TheGuitarFairy

hi friends,

posted about this in C&V section and got some helpful responses ... wondering if i might learn more of implications of damage, here.

deformation of head tube is visible at bottom of top tube/head tube lug. more at lug at bottom of head tube. LBS owner measured forks and says they're fine.

as soon as i get a break from work i'd like to bring frame to have looked at at a more specialized frame shop. i'm in MW boston area ... any suggestions?

thank you!
mike

Andrew R Stewart 

Have you ridden the bike yet? If so how did it track/balance/steer? Sometimes if the bike rides symmetrically and steers well leaving well enough alone is the best plan. When I look at possible frame repairs I always first think of the least invasive path.

unterhausen

I don't understand how that damage happened. It looks ridable, really depends on what you are going to do wit the bike.

On another note, I was looking for one of those crowns on ebay yesterday. Haven't seen on for a long time

TheGuitarFairy

just got frame/forks, have not ridden as a complete bike. w/ forks being ok i wonder if top tube was forced into head?
first photo distorts angle of head tube and top tube which actually seems fine. issue i'm highlighting is deformation of head tube.
i'm looking for a donor bike to get parts to build this frame up.

Andrew R Stewart 

Eric- I might be able to help you with the crown. I have some really old crowns in my stash. Andy.

JohnDThompson 

That was my thought as well: that's not the typical place to find collision damage. I wonder if instead it might be distortion from when the joint was brazed. What does the inside of the head tube look like, especially where it was reamed for the headset?

Agreed. If it's straight and rides well, there's no point trying to fix it. It's survived several decades in that condition, so I doubt it's going to fail anytime soon.

unterhausen

there was a thread in bike mechanics or C&V years ago where the person had crushed the headtube putting in the headset cups. Other than that, it's inexplicable. Or maybe someone was doing some sweet jumps

Andrew R Stewart 

I have seen that kind of damage from a roof racked bike. Clamp the fork QR tightly and drive your handlebars into your garage overhead and watch the way the head tube is forced into the end of the top tube. Andy.

Centaurious

I was thinking that the bike was fastened to the roof rack without the front wheel and then backed out of the garage only to hit the door header. That would account for the top tube driving forward into the head tube and the buckling of the down tube.