Dented aluminium headtube on new to me frame. can it be fixed?

So a frame arrived in the post the other week. Packaging left a lot to be desired to say the least. Spesh Epic basically just thrown in a box with sod all packaging resulting in a dented head tube and now there’s no chance a headset is fitting in it. I’ve had the frame at Clarkston Cycles in Glasgow (in house framebuilder) and they say its goosed but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and had it fixed. I thought maybe a Bob Jackson or Argos could apply a bit of heat and reshape it maybe. Any thoughts as I’m sure I’ve heard of someone having this type of damage fixed before? I would say the dent is about 3mm in depth from where the inner diameter of the head tube should be. Cheers

Send it back?

If there is no chance of it being returnable to the sender, it might be worth trying an exhaust expander tool to stretch it back.

Am ongoing with that one. Guys claiming he didn’t insure it to the full amount for posting. I foolishly thought that everyone posting a frame insures it for the full value. And he used MyHermes! Aaargghhh!!! 🙁 Paypal dispute ongoing though.

That looks like the business mcmoonter! Google searching that right now, cheers

My hope would be that it would remove the dent before stretching the head tube too much to fit the cup.

I have the tool, if you are near Kirkcaldy youd be welcome to try it.

I’m not sure if you would need to heat the dent first though. Someone on here is bound to know.

Apologise but in the hands of the sender, they have supplied you something not as described, didn’t package correctly and didn’t insure. Hopefully not your problem.

if you would need to heat the dent first though.

The frame will have been heat-treated. You want nothing trying heat it up…it will alter the properties of the material and/or distort it.
The reason steel is popular for touring frames is because they can easily be repaired (unlike aluminium).

EDIT: I’d have more confidence in boring the headtube out and removing the material stopping the headset from going in. May sound extreme, but would cause less damage than anything else. Of course, doing that would depend on how much material would remain in the dented area.

They should refund you,Not your fault they didnt pay for insurance and didnt package it correctly

Like others have said, return it. I was only answering the original question.

Not a chance in snowy hell IMO.

Its goosed.

Plus unless you said ‘I will only pay x postage’ its HIS loss.

I recently under insured a Cotic frame via parcelmonkey. It arrived ok but if it didnt it’d be my own hit.

HE packaged it badly too.

Flame the tit

I would suspect the dent was there before being sent.

It would be pretty hard to dent a headtube if the frame was in the box – any damage to the box?

Chase the seller for a refund.

Any time I’ve posted a frame its been 100% covered in pipe lagging, or bubble wrap, or both.

No excuse for not packaging something properly when you are posting it

“Guys claiming he didn’t insure it to the full amount for posting”

Not your issue – hope you didnt paypal gift it …. – just stick a claim in on paypal.

Get a refund.

As soon as you start messing about with it then you’re stuck with it.

As above, it’s up to him to get it to you in one piece, regardless of what service is used. Insurance protects him, not you. If he didn’t pay for it, it’s his loss, not yours.

(unless it was you who arranged for the courier)

(unless it was you who arranged for the courier)

Agree then its a shared-mire.

Seriously, you’ve paid for an item. If the poster is negligent and/or cuts corners on packaging and insurance then its his problem.

Did you use paypal gift?

Any chance of some pics?
It must have been a big impact to actually deform the headtube.
I slid my old GT Zaskar into a wall and the headtube took the full impact. It was marked but fine.

BTW OP- if you are tempted to take a discount and sort yourself. I looked into headtube damage on a Commencal once. Talked to a fair few people. For the impact to be soo strong there will be damage. Think of this- the headtube takes a lot of stressed- hits the trail first/leverage etc etc through the forks.

At somepoint it’d develop a hairline crack.

Thankfully didn’t pay for it with PayPal gift. The guy is claiming it was the courier services fault for mishandling it but it was basically just dropped in the box with a couple of bits of newspaper along the bottom. Def do not intend on touching it till I know for sure what’s going on. Communication with him has been a bit sketchy and he’s trying to make out I’m the bad one because I raised the PayPal dispute without giving him enough of a chance to sort it out with the courier company. Knowing how bad myhermes are though having had dealings with them in the past I’m just trying to cover my arse here. I paid £400 for a frame over 3 weeks ago and he might as well have sent me empty coke cans!!

http://WWW.flickr.com/stewno1

You did the right thing raising the dispute, there’s a limited time to raise issues so he may well have tried to string things along until you’re out of that period.

He’s got no one to make you look bad to, PayPal will see you sorted

I doubt that was caused in transit as it would take quite a force to do that. Don’t think the frame rattling around the back of van would do that. What condition was the box in?

That’s goosed, without a shadow of a doubt. Paypal should sort you out.

The guy is claiming it was the courier services fault for mishandling it but it was basically just dropped in the box with a couple of bits of newspaper along the bottom.

Sellers responsibility to liaise with courier to get compensation, not yours.

Personally I wouldn’t try to ‘fix’ it. Lay one finger on it and then you’ve got no comeback from the seller.

Now, do you send it back without adequate packing and insurance?! 😛

Looks highly unlikely that would be caused in the post, even if it was dropped straight on that edge. The seller is trying to have your pants down, the lousy get.

That could have easilly happened in transit, thrown form a van with end of box onto floor, full weight of frame onto headtube = dent. TBH id be happy to repair and ride it as long as there is no crack. Id not be paying £400 for it tho. So full refund, possibly followed by discussion with seller to retain frame for small amount (£80-100?).

Dont forget, you will have to send frame back to him at some point if you get refunded, suggest you arrange (insured!) and properly package it, with numerous photos to prove it. Last thing you want is him claiming damage when he gets it back!

I’d agree with most of the above – its the sellers issue.

If you get stuck with the frame – is it so badly deformed that the dent couldn’t be knocked out a little and then use the headset itself being pressed in to properly reshape?

A load of years ago my mate dropped his new atx990 frame on its head denting the head tube – I worked in the bike shop he bought it from. As a stop gap until a new front end arrived we knocked the dent out *very* carefully and let the headset press do the fine tuning. It ran that way for years, doing dh and with boxxers on the front. Not saying that’ll always be the case, but if you’re stuck?

Stato – agree. Dropping a frame with no headset in, it’s horribly easy to dent a head tube. My mates atx was dropped from approx 18 inches onto tar and it flat spotted the h/t over about 1/3 of its area.

Communication with him has been a bit sketchy and he’s trying to make out I’m the bad one because I raised the PayPal dispute without giving him enough of a chance to sort it out with the courier company. Knowing how bad myhermes are though having had dealings with them in the past I’m just trying to cover my arse here. I paid £400 for a frame over 3 weeks ago

I’d just follow it through the paypal route. If he wants the frame back he arranges collection. If someone had messed up and really tried to help etc/lots of emails I’d post back at my own cost.

However if shes being sketchy on emails and its dragged on for 3 weeks he can arrange its collection etc IMO. Just take lots of pics with you packing it. Then into the same box and email him the pics saying here it is/packed and ready for collection. He then can’t send you a pic back with ‘look its poking through the box’ bollocks.

Do you ‘owe him anything’?

No.
1. You are out of pocket/without a frame to build etc
2. The stress and hassle (lack of emails etc)
3. Your time
4. Sounds like a dick (STW’er by chance?)

Its not your fault he cut corners. When I send a frame I use plumbing copper pipe foam covers zip tied all over the frame etc as I don’t want to risk it.

I usualy put a bit of pipe lagging arround the seatube, then make a sling out of ductape to hold the frame agaisnt the back of the box so that the headtubes no resting on the end for just that reason.

Only thing I’ve had damaged in the post was some manitou forks which got dropped hard enough to snap off the rebound adjuster which I’d not concieved as possible!

Email in just a wee while ago and looks like paypal are going refund me my money 😀 😀 😀 😀

Anyone selling a Large Spesh Epic frame or something similar? 😉

Stumpy fsr would also be good

I’ve got the 150mm travel bracket covered. Looking for xc full sus speed machine.

Question for the STW massive. As the frame is now worthless i dont think theres any point in insuring it when i return it but do i package it correctly or just leave it back in the box the way he sent it to me but take better pictures of it in my house maybe beside a copy of that days newspaper to show damage was clearly done before i sent it back?

i would package it propper and insure it.

its still his property you do have a responsibility to get it back to him in its current condition.

even if hes a nobber about it .

Insure it ,send it back and then claim when it gets there damaged? 😕

I would have liked a pic of the damaged headtube…

Return, dont even worry about it until he asks for it.

Large Spesh Epic frame

Got an XL trance if you’re 6’+ ?

Needs a long steerer tho (240mm)

But the headtube is undented despite it’s length 😉

And it’d be cheap as it’s been sat doing nought ontop my shelves over a year now…

Thats a bit too big for me bud but thanks