My Kona Dawg aquired a dent in its downtube after travelling in a bikebag from the Alps. My LBS guru reckons it's not an issue and to keep on riding it... Been looking for alternative 26" fs frames but they seem thin on the ground.
in the early 90s some frames just had a cable for a downtube...
I've had a 3x3 cm sized dent in the downtube of my scandium kona dawg for a few years now I've raced gravity enduros and ridden the crap out of it and its been fine and I'm no lightweight and generally lack finesse
Sounds like i've over-reacted then, 
Cheers peeps... 🙂
Downtube is under tension so dents are no biggie.
TTIUWP!
What joolsburger said x2
My '06 Enduro when I had it - I didn't die
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I had a BIG gouge in an old Enduro. I spoke to Specialized and they said side of tube = fine. Under downtube or toptube= bad as it can help 'fold' or fail in a crash.
Anywhere near a weld = bad.
Im not going to argue but none of us will pay your mortgage if you take a gamble on it and it fails. Your call at the end of the day.
I continued to ride mine as it was on the side but if it failed mid descent you dont get a chance to stop and check then do you?
Insurance it through the airline
Lol, no one is going to die if a crack evolves. Worst case scenario the frame fails at the bb (I can't really envisage a circumstance where this ends in face death?!) but most likely it'll be just fine. Obviously it devalues the frame, so if there's a chance of insurance, I'd go for it. But otherwise, ride it an stop worrying.
Where is the dent op?
Dented my Dawg in the Alps, ruddy great smack in the bottom of the downtube, it didn't crack or get worse.
Pics?
It depends a lot on where it is how deep it is, and whether there's any fold or crumple. A simple smooth dent in the middle of a tube isn't usually a major cause for concern - it might be where the frame folds if you have a big crash, and you should. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't grow a crack.
A dent is really just unplanned hydroforming 😉
Damage and failure are two different things. My frame is showing signs of battle with some healthy dent and dinks to the downtube but they all do that. So long as none of the dents turn to cracks or have creases I wouldn't worry.
joolsburger - Member
Downtube is under tension so dents are no biggie.
Well, not all the time. If you ride into a wall or other big trail obstacle, it's not 🙂
My 2004 Stumpy FSR has had this dent in the downtube right by the BB since 2005 and has been ridden pretty hard. Doesn't seem to have been a problem - maybe I've just been lucky.
(I've used a URL link as the IMG link didn't work)
[url= http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/imagegallery/displayimage.php?pid=6253&fullsize=1 ]Photo is here[/url]