kbagel

Hi guys and gals ~

I'm new to the forums but have been reading regularly over the past few months. I finally bought my first real road bike on Sunday, a Cannondale Caad10 4, and was out for a ride and got hit by another cyclist. I was passing on the left shouting "On your left...To the left" but he had headphones in and pulled a full U-turn in front of me wiping us both out. Anyways, I now have a pretty big dent in the top tube of my 3 day old bike.

Can I save this or is it dead? And, if it's dead, does anyone know anything about the Cannondale Crash Replacement program? I'm taking it to the bike shop first thing in the morning.

mtbikerinpa

OUCH.

That had to have been a pretty rough clip for a bike-on-bike hit. Is it totally compromised? Not totally. It would not be as stiff as it once was and I don't know that I would do a sprint-to-the finish like a TDF rider, but it will probably still hold up to normal riding. Fixable? Not too sure since it has a sharp formation at the top edge. Maybe a glue-pull dent removal could get some of it out but it is pretty large.

MegaTom

Ouch is right, and boy would I have had some words for that guy! I'm guessing this happened on a trail and not the road? Worth noting for the future: cars are safer to ride with than stupid MUPpits... just don't pull any u-turns in front of 'em like this guy did to you!

Grambo

Yikes. That's a sizeable dent with stress risers. Have your LBS take a look and recommend a path forward. Personally I would aggressively pursue a crash replacement rather than take a chance with that frame. Good luck.

kbagel

Thanks so much for your input.

This was on the road. On a separated bike path in Brooklyn. He pretty much T-boned me. The thing that really gets me is the guy who hit me left before I could even pick my bike up. Off to file a police report now...If nothing else, I might be able to get some insurance money.

MingusDew

That sucks, I can't believe the guy split like that. I'm guessing you are okay though, you didn't mention any major injuries. Keep us updated.

bianchi10

what an ass hole. Sorry to hear man.

Mike F

Pretty much what Bianchi said. Ill put on my kevlar underwear and also say... "another reason not to wear earphones while riding"

Beaker

Yup - go talk to the shop about crash replacement. One thing I don't get is how that collision caused that dent - was it your bars?

kbagel

I just figured out my knee caused that dent. I have a major bruise on my knee where it hit the top tube, a small scrape on my cheek, a bit of a fat lip, and a tiny chip on the back of my eye tooth. Nothing compared to what could have been if I didn't have a helmet on...

Nagrom_ 

You sure it wasn't your handle bars?

SpeshulEd 

Although the guy was unable to hear "On your left," he still should have looked over his shoulder before turning, especially with earbuds in.

KantoBoy

My adrenaline would've given me enough speed and power to chase him down.

Sorry to hear. Crash replacement is my best guess to solve this issue.

Muffin Man

This is probably it. This same kind of dent is on my CAAD, albeit a hell of a lot smaller, and my bars fit perfectly into the dent.

99Klein 

That sucks. Have to wonder how much it really effects strength of the frame. Bondo:-)

Schlug

Those frame tubes are really thinwalled. I think you have a serious issue. My advice is to replace the frame.

Danielle

Don't ride that.

ibikestickers

Congrats on the bike itself, I have a Caad 9-4 myself. I imagine the Caad 10 is pretty awesome! I don't think I'd feel comfortable riding long term with frame damage like that, but I can't provide scientific proof that you shouldn't.
I think the best way to pass someone, headphones or not, is to stay behind them until you see them acknowledge you.
Anyone that turns in front of another cyclist is being pretty dumb, though. If you had been a car, he'd be dead!

rpenmanparker 

So many of you are talking about strength of the frame, as if OP wants to keep it and ride it like this. It's 3 days old FGS. Does he want to see that for the entire life of the bike? Or a Bondo patch? Or even a patch and paint job that isn't authentic? Come on, strength or no strength the only viable solution is crash replacement. It sucks, but you gotta do what ya gotta do.

anthonybkny

what part of brooklyn and what did the guy look like? what was he riding? ill keep an eye out for him!

topflightpro

That frame is dead and cannot be repaired.

Aluminum does not like to be dented like that. It will eventually crack and rip apart, kind of like a Coke can, and it looks like there might be some stress cracks in the frame already. It's hard to tell whether that feathering is just the paint or the frame.

If there are no actual cracks in the aluminum, you can continue to ride on the frame, but you need to be careful. Aluminum doesn't tend to fail catastrophically, but it will eventually break on you.

kbagel

I was in South Williamsburg on the Kent Ave bike lane riding south. The accident happened at Kent just pas South 5th Street. The guy took off up South 5th. He was blonde, riding a yellow bike without a helmet. If I ever see him again, it will be over.

Just dropped the bike off at the bike shop. We'll see what they say...

BoJaffa

That is awful.. You have every right to be pissed at that guy. I'd be pretty hot right now and looking for him in the future. Your bike shop will point you in the right direction.

himespau 

That sucks. Did the police let you file a report?

BaseGuy

So sorry to see that. Ear-buds are the devil. Good luck getting it worked out.