My mate is after a road bike and he dropped into one of the LBS’ yesterday, they have a 2011 Cannondale CAAD 10 105 that is reduced by 35% due to a clumsy ‘customer’ dropping the bike against a pillar in the shop.

The resulting damage is a dent on the top tube, this is the best picture I could get.

The dent is in the lower right hand corner of the picture.

The shop is saying it’ll be fine and there’s nothing to worry about. I however have my doubts as I reckon a dent like that could cause a tube failure and personal damage. They have also said that if it does fail they will replace the frame by one means or another.

What would you do, the bike does represent a bit of a bargain at the price it’s offered at, if the dent isn’t detrimental to frame strength.

tell them to knock 50% off for cash and ride away smiling.

Do you reckon it’s worth bartering more, he’s gonna get it on the Cycle 2 Work scheme so no cash involved.

They know this already

Surprised hes got a discount if its on the ctw scheme. Its always worth bartering more but imho i wouldn’t be put off by that dent.

It just seems like a substantial crease, the paint is almost broken and it’s right on the ‘squared-off’ bit of the top tube.

I had a Principia that suffered a similar injury several years back; I LOVED THAT BIKE and visited multiple bike shop/frame builders hoping one would tell me it was alright. ALL of them said the same thing, Aluminium fails catastrophically, you have no warning, it just breaks, they all said don’t ride it

I’ve got a bigger dent in my mountain bike top tube 😈

Is the line a scratch or is it a crease in the metal?

edit: aha proper crease… I might be wary of riding it in anger.

It’s a crease in the metal, got to be 2mm deep.

You can see it from 10ft away with ease.

that’s quite a dent, you couldn’t pay me to ride that, cannondale tubes are paper thin anyway #cracknfail

I shall pass the message on.

my cannondale CAAD has a bigger dent than that – hit by the car bike carrier – on the top tube, been fine for 3 years
You guys are scaring me now though 😯

Wouldnt fancy it, seems a bit dodgy that there even trying to sell you it. If it was a steel mountain bike frame I’d probably ride it like that, but a lightweight road frame would be a bit risky I think, wouldnt fancy it snapping going down a big hill at 40mph.

Like rocketdog said the tubes on a Cannondale alloy road bike will be coke can thin. I’d walk away.

Difficult, how big are the stresses on a top tube anyway, is he a 15stone sprinter or a flyweight spinner?

I put a bigger dent than that on the top tube of my aluminium bianchi mtb, rode it for at least another two years, rigid for a good bit of that as well.

Kind of just forgot about the dent after a while.

That said, I’m not sure if I’d have bought it dented…

mtb would have more metal there i recon, that pic is of a crease in the top tube, all the force will be spread along it now on a rough road, i’d not fancy it

Need to factor in the resale value as well when he decides to flog it.

Not sure I’d buy it – the dent would always annoy me every time I rode it.

steve_b77 – Member
It’s a crease in the metal, got to be 2mm deep.

You can see it from 10ft away with ease.

Walk away! It could dangerous, as it’s aluminium it could fail without warning after fatigueing. But then again life’s a gamble, what’s the worst that could happen…

It’s garbage.

Thought as much, I did tell him but said himself ‘he finds it hard to look past a bargain 8O’

A bargain being a face plant into tarmac and a heavy amount of dental work?

is he adding in the cost of some filler, primer and top coat?, it might polish out though

I’d rather ride a previous model year equivalent for the same money than take a risk like that. I’m surprised the LBS is taking the risk of knowingly selling something so potentially dangerous.

I don’t know why they just don’t buy a new frame from Cannondale and swallow the cost

i’m surprised the bike shop cannot get a cheap crash replacement or something.

is it cheap enough to get a new frame.

I’d not ride it.

I’d have it for 35% might be worth haggling more.

Doubt it’d ever snap, top tubes are under **** all stress.

How can a top tube be “…. under ****all stress” with the fork basically wanting to rotate upwards & backwards fir every frontal impact – as in bumps in the road, surely the top tube will try to compress and with a crease like that in it, it wouldn’t be as strong as it should