Had a little accident this past Saturday morning; I hit a pothole and went down. I'm bruised and a little sore...my bike fared worse.
Specifically, the rear derailleur was bent beyond repair (replacement needed), the rear hanger was bent (has already been successfully straightened), the headset was dented/damaged (bearings aren't moving well) and will be replaced. Plus assorted scratches to rims, paint, etc.
Last but not least: the shop called to let me know that the rear triangle is slightly bent - offset to the left by 7mm. Per the mechanic, they consider offsets of up to 5mm tolerable - if it was less than that, they would not recommend a repair. My offset is 7mm - probably not enough to notice/cause a problem - but it's above the usual tolerance. Their feeling is to leave the decision up to me...but I don't know bikes well enough to feel like an educated consumer.
The bike is a steel frame, entry level road bike (lower end of racing quality); I have about 2 years of road biking under my belt (and would have completed the B-17 sig this past weekend if I hadn't hit that pothole.)
Any and all advice welcome - and thanks in advance.
bent frame - advice needed on repair
1) It's very UNlikely that a headset would get damaged in a crash. If the bearings aren't turning smoothly, it probably means that either your fork's steerer tube or your frame's head tube are bent. If that's the case, replacing the headset won't help any.
2) I'd say a rear triangle that 5mm out of alignment would be quite noticeable to me. Even low-end frames aren't usually out by more than 2mm, top quality frames should be dead-on. Straightening it is not a big deal - you put it in a jig, or on an alignment table, and bend it back. 20 minutes work, oughtta cost 25 bucks or so...
Some manufacturers may offer a trade-in on a damaged frame.
Will definitely take a look at the owners manual/other paperwork that came with the bike. I bought it just over a year ago; don't remember what the warranty period is.
Most warranty only covers manufacturer defects, not accidental damages. I seriously doubt manufacturer would offer trade in on an entry-level bike; they usually reserve trade in if you buy their top of the line model.
I side w/ the previous post above. Fix the rear triagle, not a big problem. It's the headset that worries me!! if bearings are not turning it might be a bent steering tube or head tube.Look @ this closely.The steerer should slide out of the head tube smoothly if not bent, remove it and inspect ...........Ciao ..........Tony
