[Bubba]

Due to a rather unfortunate accident the other day, I bent the rear triangle on my Chameleon.

In order to get the rear wheel back in I had to use a lot of force to bend it back.

I've fixed everything today and it feels ok to ride, but I'm wondering how much damage will have been done.

Is it likely to fail catastrophically or will it just have lost some spring?

[Norton Sharley]

If it was a young light lad that had written that I might suggest they ride it very very carefully and get a new back end asap, however in your case ...   

Look for ANY kind of creasing in the paint perpendicular to the principle axis of the tubing.  If there is any don't even think about riding it.

If there isn't you may have got away with it.  You can actually bend ally a long way before it starts fatiguing, but when it does go it goes fast and catastrophic. 

[clm]

also...the reason why ally frames age and feel 'dead' in comparison to say steel is cos as they flex they get tiny cracks in which very rapidly fill with oxide so they cant bend back. I reckon its fucked.
Can you get welded sections to fix frames? Phone a frame builder?

[Bubba]

Ah well, I'll see how it goes - it'll have to do for now but I might keep my eye out for another cheap Chameleon frame - this one cost about £250.

[Paul B]

if you come across a very cheap blue 15.5" it'll be mine and it got nicked! (I've given up on bikes in Sheffield they all just get stolen).

[Skinny Pete]

It really depends on how much of a bend there was and how locallised.  Assuming it didn't bend far enough to actually crack (as Norton says, ripples in the paint tend to be a giveaway here), then it is unlikely to be in immediate danger of failing under normal riding.

Bending aluminium alloys actually strengthens them (hence why forged components tend to be stronger than machined).  However, in the case of the high strength heat treated alloys used in frames, this comes at the expense of ductility.  The upshot of this is that next time the frame takes a big hit it is more likely to break rather than bend.

If it was my frame, if I couldn't see visible damage then I'd continue riding it - I may have upped the risk of it snapping next time I stack it, but if I were that bothered about a frame snapping then I probably would think twice about that jump anyway!

[Skinny Pete]

BTW, if you bend a wheel, would you happily bend it back and continue riding?  Rims are generally made of the same stuff as frames...

[Bubba]

Whadya reckon?

[webbo]

sorry but it needs to go in the recycling with your coke cans as its worth about as much now.

[Norton Sharley]

 

Bubba hell 

[tomtom]

It'd probably be fine for pottering around on - but once you drop off on that.. 

What with the other components and frame being forked, might it be better to try and find a good but oldish comlete bike on fleabay (ie one with a good frame but creaky components) and making something up between them?

[Bubba]

As Norton suggested on the blower, I've scraped off the paint to see what lurks beneath:



That really doesn't look to hot 

I love my Chameleon.

[BB]

Ooof! 

[Plattsy]

Bubba, Do you know anyone crazy enough to test ride it for you? 

[Jaspersharpe]

  Sounds like a job for fatdoc.

[tlr]

Sounds like a job for fatdoc.

That’s a terrible plan – Fatdoc breaks everything he rides anyway, regardless of its condition before he straddles it. You need a test rider who normally walks away at the end of a bike ride without paramedic help......

[Bubba]

I'll go out for a gentleish ride round the park tomorrow am and if there's no movement then it'll do for a pub bike.

Can't risk riding it hard - if it broke there causing you to crash then you might well end up with a sharp bit of tubing stuck in your ass - not a good look.

[fatkid2000]

Sounds like a job for fatdoc.

That’s a terrible plan – Fatdoc breaks everything he rides anyway, regardless of its condition before he straddles it. You need a test rider who normally walks away at the end of a bike ride without paramedic help......

I was going to ask if the great FD had sat on it recently?

[Skinny Pete]

Nicely done!! In technical terms, I reckon that's fucked!

For use as a pub bike, a friendly welder might be able to sort it out - it ain't going to take long for that to grow around the tube.

[Norton Sharley]

You'll be needing a word with big Jerry to get a bit of weld dropped on to that to stop it growing.