Bike fallen from car – what would you do?

A friends bike (9 month old Trek 6000) came off the back of his car the other day and ended up being dragged down the the road held on by one strap.
Damage seems to be a completey trashed front fork, one end of the bars ground down a bit, bent brake lever and possibly a bent front wheel.

LBS has officially written it off as there could be ‘unseen damage’ even though the frame looks fine, and insurance company has said he can spend £570 and to send them the invoice/s.

My feeling is that the LBS are [understandably] covering the a**es, and that he should simply buy a new (better) fork, bars and brake lever and keep using it. He’s not sure about this, thinking the frame might break, and is looking at buying a replacement for the same sort of money.

What would you do?

I’d fix it up

I wouldn’t trust the frame as it’s likely to have been bounced around and stressed in ways it wasn’t designed to be stressed

What speed/how long was the bike dragged for?

A friend of mine once knocked his bike off the top of his car (BRAND new frame)- not yet ridden- knocked it clean off the top- totalled his front wheel, brake and bike rack.

rode the frame for a year after – no probs! 8)

Any bike you don’t trust is not fun to ride. I’m sure it would be fine but I’d retire it to commuting duties.

I’d ride it, think how many times you’ve crashed your bike, did you replace it every time just in case?

n.b. im not a mech engineer, and i said i’d ride it, if it goes wrong then its not my fault.

Quick Google seems to suggest that a brand new Trek 6000 can be had for £570. seems a no-brainer.

Get the new bike, ask the LBS for the old one back?

I got hit head on by a van, went clean over the bonnet, as did the bike, bouncing down the road, and i still ride it, it seems fine.
but if i was the shop there is NO WAY i would state “the frames fine to ride”

robot built aluy frames like your trek and my XtC are going to be tough as old boots. but then again, once you get to a certain level of damage, considering the difference between the prices of OE stuff and aftermarket stuff, ide go with a new bike…

buy a better bike rack?

Don’t know how long it was dragged for (not long I suspect) but it was on the motorway 😯
Three of our group saw it at the weekend and all agreed that fixing it up was the way forward.
He’s offering to give it to me (I like renovating stuff) but it’s too big 😥
Ironic thing is that he was actually taking it to be fixed as the [carp] fork was boogered and filling with water!

No wonder the carp fork was filling with water; don’t carp belong in the water?

How many of us crash at 60-80mph? and pulling off motorway when clear inside etc could be 200 metres plus of dragging or another 10 to 20 minor impacts

if the guys doesn’t have time or wishes to rebuild it then he’s better getting a full replacement and will be back riding quickly

new bike rack as above

and then he’s not thinking about bike or rack failing but enjoying riding.

can do without thinking about incident on every trip and every ride

A few years ago, traveling up the A55, to north wales, all of a sudden the trafic cam to a halt at the flint turnoff, then there where ambulance and police cars flying past, after about an hour we started to move, the reason for the delay a car had shed a bike off the back, been runover by a lorry and the lorry tyre had been punctured by the pedal spindle, luckily it was uphill and the truck was going reasonably slowly, driver charged with haveing an insecure load, a police officer i was talking to latter that week said it was a problem with bikes strapped to carsand they would be douing spot checks, so always use an extra rope or cable to fix the bike to th ecar, just in case.

and then he’s not thinking about bike or rack failing but enjoying riding.

can do without thinking about incident on every trip and every ride

This is his thinking. He’s not very mechanically minded either so unlikely to do the work himself.
I just hate to see stuff going to waste!

I once watched a bike rack with 3 bikes (including mine) peel off the roof of the car in front at 80mph and come somersaulting down the carriageway with bits flying off 🙁

My bike suffered scratched hydraulic reservoirs and shredded saddle. It was still rideable, and I rode it for another 3 years…

Check it is straight and then get it built back up an ride it.

How did it come off, was it secured incorrectly, was it a cheapo Halfords velco “hanging bike” job? What insurance is paying out…car Insurance? I’ve always been paranoid about this happening to me so I always use an extra strap and I went for a “sturdy” Thule over the cheaper options. I’m amazed the insurer agreed to payout.

Happened to my heckler earlier this was distracted ordering my curry to be picked on the way back and didn’t fasten the bike down properly. It came off the back off the roof of the car when was doing about 80mph+ Ahem! Bounced on the back wheel and landed on the grass verge after doing somersault Damage was well nothing but shifter mount did crack a few rides later so guess it may have took some damage.

If the company is paying out then new bike it is and keep the old one too.

Tell him to buy a new one, fix up the ‘bent’ one and stick it on ebay.

I’d get a new one, keep the old one and hit it repeatedly with a hammer just to see how tough the replacement is likely to be.

I just hate to see stuff going to waste!

So let him get a new one and give him some beer tokens for the old one and rebuild it yourself!

Keep the old (do up) and weld both parallel to a shopping trolley then whip it around town on inclines pretending to reenact Ben Hurr the movie.