Is this frame dent a concern?

[Zviedrs]

Hey. Asking for a friend. Should he be worried at all?

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

For light riding...simple trail stuff...no.

However, for hard riding and heavy impact any serious integrity damage to a frame needs to be deeply considered as dangerous and a risk riding. Think of it as already halfway given in. Structure integrity is hard to hold up and too easy to push over the edge.

[Jesper]

(07-30-2021, 12:53 PM)Zviedrs Wrote:  Hey. Asking for a friend. Should he be worried at all?

Ouch! Usually if a dent occurs with no force stressing the rest of the frame, other than it's own weight, it becomes merely an aesthetics concern in most cases. That is generally while not being on the bike; it fell over, or something fairly lightweight fell on it (location of damage and frame material may affect that assessment). If you add 100 lbs/220Kg or more to the equation and that stress was part and parcel of the impact to the frame than I would be more concerned. Looking at it alone is impossible to tell without full knowledge of how it occurred. That would determine more than likely that there is damage to the structure integrity of the frame as opposed to the function/performance related to the geometry being affected. If feasible, I would get it checked on an alignment jig; if it has proper alignment then I would not be to concerned about any integrity issues. If your friend has concerns and is not confident riding the bike I would move on to another bike. It is no fun whether doing sport or competitive riding if your are worried that your bike might fall apart. I deal with that issue regarding my utilization of old parts. Thus, my choice of parts which are still mounted to the frame as original equipment. The whole bike's condition, frame and components, tell you a better story as to the wear, tear, and damage that it has gone through. Buying an old bar, stem, crank set, etc. as separate parts gives me no clue other than obvious visual wear or damage. I don't mind using old parts for general riding, but I use much newer/"new old stock" parts on bikes that I expect to put through their paces. No one wants a crank snapping on a hard sprint or climb; it can still occur with brand new parts regardless (usually manufacturing related), but best to put the odds in your favor. Same goes with frames.

Hope you, your family, and friends are well. Did you get impacted by the flooding in your region?

[Zviedrs]

Thanks for your input, guys. Always a pleasure! He came over and I noticed this dent immediately, couldn't let it slide. I don't think that he's doing heavy riding - mostly commuting, fun rides in the town, weekend trails. But I will pass him this information.

(07-30-2021, 11:03 PM)Jesper Wrote:  Hope you, your family, and friends are well. Did you get impacted by the flooding in your region?

Thank you for asking. I'm great and have moved back to the North so the tragic events didn't impact me. Heat is what's on the menu here this summer.

[Zviedrs]

Update: he's still riding with the dent and does not care about it at all