Hey all, I'm new to the steel frame game and just bought a Touring bike in pretty good condition on Craigslist. I've noticed a small nick or ding on the seat tube that is pushed inward maybe a millimeter or two. I'm wondering at what point something like this qualifies as a "dent," and at what point do I need to actually worry/do something about it. Also, if you could explain why your answer is what it is, I'd appreciate that, as I'm always trying to learn more.

Pics are here; the ding is just under the horizontal scratch on the seat tube:



Thoughts/opinions?

Thanks guys!

That is Ding...Put a sticker or tape over it.

no worries. +1 on the sticker advice. otherwise, if you don't care, ride on.

Yeah, cosmetically I don't care one bit; so you're saying it's absolutely not a structural concern?

Structurally it's of no concern at all. If the paint is chipped off you might use touchup paint or even clear nail polish to prevent rust but it's absolutely not a problem.

Not on a steel frame. I might worry just a little if it was titanium or AL. I'd worry just a little bit more if it was a dent in carbon fiber. But I'd ride on all of them and keep an eye on it. I probably wouldn't put a sticker or decal on it so that I could inspect the area every month or so. if the paint is chipped to where you can see metal, I'd recommend something like clear paint or fingernail polish to keep rust away.

Hillrider beat me to it!

A ding is a cosmetic term. It could be a small dent, chip or deep scratch.

You have a minor dent, but whatever you call it, it's doesn't matter. Fill or cover it, or just touch up the paint and let it hide behind the water bottle. It's all good, and the frame will probably outlast you.

Dent = material is deformed through it's bulk, not simply marred or scratched on one surface. A mar or scratch would be evident on one surface but a dent would be evident on both sides of the material. With a tube, the dent would be evident on the inside as well as the outside, whereas a scratch would not.

Ding? Could be a scratch or a dent.

Clear nail polish so the steel is covered & call it good.

So if I look down the tube and can see the indent of the ding on the inside, should I be concerned?

Only about terminology. The bike is fine.

You should be concerned enough to keep an eye on the dent/ding. Over time/miles it shouldn't change shape, size or start a crack. If it does, your keeping an eye on it will prevent a failure while riding, you'll stop riding as it starts to change dramatically. Andy.

Don't worry about it, seriously. I've put bigger dents in chainstays (on purpose!) with a hammer to fit specific cranksets/chainrings.

...when you're the buyer and bargaining over the price.

Since seat tubes are always under compression, the probability of this trivial "dent" spreading into a crack is about nil. Even then, a complete failure won't cause an accident.

One of the wonderful things about steel, a small dent like this is purely of cosmetic concern. I call it a ding if the damage wouldn't be seen or felt on the inside of the tube (not that you can always inspect it from the inside) but even a small dent isn't of significant concern unless it is in a bad spot on the stays. On high end double or triple butted frames, the steel can get pretty thin in spots and dents become more of a concern but on your average touring frame you can safely ride with some pretty gnarly dents in the main tubes. Even if a steel tube eventually fails, the failure isn't usually instantaneous or catastrophic but never say never.

I'd ride that frame without worry and just check the area once in a while.