I have a Felt that’s a few years old and somehow I got a pretty sizable dent on the downtube. I know you can pull dents out of cars, but can you do with with bike frames? Will it mess with the structural integrity of the bike?
Maybe I should just add some more dents and call it a dimpled frame for better aerodynamics…
It’s likely already messed with the structural integrity, trying to pull it out will only make it worse. Aluminium is not exactly forgiving in its failure modes so be careful if you continue to ride it. Check for cracks. Daily.
has anyone ever had a frame fail because of a dent? Does it only become a death trap if cracks appear?
has anyone ever had a frame fail because of a dent?
Yes, although not me personally
Does it only become a death trap if cracks appear?
Your dent may not be dangerous. The problem is that it may be and it’s mighty hard to tell. If cracks do start to appear then stop riding it. Keep an eye on the whole frame as the problem with damage is that the forces can get redistributed in ways that the designers did not plan for and it could ultimately fail elsewhere. The dent may be small and the frame may be overbuilt in which case you may get years more use out of it. But a large or sharp dent in the wrong place in a thin tube…
You might try having a bike shop eyeball it for a hopefully more expert opinion. Felt makes decent bikes so you may be ok. You could also investigate if they have a crash replacement program if it looks like you should retire the frame.
Good luck.
Cover the dents with stickers.
That frame is DONE!!!
DO NOT RIDE IT!!! and yes, I’ve seen it first hand more than once. The down tube is a dangerous place to have a dent… a sizable dent at that. The tubes are not much thicker than a coke can. I’ve seen them split open like can and totally fold in half. happens in an instant too. My former team mate lost is front teeth and broke his jaw this same way.
Contact Felt and see if they’ll cut you a deal on a new frame (not that they have to but it cant hurt to ask) or trash yours and hit ebay.
I’ve been frame shopping and felt frames go for around 300-400 bucks on ebay right now. If you ride a 58, i have an old scattante frame that I’ll let go for 50 bucks + shipping.
It all depends on the size. It SHOULD be ok if it is small, but as already stated if it is bad enough it could cause failure. Have your lbs take a look.
Just for fun, take a beer in a can and drink it…
Okay, another thing for fun, take the empty can and carefully place a 10 pound weight lifting plate atop it (on top of the cylinder). Once balanced there, take a butter knife and ding the can slightly on the side enough to leave a dent. I recommend not doing this on a glass coffee table, or any table with some kind of finish (NOT that I have ever done that!), try the floor maybe. Sometimes the results are pretty cool. Not always, but alot more than not.
Just for fun…can give you a little illustration of what aluminum can do when damaged.
Listen to meat puppet. Throw the thing out.
I had an aluminum Trek Mountain bike that had a sizeable dent in the down tube and I rode it on the trails for years like that and then commuted on it for more years after that. I eventually gave it away to a needy guy who worked for me at the time. Maybe I just got lucky.
I had an aluminum Trek Mountain bike that had a sizeable dent in the down tube and I rode it on the trails for years like that and then commuted on it for more years after that. I eventually gave it away to a needy guy who worked for me at the time. Maybe I just got lucky.
I think you got lucky, but the real issue with aluminum is that failure can come without warning and the material gets weaker with age.