Road Cycling - Will a dented seat tube harm the structural integrity of an 853 frame?

Hi all,

I just bought a 2002 Jamis Eclipse on sale. Sweet ride at a great price.

BUT......after my girlfriend picked it up for me (had to drive to find the size, 53cm, cause I loved the geometry and that was the perfect fit) I found that there is dime size dent and scratch on the seat tube right between the water cage bolts. :irritated

And two more gouges on the underside of the seat stays up near where the seat tube and stay come together. :mad:

THere are also scratches on the back of the seat, like it fell down and some good ones on the rear screwer and chain stay (left side). :crash:

My concern is that since I weight 215#'s I may crumple the seat tube eventually or warp it into a dangerous way. And after spending $2000 on a bike it just looks like crap.

I called the manager of the (NS)LBS (not so LBS) and explained all this in a very poliite manner and he said he would call his Jamis rep and see if they had another 53cm which are hard to find. NSLBS manager said that he would replace bike if they had one or take off some money for the damages.

My questions are this:

1) Will the dent get worse over time and will it be unsafe?
2) Could the dent cause any perfomance degredation now or in the future?
3) How much money should be refunded to me if I can't find another 53cm?
4) Should I even chance riding the bent tube?

I'll try and post some pix's of the dent and scratches tomorrow morning.

Thanks for all you help.

HB

no it won't affect performance.
It sucks it's brand new. I would say 10-25% off depending on how bad it is. I would just try to get a new frame or max. discount you can.

That stinks man, they knew those were there (unless your girlfriend did it - sorry). I would seriously consider taking my business elsewhere.

Scratches are just scratches; annoying on a new bike, but easily covered up. The dent can be repaired [knocked out] without damaging the integrity of the frame. You'd have to take it to a frame builder, though.

$2000 for a pre-dented and scratched frame!That's BS.Get a new frame or get your momey back.Then never go back to that dumba$$ place.You paid the big bucks and should get to put the dings and scratches on it,not some other moron.

nicely said

Having worked at a bike shop thirty years ago, I know how difficult and rare it is to deliver a new bicycle in pristine, scratch-free condition. (Most Peugeots and Nishikis arrived at least slightly pre-scratched and gouged, or "distressed," in their shipping boxes.) After a few months of riding, you will accumulate several more scratches -- it's inevitable and part of life. Just relax and enjoy the bike, and do not seek perfection.

The dent is probably a more significant issue. Although it does not sound integrity-threatening, it is not a good situation, and the shop should have it repaired (and refinished if/as necessary) by a competent framebuilder. Alternatively, they can give you a partial refund for damaged goods.

Thanks for you input everyone.

The ball is in their court and I'm going to see how they respond. I might actually go with a 55cm anyway so I'll just return the bike and go to my LBS. I'm just a very hard to fit person and these two frames are just outside my body's measurements but have been the best fit of any bike I've tried so far and the value to perfomance to fit ratio is outstanding.

Next frame will be custom when I get the money.

I want to think it was an honest mistake but I just can't see how they could've overlooked that sort of thing.

If they say they'll knock 300-500 off then I just might consider going with the 53 but I think that I'd rather have a bike free of dents. I can live with a scratch since it is cosmetic but the dent just disturbed me.

I'm off to ride my first century this am so wish me luck. :beer:

Cheers,

HB

Hey I just noticed that you live in Reston. I use to live in Fairfax about 10 minutes away from Tyson’s corner. I remember that I bought my very first cannondale from a shop called the Washington bike centre it was in Reston. I remember that the shop was in a shopping centre just off the Dulles (is that spelt right) toll road. Do you know it? It’s a bit off topic but I was just wondering if you knew the shop, it seemed like a good shop when I used to visit them.
Stew
p.s. I left VA about 5 years ago when I got moved to Singapore.

Originally posted by pokey
$2000 for a pre-dented and scratched frame!That's BS.Get a new frame or get your momey back.Then never go back to that dumba$$ place.You paid the big bucks and should get to put the dings and scratches on it,not some other moron.

I'm with Pokey on this one. I wouldn't accept a brand new car if it was delivered with a dent and it doesn't seem reasonable that the buyer of a new bicycle should either.

Could you imagine an automobile seller delivering a car with a dime size dent and then telling the new buyer "Oh, that? Don't worry, it won't hurt the performance of the car".

It is the owner's duty to add the dent's and scratches, not the seller's.

Not that your thinking about selling anytime soon, but the resale would be tough - I wouldnt spend my money on a dented frame. Anytime I see a nice frame or full bike on ebay at a very low price, most times its because of a dent in the frame. Just something else to consider.

I would take it back and get a refund. The 2003 Jamis's are going to be out in about 3 to 4 weeks so wait on them. Another option is a 2003 Lemond Zurich which almost identical in Geometry and frame to your Jamis and about the same price with a really nice paint job for 2003.

Just a thought...

Scratches happen, get them out the way quickly and go on. Dents are antoher matter entirely. Severity of the issue depends on the depth and intensity of the depth of the dent. Normally a noticable dent in tube dramatically reduces the value of the bike. In reality a shallow dent with no sharp edges probably does nothing at all to the longevity of the bike. A deep sharp dent may spread or crack. That happened to me on a Lemond frame and I ended up ordering another frame. Unless you are saving alot of money you may want to look at a few other bikes and shops. I bought my first Lemond for less than 1/2 list price because it was a 2 year old model that did not sell, the shop sold MTBs and was staffed by MTBers. Keep looking.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the bike shop. Have to call tomorrow to speak with the manager that was on duty when I first called.

They say that they are going to get me a new frame. We'll see.

Thanks again for your input.

HB

it takes a bunch to dent an 853 there. like crashing over traintracks.... there is no way your wife could have 'mishandled' the bike to injure like that...