In Need of Repair and/or Marriage Guidance
05-23-23, 08:01 PM
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In Need of Repair and/or Marriage Guidance
Well, I got home today and noticed that the RB-1 was balanced straight up against the wall without a single degree of lean into the wall. Figuring the wife (whom I love) moved it for some reason, I scampered over to properly re-position it more securely and get it tucked back into its corner of the room. Upon turning the bike around, I saw a paint scuff in the semi-dark room and placed my hand on the scuff only to discover in my horror......(Have I mentioned that I love my wife?).......
What was once a very nice (not perfect) '92 RB-1 with just a few scratched decals now has a dent on the top tube. She confessed that "it fell over". Having repeated over and over my new mantra for the last few hours "I love my wife" to avoid saying something that I would regret later, I'm now at the point of trying to deal with it. I've never dealt with this aspect of bike maintenance / repair. I've done some minor paint work but not metal. Recalling some threads I've read in the past, I'm thinking that I can get "tube blocks" and start working the tube back into shape. The dent is slightly under half inch long and is just shy of being creased but still feels mostly smooth. What I mean by the crease in the bottom of the dent, there is not a sharp line in the dent but with a little more force it probably would been. I know the original paint is toast if I use blocks but I would rather have the tube back in shape and match the paint as best as I can than to look down at a dent or a sticker covering it up. Whether with a dent or touched up paint, the value of its "originality" is gone at this point. (HOLD ON A MINUTE: I LOVE MY WIFE, I LOVE MY WIFE.... Ok, I'm back.)
So where do I start? What's the best that I could hope for in using the blocks on the dent? How do I work the blocks? What are the obstacles, pros & cons, etc.? I'll start looking for the blocking threads on the forum over the next few days to start learning about the process but any guidance, sympathy or humor to shorten this learning curve and hasten the healing process would be appreciated. (I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife,....). SIGH.
What was once a very nice (not perfect) '92 RB-1 with just a few scratched decals now has a dent on the top tube. She confessed that "it fell over". Having repeated over and over my new mantra for the last few hours "I love my wife" to avoid saying something that I would regret later, I'm now at the point of trying to deal with it. I've never dealt with this aspect of bike maintenance / repair. I've done some minor paint work but not metal. Recalling some threads I've read in the past, I'm thinking that I can get "tube blocks" and start working the tube back into shape. The dent is slightly under half inch long and is just shy of being creased but still feels mostly smooth. What I mean by the crease in the bottom of the dent, there is not a sharp line in the dent but with a little more force it probably would been. I know the original paint is toast if I use blocks but I would rather have the tube back in shape and match the paint as best as I can than to look down at a dent or a sticker covering it up. Whether with a dent or touched up paint, the value of its "originality" is gone at this point. (HOLD ON A MINUTE: I LOVE MY WIFE, I LOVE MY WIFE.... Ok, I'm back.)
So where do I start? What's the best that I could hope for in using the blocks on the dent? How do I work the blocks? What are the obstacles, pros & cons, etc.? I'll start looking for the blocking threads on the forum over the next few days to start learning about the process but any guidance, sympathy or humor to shorten this learning curve and hasten the healing process would be appreciated. (I love my wife, I love my wife, I love my wife,....). SIGH.
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05-23-23, 08:21 PM
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meh. I've seen worse.
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05-23-23, 08:34 PM
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Dents suck and you're right, it'll never be the same. These things happen. Looks like you have one or two others to ride while you sort this one out, so yeah. You'll live.
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A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera
05-23-23, 08:35 PM
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Create some hardwood blocks and try those, they should be gentle on the paint. As a golf professional I often have to remind players that a few dings and dents are just battle scars that are incurred in the daily use of clubs. Same goes for bikes, You now have a bike that shows how much you really care for it despite a bit of a ding. Would you feel the same had you come home to find your wife had broken her arm trying to save the bike from falling? Smiles, CrapMaster Honk
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05-23-23, 08:47 PM
#5
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Using blocks will require repaint in that area, I would be tempted to McGuyver up an electromagnet dent puller before resorting to blocks. Even before that I would polish out the white (paint?) transfer and reassess the dent.
Love is infinitly more valuable all Bridgestones combined. You are a lucky man.
Love is infinitly more valuable all Bridgestones combined. You are a lucky man.
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05-23-23, 08:59 PM
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Cut it out, then you won't have to look at it anymore
I get it, if that happened to any of my bikes I'd be pretty sad.
Life isn't perfect, in bikes or marriage. We all take our hits. If you can live with it, it will ride exactly the same, just won't sell for the same as it currently sits. if you never planned to sell, well there you go.
There are ways to fix. But I don't think there is a cheap route. Repaint is what is gonna hurt.
I get it, if that happened to any of my bikes I'd be pretty sad.
Life isn't perfect, in bikes or marriage. We all take our hits. If you can live with it, it will ride exactly the same, just won't sell for the same as it currently sits. if you never planned to sell, well there you go.
There are ways to fix. But I don't think there is a cheap route. Repaint is what is gonna hurt.
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There were 135 Confentes, but only one...Huffente!
There were 135 Confentes, but only one...Huffente!
05-23-23, 09:02 PM
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I agree with @Insidious C. on this. It's hard to say from the picture, but the dent doesn't look very deep and you might be able to buff out the scratches. Frame blocks would minimize the dent but it'll be hard to match the paint well enough to look even as good as it does now.
05-23-23, 09:14 PM
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That is hard to get past. It really doesn’t hurt the integrity as it is fairly minor. I’m sure you’ll find a way to minimize the appearance with repair. So far, it seems that you have the right attitude. I have been married 48 years and my wife has done some things to my bike area with the plan to make my life better but has fallen short. I have done the same with some of her things and she has taken it better than I do.
05-23-23, 09:19 PM
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This is why bikes should have kickstands.
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05-23-23, 09:19 PM
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40+ years ago, an also-impoverished racing teammate of mine bought a used Colnago at a remarkably good price.
Not long after he purchased it, he decided to see if he could clean up the messy paint. He started sanding and stripping... and discovered all the Bondo that a previous owner had used to restore the tubes' shape, if not necessarily their integrity.
He rode it for years afterward. Made for a good story, and a decent bike.
Not long after he purchased it, he decided to see if he could clean up the messy paint. He started sanding and stripping... and discovered all the Bondo that a previous owner had used to restore the tubes' shape, if not necessarily their integrity.
He rode it for years afterward. Made for a good story, and a decent bike.
05-23-23, 09:30 PM
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Glad to hear that you have a wife whom you love. Put a heart sticker over the dent and write your anniversary date on it, I’d dent every bike I have to be able to do that. Congratulations, you’re one of the lucky ones!
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05-23-23, 10:14 PM
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If you use blocks then Bondo or jb weld, take the bike to a real paint store and get a good match for touch up. It won't be perfect but it will be nice. Also, this is the price of bikes in the house. She's a good woman. Who else would put up with a bike nut.
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05-24-23, 02:35 AM
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Dear BF Members Who-So-Kindly-Replied-Above,
It's come to my attention, given the replies, that I may not have applied the correct "context" for my original post, aka "therapy". So, in tapping the brakes and throwing the truck in reverse (make those beeping noises now!), let me set the record straight and say that, yes, I am a lucky man and have been happily married to my soul mate for 35 years who both have been quoting the Talking Head's "Naive Melody" line to each other for those 35 years "Love me til my heart stops, love me til I'm dead". And that line will probably be engraved on our tombstones.
Now, let me also say that I'm also a jokester, love the witty pun and Dave Barry is one of my favorite writers such that the sub-script on my side of the tombstone will say something like "And the one laying to my right, put me here....because she dented the top tube on my RB-1!" (Tap the brakes again.....just kidding.)
YES, as I sing the Talking Heads out loud!
(Channeling Mr. Barry now)
"What? You sacrificed your body by tossing yourself across the room to save the RB-1 from falling against the chair? Did I say, "That I Love My Wife"?
So, now I can say, "Thank You All". I've gotten this out of my system, didn't say anything regrettable in the moment and am feeling much better now. I'm ready to get off the couch. "How much do I owe you, Doctor?" Now on to new projects and challenges that life has tossed in my path, (like how to fix a dented top tube). Sigh...(but still in love and happily married
)
It's come to my attention, given the replies, that I may not have applied the correct "context" for my original post, aka "therapy". So, in tapping the brakes and throwing the truck in reverse (make those beeping noises now!), let me set the record straight and say that, yes, I am a lucky man and have been happily married to my soul mate for 35 years who both have been quoting the Talking Head's "Naive Melody" line to each other for those 35 years "Love me til my heart stops, love me til I'm dead". And that line will probably be engraved on our tombstones.
Now, let me also say that I'm also a jokester, love the witty pun and Dave Barry is one of my favorite writers such that the sub-script on my side of the tombstone will say something like "And the one laying to my right, put me here....because she dented the top tube on my RB-1!" (Tap the brakes again.....just kidding.)
"What? You sacrificed your body by tossing yourself across the room to save the RB-1 from falling against the chair? Did I say, "That I Love My Wife"?
So, now I can say, "Thank You All". I've gotten this out of my system, didn't say anything regrettable in the moment and am feeling much better now. I'm ready to get off the couch. "How much do I owe you, Doctor?" Now on to new projects and challenges that life has tossed in my path, (like how to fix a dented top tube). Sigh...(but still in love and happily married
)
05-24-23, 03:12 AM
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On a more practical note. As I have quite a few bikes that could fall over I bought a load of these display bike holders. They keep them upright, the front wheel straight and the whole bike up from the floor. Which means I can vaccum under them with ease. The last also good marriage-wise.
05-24-23, 05:57 AM
#16
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Find a paintless dent repair company in your area. One just might be able to fix your woes.
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05-24-23, 08:04 AM
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I felt a disturbance in the Force. This dent must have been it.
I hope you get it fixed to your liking.
I hope you get it fixed to your liking.
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05-24-23, 08:08 AM
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05-24-23, 08:21 AM
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Bummer.
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05-24-23, 08:29 AM
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05-24-23, 08:31 AM
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I believe Sheldon Brown has an article about using blasting caps in the tubes to round them back out.
05-24-23, 08:47 AM
#25
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