Cyclocross - Would you race this frame?
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Sorry, the pictures kind of suck. It's my Empella Bonfire SL. I put a pretty good dent into my chainstay. Would you still race this frame? The frame looks like it's a bit out of alignment, but there is no crack.
http://rabien.com/image/p1010666.jpg
http://rabien.com/image/p1010664.jpg
http://rabien.com/image/p1010671.jpg
OnTheRivet
10-09-09, 12:04 AM
You actually might be able to salvage it. Put a hub into the dropouts and clamp down with the QR (even if it's tough to get in from the bend), tape a couple of blocks of wood to the chainstay where it's bulging up and put it into a vice. Slowly clamp down on the wood blocks and see if the dent will push out. The hub should help get the spacing back to normal, worth a try.
Second picture (with the spots above and below the dent) makes it look like the tube is starting to crimp. I'd at least have it looked at by an Empella dealer or experienced LBS.
But I don't think I'd ride it.
CrimsonKarter21
10-09-09, 07:56 PM
I'd ride it.
UBUvelo
10-09-09, 08:24 PM
but how hard to ride it...
is this aluminum? steel?
i just bent my head-on crash rigid fork back and it 'seems' fine, but i know it isn't what it used to be...might just use it for light duty...
It's aluminum. I figure if it does fail, it won't be catastrophic, but slowly crack. It shouldn't send me into the ground face first. But if it is going to fail, I may as well just buy a new frame now, and avoid a possible injury.
CrimsonKarter21
10-09-09, 08:46 PM
but how hard to ride it...
is this aluminum? steel?
i just bent my head-on crash rigid fork back and it 'seems' fine, but i know it isn't what it used to be...might just use it for light duty...
A chainstay is not a fork.
Aluminum will crack, and even if the chainstay were to break, you could finish a race on it, it would just feel as if you had a noodly frame or wheel.
Remember that stage of the Tour when Armstrong got his bar hooked on an old lady's purse and went down? He broke his chainstay and finished the mountain stage on it, and that was carbon fiber.
jfmckenna
10-10-09, 08:50 AM
Hard to tell by the pics but it looks like a nasty dent. If you see any crimping then it's history. If not then I'd probably still ride it but keep my eye on it. I had an AL stem break on me in a cross race. I never knew it was damaged but while warming up I kept hearing this creaking sound coming from my bottom bracket, it wasn't the bottom bracket ;) So If you hear funky noises it could be your frame giving out. Chances are if it does break there it won't be disastrous like a stem or fork but who knows.
Oh and trust me if you take it to an LBS they are going to tell you to replace it :)
And BTW I was hit by a car on my steel Lemond last year and have a bend in the stay just like that. I still race it. Chalk one up for steel :D
UBUvelo
10-10-09, 12:46 PM
A chainstay is not a fork.
Aluminum will crack, and even if the chainstay were to break, you could finish a race on it, it would just feel as if you had a noodly frame or wheel.
Remember that stage of the Tour when Armstrong got his bar hooked on an old lady's purse and went down? He broke his chainstay and finished the mountain stage on it, and that was carbon fiber.
of course....but i was questioning the bendBACK aspect of either...and yes his chainstay is aluminum...my fork is steel.
wondering if i should still race it. it hit a rock hard straight on, so i bent equally back 2 inches or so...bent each fork back to what i figured was the original position. seems 'ok' for now..but if there is failure in the race, what should i expect? :rolleyes: