TimothyH

Steal is real.


-Tim-

79pmooney

+1 Sliding off the road on a corner after hitting some gravel and ending up with an acre of road rash, scraped handlebars, brake levers, downside pedal and corner of seat - bike would be just fine (and in my tight-money racing days, considered a crash well done).

Ben

Reynolds 

That would be fine with steel, I wouldn't trust carbon though.

BengalCat

The only way to tell if the carbon fork is damaged, (other than obvious visual proof), is to have it X-rayed. As far as the Aluminum frame, generally speaking, what you see is what you get. So if after close inspection there is a decent possibility it is not seriously damaged. But there are no guarantees.

If you X-ray the fork and it is fine but you have doubts about the aluminum frame, one option is to get a new Aluminum frame compatible with your fork, drivetrain, etc and transfer on to the new frame.

Rogerogeroge

OP, you put this in a thread in the Bike Mechanics section about bent spokes in your wheel. Were you or the car going 40 mph?

This brings me to my next question. I have an insurance adjuster visiting tomorrow morning to assess the damage of my bike. I am afraid he is only going to compensate me for a new wheel, brake, seat, and labor costs. What concerns me is I was hit at a high rate of speed (40mph) and I no longer trust the frame and especially the carbon fork.

Leisesturm

You could not be hit by a vehicle going that fast and survive. It simply is not possible. Regardless, we have no standing in your claim. This is between you and them. If there is 'any'. I really mean 'any' damage at all to the front wheel then the fork should also be suspect. I would expect the adjuster to know that. You are second guessing them. Swapping a fork is not a trivial operation. Just like cars: the whole is greater (much) than the sum of its parts thereof. I DOUBT the insurance company is going to part out your bike and pay your claim based on the going price of the damaged components. Your bike will very likely be 'totaled'.

Reynolds 

Depends on what being hit means for you. Years ago I was hit by a car going about that speed and survived. The driver was drunk and zig-zagging, going in the same direction as I, hit me sideways and sent me flying. Had a concussion, broken scapula and lots of road rash (wasn't wearing a helmet). My steel frame had a bent seatstay, I cold straightened it out and still rides OK.

Rogerogeroge

Getting side-swiped and T-boned are two different things. We need to hear the whole story. Lots of speculation on the internet.

Rogerogeroge

And by the way, I trust my judgement in this matter much more than an insurance adjuster. If I'm in doubt, I'll reach out to others that can answer. Unless we're talking bodily damage with $$$ implications, an insurance company isn't going to x-ray a carbon fork. And swapping a fork is a trivial operation. You are correct that the bike will most likely be 'totaled'.

Rogerogeroge

A friend of mine was going almost 40 when an oncoming car turned left into him. He survived, and fully recovered within a few months. It's possible, even in a head-on situation.

mattleegee

I think totally possible, especially if the rider is being flipped/thrown over and not actually impacting the vehicle, there will be pain though. Watch some you tube videos

livedarklions

The one thing I think I can say with confidence is that the rider on a bike that wipes out for whatever cause at 40 mph isn't going to have a clear idea of just how the bike was impacted. That's a lot of energy being dissipated in a lot of directions very fast. In other words, bike and rider are bouncing around off of anything that hit them, anything they happen to hit, the ground and each other, the worst impacts occurring in a fraction of a second.

40 mph isn't a magic figure, but there's nothing irrational in believing that the likelihood of hidden damage is really quite high at that speed.

Homebrew01

Depends. If it was an open road tumble, the frame is likely fine, with damage to the components that hit the ground...pedals, brake levers etc...

If there was direct impact with something solid, then it's harder to judge.

I have had quite a few race speed crashes with plenty of component & wheel damage. the worst frame damage was a broken RD hanger.

KraneXL

You really don't need a slide rule to know the structural integrity has been comprised. Steel, maybe? But only because it doesn't fail catastrophically. Otherwise, that bike is toast.

ConradH

FWIW, I once went off the road into a low soft muddy berm. Bike stopped in zero distance and the fork folded back so the tire hit the frame. The frame tubes buckled at the lugs of the head tube. I doubt I was going more than maybe 10 mph. It's all about the forces, not the speed.