[Durt]

Long story short: I didn't see the hole until it was too late. Crashed hard otb. Now I have a crease/dent/deformation of my top tube. No cracks or other deformations that I can see. Took a short test ride and everything seemed fine. I'm so bummed as the first CX race is two weeks away. I won't be racing it now but is this safe to ride until I find a new frame?

09 Raliegh RX 1.0

 

[Dinosaur]

Aluminum frame, right?

If so, it's just cosmetic. I had an Cannondale with a crease in the seat tube. Road it for years.

 

[Creakyknees]

That kind of crease means your forks transmitted the shock, hard enough to bend the tube.

Inspect your fork / steer tube _very_ closely, especially at the fork /steer junction.

 

[martinrjensen]

Just so you know, if you bent the top tube, you had to bend the down tube too, or the head tube. My money's on the down tube. If it rides OK, I would check it frequently. Looks for cracks in the paint.

 

[Durt]

I inspected everything closely and I find no other dents, wrinkles, or bends anywhere but I did notice a very tiny crack in the paint on the top of the tube directly opposite the crease. The crack is very very small, maybe 3 or 4mm. That worries me.

The front end still seems very solid but I will take it apart tonight to check the steer tube.

This sucks. I loved that bike and it will be at least a couple of months before the budget allows a nice replacement frame.

 

[martinrjensen]

That crease shortened the top tube length. The missing length had to go somewhere and it's in the frame, I don't know where it is, but it has to be there somewhere.

I inspected everything closely and I find no other dents, wrinkles, or bends anywhere but I did notice a very tiny crack in the paint on the top of the tube directly opposite the crease. The crack is very very small, maybe 3 or 4mm. That worries me.

The front end still seems very solid but I will take it apart tonight to check the steer tube.

This sucks. I loved that bike and it will be at least a couple of months before the budget allows a nice replacement frame.

 

[Mike Prince]

Did the handlebar hit the tube there when you crashed (easy enough to check by turning the bars)? I so that is a dent, not a structural failure and you should ride the bike with no worries.

If the end of the bars don't line up with the dent, then I'd check the frame (or get it checked) to see if there is damage anywhere else. May be worth an email to Raleigh customer service to see if they offer a crash replacement discount.

 

[martinrjensen]

That's actually a pretty strange place for a compression of the tubing. It means that the head tube was forced back up which is pretty much opposite of what would happen if you hit something with your front end. I would expect the down tube to have a compression crease instead of the top tube. It's kind of weird

Did the handlebar hit the tube there when you crashed (easy enough to check by turning the bars)? I so that is a dent, not a structural failure and you should ride the bike with no worries.

If the end of the bars don't line up with the dent, then I'd check the frame (or get it checked) to see if there is damage anywhere else. May be worth an email to Raleigh customer service to see if they offer a crash replacement discount.

 

[NEO Dan]

It's hard to tell, but is that an easton fork? If it's not broke, I'd have to say whatever it is - it is one tough SOB.

 

[AlexCad5]

1) Replace the fork, no questions asked.
2) Do not race the bike in a cross race, or take it off road. I'd think it would be fine on the road.
A penny saved is a pound foolish.

 

[Durt]

The hole was big enough to swallow the front wheel up to the hub. Grass had grown up out of the hole and when it was mowed evenly with the surrounding grass, you couldn't even tell the hole was there until you were right on top of it. The bike stopped dead and I flipped otb. It was along a dirt path as I was passing some walkers. One of the walkers ran over to help me and he stated that the bike just stopped, I slammed over the bars but my feet were still attached and that flipped the bike up in the air. The bike apparently hit the ground on the right side because my derailluer hanger was bent in at nearly 45 degrees and my rear wheel was bent way out of true. Front wheel is strangely still true.

Yes, Easton EC90X fork. I totally disassembled the front end last night and inspected the fork, steerer, head tube, bearings, everything and can find no cracks or damage. Put it all back together and it seems solid. It's an expensive fork so I'm not sure I want to give up on it just yet.

I guess I'll just stick to road rides while I save my pennies for a new frame.