A "steel is real" story for you all.
10-03-12, 01:34 PM
#1
Vain, But Lacking Talent
Thread Starter
A "steel is real" story for you all.
Ok, so I love me some carbon fiber, but steel has some advantages. That and not over-torquing the hell out of every bolt.
Monday morning, a truck made an unsafe left turn in front of me and I nailed the side of the truck. I'm mostly fine except for a really tender shoulder and a sprain/possible tear in my AC joint. Anyhow, this bike. Oh, this bike.
We pick it up (well, he did. I couldn't use my left arm at first.) and immediately, I see that the stem has turned. It's a threadless stem on an adapter and I torque it down enough to not move, but working with carbon all the time, I'm used to not giving it a whole heck of a lot. Well, after the hit it is pretty much at a 90 degree angle to the wheel. I look at the wheel and it's touching the fork. I immediately assume the rim is toast. After a little while, I open the skewer, set it fully in the dropouts and the front wheel is slightly out of true, but definitely not bent. The skewer just moved in the dropouts because I don't make it so tight I have to put a lever behind it to get it open (a personal peeve of mine when we get bikes in the shop like that). And of course, because the stem twisted, the fork didn't take a direct hit and is still straight as an arrow. I also had to turn around my left shift/brake lever that was bent inward. Handlebars still straight as ever.
So while he had to make a claim to get the massive dent and scratches fixed, a few minutes on the truing stand will have my bike perfect. Ok, well, the bar wrap did tear ever so slightly.
Anyhow, more fuel for the steel is real camp, even if I do enjoy some nice CF bikes.
Monday morning, a truck made an unsafe left turn in front of me and I nailed the side of the truck. I'm mostly fine except for a really tender shoulder and a sprain/possible tear in my AC joint. Anyhow, this bike. Oh, this bike.
We pick it up (well, he did. I couldn't use my left arm at first.) and immediately, I see that the stem has turned. It's a threadless stem on an adapter and I torque it down enough to not move, but working with carbon all the time, I'm used to not giving it a whole heck of a lot. Well, after the hit it is pretty much at a 90 degree angle to the wheel. I look at the wheel and it's touching the fork. I immediately assume the rim is toast. After a little while, I open the skewer, set it fully in the dropouts and the front wheel is slightly out of true, but definitely not bent. The skewer just moved in the dropouts because I don't make it so tight I have to put a lever behind it to get it open (a personal peeve of mine when we get bikes in the shop like that). And of course, because the stem twisted, the fork didn't take a direct hit and is still straight as an arrow. I also had to turn around my left shift/brake lever that was bent inward. Handlebars still straight as ever.
So while he had to make a claim to get the massive dent and scratches fixed, a few minutes on the truing stand will have my bike perfect. Ok, well, the bar wrap did tear ever so slightly.
Anyhow, more fuel for the steel is real camp, even if I do enjoy some nice CF bikes.
10-03-12, 06:17 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Hervey Bay, Qld, Australia.
Posts: 2,928
Bikes: Colnago (82, 85, 89, 90, 91, 96, 03), 85 Cinelli, 90 Rossin, 83 Alan, 82 Bianchi, 78 Fountain, 2 x Pinarello, Malvern Star (37), Hillman (70's), 80's Beretto Lo-Pro Track, 80's Kenevans Lo-Pro, Columbus Max (95), DeGrandi (80's) Track.
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 179 Post(s)
Liked 198 Times
in
124 Posts
Glad to read that you and your bike are both OK. I have never ridden a carbon framed bike but the way they tend to be destroyed in an accident does worry me a little bit. I have had plenty of altercations with cars, buses and trucks over the years and have only ever had one front wheel that was damaged beyond repair as the car ran over it. With every other accident I have been able to continue riding.
One common accident I have never had (touch wood) has been the slam into the back of the car where the bike is destroyed.
One common accident I have never had (touch wood) has been the slam into the back of the car where the bike is destroyed.
10-03-12, 06:29 PM
#3
aka: Mike J.
You would hate loosening my skewers. I grew up with horizontal dropouts, and lots of hills, so if you didn't torque the skewers down firmly you would be cranking hard up a hill (or escaping a loose dog in a sprint) and all of a sudden the rear wheel would torque sideways and the tire would rub hard against the non-drive side chainstay and stop you faster than modern disc brakes on a carbon fiber wonder bike, then in the case of the hill you had to decide between leaning for the ditch or the pavement as you tried to wrench your slotted cleat free fron the pedal and too tight strap (or in the case of the dog the decision was between grabbing the frame pump to defend against the dog in a canine versus pump sword fight or trying to outrun the dog in bare feet because your shoes wouldn't come loose from the pedals) .
Maybe modern skewers bite better and don't require as much tension to hold, but I still tend to lean toward a tight skewer with horizontal dropouts.
Glad you and your bike escaped major damage.
Maybe modern skewers bite better and don't require as much tension to hold, but I still tend to lean toward a tight skewer with horizontal dropouts.
Glad you and your bike escaped major damage.
__________________
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Life happens, don't be a spectator.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Life happens, don't be a spectator.
10-03-12, 06:34 PM
#4
Banned.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,199
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,409 Times
in
909 Posts
Glad you're OK. I tighten my stems pretty good, and they've still pivoted in accidents. I'm kind of glad they did, but I've always been surprised the bars didn't bend. One drawback to modern STI/Ergos--in some accidents, you end up having to buy a set.
10-03-12, 07:36 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,487
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 140 Post(s)
Liked 162 Times
in
89 Posts
In almost all cases, the opposite is true. Newer skewers are almost all of the external cam type, designed for vertical dropouts. They only have a fraction of the clamping power that an old school, internal cam skewer has. The exceptions among the new skewers currently being offered are Shimano and Campy, they still use the internal cam design, and clamp much better than all the rest.
10-03-12, 08:06 PM
#6
On a Mission from God
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Thibodaux, LA
Posts: 2,010
Bikes: '10 Surly LHT, Rat-rod Klunker, '82 Peugeot PH12 Centennial
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
3 Posts
I have a Surly LHT, was riding to work and got hit by a Honda Accord at 30MPH... my femur broke in 8 pieces, the bike only had a few scratches and a slight (tiny) bend in the fork leg, just enough to make the wheel sit crooked. Wheels were fine, too (built those myself, 36 spokes!)
Still riding the bike. +1 for steel.
Still riding the bike. +1 for steel.
10-03-12, 11:14 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,478
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 965 Post(s)
Liked 1,629 Times
in
1,045 Posts
10-04-12, 12:13 AM
#9
MIKE is my name!
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: finland,baltimore
Posts: 2,846
Bikes: hans lutz, , puch mistral ultima,2x Austro Daimler Smoked chrome Ultima,Austro Daimler Mixte,Austro Daimler 531 mixte, flying arrow,F Moser,
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Liked 20 Times
in
4 Posts
when i was a wee lad of 12-13 i had a schwinn 24" 5 speed(tank version)
one day I decided to go to my lbs and a chevette(hate them) pulled out of a private driveway
I hit the brakes and swerved and he hit me/bike broadside on the right-
I broke my larger lower legbone well, 3 months in a cast.
later they repaired the bike- either the frame or fork was bent as it was not true.
but it just shows what it takes to bend a schwinn!
one day I decided to go to my lbs and a chevette(hate them) pulled out of a private driveway
I hit the brakes and swerved and he hit me/bike broadside on the right-
I broke my larger lower legbone well, 3 months in a cast.
later they repaired the bike- either the frame or fork was bent as it was not true.
but it just shows what it takes to bend a schwinn!
10-04-12, 12:54 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 909
Bikes: Casati, Look, Torelli, Ridley, and a bunch of steel bikes from the 80s and the 90s..
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 11 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
If you had a carbon, you would have been a mile down the road. That truck would have hit a Honda civic instead. 
I love carbon and steel too. Just funning with ya.
I love carbon and steel too. Just funning with ya.
10-04-12, 01:12 AM
#11
Larger Chainring
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Posts: 1,037
Bikes: 1988 Schwinn Circuit. Bike-Boom-Puegeot. First "real bike" Trek 720 Hybrid in gross disrepair.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Getting hit by cars is the worst. I've had two incidents, one on both bikes. Both survived with minimal tweaking. I guess I did too.
