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Assessing carbon integrity after crash

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Assessing carbon integrity after crash

Old 08-08-22, 05:59 PM
  #26  
Ogsarg
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Have you been contacted by the other parties insurance company yet? If the other party was found at fault, insurers will often reach out to you and offer a payment in exchange for you agreeing to close the matter, i.e.not sue them at a later date if you develop medical issues. If they do contact you, let them know what that the bike is totaled and the replacement cost is x. They may be happy to pay that and be done with it.
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Old 08-08-22, 06:27 PM
  #27  
Kai Winters
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Take it to a reputable shop for a complete evaluation.
Vehicle owners insurance should pay for a complete bike replacement of an identical bike at the retail cost.
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Old 08-08-22, 06:30 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Redbullet
It would help me to hear opinions from some more experienced people in this topic: can a bike repair shop securely assess whether a carbon frame and fork are safe or not to be used after a crash? The bike in discussion is a light construction rated as total 6.6 kg without pedals.

The event: frontal bump at 32-34 km/h in the lateral part of a car that suddenly turned from the opposite direction. Apart from scratches of prominent parts (shifters, pedals, quick releases, bar tape), the visible damages at a fast look are:
Front wheel severely bent and spokes pulled out from the hub (obviously totally damaged, although it is a sturdy DT Swiss wheel).
Rear wheel hardly bent (cannot rotate, as it touches the rim brake pads even with the caliper fully opened).
A shifter (carbon fiber) twisted severely on the handlebar.

Thanks
if this incident is being handled by the drivers insurance (as it sounds like it should be), then I’d be prepared to write the frame off. A front impact sufficient to trash the front wheel could’ve damaged the fork and/or the head tube area. Personally I wouldn’t ride it without a full-court-press evaluation by a specialized carbon repair facility. I doubt any bike shop would risk the liability of clearing your frame for use without a thorough evaluation.
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Old 08-09-22, 05:56 AM
  #29  
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A frontal hit warrants a new bike. Personal injuries warrant more money. I been through this twice. I made lots of money. I had to get a lawyer for one of the wrecks and it took a year to get paid.
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Old 08-09-22, 11:42 AM
  #30  
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If they were at fault, full replace.

If you shared/were at fault, at least the front fork and maybe handlebars. Simply because a fork isn't designed for that frontal impact. If a big pothole ruined a wheel/rim, sure, that's where a fork expects to see issues. But not front on.
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Old 08-09-22, 11:56 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Redbullet
They state "fair market value", but they don't define it. You can reasonably assess safety of a second hand car from a reputable shop and you are also obliged to certify its secure use with official bodies before driving it on public roads, but nobody takes responsibility to assess and certify safety in operation for second hand carbon bikes.
If nobody takes responsibility for this, then do it yourself for your own safety. There are shops that can do it and some that can't. Find one with a good reputation. Pay for the checkup. Get a report. Use it as a support to claim money if needed. A professional opinion is always appreciated during a legal matter.
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Old 08-09-22, 03:35 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by DaveSSS
A frontal hit warrants a new bike. Personal injuries warrant more money. I been through this twice. I made lots of money. I had to get a lawyer for one of the wrecks and it took a year to get paid.
I think this is the best advice in the thread.

If you got hit by someone and their insurance company is involved, don't waste time quibbling over whether your bike's "fair market value" should be $700 or $900.

Find a good attorney who will talk to them for you about "pain and suffering" and "punitive damages." It will take a lot more time, but you will get paid your due. If this happened to insurance companies more often, then like I said above, perhaps they'll start funding bicycle awareness campaigns.
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Old 08-09-22, 06:17 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Redbullet
Thanks for the answers, I really appreciate. It looks that almost everybody assesses that safety assurance (for frame and fork) can not be obtained. I assume that a bike repair shop will issue a similar statement.
While you may find someone that can repair the damage, I think you're dreaming if you expect someone else to accept the liability(the outcome of a "safety assurance") for you riding the frame/fork. What would they have to gain from such a transaction? I doubt their insurance company would allow them to make such an assurance.
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Old 08-09-22, 06:47 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by GGDaddy
I think this is the best advice in the thread.

If you got hit by someone and their insurance company is involved, don't waste time quibbling over whether your bike's "fair market value" should be $700 or $900.

Find a good attorney who will talk to them for you about "pain and suffering" and "punitive damages." It will take a lot more time, but you will get paid your due. If this happened to insurance companies more often, then like I said above, perhaps they'll start funding bicycle awareness campaigns.
This is nonsense. If the guy in the car was drunk or hit the guy intentionally, then maybe punitive damages, but otherwise, no.

Pain and suffering requires an injury to the body. Damage to a bike does not result in pain and suffering damages.

Unless there is bodily injury, good luck getting an attorney. There is not enough money involved to warrant taking such a case on a contingent fee, and hourly fees would render the claim meaningless.

I just love internet legal advice. Nothing good ever comes of it.
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Old 08-09-22, 07:17 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
This is nonsense. If the guy in the car was drunk or hit the guy intentionally, then maybe punitive damages, but otherwise, no.

Pain and suffering requires an injury to the body. Damage to a bike does not result in pain and suffering damages.

Unless there is bodily injury, good luck getting an attorney. There is not enough money involved to warrant taking such a case on a contingent fee, and hourly fees would render the claim meaningless.

I just love internet legal advice. Nothing good ever comes of it.
And I love your implicit assumption that OP managed to get their bike trashed but miraculously escaped injury in the collision.

I never claimed to be a lawyer, internet or otherwise. I suggested talking to a lawyer about specific subjects. Maybe they take the case, but if nothing else you’ll learn from that initial consultation.

And I make that recommendation as someone who once managed to get a settlement for pain and suffering without having to pay a lawyer

Last edited by GGDaddy; 08-09-22 at 07:20 PM.
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Old 08-10-22, 03:35 PM
  #36  
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[QUOTE=GGDaddy;22604849]And I love your implicit assumption that OP managed to get their bike trashed but miraculously escaped injury in the collision/QUOTE]

I didn't escape injury, but not being crippled and not rested in hospital means all and it was a huge luck, despite some longer time (but fully recoverable) inconvenient.
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Old 08-10-22, 03:46 PM
  #37  
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Thanks again for answers. The topic was not about a bullet proof way of action (nobody can give it, not to speak about differences between the states / countries), but about opinions on how could restate to the safety status before the event. The majority of opinions seem to state that reasonable safety riding can not be obtained anymore with frame and fork after such crash. That was all about. Cheers!
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