders crash through the back window of a car and you're discussing the damage to the bikes.

You wouldn't think this speaks too well of the frame quality of Techniums, would you?

Why? I don't think it says anything about the frame. Something has to become the crumple zone. Usually a wheel tacos or a fork shears off... but if you hit at a certain angle (probably head on), the wheel and fork are stronger than the frame. I've seen several frames with bent top tubes and down tubes from similar impacts.

weird. I meant weird. that in itself is weird. I looked and couldn't find any pictures of Phinney in that crash, although I know I've seen one somewhere recently...

I agree with filtersweep, that is a lot of energy and bending the frame in the manner described is to be expected with metallic frames. Something has to give. Sounds like he is a very fortunate rider, losing only a frame and up and about enough to be searching for a new frame in only a few weeks. Had a friend go down at 16mph on to her left side on a Specialized frame. Hit hard enough to break her clavicle and cracked both the top tube and down tube welds at the headtube (Al frame) just bouncing the frame sideways onto the street.
Steve

weird. I meant weird. that in itself is weird. I looked and couldn't find any pictures of Phinney in that crash, although I know I've seen one somewhere recently...

You may have seen a photo of Phinney's crash in a recent Bicycling Magazine that ran a really good article on him. I think it was titled somthing like "The Toughest Man in Cycling" or something like that.

Initially it seemed odd to me because I was assuming an impact with the front wheel and frame in alignment at impact. After thinking more on it, I can visualize how it could've happened; if the front wheel and forks immediately rotated 90 degrees on impact, the inertia would've acted directly on the frame. So I'm a little slow on the uptake...