Arthur Peabody

A motorist drove into me Saturday. The bumper hit the left crank, bending it behind the stay. The front wheel is greatly bent. The rear looks okay. The frame isn't obviously bent. I have limited use of my left arm for a a while. Motorist ran a stop sign; I was in the intersection before s/he arrived at the intersection. S/he didn't slow down: the grill hit my legs, I fell onto the hood, slid up the windshield, flew up, landed on the pavement after s/he was gone. Motorist sped off. It's an Alù, 7005 Alloy, 'Easton Reaction' (alumin(i)um) frame I bought about 25 years ago, for about $200 from Nashbar. There's a fire station a block away; the fire-persons saved it for me.

xiaoman1 

OP,
I hope you are alright and hope you had someone take a look at you...from the description of the damage you already mentioned it would be safe to say that there might be more frame damage than is evident. Bending a crank and tacoing a wheel takes a lot of force...lbs will most likely say the same thing.
Best, Ben

Bmach

Lawyer up fast.

cyccommute 

I’m not going to address your accident. To check the frame, inspect it first to see that everything looks straight. If nothing looks really off, get a long piece of string (6 to 10 feet). Tie one end to the rear dropout, run the string up to the head tube, wrap it around the tube a couple of times and then back to the other dropout. Measure the distance on both sides of the seat tube. They should be close (less than 2mm is okay).

You can check the dropout and the fork with a fork alignment gauge. They are rather expensive but RJ The Bike Guy has a good, cheap home version


He shows the gauge being used on rear but it can also be used to assess the alignment of the front.

Since the bike is aluminum, don’t try to realign anything. This is for measurement purposes only. Aluminum doesn’t like being bent.

dsbrantjr

I hope that you filed a police report, leaving the scene of a bodily injury accident is a pretty serious offense.

Iride01 

Have you checked with your insurance agent to see home owner, auto or some other policy you have covers the bike?

Arthur Peabody

How do I do that? A bunch of lawyers advertise on billboards and TV - I don't want to hire any of them.

The left arm was out of the shoulder socket so I couldn't do anything but lie there. Fortunately passersby protected me from the other motorists in a hurry and called 911. The physicians at the ED reduced the dislocation and I spent the night. They didn't want me to go home the next day, had to leave against their wishes, but walked the 2.5 miles home. I have huge bruises on both legs, a number of smaller injuries.

I was asking if they could measure it. I built the bicycle, have built all my wheels, but can't fix a frame. I'd hate to build a new wheel and put on new parts if I have to replace the frame.

Yes. If it's bent there's no hope. It has a few dents in it that don't seem to have compromised it. I used to ride 6K/year, have put >100K on this frame, some of that heavily-loaded.

A policeman talked to me while the EMTs were securing me in the ambulance. I'll have to follow up.

I have no insurance for this kind of thing. Instead I have the money I didn't spend on insurance premiums and the tools and know-how to make my own repairs. I spray random swatches of paint whenever I have to paint my pickup or kitchen appliances so it looks crummy. I paid $500 for it 30 years ago, have replaced the frame once, everything but the handlebar stem at least once, so it'd be hard to convince anyone it was worth much. At an average of $223/year (tires, tubes, chains, derailleurs...) I've spend $6,700 on it.

xiaoman1 

Yes it can be checked at a local bicycle shop....you can do a simple test yourself
https://www.google.com/search?q=chec...hrome&ie=UTF-8

Iride01 

Framebuilders These guys should also know if none of them have already shown up here. I'd think those that brazed tubes together to build bikes will have all sorts of easy methods and tricks to check alignment of frame parts.

Bmach

If you have auto insurance you might get everything covered by your PIP coverage. That is why you need a lawyer your insurance company does not work for you. Ask around for some info on personal injury lawyers.

reoc01

You can tell if your frame is not aligned specially on the rear triangle is when you freehand “riding while not on grip with the handlebar” and you cant ride straight and it’s like you are goin to crash.

Arthur Peabody

For my '87 Toyota pickup? har. I have liability only. I also do all the work on it.

The front wheel is unusable. If the frame is crooked I don't want to buy a new front wheel for this frame.

Bmach

Look I am just trying to help you. In some states pip is required others it is not. At the very least check and see if you have it. But you sound like you know everything so you should be all set.

Arthur Peabody

5mm too much? 35 on one side, 40 on the other.

cyccommute 

Park Tool says within 2mm for their alignment tool. Your wheel is going to sit 2.5mm off of center. Iffy but probably ridable.

rydabent

One of the easiest and quickest bent frame tests is the string test. Remover the real wheel and run a string from the right dropout up around the headset and back to the left dropout. The measure the distance from the string on both sides to the down tube. It if course should be the same distance.

oldbobcat

Every bike shop I've worked for has done free collision damage estimates. They have tools and techniques for determining frame alignment, and a shop estimate gives authority to your negotiations with the insurance adjuster. Use one.

Arthur Peabody

How does that compare? It measures each side separately, so would a string test measure 4?

easyupbug 

I dislike commenting on these frame issue posts as I am out of sync. If it is an important frame to you get it done by someone with a frame table, hopefully so you done't have to ship.

Road Fan

Sometimes such coverage and even medical is included on your car insurance, homeowners, or renters. Have a job? Can the Human Resources suggest how you can screen lawyers? Is there a local Bar Association ("Bar" meaning lawyers, not, well, the obvious!)? Should be some kind of legal resources protection service for your state. Lawyers are licensed by your state, if not at the bars.

Aluminum frames once cold set are said to be not correctable, unlike steel. You are probably headed for a replacement frame.

If you could find what bar the best barristers drink at, you could go and sponsor a few rounds ... ​​​​​​​