Frame Repair in Mid-Atlantic
 

In this thread, forum consensus is that this bike has potential for a long and productive life and that the frame may actually not even be bent out of spec, the damage may just be only to fork.

I want to take this to somebody who can evaluate this, I'm assuming w/a frame jig or something, and bend/repair as need be. Ideally, it is somebody w/in driving distance of DC so I don't have to hassle w/shipping.

So any recommendations folks, ideally w/some contact info?

TIA

Steve at The Bike Stand in Scotch Plains NJ. If you need some help, I could facilitate for you.

If it were me my first stop would be one of my LBS's for advise. I have two that I go to and I don't think either of them are set up for this kind of work but I"m sure they have seen it before and know who to call locally in the general area.

Bilenky in Philly.

I wonder if Tom Kellogg / Spectrum Cycles would take a look at it? I was (and am) going to have them take care of a fork problem on my Raleigh...

I would definitely email photos to Tom Kellogg at Spectrum. I talked to him once on the phone, with my photos in front of me on my PC and in front of him on his, and he explained to me in great detail what we were looking at. It was like being there. And he convinced me the down tube and top tube had to be replaced. I got the impression he would never recommend re-bending a bent frame. Which is not to say he is the right choice for your bike; but I would definitely talk to him.

I got the impression that the guys who build frames don't like to bend them, but there are mechanics out there who are comfortable with (and very good at) straightening bent frames. If you want one of the latter, don't go to one of the former.

Fair enough and that wouldn't surprise me. Tommasini took about 2 minutes to say pitch the frame (and buy another.....).

What I'm looking for is somebody who can take a detailed measurement (I'll pay for it...) so I can figure out whether it is OOS or not more comprehensively than an eyeball deal. If it is and they don't/can't want to bend it, fine.

I'm quite confident in sending this to Kurt once I know it needs his careful ministrations, assuming he would accept the job. In addition to doing good work in general, his experimentation w/t the HTS tool probably means he has rebent as many frames as anyone else over the last year or two.

As Tom explained it to me, high end steels like 531 are something like spring steel, can bend a great deal momentarily and come right back to where they started. But once the steel starts to deflect, it is permanently changed. You can bend it again; you can bend it more; you can bend it "back"; but you cannot unbend it. That's probably not really what he said; that's what I learned from talking to him.

From your photos, it's unclear whether your frame really bent at all. It clearly flexed enough to crack the paint; but it may have sprung back to where it started, in which case it has not deflected, and has not weakened. As I understand it.

Why not put a new fork on it, and ride it? You'll soon know whether it needs Kurt's attention.