damaged frame-- still safe to ride?
 

I got in an accident yesterday-- hit head-on and endoed. I was rattled but OK, and the bike seemed OK (an old steel dumpstered Univega road bike), so I told her everything was cool and rode off. When the shock wore off I noticed that the steering seemed funny and the paint on the lugs connecting the steer tube to the rest of the frame was flaking off. Further inspection revealed that the lower tube was definitely bent in a more ovular shape near the lug.

There are no signs of cracks so far. If I continue to ride it on a temporary basis until I find a replacement, is there a safety issue there? Is it possible for the lugs to just fall apart in mid-ride, or would it be more gradual than that?

Sorry there are no pictures, but I'm just looking for people's experiences with that type of damage to a frame.

It depends on how bad the frame is bent. If it's only a slight buckling you could continue to ride it without undue risk. Note though that the frame would be more likely to buckle completely if you hit something again. If it were me I'd limit it's use as much as possible and stay off down hills and the like.

Good luck.

Ed

If the bike was a dumpster find like you said, it's time to find another donor frame and maybe salvage/swap the group. You can have the bent tube replaced but that could lead to a lot of expense.

Tim

Yeah, I hadn't considered what might happen if I hit something again... I guess it's better to err on the side of safety. Thanks.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Comes down to if you want to ride it personally and how bent it is (pictures?).