Hello everyone,
I was recently side-collided from the left by a car whose driver failed to yield at an intersection, and it turned out the driver didn’t even have a valid license. Thankfully I walked away with only some bruises, and I was wearing a helmet.
During the inspection by a Canyon Service Partner to assess the damage to my bike, we discovered that the left seatstay was bent. At this point, the bike is considered a total loss (cost of repair exceeds the bike’s value).
I will be compensated by the driver’s insurance for the bike and for the injuries, but since it’s a foreign insurance company, my lawyer estimates it will take about 4–6 weeks for the money to arrive. In the worst case, it might take 3–4 months, especially if the driver was uninsured.
Right now, I don’t have the funds to buy a new road bike until the insurance money comes in.
My question is:
Would you keep riding a bike with a bent left seatstay for a couple of months?
I typically ride around 200 km per week.
Bike: 2023 Endurace AL 6 (aluminum frame + carbon fork), last picture is the bike before the crash
I appreciate any advice or opinions.
Thank you in advance.
by IZMIR_METRO
4 Comments
>During the inspection by a Canyon Service Partner to assess the damage to my bike, we discovered that the left seatstay was bent. At this point, the bike is considered a total loss
The answer to your question is already here.
The seat stay is a tube in compression and it will have been structurally compromised, that makes it uniquely susceptible to a buckling failure. 95 percent it’ll be totally fine but it’s simply not worth it causing a crash and taking you off the bike for weeks or worse. I’d be happy putting it on an indoor trainer but I wouldn’t risk it outdoors.
So you were at an official bike shop from canyon that told you that the frame is totaled and yet you still go on reddit and ask for opinions? Trust your bike shop….
You can cruise around the block but definitely don’t go on the road at high speed, it can fail.