rekon

I went for a short 10 mile ride today and I hit a HUGE pot hole! My frame hit the sidewalk while I was still clipped in! I cringed as I heard my top tube getting banged up! The outcome is a small dent and a three scuff marks on the top tube! I'm so f'n pissed for not paying attention for that split second!!

I'm assuming it's still safe to ride like this, yes?... Is it worth taking it somewhere to get repaired? Or, should I leave it alone?

bt

ride it and try to forget it.

loimpact

Well, welcome to cycling!! (just kidding)

I wasn't even a month into this sport, for realzies, and got hit by a car so be happy that didn't happen to you!

Assuming that "Si" on the TT means you're talking about the CAAD, consider yourself lucky. Carbon fiber could mean the end!

It sucks, no doubt about it, but just like a car, first we're treating them like faberge eggs, then, years later, we're using them to push shopping carts out of the way!

rekon

LOL thanks! I guess I'll just look at it as a CAAD Battle Scar!

RR3

i did an Endo at 60KPH during a Prime Sprint many years ago and dented a steel top tube. I rode it afterwards for years.

rekon

Sucks!! I did a century the other day and everything went good. Today I got out for 10 miles and screw up the top tube!

Anyways I'm going to have to keep riding it. Although I had plans on upgrading the components... and now i'm not so sure i want to upgrade stuff on a dented frame. :/

dvdslw

It sucks to scratch your frame but it happens. I would be upset about it too but at the end of the day I bought my road bike to ride it, not show it off. The damage is purely cosmetic and can be touched up to look better plus if you're riding fast enough nobody will ever see the damage.

Team Sarcasm

The dent may be nothing to worry about or may be the spot for a crack to form making the frame not safe anymore. You may have to upgrade frames to the evo

Homebrew01

yup. No big deal.

rekon

LOL I would love to swap it for an evo but that frame is expensive! Hopefully this dent doesn't lead to a crack!

BillyD

It's not carbon fiber, it'll be fine.

Kai Winters

It should be fine but for peace of mind you may want to take it to a good shop and have them take a look at it.
Get a cool sticker and cover it up...easy peasy...but you will always see it...always...

ovoleg

I prefer the CAAD10 to the Evo. The Evo felt flexy compared to the CAAD. Also the CAAD feels like it handles on rails, evo was very sloppy in the corners. Keep your bike and ride it, the scratches are all cosmetic.

rekon

Thanks for emphasizing the always - makes me feel a lot better . As far as a sticker I'd rather look at the dent and scratches than a sticker.

dvdslw

I've got it!!! Purely functional, will cover the damage, and probably comes in black too!!!

Jiggle

I flipped over the handlebars riding a CX bike down some stairs, caught myself with both hands which turned the crash into an elegant gymnastic handspring that catapulted the bike into the stair hand rail. This dented one of the seat stays so severely that I had to adjust the rear derailleur. Still ride it, though. I'm waiting for the next spectacular crash to finish it off for good. Hopefully we'll have some video.

link0

Do NOT cover up the dent. The dent is a source of weakness that will eventually lead to a crack. It's probably safe to ride for now, but you need to regularly check up on the area, so don't cover it up.

rekon

As attractive the beer holder is... I'm not going to cover it. I'll just live it for now. I'm still going to go forward with my planned upgrades. I figure if the frame ever fails I could always transfer the parts over to a new donor.

alexaschwanden

Don't worry about it, it's battle scars. Ride with pride.

big chainring 

What is Bondo and a black Sharpie.
I'll continue with Scratch and Dent for $100 Alex.

calyco

Character marks man, doesn't look that bad at all and if anything it makes it yours Black frame = easy, black sharpie if not too bad. I am worried for my white frame. I fell the other day but luckily semi braced the frame and only scratched up my Shimano SPD pedals. I dont care about those.

rekon

Thanks man!!

topflightpro

This is correct.

Aluminum dents cannot be repaired, and aluminum does not like to be dented. Depending on how hard you torque the frame, it could end up cracking near the end of the dent. Once it cracks, it can be tossed in the recycling bin.

The nice thing about aluminum though is the crack will appear slowly. So you don't have to worry about any catastrophic failure.

As a final note, I went through something similar a few years ago. I crashed in a race and my bar hit my top tube and dented it. After about six more weeks of racing, a crack appeared.

jdip

Makes sense; the Cannondale pros use the company's less stiff and more sloppy frame for an extra challenge!

ovoleg

the pros are going to ride the most expensive bike that the manufacturer sells, period. Thats how you sell those expensive bikes.

I rode both, the Evo is flexy. When you can put down more than 1000W in a sprint get back to me, thnx.