Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Top Tube Dent Repair

a few months ago i fell off my bike and my bull horns gave the top tube a 1 - 2 punch. so now both sides of the top tube has a dent.... then i remembered there was a way to fix pipes with the freeze method. where you fill the pipe up with water and cap off the ends. i dont have a giant freezer so i waited till temps outside reached below freezing and now was the perfect time. last night i stripped everything off my frame and gave it a shot. surprisingly, it did work. it didnt push it out completely yet, but it takes a few times to full push out the dent. this will be the 3rd time im freezing it.

if anyone wants to try this be careful! dont just fill it with water and leave it for a long period of time. it will bust the tube. only freeze it for a few hours at a time. let the ice melt so it has another starting point to expand.

ill post pictures when im finished.

a few months ago i fell off my bike and my bull horns gave the top tube a 1 - 2 punch. so now both sides of the top tube has a dent.... then i remembered there was a way to fix pipes with the freeze method. where you fill the pipe up with water and cap off the ends. i dont have a giant freezer so i waited till temps outside reached below freezing and now was the perfect time. last night i stripped everything off my frame and gave it a shot. surprisingly, it did work. it didnt push it out completely yet, but it takes a few times to full push out the dent. this will be the 3rd time im freezing it.

if anyone wants to try this be careful! dont just fill it with water and leave it for a long period of time. it will bust the tube. only freeze it for a few hours at a time. let the ice melt so it has another starting point to expand.

ill post pictures when im finished.


Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Why not spend a little $$$ and have it done professionally. The amount of force that freezing water can produce is more than enough to compromise <1mm tubing.

If it is lugged, you can have a tube replaced for a pretty decent price.

Will this work on aluminum frames too?

Just kidding. This is an interesting approach. I'd like to formally request before, during, and after pictures.

Yea seems a little risky, but hell, I priced out a tube replacement on one of my bikes and it was around $100. Furthermore, they couldn't match the rest of my Ishiwata 019 tubeset, AND, it required a repaint.

If it's not a terribly expensive frame, this sounds like a good plan. How do you keep the water isolated in that one tube? What are you using to plug them up with?

Will this work on aluminum frames too?

Just kidding. This is an interesting approach. I'd like to formally request before, during, and after pictures.

im not sure if it will work on aluminum, but i dont see why it wouldnt. im no engineer so don take my word for it. i tried to take some pictures, but it was hard since it is matte black.


Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Why not spend a little $$$ and have it done professionally. The amount of force that freezing water can produce is more than enough to compromise <1mm tubing.

If it is lugged, you can have a tube replaced for a pretty decent price.

well lets put it this way. if it bust, then im goin to have it repaired anyway. freezing the top tube is free. so far its working out quite nicely. if you dont want it to burst the pipe, you have to redo it after a few hours.

Yea seems a little risky, but hell, I priced out a tube replacement on one of my bikes and it was around $100. Furthermore, they couldn't match the rest of my Ishiwata 019 tubeset, AND, it required a repaint.

If it's not a terribly expensive frame, this sounds like a good plan. How do you keep the water isolated in that one tube? What are you using to plug them up with?

i used a tube patch and rubber cement. haha working quite nicely. the frame is a jamis sputnik

Well the sputnik is SST steel... I guess it is worth a try after all if your frame cracks due to the pressure created by the expansion of water freezing you might as well have it repaired while you're replacing the top tube. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't try this method with aluminum though as aluminium cracks easilier... well aside if it was a leader as those are dirt cheap and expandable. :D:D:D:D

Why not just beat the rest of the frame with a hammer and make it a theme bike.

Why not just beat the rest of the frame with a hammer and make it a theme bike.

because i dont want a beat up bike like yours....

here are some before and after pics. its only been frozen 1 time. since the weather got warm again, i dont know when i can freeze it again...
the before pics didnt come out so well, but still gives a idea of the size.


http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0522_1600x1063.jpg
before
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0583_1600x1063.jpg
after

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0520_1600x1063.jpg
before
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0584_1600x1063.jpg
after

Wow, thought it was going to be much worse than that. You could have had that taken care professionally of for well under $40.

It's good to learn stuff by experimenting and doing it yourself.

Impressive! :twitchy:

I demand pics after your second freezing! :D

It's good to learn stuff by experimenting and doing it yourself.

that is true. i always give it a shot first. whether it be a car, computer, bike, etc. just have to do some research and patience.


Impressive! :twitchy:

I demand pics after your second freezing! :D

i dont know when i can freeze it again because the temps went back up in new york. its gonna be above freezing for the next 10 days....
ill try and find someone who will let me use their freezer. lol im already happy that it worked. i hope the 2nd freeze will make it hardly noticeable.

It's good to learn stuff by experimenting and doing it yourself.

Have you ever had a pipe freeze and burst in your home? Or a cast iron engine block break due to ice?

I don't see how doing the same thing to a bike can be a good idea.

well water will freeze, expand, and put pressure on the area that gives easiest. the dent will puch out far easier than the tube will burst. So as he said, as long as he is careful not to let it freeze for too long, he should be fine.

You got a pic of how you're keeping the ends of the tube plugged?

I don't understand how your plug method is able to contain the freezing water and not give out before it expands in the tube.

did you even read my post? did you not read how im doing this? pipes burst because its frozen for a LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

just patch the hole like a tube. the patch can expand a little. i dont have a picture of it. unfortunately, i already took the patch off. i only patch the head tube end. then hang it by the track ends. as long as you have enough water in the tube so it is past the dent. it will expand enough to push it out.

Don't forget to post pics of the tube patches too after the next freeze too ;)

Don't forget to post pics of the tube patches too after the next freeze too ;)
roger. i hope everyone is getting some useful info from this. i dont want to be the only one freezing frames haha

Did some more research, some people swear by this method for dented headers on motorcycles, others ripped them wide open...

Seems hit-or miss, just really, really, really go over your top tube after this is done, catastrophic failure sucks.

I gotta admit, when I first read this thread I was expecting a catastrophe but after seeing the pics I'm thoroughly impressed. I don't think I'd do this myself, but I have to give you props for doing it. Thanks for the pics BTW.

A small dent like that won't weaken the tube enough to be a concern. Actually, pushing the dent out will weaken it, again,
not much of a concern. Just do what car guys do. Fill in the hole with a dab of bondo, sand it down, paint it.

A small dent like that won't weaken the tube enough to be a concern. Actually, pushing the dent out will weaken it, again,
not much of a concern. Just do what car guys do. Fill in the hole with a dab of bondo, sand it down, paint it.
yea i know what you mean, but i always wondered how well this method works.

I have a frame with a dent on the top tube. How exactly do professionals fix that?

Like this:

http://www.kichline.com/chuck/bikes/Framedents/default.htm

I have a frame with a dent on the top tube. How exactly do professionals fix that?

It depends...

If it is structural, they'll "disect" your frame and replace the problem tube...

If it is cosmetic, they'll strip the paint off the section and then "fill" the dent with bondo and then sand smooth....

You'll have to repaint the repaired places either way.

Like this:

http://www.kichline.com/chuck/bikes/Framedents/default.htm
Thanks, that works!

One of the coolest things I've seen for dent repair was for musical instruments. Depending on the size of the tube that the dent was in (whether it be a flute headjoint or the bell of a tuba), there were different sized stainless steel balls. You dropped the ball into wherever the dent was located, and then used this super powerful magnet the size of a PBR tallboy to pull on the ball (that was on the other side of the dent), and you kinda rolled the dent back out from the inside.

Granted, I'm not sure how well this would work on bike tubes, as flutes and brass instruments tend to be a little on the softer side.

One of the coolest things I've seen for dent repair was for musical instruments. Depending on the size of the tube that the dent was in (whether it be a flute headjoint or the bell of a tuba), there were different sized stainless steel balls. You dropped the ball into wherever the dent was located, and then used this super powerful magnet the size of a PBR tallboy to pull on the ball (that was on the other side of the dent), and you kinda rolled the dent back out from the inside.

Granted, I'm not sure how well this would work on bike tubes, as flutes and brass instruments tend to be a little on the softer side.

thats a great idea, but the opening is not the same size of the top tube. the opening is actually alot smaller so you cant fit a metal ball in there. maybe it will work on certain bikes, but not mine for sure.

i have some really good news. the temps outside dropped really low again so i stripped my bike and froze it a 2nd time. the results are amazing. the dent is practically gone, but the crease? is still there. ill post pics soon. then its goin back out for the 3rd and final time.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0643_1600x1063.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0645_1600x1063.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m9/drmrdan/Bike/DSC_0649_1600x1063.jpg
here ya go

did you even read my post? did you not read how im doing this? pipes burst because its frozen for a LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
Dude I wasn't being skeptical I was serious, I'm interested in this fix.

Dude I wasn't being skeptical I was serious, I'm interested in this fix.

nono, that post wasnt towards you. its going back out for the 3rd time tonight, but i honestly dont know how much more it will push out. it looks like its at its limit.

Looks like it's got the job done as good as it's gonna go. I'm still pretty impressed.

how long have you kept it frozen for and what kind of temps have you been doing this in? I've got a dented top tube and access to a walk in freezer. I want to try this, but want to hear some specifics before I try.

roger. i hope everyone is getting some useful info from this. i dont want to be the only one freezing frames haha

J Geils to keep you company (http://www.google.com/url?q=http://s0.ilike.com/play%23J.%2BGeils%2BBand:Freeze%2BFrame:34215:s6535305.9644956.10074812.0.2.58%252Cstd_be0602e53fd04 7d29a41564704df1718&ei=jitCS5KaKcSUtgeX25T8CA&sa=X&oi=music_play_track&resnum=1&ct=result&cd=2&ved=0CAoQ0wQoADAA&usg=AFQjCNGnrL80QVz-MW-lk369N1tGYPzryg)

Now you can sand down the frame and bondo those dents. Depending upon how you do it, that Jamis will look redneck, ghetto, or ricer in progress.

how long have you kept it frozen for and what kind of temps have you been doing this in? I've got a dented top tube and access to a walk in freezer. I want to try this, but want to hear some specifics before I try.

temps ranged around 20-30 degrees. i left it out there for about 4-5 hours at a time. i check up on it every few hours to see if there are any improvements. when i see that it popped some of the dent out, i bring it back inside and let the ice melt. then i repeat the process. so as long as you watch it like your baking a chicken, you should be ok.

Now you can sand down the frame and bondo those dents. Depending upon how you do it, that Jamis will look redneck, ghetto, or ricer in progress.
im just gonna sand down the cracked paint and spray it with some paint. i hope its not too hard to match the black. but its small so it wont be noticeable.

i used a tube patch and rubber cement. haha working quite nicely. the frame is a jamis sputnik


not that I don't beleive you but wouldn't the rubber patch expand before the steel tube does?

The tube will freeze from the ends and outside to the center, essentially plugging itself. In a confined space like a tube, expansion can produce around 4,000psi, which is why I am not a big fan of this method. With thin, butted modern tubing of less than 1mm, you have a very small window between pushing out a dent and rupturing the tube.

not that I don't beleive you but wouldn't the rubber patch expand before the steel tube does?
yea it does expand. in that picture you see the ice expanding the patch. thats why its sticking out. if i choose anything else to patch it, like duct tape. it would just fall off after its froze. the patch has the ability to expand, so i dont have to keep patching it after i freeze it. its perfect.

One of the coolest things I've seen for dent repair was for musical instruments. Depending on the size of the tube that the dent was in (whether it be a flute headjoint or the bell of a tuba), there were different sized stainless steel balls. You dropped the ball into wherever the dent was located, and then used this super powerful magnet the size of a PBR tallboy to pull on the ball (that was on the other side of the dent), and you kinda rolled the dent back out from the inside.

Granted, I'm not sure how well this would work on bike tubes, as flutes and brass instruments tend to be a little on the softer side.

Are you sure they were stainless? Although stainless steel is considered to be a ferrous metal, most [though not all] of it does not stick very well to a magnet.

That's pretty sweet there was such a noticeable improvement. I'm kinda with ianjk though... So i'll think this is 10x awesome when you're safe and sound with no destroyed frame 6+ months from now. :)

Very nice overall results!!!! :D I'm impressed!

Thanks for the photos

Hey guys... I wanted to test this out so I took an old steel frame that was toast and cut it up enough to fit in my freezer. I hit it (HARD) with a hammer 3 times until it was really dented. Capped one end tight, filled with water, capped other end (not so tight) and stuck it in the freezer.

Well, I forgot about it for 3 days. I just remembered and took it out. Covered with frost... but amazingly the dent is completely gone!!!

All that remains is the unevenness from the multiple hammer hits.

What that tells me is that it is possible. With a quality frame, I would leave it outside for a few hours as described by others.... but my unscientific test looks great.

I am thawing it out now and will inspect closer tomorrow to see if there was any unseen damage due to the days long freeze.

Also, because I hit it so hard several times.... I think that if you had a "simple" blunt dent... you might get away with a nicely repaired frame. Really... I hit it hard!

The other thing to note is that my test frame is steel... but I don't know what kind. It seemed to be fairly light tubing, and the lugs were nice.... but the frame had long ago been abandoned in a friends yard and had been abused and repainted to the point of being trash. I think the tubing is slightly thicker than 531.

I take no responsibility for the loss of your PX-10, Raleigh Professional, or Constructeur frames. This information is for research purposes only:innocent:

Um... no pictures.

thats great that someone actually tried this method. im glad you saw how great it worked in person.

i hope this thread can help people in the future.

thats great that someone actually tried this method. im glad you saw how great it worked in person.

i hope this thread can help people in the future.

I'm going to try this again with a Reynolds 531 frame as soon as I can find a good medical donor. I'd like to perfect the method and then go into business for myself. This could be just the ticket to get ol' Gil into the big time! Ol' Gil needs this one.

Seriously... I will prepare photos and measurements next time.