Steel track frame - fork dents/dimpling/crimples?
 

Hello, posting as I was directed here!

Just found these when I removed the front track (non-drill) brake that was attached to the fork - believe it is columbus aelle tubing. Presuming these are from the stress of the brake and not something that was done intentionally by frame builders (i.e. crimping to increase spacing? doesn't seem like it with the size of these).

Presuming this fork is not safe to ride after all...

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ecfa76a7.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...54f19aa3c.jpeg

Cheers.

It's hard to understand what is going on with that. I don't think I have ever seen a fork with that sort of dent as a result of buckling.

My rule about forks is that if I don't feel fully confident, even if I don't know why, I don't ride it. I think most people feel the same way.

Agreed! I think I will take it to a local framebuilder/etc and see what they say and whether it's worth repairing.

And I definitely wouldn't have ridden it, I just didn't see this until now aha, so unfortunately (or fortunately) I did some inadvertent stress testing already...

My interpretation of what the OP was saying was that it previously had some kind of band-on brake mounts that were fitted by a 300lb gorilla.

And the brakes even had a rubber padding... guess someone really went for it.

Okay, sorry, I didn't read closely enough. I wouldn't ride it.

For those unfamiliar with clamp-on brakes for track bikes, this or something like it was apparently installed on the fork.

Hmmm... Might be a "solution" for those pesky 650b conversions where you can't find long enough brakes. ;)

They are actually generally great - in this instance the person actually installed the ovalised 'aero' version on round forks, hence the dents... But otherwise they are decent!

Maybe the blades were damaged in the same crash that buckled the downtube? I didn't hear any mention of the DT being kinked, but it is, right? Lug point starting to do the "can opener" on the tube? Unless this is some kinda lens distortion.

Mark B

Mark makes an interesting point. Less the question about possible DT frontal impact evidence (which I can sort of see too) but more the possibility of more then one issue at play at the same time. We seem to like simple explanations and short routes to an answer but real life often has a few involvements going on at the same time. It is very easy to envision that this frame has had both a frontal impact as well as a heavy handed but wrong install of a uncommon brake mount. That two problems might be seen should not be dismissed. Once again this possibility shows we here are so limited in our ability to give advice with limited info and few images. Andy

Or put another way, Occam was an optimist.

It's always tempting to look for one simple explanation, but sometimes there's more than one thing wrong.

Who here has found "the" piece of glass in their tire only to immediately get another flat because there were two pieces of glass in the tire? (Obviously a question only for those old enough to remember innertubes.)

I call this the British Car Problem. You hear a funny noise and think CV joint. You take it all apart and the CV is indeed shot. Three days later, and with most of the grease now out of your eye sockets, off you go. The same noise. The CV was shot but so were the ball joints. Occam clearly never owned a Mini.