Hello! My partner has a steel Bianchi volpe that she loves but has a dent in the top tube.
Is this totaled, reparable, safely rideable as is?
Was thinking about sanding it and painting it.
Nickel for size reference.
by OverDay0
Hello! My partner has a steel Bianchi volpe that she loves but has a dent in the top tube.
Is this totaled, reparable, safely rideable as is?
Was thinking about sanding it and painting it.
Nickel for size reference.
by OverDay0
4 Comments
It’s ugly but I wouldn’t consider it unsafe. You can build an entire bicycle without a top tube, if you’re so inclined.
Since it’s steel, if you can find a framebuilder or an old school shop with the correct tools, that dent can be rolled out to look much less garish and obvious (though it’ll never be fully eliminated).
Top tubes are in compression under normal use, and with a dent that large I’d be concerned about the top tube buckling if you hit a pothole hard enough.
I personally would not ride it. I’m also fairly risk averse. Others may think it’s fine. It probably wouldn’t fail immediately nor especially catastrophically, but it’s a risk.
I would look around for a replacement frame or new bike
I think it’s fine, definitely fixable if you want to get rid of this ugly dent, just find a proper steel frame builder. I just wonder how tf you managed to damage it in such a odd place