crash damage

stuey88
stuey88 Posts: 4
edited November 2014 in Workshop
Hello , I came off my bike the other morning hit black ice on a roundabout bike landed on the right hand side was traveling about 25mph max I lost the front end and went down , I inspected the bike and the chain had come off so I poped it back on but there doesn't seem to be any cosmetic damage to any part of the bike apart from scuff on pedals and slight rip on the bar tape , it's cannondale caad 8 light aluminium frame carbon forks . My question is would the bike be safe to ride again I can't see anything but would there be anything internal in the frame or fork that could be damaged I can't quite believe theirs no cosmetic damage considering my body looks a mess

Comments

  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    All you can really do (short of paying for x-rays!) is check it carefully visually and feel for flex, movement and listen creaks or cracking noises. FWIW I've come off three times now on Al bikes with CF Forks and each time the frame was ok as it was spared the impact because my poor flesh took the brunt. No one can give you a guarantee (least of all over the web) but I just took it easy on a few short spins to verify that what I had seen, felt and heard when checking was borne out when riding before giving it FSA!
  • stuey88
    stuey88 Posts: 4
    Cheers for the reply I can't see anything visually and I went on a few low speed runs round the block using all gears and it was silky smooth , I haven't got spd pedals fitted I have the flat/ cadge and strap pedal which seemed to take the impact along side the handle bars , the paint and cannondale stickers which run down the length of both forks hasn't got a mark on it and I cannot see any cracks but I've read a lot of stuff about crashes and carbon lol the frame still looks fine again no paint damage or signs of scuffs it's white so I would see cracks easily I would have thought ,I'm just a paranoid rider when it comes to crashes if rather loose skin than ruin the bike
  • keezx
    keezx Posts: 1,322
    Look at the handlebars from a distance at the front and check if the right side is bent inward which happens when the bike falls on it.
    Not bent? okay and ride on.
  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    Don't worry about it, I did similar last year and snapped my rear hanger and this year on another bike I got hit by a car and I've learnt that I bruise but bike frames are pretty robust. You'll know pretty quickly if there's something wrong.
  • stuey88
    stuey88 Posts: 4
    Cheers for the comments, keezx, handle bars seem fine apart from a rip in the tape :) , Bozman Thanks for putting my mind to rest you do hear some stories about carbon and aluminium bikes , doesn't feel any different to ride so it must be quite robust :)

Categories