Don't know how it happened. Bike mechanic says it can't be fixed.

Given the know how and the proper tools, that would be a fairly easy repair. Given a bit of creativity, the wrong tools and a bit of luck, you just might achieve reasonable success - but don't expect too much if you don't know what you are doing.

Stays Straightener...



And think about it. What's the worst that can happen by trying? If anything, the stay would at least be less bent.

Know also that you might want to further inspect and possibly repair any other frame related problems that might have resulted from the bent stay. Have a look at Frame Preparation and see if anything comes to mind for your repair.

If there are any cracks, disregard all of the above. If the tubing is aluminum, forget it.

How can one not know how that happened? I'm confused.

That certainly looks like an odd bend, from just that one photo, though....

That's a mid-level (I'm guessing) steel frame, so it is almost certainly straightenable by an experienced framebuilder. And that's who I would want to assess it and determine whether or not it can be straightened....

I'm making a request.....how the heck did that happen? And yes it can be "fixed" to some reasonable degree. Not sure it will be straight as new but it will be rideable. Or you could part it out and get a new bike.

Come on, you gotta tell us.

Pretty obvious how it happened, "just riding along".

For every action there is a reaction. Lay the bike over on the other side and have the same friend ( sober this time) stand on the outside of the stay this time

seriously, how did it happen?

Certianly, drop the gears and brakes, grind off the hanger and ad a fixed hub....but there's another group in the Forum for that.

I straightened a frame with a similar bend using a long lever and wooden blocks, with a hub installed. It turned out OK.

what about 2 2 by 4's and a c clamp?

A few bucks with a framebuildr and it'll be fine. You can try it yourself. Others have been successful.

I was actually thinking about that: going to lowes to find some sort of clamp.

I just spent 2.5 hrs transferring the handlebar and brakes from my fuji to my old panasonic that I gave to my dad. It rides great, like my old fuji. But the color is not as badass as my fuji's dark green. Getting that handlebar through the clamp is a pain in the behind... until I finally figured it out.


anyways. I wish I knew how this bend happened, but I can't. For about 2 weeks, I thought I was getting out of shape because my bike gave me more resistance, but now I understand. One thing to note though is that the upper part of the bend is in its original state. It's the lower part of the bend that got phshed toward the wheel somehow.

come to think of it... I was biking on campus 2 weeks ago, and I had to steer from the sidewalk to the lawn in order to avoid hitting a group of girls. When I tried to get back to the sidewalk, the front wheel got caught on the edge, and my bike landed on it's left side (I was ok). That must've been it!!!

The voice of experience once again triumphant.

A small bit of advice. If you are not in tune enough
with bicycles to make this connection immediately,
you're probably better off going to a frame guy.

Most professional shops won't do this kind of thing
because of the liabilities involved.

I'm tempted to rubber mallet that puppy with some wood blocking....just for the experience!

^ ^ ^ ^ ^
What I would probably do, too.

i just took a park frame bending tool to my frame. i had a kink that was similar, but not as extreme as yours. came right out with a bit of leverage. granted it was on an old raleigh with softer steel, but i imagine that with the right knowledge and attitude, you should be able to get something going. just make sure that you have a hub in the frame so that you don't toss the alignment way out.

You had tire rub for 2 weeks? Really?!?

this.

Well I was able to bend the steel, but it's not turning out to be as straight as i want it to be... I'm afraid of making an "S" shape out of this. Where can I find a frame guy?

btw. I used my mom's garden bricks and zip ties... and my dad's body weight

hmmmmm....I wonder why nobody else thought of that?..........

a frame guy? just do a search here or internet explorer it. where do you live? what kind of bike is that anyway? you might be better off asking one of these crusty C&Vers for a spot of help. you might get away with learning a few things for the price of a 6 pack of Giuness or Fat Tire Ale rather than learning nothing for a whole lot more

is there more than just this little bend in the stay? does the whel looked tacoed to anyone else?

Hey BG, I know a framebuilder here in Frederick MD who could probably straighten that out for you... PM me if you're interested in getting his contact info.

EDIT: About the wheel: it does appear to be bent, but since I can't see the whole wheel, it is sort of hard to tell. Let's not forget that everyone was focused on the stay, too. That's why nobody noticed the wheel.

That's the ticket!

Does this Gent do repainting? I could do with a localish painter with reasonable rates

It looks like the middle of the seat stay is bent outwards to me. Nothing looks bent inwards.

(EDIT: actually, thinking about it the bottom left may be pushed in. The whole rear triangle is possibly pushed over to the right a bit. The right stay having a gentle curve and the left stay having that bend.)

I'm pretty sure that bike is meant to have straight seat stays. Probably much like the Fuji in this picture, although yours looks to be a step up from this one:

the wheel isn't bent. I transferred the wheel from the bent frame (which is also a fuji btw) to my older panasonic. It's the highlighted part that's out of place. I'm pretty sure of it. See how the rear brake is crooked? And I think you're correct about the right side. Maybe I'll try to fix it with the c-clamp method illustrated above. The thing is, I don't know how he got it back to being perfectly straight. Do you have to leave the clamp there for a day or two to really make sure it stays that way when you take the clamp off?