Classic & Vintage - Its dead! My Colnago rolls off the roof and onto the freeway!

Well guys and girls, its dead and a little part of me too. My newly built up Colnago ( http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=336450&highlight=candy )
has bit the dust or road. I was able to ride it three times at least:( I was driving to my GF's house and I loaded it onto the roof rack like I have done with all my other bikes hundreds of times before. I was 3 min down the highway when I heard a clunk, looked in my rear view mirror to see a ball of sparks as it rolled onto the asphalt at 70mph. I cant even begin to describe my reaction. Im still not sure how it came unhooked, but Im never using a rockymounts again! Thank the gods that it was late and no one was in back of me. I recovered it off the highway quickly and took the corpse home. Fork was destroyed, top tube has a big enough dent that it bowed the whole tube. The rear wheel was destroyed along with the saddle. At least the campy drivetrain was spared. Just a little road rash, nothing a little polish couldn't rub out:D Now Im on the hunt for a new steel frame. Any suggestions?

Ouch!!!

my condolences.

Oh that's just plain awful, - I really feel for you. Nobody likes to see a thing of beauty destroyed or damaged.

ciocc.

I worry sometimes using the fork mount in the back of my truck, not sure if I could bring myself to use a roof mount. Horror stories like this only confirm that fear. I'm sorry for your loss, good to hear that the group survived though. Every cloud a silver lining as they say.

I think I would be depressed for days over that :eek: . That's an awful thing to have happen.

My husband, on the other hand, would have been impressed by the ball of sparks (he has this thing about scraping metal).

I think I would set aside a period of mourning first, then start looking for an appropriate needy frame to adopt.

East Hill

ciocc.

Seconded. Hand-built and snazzy. My Ciocc rides like a dream and I've concluded lately that Colnagos are a tad over-rated.

What a bummer, sorry to hear about your accident.

That sucks! but remember the story of the Pheonix! :) out of the ashes.....

sounds like an art project now. Might I suggest a mailbox stand?

R.I.P.

http://cards.123greetings.com/cgi-bin/newcards/showimage.pl?no=7062&q1=insp_sympathy&cat=Encouragement%20And%20Inspiration&image=/thumbs/insp_sympathy/8429-001-11-1042.gif&title=Hope+And+Comfort...&backgr=8429-001-11-1042_bg.gif&tcolor=FF0000&tsize=5&tface=comic+sans+ms&type=html&subcat=Sympathy+And+Condolences&log=ajp&newbgpath=new&newmuspath=eventsnew&src=&bigimagetype=new&DATE=&tempval=

I think I would be depressed for days over that :eek: . ...

East Hill

I would be scarred for life. That is tragic.
Best wishes on finding a nice frame and building it up.

Mount your ruined frame on a stand and sell it to a modern art museum.

It's worth a try.

Thats pretty awful

Never liked the roof rack concept. My favorite bike carrying device are the hitch mounted ones that secure the bike by its wheels, like this:

http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/500/40-3559-NCL-ANGLE.jpg

HOLY CRAP!

I have grandparents that are still cyclists - a year ago they came out to Oregon from Eastern WA, my grandmothers old comfort bike bounced off the back on the freeway - there were too many cars and no room to stop so they left it.

I recommended she replace it with an electra - but that's neither here nor there -

I mention it only because it was horrifying to think - this sucks.

That's terrible. Although the plug sockets in your first picture look vaguely prophetic.

damn, and I can remember you posting that you just had it finished and ready to ride...

In the late 1970s I used to ride Saturday mornings with a coworker who transported his Motobecane Gran Jubilee on the roof of his Alfa Romeo coupe. He lived in a condo complex with underground parking, and you can guess the rest of the story, except that the rack's mounting straps gave way, the roof of the Alfa got scratched up a bit, but the bike was essentially undamaged. Following this wakeup call, he kept the bike in my garage, to avoid a repeat performance.

Condolences on your loss.

I am in the crowd that sees no benefit to roof racks... But I would have to think like Garp at this point... What is the chance of you losing two bikes from a roof rack? :D

Ok, it's been over 12 hours and still no pictures. What gives?








Dude, I feel your pain.

Try another suit out of the deck? Hearts=DeRosa!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/986588/candy34shot2.JPG

My condolences, too. Start planning on building the next one - it's about the best mitigation of pain that I can think of.

Now I know why I use an across-the-bed fork mount in my pickup truck for transporting.

+1, and lovin' it!

Condolences on your loss.

I am in the crowd that sees no benefit to roof racks... But I would have to think like Garp at this point... What is the chance of you losing two bikes from a roof rack? :D

I don't care for roof racks myself, and don't use them. However, if your car is too small to allow putting them inside and does not allow for a rear hitch, a roof rack may be your only option.

Personally, I put them all inside my big ol' SUV. Haven't lost on in there in there, and I can carry three at a time - and three more on the hitch rack.

I would be devastated if one of my beloved bikes came off a roof rack and was destroyed, so you have my sincere condolences. However (as many have pointed out), it is an opportunity to build another. I don't know about you, but I like building them more than riding them. :) Look at the bright side - at least it didn't cause an accident and get people hurt (or killed).

Hey guys, yeah this has def put me in a bad mood lately. I will post some pics later today when I get the chance. Was kinda busy yesterday :)

Ok guys here are the pics. I also discovered what looks like a crack near the rear derailleur hanger. Enjoy the carnage :) The hunt is on.:D
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/986588/fattydent.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/986588/forkbent.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/986588/rearwheel.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/986588/ringtooth.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/986588/seat.JPG

that's a painful sight to see...but it COULD possibly be repaired, likely not worth the cost. Still, the fork might be salvagable. If it were mine, I'd take it the whole shebang to Ed Litton for a consultation. I had a similar horror happen to me loooong ago in Lake Tahoe with a Gitane TdF on (then off) a LaPreAlpina roof rack. There was a stream of cars behind me but since everybody was driving the switchbacks real slowly nobody rolled over the bike. Miraculously, it bounced on its tires and only suffered handlebar and lever damage...it's a sickening thing to endure, you have my sympathy.

I'd gladly take that fork off your hands if you intend to dump it...

-Kurt

The powdercoat held up well, at least it has that going for it.

Wow - sorry to hear of your bad luck. Damn that sucks. You need to get on with the healing process now with a new frame. Good luck, and please share with the group when you get a new frame. :)

... Brad

Is Ed Litton located in norcal? I am near Davis, CA. I am guessing it would just need a new top tube. Although I dont know if it would be worth it. Anyone have an idea on how much that could be?
I have a CIOCC question, how much do you think a nice early 90s one is worth with chrome fork and stays, original paint, shimano 600 drivetrain? Thanks

That sucks to have that happen. Hopefully it won't cost a ton to repair. I know I'll be checking my rack every time I load the bike!

Is Ed Litton located in norcal? I am near Davis, CA. I am guessing it would just need a new top tube. Although I dont know if it would be worth it. Anyone have an idea on how much that could be?

Ed is in Richmond, so he's not too far. Google Ed Litton, and he's right on top. Does great work, but he's done when he's done. :) You'll have to wait. As to cost, I'm guessing somewhere between $100-$200, at least. He charged me $70 for a head tube replacement, but that was discounted because I had him paint the bike while it was there.

Does great work, but he's done when he's done. :) You'll have to wait.

He's had my Bianchi going on three years now.

an early '90s Ciocc is not quite as desirable as a San Cristobal or Mockba with all Campy (tho I believe mine is an early '90s and I wouldn't sell it for anything), so if it's in great nick (and in the Bay Area) maybe $600.
BTW, Ed did the repaint on my Ciocc and back then there wasn't ANY waiting period...glad for him that work has picked up, but bad for all of us who have to get in line

Man that sucks.

Yeesh, makes me ill just to think about it.