Bicycles Network Australia - Australian Cycling Forums

by **adrian_d** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 9:05 pm

Hey all,
I have noticed a dent in the frame of my chopper bicycle. I've never noticed it before and i've never checked over the frame so thoroughly, I wonder if this could be investigated under warranty? I only weight 56kg and its an adult sized chopper bike. I've never taken it off bad bumps and always took care of it.

The position of the dent is just at the bottom of the headset, but it is slightly angled to the left hand side more than the right. I'm wondering if the position of the dent has been from the frame bending, or whether this could have been a manfacturing fault/in transit.

This is what the bike looks like:

The dent is on the bottom tube, just near the bottom of the headset plate.

This tubing is fairly thick. I would say at least 1 inch thick.

Thanks
Adrian

by **BNA** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 9:15 pm

by **ldrcycles** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 9:15 pm

1) Saweeet bike!
2) weird place for it to have a dent

3) very unlikely to ever do anything, i wouldn't give it a second thought. But if it's only fairly new i would take it to the shop and just have a chat to them.

by **open roader** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 9:40 pm

ldrcycles wrote: very unlikely to ever do anything, i wouldn't give it a second thought.

+1

The paint finish is not damaged or disturbed in or near the dent so it's unlikely to be a high impact blow post build .........IMHO

I think you could ask the shop what gives..... but most likely you can keep an eye on it forever and it will never change and subsequently never give trouble.

by **ironhanglider** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 9:41 pm

adrian_d wrote:
The position of the dent is just at the bottom of the headset, but it is slightly angled to the left hand side more than the right. I'm wondering if the position of the dent has been from the frame bending, or whether this could have been a manfacturing fault/in transit.

This is what the bike looks like:

The dent is on the bottom tube, just near the bottom of the headset plate.

Thanks
Adrian

What happens when you keep turning the bars to the left? What part of the forks makes first contact?

The absence of scratching or paint chips is interesting but not conclusive. It might be difficult to get a warranty claim up, since the great majority of dents are from events that are not covered. My race bike got a dent without paint damage in the top tube in 2000, it is not a fatal flaw.

Cheers,

Cameron

by **adrian_d** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:11 pm

ironhanglider wrote:
adrian_d wrote:
The position of the dent is just at the bottom of the headset, but it is slightly angled to the left hand side more than the right. I'm wondering if the position of the dent has been from the frame bending, or whether this could have been a manfacturing fault/in transit.

This is what the bike looks like:

The dent is on the bottom tube, just near the bottom of the headset plate.

Thanks
Adrian

What happens when you keep turning the bars to the left? What part of the forks makes first contact?

The absence of scratching or paint chips is interesting but not conclusive. It might be difficult to get a warranty claim up, since the great majority of dents are from events that are not covered. My race bike got a dent without paint damage in the top tube in 2000, it is not a fatal flaw.

Cheers,

Cameron

Thanks for the info guys. Its an awesome bike, so much fun to cruise around in. I tried to over extend the bars when turning left and couldn't get it to touch (although it does look like it would match up). Those bars are pretty thick, I couldn't imagine an impact to

I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I wonder what I would have to do to try and get the dent out if it was just cosmetic.

I was going to ask a dentless paint removal place to see if they might be able to get the dent out. i'm hoping that once the headset was removed there would be some access to the spot inside the tubing.

by **open roader** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:33 pm

adrian_d wrote: i'm hoping that once the headset was removed there would be some access to the spot inside the tubing.

Or you could bog it and paint over for a cosmetic repair if it bugs you.

Maxxis hookworm on the front (?) but who laced up that moto rim.......... magnificent item!

by **adrian_d** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:58 pm

open roader wrote:
adrian_d wrote: i'm hoping that once the headset was removed there would be some access to the spot inside the tubing.

Or you could bog it and paint over for a cosmetic repair if it bugs you.

Maxxis hookworm on the front (?) but who laced up that moto rim.......... magnificent item!

Hey mate,
Thats a good point actually. In the back of my mind i'm still wondering if it is in fact structural. Would I see a bend in the bottom first and then the sides would flare out? (like flattening out)

by **open roader** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 11:09 pm

The dent is relatively shallow - not enough to distort the continuity of the roundness of the surrounding pipe.

You may well be able to access the dent from inside the tube but the force required to lever it out will wreck the rim of the tube.

Clearly this bugs you. Best to get some peace of mind and take it back for an explanation / advice. I still reckon you can live with it forever structurally.

Tell us about the wheels, they are not your everyday garden variety.............

by **adrian_d** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 11:18 pm

open roader wrote:The dent is relatively shallow - not enough to distort the continuity of the roundness of the surrounding pipe.

You may well be able to access the dent from inside the tube but the force required to lever it out will wreck the rim of the tube.

Clearly this bugs you. Best to get some peace of mind and take it back for an explanation / advice. I still reckon you can live with it forever structurally.

Tell us about the wheels, they are not your everyday garden variety.............

Thanks for that, i'll give them a call tomorrow about it.

The front wheel is 24" x 1.75" and the rear wheel is a decent 20"x 4.25". Tyres are rather tricky to find no doubt haha. I have a spare bike now, so that is always good. But that particular spare frame is actually smaller, so I don't quite fit in it very well. (my legs hit the bars)

I do love it to bits, I just wish I could get it looking perfect. Eventually I was going to get the frame powdercoated in satin black. I have seen people online end up getting a tack weld on the spot and then they end up using a dent puller to pull it out.

I really wish it was straight, I would be so much happier knowing it was all straight.

by **Mulger bill** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:03 am

Warranty? As in fairly new?

Where? WHERE? I've been wanting a Sting Ray for yonks!!!

Structurally it's nothing to fret about, if it worries you from the looks POV then bog it up and give it to Johan for custom paint

by **adrian_d** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 10:33 am

Mulger bill wrote:Warranty? As in fairly new?

Where? WHERE? I've been wanting a Sting Ray for yonks!!!

Structurally it's nothing to fret about, if it worries you from the looks POV then bog it up and give it to Johan for custom paint

Thanks for that. Its only 3 months old but i've only just noticed it today. I noticed that the rear wheel cover was bent when I got it, but didn't check over under the bar.

I can't stand bog haha. Since its only just a small spot I

I may see if I can contact the supplier eventually and try source out another frame.

I have a genuine stingray too, but its a tad bit too small for me (i'm 172cm )

by **ldrcycles** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:49 am

I reckon yours looks better than the genuine stingray.

by **adrian_d** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 1:52 pm

ldrcycles wrote:I reckon yours looks better than the genuine stingray.

Thanks for that

I took the stingray apart and was thinking about stripping it completely apart and getting the frame powdercoated in satin black (so no stickers). I've stripped the whole bike down so far, took all the forks out, head set etc. I only paid $50 for the stingray that you see down the bottom.

That dent is always going to bother me on the other frame though

by **Mulger bill** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:40 pm

adrian_d wrote:That dent is always going to bother me on the other frame though

Well, seeing as it's slowly driving you nuts, I'll give yer $100 for it, right now

Purely for your mental health of course... :wink:

by **adrian_d** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 2:50 pm

Mulger bill wrote:
adrian_d wrote:That dent is always going to bother me on the other frame though

Well, seeing as it's slowly driving you nuts, I'll give yer $100 for it, right now
Purely for your mental health of course...

hahaha. I am happy to sell the frame on its own if you like? I may have found another one.

by **damhooligan** » Sat Oct 06, 2012 5:14 pm

That is one sexy looking bike...

The paintless dent removal that is mentioned has restrictions.
Im afraid your frame wont be suited for PDR, but you can always ask a PDR company for their expert opnion.
but my experience tells me it wont work.

Your best option wil be repaint.
There is a way to ony paint that dented section of your bike.
this wil also keeps the costs down.

reg, johan