Damaged Frame?

Thanks sumo, it was kind of a side on/front collision but there's scuff marks on the forks and down tube.it's 14 bike co. Frame just under a year old. I'll get In touch with them and see if I can get some kind of damage report so I can get the driver to claim on his insurance. Thanks for the advice!

I was hit by a car, side on - front forks (carbon - photo below, nothing spectacular really) and wheel trashed, back wheel a bit bent, handlebars may be OK, headset may be OK. The frame... this is where I'm not sure - it -is- it tiny bit out of true, only a couple of mm though. The workshop says it might have always been like that from the factory, but I'm a total wuss and scared there's hidden damage. This thing gets me to work and back every day and does training rides for races.

Any opinions? I'd prefer to err on the side of caution, but would like a second, third, nth opinion... anyone?

Bah, image didn't come through from Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/totkat/5586429894/

you taken it into a shop to get checked?

fuck it

get the whole thing replaced

use the "solicitors we like thread"

bike is a write off judging by the description

I certainly wouldn't trust the rest of the carbon if the forks cracked like that.

Yep it's been into a shop. They've said forks and wheels definitely need replacing, handlebars and headset not yet assessed, but the frame... they're not giving me a concrete answer on just yet. First impressions are it's a bit out, but not hugely. It's an aluminium frame so a bit more forgiving. If it were carbon I'd have no doubt it's scrap right now.

prancer: yeah, I've got Leigh, Day & Co. on it thanks to British Triathlon - the real PITA is that I didn't get details of the driver (first real road crash, a bit shaken up and not quite with it at the time).

did you get the registration number?

Just putting new mud guards and to my dismay, found a hole and dent in the downtube. Not sure when it happened, and been riding happily, and well, is it fucked?

I would avoid riding that. The crimping/bulge is typical of a head on impact and the hole is very odd. It's ultimately up to you if to risk it or not but if you have to just keep an eye on it daily and don't ride it hard. If you have the option to, it's a perfect excuse to get a new frame/bike.

Looks like it is fucked to me.

Gaffer tape it up

^ or that

Looks dangerous to me. If you did that while hitting a pot hole or something, just think what'll happen next time, now that it is weakened.

If it's an expensive frame, you could always speak to a frame builder.

more fucked than a 99 year old workaholic prostitute with aids and every std imaginable who put all his/her pension money into greek securities in 2007, in a leaky barge with no oars heading downstream to the niagra falls who can't swim, is allergic to algae, has a phobia for trout, is genetically predispositioned to get pneumonia, and has just lost money they didn't have to a very principled loan shark.

It's like Fatty's leg.

Replacing it seems quite expensive for a £40 despite my fondness for it. Its been retired to the cubby space grave yard of broken frames, rest well. Shame the forks are too small for the its companion with bent forks.