Originally Posted by
CliffordK
That photo seems to be taken way out of context. And it is a shaped CF frame vs the steel frame in question.
Note the tapered top tube, fat up near the for, and skinny back by the seat.
Here is another with round tubes showing the stress point closer to the fork, as might be expected.
I'm not sure about normal riding, but one of the common crash failures is a TT/DT bend about 3" back from the head tube caused by a front-end impact.
But, obviously, what one is more concerned about in this cases is chronic fatigue. Bouncing on the seat stays? Torsion from the cranks?
Nonetheless, the dent is there. The repair is marginal at best. Ride and enjoy the bike.
Of course there would be a million ways to cut the subject up. I could counter that tube are not typically designed with crash testing into a car in mind. But that doesn't mean it can't happen and if that tube were to fail suddenly it could be catastrophic.
Just be smart and accept that among the solutions open to the OP is a durable repair and that is the only solution which provides a margin of safety I'd want to put my life in. I seriously doubt we're going to see eye-to-eye on this so please do not ask or expect any more responses from me on the topic.