Originally Posted by
asmac
Which frame tubes are most critical for failure or likely to fail catastrophically?
I ask because I have a steel frame with a dent in the middle of the downtube along its length (1-1/2" long, maybe 1/8" deep) caused when my car was rear-ended and the bike was pushed into the bike rack.
It was replaced by insurance but it's a good frame (Salsa Vaya) and I'd like to build it up again if the risk is minimal.
Any thoughts on which frame components are most problematical?
Head tube separating from down- or top-tube would be most scary for me.
I have had chainstays break and I keep control of the bike but in some instances is not really ridable.
I have seen others with broken or separated seatstays and keep riding, but my old road frame was developing cracks under the seat cluster and I retired it because I didn't want to worry about it when doing 80 km/h.
Riding with a damaged frame is always a bit of a crap shoot - usually you can recover from a broken frame, but the potential for loss of control or a crash is real.
As for your specific description of your dent, I can't really comment, except to say that failure in the middle of the downtube is very rare, unless you are riding on extreme terrain or suffer a bad crash. Give the dent a regular inspection to ensure no cracks are forming and use your best judgement. It's your arse on the line here should something bad happen.