Lopsided Handlebars - Indicative of a Fall?
 

Today I went to go check out a beautiful 70s Motobecane Jubilee Sport. The frame was made from Columbus tubing and had Suntour components, and lightweight wheels. It was in excellent shape.

My wife and I rode it around and were determined to buy it. But I had a hunch and decided to look at the frame from the front. I straightened it out and noticed that the handlebars were lower on the right side (where the right arm holds when seated on the bike).

I feared that it may have taken a fall and that the frame may not be as straight as it seemed. We decided to walk, since the 78 Fuji Royale II that my wife bought last year also had the same telltale signs of a fall (lopsided handlebars, and when looking from the front, a fairly visible twist/lack of proper alignment in the frame).

Was I wrong to walk? Could there have been another reason for the handlebars being that way? Would it have been an easy fix?

I just hope I didn't make a mistake in letting it go :)

- Joe

A new handlebar is (or can be, I should say) pretty cheap. Straightening a steel frame shouldn't cost too much either.

If everything else checks out OK, I would use the handlebar/alignment issue to bargain for a better price, then use the money saved to make the repair. This is assuming the price is reasonable in the first place.

As long as it went down on the side, the frame should be ok. My racing bike has a substantial scrape on the fork, and all of my brake levers have got road rash, but I don't think any of my frames have been bent. Handlebars are fairly easy to bend. If you liked the bike otherwise, that probably shouldn't have been a deal killer. For whatever reason, the frame-bending rear end collisions don't seem to affect the handlebars very often

I've bought bikes before that had become garage clutter and had gotten squashed from the side, like from somebody pulling into the garage a bit too far.

Oh well. The guy had a phone call as I was checking out the bike, so I'm sure it's gone. At least now I know it's not a huge issue for future bike purchases.

Thanks for the info, as always.