Dent – Opinions (well informed ones please)

Had a nightmare today when my carefully proped up CdA decided to fall onto a large garden planter. It now has a sizeable dent in the top tube (aluminium). Paint has flaked but no noticeable cracking and I rode it 15 miles after with no funny noises etc.

Do those who are better informed than I think it is ok to keep riding (whilst looking out for a suitable, reasonably priced replacement), ie. it looks ugly but it won’t kill me?

You won’t die from that.

Purely anecdotal but I have been riding for a year with two dents about the same size as that in the TT of my Kona JTS. Touch wood…I’m still here.

Ridden similarly dented bikes no problem.

Your problem caller?

‘Tis but a flesh wound, I’ve ridden far worse for far longer, just keep an eye on it just in case

Do one the same the other side and it’ll balance out

Yikes! Is the planter ok?

Ride on soldier…..

What I would do – I’d take the bike to a powder coaster, get them to blast it, fill and profile and powder coat. For no other reason than the fact you’ll eventually forget about it.

Leave it, and it’ll piss you off every time you chuck yer leg over it.

Can you move he sticker? Fill it and cover. Steel is very forgiving.

http://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/visit-the-dales/discover-the-dales/towns-and-villages/western-dales-towns-and-villages/dent

TiRed – Member
Can you move he sticker? Fill it and cover. Steel is very forgiving.

It’s aluminium. And the stickers are unmovable, I may just have to find a suitable one to cover the dent.

Leave it, and it’ll piss you off every time you chuck yer leg over it.

As long as it’s safe this is my biggest issue. I’m a same tyre brand front and rear, logos in line with valves type and a big dent plays havoc with my OCD

…safe this is my biggest issue

Google images “fea stress analysis bicycle frame” and ask Genesis for their opinion

I’d be happy to ride that from a structural point of view -I couldn’t ride it from an aesthetics/I’ve been a clumsy bugger point. It would knark me every time I saw it.

Strip the paint off, fill the dent with JBweld as powder coat doesn’t stick to non filled polyester fillers and re powder coat, or try and wet paint it to match.

Dent, Arthur Dent, you’re a right jerk!

Id strip the area, fill with JB weld

get the paint info from genesis , do your best to paint overand carry on regardless

The bottom of that dent has the beginnings of a straight fold in it, but it’s quite small in area overall. The smaller the dent, the lesstube integrity is compromised in a ‘folding coke can’ fashion.

I’d be unhappy with it on an MTB that was going to see some hammer, purely on a precautionary basis. On a bike likely to see more gentle use, I’d base my judgement on wall thickness.

I’ve messaged Genesis asking for their assistance. Took it into a dealer yesterday who told me to keep an eye on it but seemed to think would be OK. I think I’ll take back a little of the paint to check in more detail and have a look for a suitable sticker to cover for the time being.

To echo scienceofficer’s thoughts, I’d be less concerned with a rounder impact, but the straighter crease is my main worry.

The frame is not an expensive ultralight one so my assumption is that it is on the more durable end of the spectrum (it’s an adventure road / gnarmac one). I use it on road and for lift off road duties.

I have a friend with a carbon fibre frame with a crack in the top-tube in a similar place. It’s been fine.

[uninformed]

Dunno. It’s aluminium alloy, isn’t it? The tube has creased and the outside of that crease (the inside of the tube) has been stressed and will start to fatigue crack/tear eventually.

[/uninformed]

I have a friend who has been riding a GT Zaskar with a similar sized dent for 15 years. Gutting but find a nice sticker to cover it and it’ll be fine…

Quick update. Genesis were not prepared to make a decision on the pics (which is fair enough). I could have bought an identical frame, they gave me the product code for the dealer look up.

I’ve taken the above advice and filled with JB Weld (great stuff, and grey in colour which helps) and have sanded and polished it flat. The Genesis touch up paint is rubbish (or more likely past its use by date). Now the hunt begins for a suitable sticker, but at least the dent and flakey paint is ‘gone’.

Fingers crossed it’s OK, will just have to keep an eye on it.

Would be interested in real experiences of using JB Weld – need to sort out an old steel frame which has a pitted top tube, so wondering which sort you used and how easy it was to apply and sand etc
cheers

.

I just bough 2 small tubes of the stuff off ebay like this.

It had instructions, but basically you just mix equal parts (I used a matchstick to stir up) and apply to a clean, sanded (for a key) surface. I applied with a piece of this plastic cut from some packaging and then left to dry for 24 hours, before sanding and reapplying in thin layers until dent was filled (took around 3 applications). Sanded flat and then painted over with touch up paint. I then used a car paintwork restorer to take out the fine scratches from the sanding (I was careful with this part anyway).

It was really easy to work with and sand and has set well with no cracking. I’ll get a pic of its current state when I am in the shed.

Here you go.

Nice work – that looks/sounds exactly what i need…cheers!
Jim

Is there a technique that can pull or push out the dent?

I once put a dent about 3 x the size of yours in to top tube of a Cove Shocker DH bike after a sideways off at Fort William. I sent it to Argos cycles for a fill and respray. The work was incredible and completely invisible and held up to DH riding until I sold it on. Was expensive fix though.

duir – Member
I once put a dent about 3 x the size of yours in to top tube of a Cove Shocker DH bike after a sideways off at Fort William. I sent it to Argos cycles for a fill and respray. The work was incredible and completely invisible and held up to DH riding until I sold it on. Was expensive fix though.

Looked at a respray, but it’s almost as much as I could have got a new frame for. The frame’s not a pricy one but I like it, so hopefully it will keep on going with under a fiver spent on a home fix.

Just need a sticker that doesn’t look to out of place.

I’d leave it as is and keep an eye on it for cracks.

I did this on a (steel) frame with similar sized dent and it cracked somewhere else (undented) whilst this was still 100% fine.

It is generally going to be under compression, so collapse is probably more of a potential issue, but it isn’t somewhere that’s under peak loading (either from bending or against overall column buckling)… I would guess that the tube thickness there is selected for manufacturability/dent resistance rather than section requirements.

Of course as a professional engineer I’d have to ask you to give me a fat wad of money to assess the defect before I’d advise you to ride it.

Oh just saw you’ve filled it in. Keep your eyes out for cracks, but I’d be surprised if it did crack. Looks like a good bit of work.

Looked at a respray, but it’s almost as much as I could have got a new frame for. The frame’s not a pricy one but I like it, so hopefully it will keep on going with under a fiver spent on a home fix.

I think you are right, not worth the expense. Fill the dent as best you can and use some decals to hide it I am sure it will be fine for a long time.

Once you’ve filled repaired it take a trip up to dent and give it thrash over dents cobbled streets!