Pretty bummed to have had a crash with a cyclist who stopped in front of me (coming head on). Im going to find a bike shop/frame builder to check this out, but in the meantime wanted to get some thoughts from this sub.
My bike is a lugged steel frame with tange 2 tubing. There are cracks in the paint for sure, but i want to know if there are cracks in the frame? If this safe to ride, or what kind of repair to expect (its quite a special bike to me, also fairly rare handmade Panasonic from the 80s so I’d like to keep riding it if possible).
I can’t feel any bumps and can’t see visible cracks, though i haven’t taken all rhe paint off to check yet, only in two spots.
Is there a possibility that the paint has cracked from the steel flexing without the steel itself cracking?
I’m concerned about the part where the headtube meets downtube where theres a crack in the lug and the tube.
Any reassurances?
GamerKingBV on
It is hard to say from a picture, but to me, it looks like the paint just cracked.
It is fairly unlikely that the steel cracked. Steel is a very tough material that tends to bend rather than crack.
I would recommend checking if the frame is still straight before riding it tho, just to prevent a crash due to weird handling characteristics.
The easiest way to check is to hold a cable to the head tube and run it to the rear dropout, do this on both sides, and check the clearance at the seat tube. A couple of mm difference can wreck the handling sadly.
And don’t forget to check the fork, put the bike on the ground, and look from the bars down to see if it is still good. Check the side angle if the rake of the bike does not seem off.
Lastly, if everything looks good go for a little ride and try to ride without hands, if it stays straight and all the rest checks out then your bike is still in good condition.
tiregroove on
It’s not a total basket case but I’d look for another in the meantime. Steel gives you ALOT of warning before it fails.
I_Piccini on
Sand it down, if it’s cracked you will see it. If it’s not, you can just prime it and repaint it
stranger_trails on
See what your LBS says. It looks like the classic downtube buckle chips but that being said it is steel – it is unlikely to fail without plenty of warning.
I’ve unfortunately t-boned 2 cars with my 1986 Apollo and it’s never even chipped paint or bent the forks but this is just good luck.
You should be able to find a similar frame fairly cheap at any community bike shop or on FB Market place… I’ve got a few hanging in my shed that I honestly don’t remember acquiring… perhaps a mech if at your LBS has a similar habit of rescuing old bikes. 😂
5 Comments
Hi all.
Pretty bummed to have had a crash with a cyclist who stopped in front of me (coming head on). Im going to find a bike shop/frame builder to check this out, but in the meantime wanted to get some thoughts from this sub.
My bike is a lugged steel frame with tange 2 tubing. There are cracks in the paint for sure, but i want to know if there are cracks in the frame? If this safe to ride, or what kind of repair to expect (its quite a special bike to me, also fairly rare handmade Panasonic from the 80s so I’d like to keep riding it if possible).
I can’t feel any bumps and can’t see visible cracks, though i haven’t taken all rhe paint off to check yet, only in two spots.
Is there a possibility that the paint has cracked from the steel flexing without the steel itself cracking?
I’m concerned about the part where the headtube meets downtube where theres a crack in the lug and the tube.
Any reassurances?
It is hard to say from a picture, but to me, it looks like the paint just cracked.
It is fairly unlikely that the steel cracked. Steel is a very tough material that tends to bend rather than crack.
I would recommend checking if the frame is still straight before riding it tho, just to prevent a crash due to weird handling characteristics.
The easiest way to check is to hold a cable to the head tube and run it to the rear dropout, do this on both sides, and check the clearance at the seat tube. A couple of mm difference can wreck the handling sadly.
And don’t forget to check the fork, put the bike on the ground, and look from the bars down to see if it is still good. Check the side angle if the rake of the bike does not seem off.
Lastly, if everything looks good go for a little ride and try to ride without hands, if it stays straight and all the rest checks out then your bike is still in good condition.
It’s not a total basket case but I’d look for another in the meantime. Steel gives you ALOT of warning before it fails.
Sand it down, if it’s cracked you will see it. If it’s not, you can just prime it and repaint it
See what your LBS says. It looks like the classic downtube buckle chips but that being said it is steel – it is unlikely to fail without plenty of warning.
I’ve unfortunately t-boned 2 cars with my 1986 Apollo and it’s never even chipped paint or bent the forks but this is just good luck.
You should be able to find a similar frame fairly cheap at any community bike shop or on FB Market place… I’ve got a few hanging in my shed that I honestly don’t remember acquiring… perhaps a mech if at your LBS has a similar habit of rescuing old bikes. 😂