jan230

Hi Folks,
I bought a 2012 CAAD10-4 about 3 weeks ago.
Less than a hundred kms, mostly indoors since I got it.
Found a 2.5 cm dent on the top of the drive side stay and 2 horizontal cracks in the paint.
The only way I can think of the damage occurring is by striking it with my heel while dismounting.
This is my first aluminum road bike and I would never have imagined it to be so fragile.
Anyone else seen this kind of damage without really knowing how it occurred?
Back to crying in my beer.
Thanks,
Jan S.

fietsbob

A toast to life, and it's complications

Bianchigirll 

Your heel did that? Are standing on the chainstay when you get on and off the bike? I can't see how just banging your heel into the stay when twisting out of the pedal can do that.

mulveyr 

Aluminum isn't that fragile. Clearly something a lot more vigorous than striking it with your heel has occurred at some point.

FBinNY 

+1, unless you were wearing jackboots, I strongly doubt you could have done that with a heel strike. Usually when I see dents like that it's because something jammed into the wheel and was slammed into the stay.

In any case, I'd put it out of my mind and ride it. The dent may be a stress riser and eventually the stay will fatigue and crack, but eventually can be a very long time and something else is likely to kill it off first. If you're concerned, you might buy some more life by gluing on one of those ballistic chainstay protectors, plus it'll cover the damage so you can put it out of mind.

ultraman6970

+1 with bianchigirl and the other guys, no way to do that with your cycling shoes unless you use like a 10kg steel heel and toes shoes and I dont thing you use that at all.

Maybe the bike was like that and you did not notice or maybe somebody in you home handle the bike w/o you knowing it and the thing got a dent, but to get a dent like that in aluminum the hit has to be considerable. And due to the position that thing doesnt happens out of the blue, weird... always good to ask in your house you know.

The paint looks cracked but who knows if the tube has damage ok? the only way to know is peeling the paint and looking at the metal. If no crack in the material you are safe. That dent can be filled up and repainted.

Good luck.

jan230

Thanks for the replies.
The bike stays in the spare bedroom when not being ridden and like I said I've only used it 6 times in the 3 weeks that I've owned it.
It was a gift from my wife so I don't suspect her of molesting it.
I sometimes unclip by drawing my heel inwards toward the frame because of knee pain and it really was the only thing I could think of where the frame has even been touched.
Guess I'll strip the paint and have a look.
Thanks again,
Jan

FBinNY 

Leave the paint alone and just ride it.

There's no percentage in looking, since you're not likely to gain any useful info. It's either cracked (doubtful) or not. It'll either last many years or it won't. Either way the worst that can happen is that the crack (if any) propagates and the chain stay eventually fails.

Since any effort to repair it or prevent failure is as expensive and complicated as repairing it after it fails, you might as well wait to cross that bridge until (if) you come to it. There's no danger to riding it this way, since the crack will propagate and become visible long before it fails. Even if it somehow fails without warning, chainstay failure rarely (if ever) leads to a crash.

In short, you have nothing to lose by leaving it alone, and nothing to gain by making it cosmetically worse.

I'd make up a good story about how you were jumped by three big guys, and you used the bike to protect yourself when one swung a 2x4 at your head. the bike took one for the team and saved you before you were able to jump on and sprint away.

ultraman6970

You uncleat twisting inwards?? interesting... you have to crank it really bad to uncleat outwards?? asking because if thats the case and since your knees hurt then you might have other issues (cleat fitting), your knees wave too??

FBinNY 

It could be that the OP has cleat alignment, or other issues. Then again, he could be like me and find that he has more rotational strength twisting inward than outward. I keep my look cleats very tight for sprinting and hill climbing, and while I can exit either way, I find it easier to remove my second foot (usually the right) rotating inward.

jan230

Hey Ultra,
I had a pro fit a couple of years ago and am happy with the cleat alignment.
No pain riding with 105 pedals,only when twisting to unclip like FBinNY.
Old age (50) and other sports injuries have taken a toll.
Thanks alot guys.
Jan

Homebrew01

Yup

longbeachgary

Why not let Cannondale look at it? I've heard that they are very good with both warranty repair and non-warranty replacement. I wouldn't lie to them about what happened but tell the truth that you have no idea how it got there.
Gary

catonec 

Im with the "no way your heal did that" crowd. maybe it got banged when putting it in or taking out of your trainer.