newaddiction

Hello, new to the forum here...

...I found a aluminum frame bicycle for sale but it has a dent on the top tube. According to the gentleman selling it the dent is as broad as a thumb and about 1/8 inch deep.

I will be looking at the bicycle today in the afternoon, is there anything I should look out for on the dent? Besides the exact location on the top tube?

Will this be something I should be concerned about if I purchase the bicycle?

Any info / advice / responses will be appreciated.

Thanks.

wearyourtruth

i've had frames with dents about that size (if that's the size it REALLY is...) i would worry more about the depth of the dent than the width.

as long as it's not near a weld, i'd use that as leverage to knock the price down and go for it... if you like the bike of course.

other people will probably tell you horror stories and to shy away from anything damaged that you don't know the history of, but... meh.

ianjk

My thoughts.... Don't buy junk.

seau grateau

Should be fine, but don't spend a lot. A used frame is worth ~60-70% of its MSRP, and a dent should cut that figure in half, IMO.

PlattsVegas

Structurally, the frame should be fine. But do you really want to spend a lot of money on it? If you buy it, it better be a steal.

newaddiction

By my calculations it was 70-80% off the msrp.

Nagrom_

pics? sounds like you bought it.

thirdgenbird

i probably wouldnt buy it just because there are plenty of good, cheap, and dent free frames out there. that said, if my bike were to become dented like you describe i wouldnt be afraid to ride it. i would monitor it closely however.

keep in mind not all frames are created equal. some tubes (like on cannondales) have very thin sections that can crack if dented. the same can be said about some steel tubing.

newaddiction

I will post some later when I'm off work. The dent isn't too bad; I will be monitoring it weekly by measuring it and looking out for cracks.

newaddiction

This picture makes the dent look really bad, but it is no wider than my thumb. Curves in, doesn't 'crease'. Rides VERY smooth.

Already replaced the saddle with a Specialized Phenom Comp, $40 on craigslist, MSRP is $90.

TejanoTrackie 

Assuming you've got the saddle height adjusted correctly, I'd say that frame is too large for you.

ianjk

Dang, looks nasty. Hope you didn't pay more than the price of a used set of wheels and a box of parts.

newaddiction

I can assure you that it is not, I'm 5'10", fits me just right.

newaddiction

Like I said, picture makes it look nastier than it really is.

newaddiction

I will try and get some close up pictures of the dent.

This bicycle was from someone who posted a thread in this forum about the dent itself back in July.

TejanoTrackie 

Have you ever been to a bike shop to get fitted on a bicycle ?

newaddiction

Does a warehouse that sells bicycles count as a bike shop?

newaddiction

One more question; before you knew my height/weight, you jumped to a big conclusion that the bike did not fit me. How did you come to that conclusion? Just curious.

TejanoTrackie 

Not if it doesn't offer services such as fitting customers to bicycles so they don't make expensive mistakes buying incorrect frames sizes.

ddeadserious

Based on how low your seat is. If your seat is that low(and you claim it fits well), it generally means you really should be on a smaller frame.

TejanoTrackie 

I saw the relationship between the saddle height and handlebar height, and observed that the handlebar was abnormally high relative to the saddle, placing you in an overly upright positiion. This would be fine if you are riding a beach cruiser with a wide thickly padded spring saddle. There is no way to lower the bars on that bike, except maybe with a stem with a lot of drop. So either your saddle is adjusted too low or the frame is too big. Also, you weight is irrelevant in regards to sizing, and more than your height is required, especially your inseam.

newaddiction

Oh, y'all are basing it off how low my seat is? That is a pic of when I first got it. As I mentioned earlier, I bought a new seat for it, at the moment it is higher than that.

rithem

a frame with that much of a top tube slope, properly fitted should show somewhere between 6"-9" of seat post.

PlattsVegas

This sounds 'bout right. It is not (completely) necessary that you get perfectly fitted for a bike, but it will make rides over ten miles much more comfortable. Plus, as that bike is set up now, it does not look set up for anyone near the necessary size for the frame. Plus the people that have posted previously have great amounts of experience; disregard it at your own risk. Fitment is personal, but logic is not.

bbattle

That dent is fine if it doesn't have a sharp crease or "line" to it. If it looks like somebody pressed their thumb into the frame, that's okay.

With older bikes that have been around the block a few times, you want to be careful of damage due to a head-on crash. Those often cause damage to the top and down tubes as well as the fork. You may not see the damage but you can often feel it by running your fingers over these areas.

Top tubes often get a ding or two, no biggie. You can of course use the ding to negotiate the price down, unless the owner has already taken the ding into account. (they often do not)