My wife was just out in our shed and, while out there, a naked frame
(no components or wheels
) fell from the top of some shelving onto my tri bike.
(Mind you, when I say tri bike, I'm talking about a converted road bike. It may not be carbon or top-of-the-line, but it's my ride and I like it.
) I'm guessing she bumped some lower shelving that made the naked frame unstable and drop, but it's my own d*** fault for putting the naked frame on top of the shelving to begin with.
My tri bike was leaning up against the same shelving holding the bike frame. The bike is a 2000 Kona Haole with Shimano wheels, Easton bars, upgraded Ultegra components, etc. According to BikePedia, the frame is Easton SC7000 Scandium alloy.
When the other bike frame fell on it, it left a good size dent
(a little larger than the size of a quarter
) and some paint damage on the top tube. There's also a tiny dent near this larger one, but it's not visible in the picture. Anyway, here's the biggie...
I'm not worried about the paint... that can be touched up and could be repainted at a later time. I am worried about the frame, though. I'm worried that this type of dent could cause a catastrophic failure and crumple in on itself. It's not huge, but I don't know if riding a frame like this is safe.
So... WHAT DO I DO? is this something that maybe a good body shop could pound out from the inside by means of going in through the opening at the top of the downtube?
Any and all advice is welcome... but buying a new tri bike isn't really an option now.
-Joel