Classic & Vintage - Need some advice!

Posted in mechanics forum aswell


This morning I got into a pretty bad accident, that frankly I'm lucky i walked away from. A driver was parked in the bike lane, and as i went around him he opened his door and I biked right into it. I was going pretty quickly and, needless to say, I went flying. The guy didn't speak any english so I didn't really know what to do, and on top of that I was incredibly shaken up...

i found out that my bike is essentially totaled. The down tube is bent and is almost touching the front tire. I'm pretty damn poor right now, and cannot afford a new bike. But my bike is my only form of transportation in the city.


I have a vintage trek 400 and have little hope of being able to find a matching frame.

Im essentially seeking advice and maybe similar experiences and what you may have done.

sue the driver, get a bike off craigslist. I hope you filed a police report.

i didn't. thats were i screwed up. i feel like an idiot. i wasn't thinking straight at all...

well strip your bike off all the usable parts, then post a WTB ad on your local cl stating your desired bike frame size and price range. Always works for me.

Just a guess, but you can still report the incident. In fact, where I live, the law demands it.

If, at the time of the accident, anyone was injured, that alone would constitute cause to initiate a 911 call, asking for emergency help. Where I live this means all three groups, the Paramedics, the Police and the Fire Dept, all show up.

If no injury is involved, you are bound by law to go to the Police Station and report the incident. That means, here, the OP would still have a legal obligation to fulfill.

So, file the report and offer any supporting evidence, that you might have collected, to demonstrate your claim. Other than that, I have little to add.

Except, I am sure I missed, or even misconstrued, some of the information. With that in mind, make it your business to learn what to do in your area, if/when it happens again.

If you look hard enough, you should be able to find a very similar Trek frameset. I have found A LOT of vintage steel Treks in the last couple of years. While they get a really good response in the market (sell for good to high prices), they are plentiful.

A Police report cannot always get you 100% compensated, specially if your State considers percentage of responsibility between the two parties involved in a vehicular accident. The car driver can also say that you had some responsibility to watch out for people coming out of parked cars in general, just as much as he might be required to watch out for traffic or bicyclists.
I'm always watching out for these things when I go ride my bicycle or motorcycle. To be safe, you always have to expect the possible worst that can happen so you can anaticipate and react early enough to possibly avoid accidents. Anticipating such recently saved my life when I encountered a car parked similarly on a two lane mountain road with the owner asking directions from cyclists at the side of the road. I was about 70 yards away when I spotted this and I told myself that the guy likely to be lost and distracted and will most likely just swing into my lane or do a U turn in front of me without checking on what's coming up behind him, so I slowed down considerably from 50 MPH and started tapping my motorcycle's horn to get the driver's attention...............Sure enough, when I got to within ten yards of him he abruptly does a U turn in front of me! Being already slowed down, I was able to stop my bike with less than a foot to spare between my front tire and his driver's door.
Remember, being on a bike lane does not guarantee that the path in front of you will be always open and free of obstructions....
Good Luck, I hope you do get compensated by the driver in some way to recover at least some of your losses, and we're very glad that you were not injured.
JMOs

Chombi

What size is the frame? What is the rear dropout spacing or how many cogs does it have on back?

What size is the frame? What is the rear dropout spacing or how many cogs does it have on back?


its 54cm

im not sure how to to determine the rest... id can upload a picture if necessary


Also, thank you guys for the replies. i really appreciate it.

Time to get your dertails together - Consier filing a Police Report - The driver may even spring for coveing the cost of another frame - If not and if it goes no where just be thankfull you are OK... Now what kind of frame are you looking for and are all the components in good shape???

Time to get your dertails together - Consier filing a Police Report - The driver may even spring for coveing the cost of another frame - If not and if it goes no where just be thankfull you are OK... Now what kind of frame are you looking for and are all the components in good shape???

it happened over eight hours ago. I'm not sure if its even worth it....

and you're right, i am very lucky that it didn't turn out worse for me, I'm very fortunate.

I aside from the wheels and the brakes on the handle bars, it seems as if all is well. Grears are shifting accurately and it would seem solving the frame problem would remedy the situation.

the problem is that I'm not sure what frame i should be looking for. its a trek (american made) 400 frame, but thats about all i can offer for information.

First, have you seen a doctor yet? Check for signs of a concussion and stuff like that which may not show up until a day or more later after an accident or a crash.

Okay, with that out of the way, and now that you've had a night to sleep on it, what would you like to end up with when all is said and done? Did you like the bike as it was before the crash? Was it configured as a road bike with drop bars? Did you like the gear range on it or would you want to change that to something else? Did it fit, or would you like one bigger or shorter or taller or longer?

Easiest option would be to find a new/used bike and keep this one for parts. Cheapest option might be to find a different frame or a donor bike and swap the good parts off of your crashed bike onto the new to you frameset. If you've got the tools and knowledge it can be done in a afternoon or so. If you really want to replace it with another Trek, or even another Trek 400 then the task becomes a little more difficult, but do-able.

Try to post a pic of your bike as it is now. Count the number of cogs or sprockets on the rear wheel, should be 5 or 6 or 7 or maybe 8. Also count the number of chainrings on front, probably two, maybe three. These things will help people help you.

Glad you're okay for the most part. Take your time as you sort out the details and options, things will usually work out over time.