Classic & Vintage - Bike Crash

So I just finished putting together my summer project a few days ago, a old Cambio Rino that i repainted and assembled, also my first ever geared, road bike build.

Today on this bike's second ever ride, I was running some errands and when I was one block away from my home, I had to swerve away from a car creeping through the intersection while i was turning left and ended up smashing right into a curb sending me over the handlebars and into a fire hydrant. I now have a tweaked knee, sore shoulder, assorted scrapes and a really nasty bruise on my side, but worst of all my bike frame is toast.

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Now admittedly, this was mostly my fault. I was really hammering it approaching the intersection and wasn't really paying attention. I was also not totally comfortable on the bike as I have rode exclusively fixed gear for the last two years.

While I'm heart broken that a month and a half's worth of work is gone after about only 40 minutes worth of riding time, life moves on and I'm going to start looking for a new frameset to build up. Surprisingly all my components are practically unscathed (including the fork!), except for my front wheel which has a rather big dip in it, although I'll see if I or my LBS can true it back (fingers crossed).

Looks like there's still enough room to put a 16" wheel on the font, though you may want to weld up a couple of braces for the bent tubes first. ;)

i'm terribly sorry to read and see your misfortune. I hope you mend quickly but what a dreadful sight your frame is. It looked like such a nice frame too.

I was amazed to read that you are on the hunt for a replacement frame. I really hope you find a magnificent frame soon. Congratulations on such a positive attitude.

Best wishes,

Gary.

Thanks for the kind words.

I myself am actually surprised at how crumpled the frame got. I'd say between me and the frame, it definitely got the worse of the crash. Me and my dad have been speculating that the bike was rusted from the inside out and was already structurally compromised as there is evidence of rust in the cracks of the mangled tubes.

Ouch. Glad you're still in shape to type this. Looks like a very nasty crash seeing the state of that iron.

Too bad this happened, good to read you've come to the right conclusions. The damage is typical for such a crash and yes, some details might indeed point in the direction of the lug/tube connection not being 100% OK before the crash. Check out the fork, it is usually a little bent.
The steel absorbs a lot of energy when bending, one more reason to ride steel. Alu just doesn't bend or rips apart and the rider takes full blow.

i would have cried. a lot.

Sad to see a beautiful frame destroyed, but happy that you are unhurt. Hope you will find a worthy replacement.

Oh so sorry to hear this, but luckily you are OK.

The frame looks/ed lovely so it's a real shame but at least it absorbed some of the impact.

Good to hear you're ok, bikes can be replaced. You can't be. Get well soon.

Man, I am glad to hear you are okay. There's always another bike. There's only one of you. Good luck with the bike search and take care of yourself on the road.

I as well am happy to hear you are OK and on the mend.

since it has not been said yet "This should buff right out"
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=209118&d=1309763623

this is terrible, you did such a great job.

as spiccoli would say...'i can fix it'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5cneCgNA9U

jus playing - glad you're ok and not too bummed - ride on brotha

...the forks not bent???

So sorry for the loss.

Thanks everyone. I haven't pulled out the fork yet, but it surprisingly seems straight and unbent.

Would I be able to tell visually if the fork is bent or not? Or is there another trick (that doesn't involve riding with it)?

Even my front wheel aside from a bent spoke and a bend in the rim seems to have survived better than expected considering the sorry state of the frame.

Thank God you are OK... - Wring out the crying towel - Its great to see you are getting back to work - Your bike part inventory looks complete except for a frame...
OH - I too am gong to cry when this happens to me and I hope I can walk away from it in one piece...

Some times its just your turn...

Wow, that's some serious damage from a curb. Glad you are in better shape than the bike.

They really shouldn't put those curbs so close to the road, they are a hazard. ;)

let see a pic of the bike before the accident, it sure looks like a nice frame

Bummer! But you´re OK and thats what matter. I know you´ll get well but the other hurting will continue, so I hope you get a worthy replacement. This one went to Hall of fame!

What tubing, curiously?

-Kurt

Glad you're intact after that! Heal quickly and hang that bent frame as Trophy. You'll be able to use all the lessons of that build on a new one.

Glad you came out much better off than the bike!

I can't get over the amount of frame damage resulting in contact with a curb - particularly as the fork looks undamaged and you've stated the rim only ended up with a ding in it (and it can't be that big if you think it can be repaired - right?). I think the frame was rusting big-time from the inside out, too. I mean, the frame even crumpled at the BB end of the downtube. Wow.

Too bad - she looked like a head-turner.

DD

Wow. Glad you're OK. It does look like you did a great job on the frame. Hope the next one is as nice. I too would like to see a picture of it before the crash.

And definitely save that as a trophy. Not many people can say they've crashed and destroyed a bike that thoroughly!

I've never seen a top-and-down-tube bend this bad. I'm also curious to know about this frame's construction. Maybe it was substandard?

...the forks not bent???

That is what I thought as well. Seems like an unusual configuration of damage.

In any event, better that the frame absorbs all that force than your body.

I can't get over the amount of frame damage resulting in contact with a curb -...

This Windsor had a similar fate; another case direct impact with a curb. It isn't as drastic, but it took a beating all the same:

http://www.jaysmarine.com/windsor_national_bent1.jpg

http://www.jaysmarine.com/windsor_national_bent2.jpg


-Kurt

The frame was made out of colombus zeta. To my understanding, their entry level tubing, but by no means a shoddy material and if anything should've been thicker and sturdier.

And I don't have any pictures of the frame built up, but this is one of after I finished painting it, pretty much the same just sans the destruction.

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Damage does seem seriously magnified, any idea of the speed you went into it at? I was gonna suspect a similar crash in the history books for it, but usually its obvious, weird.

I smacked a curb pretty good once, had a taco'd wheel and I think the fork was tweek'd a tad as riding no hands with it would pull to the left.

Also with regards to the bent wheel. I tried bringing it to a shop where the owner told me it was toast and I should buy a new wheel. But he then tried to sell me a $150 dollar wheel with mavic rims. And also said trying to build my own wheel was a waste of time. I may try to get a second opinion.

The wheel is not totally tacoed. It is just out of true with one very obvious blip. I figure I'll try my hand at doing it myself and if it doesn't work out, the wheel was toast anyways.

Looking back at the pictures, I find it interesting that it looks like the brazed joint failed at the top of top tube where it enters the head tube lug. If you had some structural failure there, it could explain then why the top/down tubes took such heavy damage. Also, and hard to tell again, it looks like there may be some corrosion there? Might just be the light though.

Could be a craftsmanship issue. I've heard this era of Cambio Rino bikes from toronto had issues with shoddy build quality.

The wheel is not totally tacoed. It is just out of true with one very obvious blip. I figure I'll try my hand at doing it myself and if it doesn't work out, the wheel was toast anyways.

+1

Funk and Wagnalls. Glad you're alright...relatively.

I've never seen a top-and-down-tube bend this bad. I'm also curious to know about this frame's construction. Maybe it was substandard?

Without a doubt, this is the worst crunched frame I have ever seen. I mean, even the bottom bracket joint is buckled. Good grief!

Is it possible this frame had been previously crashed and, whether straightened or not, this was it's second front end collision?

How much do you weigh?

How fast were you moving when you impacted the curb?

How tall was the curb?

The fork did not look bend on mine after a crash (25km/h into the side of a car). It didn't turn smoothly in the bearings, but that might have been the bearings. Nevertheless, I threw it away together with the frame, maybe I shouldn't have.
http://velospace.org/files/DSC_0471-1.JPG

The fork did not look bend on mine after a crash (25km/h into the side of a car). It didn't turn smoothly in the bearings, but that might have been the bearings. Nevertheless, I threw it away together with the frame, maybe I shouldn't have.
http://velospace.org/files/DSC_0471-1.JPG

:eek::eek::eek:

It's common to ruin your wheel or fork or frame and not the other two.

which ever is weakest will give first, once it gives in it absorbs the impact energy that would otherwise affect the other components. So if the wheel or fork goes it might "save" the frame, if the frame geos it can save" the wheel etc.

Sorry to see it but glad you'll heal up and were not worse off. Ride safe so you can ride long.

If you are trashing the frame I'd be interested in all the lug areas with abut 8" of tube on each to try my hand at some art pieces.

If you hit the obstacle squarely, your rim is likely to stay intact. If you hit it at an angle, the rim is more likely to give.

I would have paid to see video of that wreck. I did something similar on my near-mint '84 Nishiki Olympic 12, although not quite that extreme. I know that broken heart feeling. You had the bike for 40 minutes of ride time; I had that bike since it was new- over 23 years. Not sure which is more heartbreaking.