Hit by car, carbon bike

Aug 3, 15 17:28

Post #1 of 34 (6218 views)

Yesterday, Sunday August 2nd, I was doing my birthday ride, 6 mountains for 6 decades, turned 60 today. On the road to the 3rd mountain, I was rear-ended by a car, apparently I landed on the hood and then on the ground which was probably a good thing as the hood probably cushioned the initial impact. I am very lucky, just sore and bruised, but otherwise ok.

The driver did stop and came over to me, said "My brakes don't work well" but he was sorry. In the ambulance, the paramedic and I were talking about clip-less pedals

I mentioned to my friend that was supporting me on this ride, that there were no lawyers chasing my ambulance. Well, it turns out, one of the witnesses was a combination firefighter/lawyer and so he provided information to the police. The police of course, hear all the lame stories, so when the guy said something about his brakes, the officer says "Dude, that's a brand new car"

Anyway, I was hoping the bike was ok, but apparently not so. Rear wheel screwed, derailleur as well, and front left shifter damaged. Of course, I always wear a helmet, so that saved me some grief as I did hit my head. No pain or vision issues.

Would be curious to hear from others their experience with carbon bikes in this case. I will be contacting this company to examine the bike for damage. It's an older Cervelo R3
http://www.robertscomposites.com

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 17:33

Post #2 of 34 (6206 views)

Glad to hear you're OK. Sorry to hear about this. I was hit by a car in 2009. The only visible damage was to a shift lever and derailler hanger. I still to it to my LBS and had them check it out. They gave it a thumbs up and 6 years later I'm still riding the same bike.

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 17:37

Post #3 of 34 (6198 views)

Obviously, take it to a cervelo recognized bike shop for thorough inspection. We cannot determine if it has structural damage by a pix.

res, non verba

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 18:07

Post #4 of 34 (6145 views)

The bent wheel is a good sign. It means the wheel bent in preference to the frame breaking. (in the initial impact at least)

As you were busy doing other things (like going over the hood of the car) you probably didn't pay too much attention to what the bike was doing. The second and third impacts may have damaged the frame.

Certainly have it checked out. The driver or his insurance company should be replacing damaged parts or the entire bike with no cost to you in any way. Good luck

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 18:11

Post #5 of 34 (6140 views)

First glad to hear you are OK. I would open a claim with ICBC and get checked out for injuries etc, you might think you are ok but who knows? If it is their fault then I would just suggest getting a bike.

Barring that "Roberts" has done work for me (a custom aero seat post for a giant mcr2) on the phone he comes across as a very laid back surfer dude ;-) in reality he is a creative genious and very pationate about his work, he has built custom one off tt bars for Clara hughes for the olympics and custom built a wheel chair for a friend of ours who got silver in athens.

Basically if you are in north america...for carbon bike repair in the U.S. There is calfee, in Canada roberts. Of course maybe others but those are the two with very strong reputations.

Maurice

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [mauricemaher] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 20:29

Post #6 of 34 (5991 views)

if you find a crack some resin to fill and fiber glass repair tape does the trick. i was hit by a car too, or too many times rather. After the fix bike has been good as a work-commuter for the past year

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 20:41

Post #7 of 34 (5979 views)

I'm a firm believer in the, "When in doubt, toss it out" mantra with carbon bikes. Everything can look spotless, but that next 40mph descent with a shar turn might not agree with your shop's opinion. Especially in the instance where someone REAR-ENDED YOU!

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [PeteDin206] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 22:07

Post #8 of 34 (5917 views)

+1
that driver shouldn't be driving.

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 3, 15 22:10

Post #9 of 34 (5913 views)

A line of thought might be;

The driver broke your bike.

His insurance pays for a replacement value of a known safe bike ie new.

You buy the old frame as salvage and have it professionally repaired.

You utilize the remaining funds as you see fit...

With the strike rate local to me you barely have to spend a cent to keep yourself on the road (literally unfortunately)....

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 0:23

Post #10 of 34 (5853 views)

Good to hear that you are fine!

Get the bike checked, as other have said it's impossible to inspect for structural damage by eye sometimes!

Bless you.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 0:55

Post #11 of 34 (5837 views)

Take the whole bike with bent wheel to get the frame checked out, then they can see where some major impact happened. I'd be worried about the bonding between the rear drop outs and the carbon frame, as this is where the impact transferred from the wheel.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 4:21

Post #12 of 34 (5725 views)

I'm thinking brakes don't work so well if you aren't paying attention and don't hit them in a timely fashion.

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [shadwell] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 5:22

Post #13 of 34 (5662 views)

shadwell wrote:

A line of thought might be;

The driver broke your bike.

His insurance pays for a replacement value of a known safe bike ie new.

You buy the old frame as salvage and have it professionally repaired.

You utilize the remaining funds as you see fit...

With the strike rate local to me you barely have to spend a cent to keep yourself on the road (literally unfortunately)....

This.

I would not ride that bike again on the road (at best on the trainer). His insurance should cover it and all the components 100%. It's the least you deserve for what he put you through. But seriously, why take a chance on there being any internal not easily observed cracks.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [synthetic] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 5:45

Post #14 of 34 (5627 views)

synthetic wrote:

if you find a crack some resin to fill and fiber glass repair tape does the trick. i was hit by a car too, or too many times rather. After the fix bike has been good as a work-commuter for the past year

The any potential damage was the OP's fault, then this would be sound advice.

Since the OP isn't at fault and the driver's insurance would be covering any replacements/repairs, then it would be hard not to justify a new frame in order to be sure.

Why take the chance when it wouldn't even come out of his pocket?

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [mcmetal] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 6:54

Post #15 of 34 (5538 views)

mcmetal wrote:

shadwell wrote:

A line of thought might be;

The driver broke your bike.

His insurance pays for a replacement value of a known safe bike ie new.

You buy the old frame as salvage and have it professionally repaired.

You utilize the remaining funds as you see fit...

With the strike rate local to me you barely have to spend a cent to keep yourself on the road (literally unfortunately)....

This.

I would not ride that bike again on the road (at best on the trainer). His insurance should cover it and all the components 100%. It's the least you deserve for what he put you through. But seriously, why take a chance on there being any internal not easily observed cracks.

+1. Based on a few friends experiences, I believe you are due a new bike. Use Rob to fix the old one but I would expect a new bike from ICBC. I've never heard of them wanting the old bike back so you can just get it repaired and use it for a winter bike or a spare.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [tridork] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 7:13

Post #16 of 34 (5507 views)

I got brake checked by a pickup truck last year and while I did not hit the vehicle, the impact on the tarmac at 32 mph to me and the bike meant the bike was totaled (and some really nice road rash all over my body). I took the Cervelo to a Cervelo dealer and they confirmed that it was totaled and Cervelo made good on a crash replacement. I was impressed with the dealer (InSide Out Sports) and Cervelo for their service. It's hard to tell at least to me about potential cracks in the carbon frame so having them look it over made it a lot easier. Good luck to you. It took me a while to feel comfortable again at speed and in a fast paceline.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 7:29

Post #17 of 34 (5480 views)

First, I'm glad you are OK. Getting hit from behind is my biggest fear because you don't expect it & don't see it coming.

I would take this as an opportunity to buy yourself a new bike as a 60th birthday present. Even if the frame checks out, there could be hidden damage you would not want to see fail at high speeds.

I would pursue the driver's insurance to replace the bike. It sounds like you are not a litigious person, but you may need to threaten them a bit. Tell them that it can go two ways. You can sue him & them for damages, medical, and pain/suffering to the tune of 7 figures, or they can cover a new bike, new kit, new helmet, and all your medical bills.

Finally, if the bike checks out, and you don't have to give it up, while I would not ride it outside, I would make it my permanent trainer bike. No more messing with taking your bike in & out of the trainer so you can get an indoor workout done.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 7:35

Post #18 of 34 (5472 views)

pretty scary incident i bet! i would be having the driver's insurance buy me a replacement bike

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 7:45

Post #19 of 34 (5448 views)

Amazing that 6 weeks ago, I too was in a accident with a truck just 2 days after my 60th birthday. In my case, a delivery truck made a quick right turn in front of me while I was going 20+ mph and I slammed into his right fender. Not quite so good on my body though and big gashes on my chin, upper lip and left leg and some major bruises from my leg hitting what appeared to be the lug nuts of the truck wheel and left 3 imprints on my leg that are still there today. I can't count the number of stitches I got and xrays showed 3 cracked ribs, but I really don't notice that (and I've cracked ribs before).

I too have a Cervelo (S5) and the impact cracked my front carbon wheel pretty bad. However, I absolutely could not find anything else wrong with the frame. I had it on the trainer 2 days later and kept riding it for 2 weeks that way as I healed up and putting more and more power each day. By the 3rd week I took it out on the road and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I even did the Vineman 1/2 Ironman on the end of the 3rd week (although well below what I had hoped to do). I used the S5 because I couldn't get into the aero position for long periods of time needed.

Anyway, glad you are OK and hope your bike survived as well as my bike did. I still might bring it to a shop if I can find someone with the capabilities to thoroughly check the frame out.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [Liaman] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 8:05

Post #20 of 34 (5417 views)

Liaman wrote:

synthetic wrote:

if you find a crack some resin to fill and fiber glass repair tape does the trick. i was hit by a car too, or too many times rather. After the fix bike has been good as a work-commuter for the past year

The any potential damage was the OP's fault, then this would be sound advice.

Since the OP isn't at fault and the driver's insurance would be covering any replacements/repairs, then it would be hard not to justify a new frame in order to be sure.

Why take the chance when it wouldn't even come out of his pocket?

i did the salvage thing as mentioned in the other post. i got a felt b16 after my wreck, but with my own cash fixed up the old wreck. I dont do 40mph downhills on it.... downhills are a waste of my time anyways.

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [Meathead] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 8:32

Post #21 of 34 (5365 views)

Meathead wrote:

First, I'm glad you are OK. Getting hit from behind is my biggest fear...

...I would pursue the driver's insurance to replace the bike. It sounds like you are not a litigious person, but you may need to threaten them a bit. Tell them that it can go two ways. You can sue him & them for damages, medical, and pain/suffering to the tune of 7 figures, or they can cover a new bike, new kit, new helmet, and all your medical bills.

^ This.
Glad you are okay. My biggest fear as well. I don't bounce as well as younger guys. Got car-tapped and gently rolled to the ground from my motorcycle and broke 3 ribs. Hate to think what a hit like you took would do to me.

edit: you bounce pretty good for a 60 year old.

Last edited by: boilham: Aug 4, 15 8:35

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 4, 15 21:47

Post #22 of 34 (5180 views)

I went to Roberts Composites today, really great guy, tells it like it is. Discovered some small cracks, and he can fix it, I saw a Cervelo R5 being repaired there, but I decided not to take any chances, and took the bike to a Cervelo Dealer for them to give an estimate to ICBC and take it from there)

ICBC is our insurance provider here in BC, there's only extended private insurance here for vehicles.)

Feeling much better today already, so yes, relative to some of the stories I've read in this thread, I am very lucky. Helps I am not Tour rider skinny, so a bit more padding helped ;-)

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 7, 15 22:12

Post #23 of 34 (4969 views)

So, the Bike Shop says my frame is not damaged. Just rear wheel, derailleur hanger, handlebars, (and my helmet)

Will I now be constantly worried about frame issues when descending at 60-70k/hour and possible hit a bump?

I asked the guy at the bike shop how he examined the frame, and he says "I looked at it" Now, he's young, but a very good mechanic, i generally trust him.

I now have a lawyer involved, can they influence this issue somewhat? I don't need to get a new frame if I can be 100% confident that this is not damaged.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 8, 15 2:15

Post #24 of 34 (4924 views)

I would ask Cervelo directly. I don't know how a bike shop mechanic can test the viability of a frame. If you have a lawyer involved you might want to delete some of your posts on here as well.

Last edited by: gregf83: Aug 8, 15 7:49

Re: Hit by car, carbon bike [cervelo-van] [ In reply to ]

Aug 8, 15 2:17

Post #25 of 34 (4923 views)

Roberts has told you it has cracks. Bike shop dude "looked at it" and you want to believe him? Have Roberts write you a letter stating it has cracks and take that to ICBC. Or if ICBC is telling you that a bike shop has to certify then show the bike shop guy where the cracks are. Bike shop guy doesn't care, has nothing invested in the outcome one way or another.

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