Road Cycling - Integrity of frame compromised???

Let me start off by saying that I am just sick. Long story short. My husband and I relocated to Utah in January. Last night I got out my road bike and proceeded to put my pedals on when I noticed a substantial scratch and ding/dent in the rear triangle. My bike is a 2003 R800 Cannondale. The frame is CAAD5 AL. My question is, is the integrity of frame comprmised secondary to the dent in the AL? The moving company that handled our move had special instructions on the proper handling of our bikes. Obviously they didn't follow them. We even took out additional insurance on all of our bikes for the move. Needless to say, I am extremely upset. I have done 4 moves in the past five years (one move was even international) and have never had anything like this happen. We also had some furniture destroyed and my husband had some of his tools stolen. Is the frame ruined? I am torn whether to put in a claim for a new paint job or to have the entire bike replaced. What do you all suggest?

Kelly

If the insurance will pay for a new frame i wouold replace it, do you have a picture of it?

What did u get the insur for?

Put in a claim for the damage to the frame. You should be able to get the frame replaced, including the labor to build up the frame. You should take the bike to a LBS and get their opinion on the dent and an estimate for the new frame and swap out.

Since the frame is a structural component of the bike, you should have a good argumanet for it's replacement on safety grounds. Take good pictures of everything and be sure to document when you noticed the damage, and why you did not notice it when the bike was unloaded from the truck. You might need to document how the bike was stored between your move and the discovery of the damage so that you can fend off any suggestion that you caused the damaged after the move.

You're not likely to get a whole new bike unless that would be cheaper than the repair (not likely).

By chance where is the dent?

Make the movers pay for it. Especially if special instructions were given.

This is why I won't let a mover touch my bike. If I can't load it myself or ship it myself, I'll ride it to my next location. They suck.

If it's a dent in the aluminum frame then I would ask for a complete replacement.

I can't tell if the integrity of the frame is compromised or not, but I do know that the bike is less desirable than it was before the move. It looks pretty clear cut to me that the movers should reimburse you for the damage. Frankly, I doubt they will argue with you very much because that's the kind of business they're in.