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Traumatic Trail Adjustment

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Old 11-22-16 | 08:23 PM
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Traumatic Trail Adjustment

Funny story: Had a moderately bad crash on my steel single speed commuter. Trued my wheel, buffed out the scratches, healed up, and got back on the bike. Was noticing a weird unsteadiness, a shimmying feeling at mid-speeds, and noticed my feet kept contacting the wheel when I was turning. Rode it a while more and then took a look at my wife's bike from the same maker... and realized that I had hit the fork hard enough (and straight on) to reduce the rake by probably 1.5 inches! Instant conversion into twitchy crit bike at low cost!

Before:


After:
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Old 11-22-16 | 08:37 PM
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That must have been some crash. It was hard enough to reverse all the decals!
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Old 11-22-16 | 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted by HillRider
That must have been some crash. It was hard enough to reverse all the decals!
And it scared the chain so badly that it turned white!
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Old 11-22-16 | 08:48 PM
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Originally Posted by HillRider
That must have been some crash. It was hard enough to reverse all the decals!
And shift the drive train to the left side of the bike. I'm assuming that was the "after" photo.
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Old 11-22-16 | 09:08 PM
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Gentlemen: I am here to reveal to you that my bicycle's geometry is the same from the left or the right. Apologies for flipping to photo to assist your comparisons.
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Old 11-22-16 | 09:22 PM
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You can easily bend it back.
Just turn the fork backwards, then crash again in the same place.


Really though, easy to fix, lay a big ladder on the floor, hook the fork legs between the rungs, stand on the end of the ladder and push using the frame as leverage.
When the fork tubing reaches its original shape, resistance will increase, so stop then.
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Old 11-23-16 | 06:53 AM
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I see a bent frame. The top and down tubes look bent just behind the head tube, as is typical in a front end collision.
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Old 11-23-16 | 07:03 AM
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Originally Posted by benshares
Gentlemen: I am here to reveal to you that my bicycle's geometry is the same from the left or the right. Apologies for flipping to photo to assist your comparisons.
No need to apologize for giving us something to have a bit of fun with.
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Old 11-23-16 | 08:56 AM
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Originally Posted by dsaul
I see a bent frame. The top and down tubes look bent just behind the head tube, as is typical in a front end collision.
Yup, that's what thought too.

Think long and hard about making the frame wall art.
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Old 11-23-16 | 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by dsaul
I see a bent frame.
Originally Posted by leob1
Yup, that's what thought too.

Think long and hard about making the frame wall art.

I thought so too. Definitely bent.

That's probably a $450 bike. Looks like it has some upgrades though. I'd strip the parts and look for a used Soma Rush frame or something like that.

I rode with a guy who had a Tribe Knox. Looked nice in terms of style and workmanship. He also crashed his on a ride but didn't bend it.

Glad the OP wasn't hurt. That's the main thing.


-Tim-
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Old 11-23-16 | 09:30 AM
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Best you take the fork out for an exam of the fork/steerer junction. If this is bent, a replacement might in part
solve your problem. OTOH if the frame buckling is the explanation then the bike is toasty.
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Old 11-23-16 | 04:37 PM
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The frame is bent, and the steerer has been bent and is no longer safe to ride. Start stripping components, and look for a new frame and fork....
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