I have this older Puch frame that I noticed some paint being chipped and stretched by the top lug and a slight bump on the bottom of the top tube by the lug. Please look at the pictures and let me know your thoughts. Would you ride on this frame? I know steel is more forgiving than carbon and aluminum, but should I be concerned?



You can feel a bump behind the lug, it is hard to get a good picture of it since it is pretty small bump.


Paint looks chipped and stretched by the lug.

Maybe last owner hit something..

Like Bob said, I think it hit something, but didn't bent. That's always been my interpretation of those kinds of paint cracks. I would keep an eye on it

I suspect this frame has had a frontal impact and that it's been ridden many miles after. While I would have few concerns in riding it I would want to do a full alignment check. On the job I make many analogies about service work and such. If this frame started with 9 lives it's down to 4or 5 left. Andy

Like Andy says, traditional lugged frames are very forgiving. I'd look further at the same place on the down tube. Very good chance you'll see a bulge underneath. Bigger concern is what the fork saw. I'd look long and hard at the front and rear of the fork blades just under the fork crown. Also the crown itself. And I'd sight down the headtube and do my best to judge whether the fork blades were in line. (The fork could well have been straightened. Not the end of the world, but figure 6 to 8 lives are gone.

I put my Mooney through a rude crash early on when I dropped the front wheel into a crack. No visible damage I could find. I was across the country from the builder so I just kept on riding. A couple of years later, I crashed a lot harder and bent both fork blades; one a lot. I had a local framebuilder straighten the fork and put in an order for a new one. That was 1983. Fork went on a year later. Bike is still going strong 35,000 miles later. I have long suspected the wheelbase might be a tad shorter than when built but it rides beautifully so I just don't sweat it.

Ben

A local frame builder here straightened for me an almost unridable frame and fork (both bent) on his Marchetti and Lange tables and the total in 2014 was $80. Rides beautifully, no further paint damage, so even if you need service it should not be too expensive.