Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.gearbasher
05-20-09, 11:49 PM
Hi, I just joined the forum and have a question about how I can tell if my fork is bent. I was in a large group training ride, doing about 25 MPH when two guys in front of my locked wheels and went down. I had no where to go and slammed into one of their bikes. A collapsed lung, 10 broken ribs, 3 fractured verterbra and a shattered clavicle laid me up for months. I finally got around to checking out my steel Pinarello. The front tire was blown out and it looks like the bike flipped and landed on the saddle and the tops of the brake hoods. The bars are definitely bent. The frame tubes look good. The fork looks good to my eye. But, I noticed that the brake blocks are now about 3mm above the top of the rim. Could the fork blades have straightened out (less rake?) from the impact? Thus, effectively making the distance from the drops to the crown longer. If so, how can I be sure. Or, should I just scrap the fork or the entire frame? Thanks.