Riding a bike after a 40mph crash
 

Just curious how safe would you feel riding an aluminum frame bike with a carbon fork that was involved in a high speed crash (40 mph)?

I cannot tell if the frame is bent or the damage on the carbon fork. I have heard horror stories of carbon failing after crashes and I no longer trust the frame or fork. I do not want to ride and I certainly do not feel comfortable giving it to someone else. I would love to know the groups thoughts continuing to use this bike.

Thanks

That's a pretty high-speed crash., but I suppose it depends on how the crash occurred and what kind of impact the frame/fork actually took. There may be damage to the frame/fork that you cannot see, but are nonetheless there. No way to tell without specialized equipment. If it were me I wouldn't be comfortable riding it, and even less so giving it to someone else to ride.

I think you already answered your question. If you don’t trust it then don’t ride it.

Thanks - just wanted to make sure I wasn't overreacting

I think that would be my first question.

Running into something solid like a car pulling out in front of you could be a cause for significant concern.

On the other hand, a bike sliding out from under one on a corner might be less worrysome, and one might go by the actual condition of the bike.

Anything else would lie somewhere in the middle between the two extremes.

I'd get rid of the fork. If the frame rode straight and true and close examination revealed no sign of damage, I wouldn't worry about riding it. Unless it was a frame I didn't care for all that much, in which case I'd appreciate the excuse to get a new bike.

This, is overreacting...:)

I wouldn't ride it.

I'm glad to hear that the OP is well enough after a 40 mph crash to ride again. Not sure I would be.

I'd be leery of the bike, simply because I probably would not really be able to say exactly what happened to it during the crash, I'd be focused on my own impending death.

40 mph? I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that a hill was involved.

I'm thinking it would also be rather difficult to rule out a blow to the fork even if it didn't happen on the initial collision, at that speed I have to figure bike and rider bounced around quite a bit.

I agree with trashing the fork, and assessing the frame.

What you’ve got here is a great reason to buy another bike.

Craigslist the crashed frame... low miles... barely ridden... super stiff... fast... a couple of minor scratches to the paint, nothing major.


-Kedosto

^^^^^^
this

perfect trainer bike

:eek::eek::eek:

Hopefully that was meant to be a joke. If the OP isn't willing to ride the frame, then either trash it, give it away, or sell it with full disclosures (and hope the buyer is responsible).

strip components and mount the frame on wall

"Survived 40mph crash"

We know a thing or two because we have seen a thing or two

Of course it’s a joke. I wouldn’t even give it away.

The frame’s recyclable. Depending on the receiver, it might need to be cut into small sections, but it’ll go in with the empty beer cans.


-Kedosto
*been there, done that*

crash sounds amazing. what happened?

Lets please be objective.

Everyone seems to be reacting to the number 40 as if there is some arbitrary speed above which a crash guarantees the bike is no longer safe.

Clearly a bike is more likely to be damaged in a higher speed crash than lower but the speed of the crash alone tells us little about the condition of the bike.

The OP has not told us whether the bike was run over by a semi-truck or if it coasted to a stop in a corn field.

The right thing to do is take it apart and inspect it. If it is sound then ride it. If not then recycle it. This is true regardless of the speed of the crash.


-Tim-

Many years ago I crashed a motorcycle on the freeway at an exit. I was inexperienced (2 months in) and when I saw my exit approaching I needed to get over one more lane which was blocked by traffic. Long story short, I dithered about whether to just blow it off and take the next exit and when I finally had clearance to scoot over I had a LOT of speed to dump really fast. Classic highside. Let's say I had been going 65 when I started late braking. I'm figuring I was probably doing 40 when I lost traction and was flung off the bike trying to turn off into the exit lane. There was guardrail that my body cleared, but my bike did not. BOOM. I was sliding on my back and side and then hit grass and started to tumble like a sock puppet in a front loading clothes dryer. When I finally stopped tumbling I realized a driver had been following me in his car. Good thing because we needed to DRIVE back to the accident site. It was that far!! I did not have a single broken bone but my clothes were shredded and I had been wearing leathers. I had extensive road rash. Ouch. The bike was history. A salvage company took it. Gave me $600 for a brand new $3000 bike (1980 dollars). I think the o.p. either way overestimates how fast he was going, or way overestimates how fast he was going. It wouldn't be possible to survive something like a 40mph bike crash and not share the story and have questions only about the future of the bicycle.

@Leisesturm, Good point that one can dump speed quickly, so if one sees a car pull out in front, one might drop from 40 to 20 in a second. Perhaps even slower.

On the other hand, if a draft line goes down, it could potentially go down quickly.

The ultimate answer will depend on the stresses put on the frame, which we can't answer without knowing more details of the accident.

If it looks like the bike slid for most of the deceleration, it may well be fine. But, where is the road rash?

I get your point. And you're correct in that none of the details have been described, so it's quite possible the bike is fully serviceable. But I've been through a couple of big crashes in my life and - for me - every high speed tick, bump, or wobble (real or imagined) has had me in a panic brake with a full frame inspection right there at the curb. Inverted bike, weld inspections... the whole bit. I'm just too damned paranoid and when one considers the almost unbeatable excuse for at least a new frame, well, time to start shopping. But that's just me.

Edit: One other consideration is how the bike/frame would be used. Low speed tootling around the neighborhood? Farmers market run with the family? Check it out for obvious signs of damage and if it's all good then run it. Spirited group ride? High speed stuff? Nope. Never again. I wouldn't care how nice it looks.


-Kedosto

More details would definitely be helpful.

I'd inspect the frame very carefully, looking for any signs of stress. Likewise with the fork. Personally, I'd be inclined to replace the fork and ride the frame, if everything looks okay. It's also possible that it would be only mildly more expensive to replace the whole frame and fork, in which case there's no reason to ride something that's been crashed.

I would ride it like I stole it.

Finish line sprint from behind your team member ?

Right. I'm with you 100% on this.

Everyone has to be governed by their own willingness to ride any given piece of equipment. If there is no confidence in the part then it goes in the trash. It may not even be rational. Just a bad memory of a crash is enough to not want to ride a frame ever again.

I've thrown out tires for this reason while others say that they are perfectly good.


-Tim-