Hello everyone,

So I had a small crash with my carbon road bike yesterday. Wasn't paying attention and hit a granite curb at about 10 Mph / 15 KPH. (was able to hit the brakes and slow down a bit before taking the tumble). I basically landed sideways on the side of my shoulder / back in the pine needles on the side of the road and just scuffed my elbow a bit. No damage to the helmet, which is a good sign. I became separated from the bike in the crash.

My body being fine, I am now wondering about my bike. The only visible "damage" to the bike is a small scuff on the top/back of the (carbon railed) saddle, where it hit the pavement or curb. My left brake lever/shifter was twisted inwards. Everything else seemed totally fine, derailleurs were not misaligned and my chain didn't even come off. After bending the brake lever back, I was able to ride for another 35 KM to get home.

I have inspected my carbon frame upon returning home, and:
- Cannot see any visible damage or scuffs to the frame. Not sure if the frame had any impact at all, but it is possible it hit the curb.
- I have tried twisting and exerting pressure on the frame, but I can hear no creaking or cracking or anything like that.
- Wheels are still straight and true.
- Derailleurs still shift perfectly
- Saddle / seatpost (both carbon) seem fine, no creaking and no visible damage apart from the scuff on the leather.
- Handlebars and stem are aluminum, no visible damage.

The only thing that has me a bit worried is when climbing out of the saddle, I can now hear a slight "ticking" noise coming from either the headset or the front fork / or front wheel. It might have been there before the crash but I never noticed, but now that I am looking for signs of damage, I did notice this.

So what should I do now as a next step? Would the bike still be safe to ride? Take it to a local bike shop? Does the average shop even have the means to assess internal damage to a carbon frame (scanning and whatnot)?

Thanks for any advice!
(and PLEASE don't turn this into a carbon versus aluminum frame thread, not interested).

First, glad you are OK. Too many serious crash/injury threads going on.

As to the bike, no one here can tell you if the bike is safe to ride. If you want to be sure then disassemble, clean and inspect.

Take apart the handlebar, stem, fork, headset, seatpost and saddle. Unwrap the bar, remove the levers and clean all the parts. Visually inspect all parts for damage including the frame. Spin the wheels by hand - does the ticking persist?

You don't say if this was a side swipe or head on collision with the curb. Typical damage to the frame from a head on collision is caused by the fork legs being forced toward the rear of the bike. This compresses the down tube and puts tension on the top tube. Crushing or wrinkling of the down tube and cracking at the joint between the top tube and head tube are common. Side swipe on the other hand, can cause any kind of damage.

If no damage is found then put everything back together, torque properly, ride and reassess.

Lots of work but this is the way to be 100% sure.


-Tim-

Thanks man.

This is good advice. I will take my time and disassemble the bike, and check everything over carefully.

The crash was a "side swipe" I was riding too close to the side of the curb, could not avoid it anymore. Slammed the brakes, and kind of tumbled sideways over the curb. The way I fell, I think the bike kind of flew up sideways into the air and only took sideways impact on the saddle and brake lever (the only visible scuffs are on those parts). But it is hard to know if any other parts got knocked on the curb / ground in the process.

I am kind of thinking a LBS would not be able to assess the situation any more than I could by myself checking everything visually?

I would like to get the frame X-rayed by a specialist, but I don't know of any shops that do this in the Atlanta area. There seem to be a couple of places in California. But shipping the frame over + the cost of the X-ray is probably in the hundreds of dollars.

Where in ATL are you? I'm in Cobb County, Acworth/Kennesaw area.

Michel at FreeFlite in Buckhead used to be a frame builder. I heard there was someone else up in Gwinnet, not sure where but it was one of the well known shops IIRC. They might be able to assist.

But I don't think a regular LBS would have anything above what you or I would have in terms of special equipment to test. It is just a visual inspection.


-Tim-

No sure way to tell from here whether anything happened to your frame but the fact that the wheels didn't even go out of true is a good sign the frame is OK. Most CF frames can handle a minor tumble but many wheels are a little more fragile and will go out of true at least a little. If you don't see any obvious damage in this case it wouldn't be worth going to a shop as most mechanics have no more special skills in determining CF damage than the rest of us. If you just want a second opinion for assurance then a visit to the shop may be a worthy investment to you. X-Rays, etc. sound a bit overkill.

Oh nice, that's a nice area out there. I live in midtown Atlanta, Fulton County. I usually get out to Stone Mountain to get some peace and quiet rides in away from the city.

Yeah that is what I figured about the LBS, no point paying them to do the same thing I could do.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will keep looking around. A google search did bring up a place in Hoschton, GA called SEcomposites that claims they do Carbon bike repairs. They seem to be specialized in motorsport carbon applications. I will contact them to see what services they offer.

Thanks!

Maybe take it to a local aircraft mechanic with a six-pack. They know how to inspect composites and evaluate damage.

dunno why riders buy carbon fiber bikes, but anyway, maybe choose a steelie next time for peace of mind

To save 6 pounds?



The main area I would be concerned about is the steerer, because it absorbed some of both impacts, and you can't see it unless you take the fork out.

I know this forum is full of know-it-alls and fanboys like yourself, who feel compelled to "chime in" with "knowledge", which is why I posted this sentence in my first post:

(and PLEASE don't turn this into a carbon versus aluminum frame thread, not interested).

I own both carbon, aluminum, and steel bikes. I know all I need to know about all of them. I don't need your opinion on frame materials.

Good point, I will pay extra attention to the steerer when disassembling the bike.

Haha, if only I was friends with a local aircraft mechanic. Although Atlanta has the biggest airport in the world, sadly, I don't know any.

This is a good point. If the most fragile of the components such as wheels, derailleurs etc. were not damaged, perhaps the impact was not that bad after all.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah I would probably be served just as well checking it visually myself rather than have the LBS do it.

I have contacted a local specialist shop that does carbon fiber repairs. If their fee for assessing the frame is reasonable (AKA not more than the value of the frame), I will take it over to them and have it scanned.

Thanks for all the helpful advice so far !

So is steel, so is aluminum. Not really applicable to the thread.

But you seem so skilled at making friends and building relationships (re: post #10 ).

Carbon is disposable. Expect to trash it sooner or much sooner.

(and PLEASE don't turn this into a carbon versus aluminum & steel frame thread, not interested).


fixed it for ya

Hilarious.

yes you do, you even answered your own question, the obvious step is to have the frame scanned

so this is a junk thread, man

Man, I don't get you guys. You could turn a thread about shoes into a debate about helmets. All frame materials can be damaged by crashing. Typical steel frames will fail from work cycles sooner than typical carbon frames. You are neither solving the OPs issue nor promulgating useful or accurate information. Why troll the OP for wanting to know how to inspect the bike he already has?

Thanks for saying that, I feel the same. I don't understand why people can't just either post something useful or just don't post. Sadly I must say this is one of the most toxic online forums I have ever been a part of.

Thanks to everyone who posted something helpful. I guess this thread can get locked by a mod right around now.

Please stop with the off topic posts.

I would look at the rear derailleur and if it's ok then stand on the bike and pump up and down and see if anything flexes. If so then your frame is toast. Glad you are doing OK, from the sound of it your bike should be fine too.

I replace any helmet involved in an accident out of an abundance of caution since damage may not be visible. But that's just me.

geeze over reactive much? you oughtta get out a little, some of the forums i've seen this board is lame in comparison

and on the other hand if you don't like a reply you can just scroll past or ignore, simples