avzay66

Recently acquired a cool PX10 frame. Looked straight to me at first, but upon closer examination I noticed that at some point in its life it was bent and then potentially repaired.

Frame looks straight to me, however there are rather faint paint stretch marks on the top tube and downtube. Top tube has very slight ripple? (feels not totally smooth) under the tube.

Is this frame safe, does the repair look like it was performed OK?

IMG_1522 by avzay55_ebay, on Flickr

IMG_1521 by avzay55_ebay, on Flickr

IMG_1520 by avzay55_ebay, on Flickr

IMG_1519 by avzay55_ebay, on Flickr

FBinNY 

Odds are it was not repaired, just bent very slightly in a front end collision. Of course it might also have been pulled back, and there's no way to tell. One thing you might do is measure the wheelbase, and/or the pedal front wheel clearance and compare to another copy of the same bike.

Either way, the bike is relatively safe to ride. Straightening steel frames of this type was SOP for decades until liability worries ended the practice. The risk of sudden tube failure is very low, but not unheard of. Keep an eye for any hint of movement or crack formation, which will usually start at the buckle on the bottom of the tubes. (Inspect at least monthly).

Andrew R Stewart 

This is a fine line to decide which side you believe on. With out measureable deviation from the OEM spec (what ever that was...) it's hard to claim a real situation. Paint can be harder/more brittle then the frame is and can show stress before the frame is distorted. On the other hand the opposite can be the case. But I will say that if the frame had been impacted enough to bend it the a force was applied to straighten it there usually will be signs of this. The initial bend will often leave a ripple in the TT and DT. The restraightening won't usually remove these ripples completely.

I might be more concerned about the twist that might have been induced in any impact, rather then the bend back. Andy.

avzay66

surprisingly enough, the fork is dead straight with no signs of damage at all, however on close examination the bars were bent as well.

From what i've seen it is usually the fork that goes first.

Would it be worthwhile to measure the angles? Or bring it to a shop with frame jig? I could always build it up and try riding it first just to check if it tracks ok, but I am reluctant to
waste time/cables/housing on a build I am not going to use.

FBinNY 

Rest assured, the bike WAS crashed. The stretch marks on top coupled with the compression buckle (ripple) below are classic and incontrovertible evidence of that.

Whether the crash was very slight and you see the total extent of the damage, or more severe and straightened later are harder to prove, but I lean (slightly) to the former.

Now that you KNOW it was crashed, it's your call whether to ride or not.

BTW- the forks don't always go first. Sometimes only the fork bends, sometimes only the frame, and sometimes both.

Six jours

Well, FB is right: it is damaged. No question.

I personally have ridden steel frames with much more serious damage, and I rode them hard. One was an Serotta Colorado which I ran into a parked tractor trailer in a criterium. I put my feet on the cranks and my hands on the fork and pulled it out until it was almost straight, and then finished out the road season on it. Another was an SLX road frame which had been crashed so hard that not only did the top and down tubes buckle at the head tube, but the down tube also buckled at the BB. The front tire was touching the bb shell! The frame was pulled out, the paint touched up with fingernail polish, and I bought it for twenty bucks and rode it for two cat. 1 cyclocross seasons before giving it away.

So the short version is that I would have absolutely no problem riding the frame in the picture. I'd keep an eye on it - steel usually gives lots of warning before failing - but I'd also put money on it outliving you.

Six jours

The question in my mind is, is that really a PX10? I thought PX10s were top of the line, but it's obvious that no one gave a damn about those lugs during assembly. Is that really the way PX10s came?

FBinNY 

Yes, PX10s came that way. BITD they sold for a whopping $150.00-175.00 or so, and were the top of the line production bike out of a factory producing large numbers of low end bikes. They were not given much by way of handwork at all.

Six jours

Well, live and learn. I'm sure it's a perfectly functional bicycle. A couple of hours with a file might even make it attractive, too!

avzay66

this one actually is one of the better ones i've seen workmanship wise

peugeots and raleighs from 60s-70s are pretty bad.

somehow in the mid 80s the build quality of the peugeots really improved. my 84 PSV-10 is very well made

Six jours

Well, I don't mean to harsh your mellow. Like I say, I'm sure it's a workable frame. I'm just surprised out how little effort they put into the cosmetics.

avzay66

So I built the bike up (to halfway rideable state) and tried it today. Frame seems to track straight and rides "no-hands" very well. Bike rides very well by the way.

I assume that it is probably in alignment.

IMG_1535 by avzay55_ebay, on Flickr

FBinNY 

Assuming isn't necessary. just as proof of the pudding is in the eating, a bike that seems aligned by tracking straight is aligned for all practical purposes.