Boardman carbon steerer damaged?

puzzle

Hi people

I have a Boardman Team Road Bike which I bought second hand earlier this year. All has been ok but I had an accident a few days ago which involved the nearside bar, gear and brake levers hitting a grass verge at approx 20mph! The force pulled the bars way off centre.

When I got the bike back home I thought I would take a good look to inspect for damage and drop the bars by placing 2 of the carbon spacers above the stem. Upon removing the bars and the top cap compressor in its entirety I found what looks like light damage to the very top on the inside of the carbon steerer. As I had not previously checked this I don't know if this is damage or not. I don't think this could have happened in the accident as it's on the inside and above the compressor. Is this actually damage or something I don't need to worry about?

I've reassembled the bars now and checked for play of which there is none. Any advice appreciated, thanks in advance. Link to pictures on Flick below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/puzzle735/sets/72157625728026986/

Monty Dog

Photos aren't very clear...it's unlikely that a fall/crash would damage the internals of the steerer, more likely to have been incurred when the steerer was cut / compression bung fitted.

Berk Bonebonce

If after dropping the bars you are happy with the new position, it may be the case that you will want to dispense with the surplus spacers and cut the steerer shorter. But make sure you know what you are doing if you attempt this, as in grit fibre hacksaw blade and tube cutting guide.

batch78

Try taking some photos without flash, carbon should not be that shiny!!!