Originally Posted by
TimothyH
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-
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