Subject: RE: hit by carBevie - 2013-04-01 9:53 AM Take the bike to a bike shop and have them check the frame out. It could look just fine but, you need to have a pro check it out. First, glad you're OK, just stay on top of anything memory related. For the frame, composites can be tough, but damage may not be visible. One thing that can happen is what called a delamination; the fibers and glue get separated from the stress caused by the impact or bending force. If the delamination happens on the inner surface, you won't see anything on the outside.
That's where x-ray or ultrasonic inspections can find problems. A quick and dirty way to check for delaminations is to tap suspect areas with a nickel or quarter. Something hard but relatively lightweight. Listen for changes in the sound as you tap around various areas. You will hear changes as you get close to intersections, but if you're in the middle of the downtube, the sound should be pretty consistent. I don't know what you LBS may be able to check for, not everyone has access to ultrasonic equipment, or an xray machine, but they may know someone. Ultrasound machines take training and in some cases certification. Here's a paper on composite repair and inspection: |