Post-Crash repairs

Qrt

So long story short I got knocked off my bike at a roundabout yesterday, went to A&E even thought I felt fine and all was good. Anyway, determined to get back on the saddle ASAP. My back wheel is bent badly enough, front wheel is slightly bent, and my left pedal is still down at the roundabout somewhere. What’s the best way to get back to normal? Is wheel truing going to work when it’s bent sideways?

Cheers.

magicbastarder

did you swap details?
if the motorist was at fault and you got his or her details, claim against their insurance and replace everything missing or damaged.

glad to hear you seem to be OK.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Is the bike carbon or alloy? If the wheel is bent as a result of an impact then you need a new wheel.

It sounds like the bike is a write off TBH.

cletus

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Is the bike carbon or alloy? If the wheel is bent as a result of an impact then you need a new wheel.

It sounds like the bike is a write off TBH.

Why would the bike be a write off?

saccades

Hope you're alright?

If the wheel is like a Pringle it's written off. A bit of a wobble should be easy for a shop to fix.

In the morning have another look at the bike, I expect the handlebars will be scuffed, brifters too.

Hope the axle stayed in the crank and you lost the cage of the pedal, otherwise the crank might be damaged.

Take photos for any insurance claim.

ted1

cletus wrote: »

Why would the bike be a write off?

If two wheels got damaged and pedal knocked off good chance there is damage/ misalignment of the frame and forks. Carbon is even less forgiving

Qrt

Thanks everyone who asked, I’m grand, just tender and tired after the adrenaline rush of it all. My rear wheel is warped to the point where it just about engages the brake when it’s spinning. I don’t think it’s much, definitely not a Pringle. The arms seem fine, I’ll attach a photo anyways. I’m not massively knowledgeable about bikes so carbon and alloys go over my head, but it’s a Giant Escape 3. I have yer man’s details but tbh we both wanna avoid the insurance route.

saccades

That's clearer - smashed pedal and the wheel is trueable if it's just a wobble to the rim brake.

Not a massive amount of damage and pretty cheap to fix up.

listermint

Get a new wheel and a new pedal. Any shop should be able to fix that quickly.

CramCycle

About €50 to tru both wheels, and €15 for the pedals. The only thing I would be cautious of is that the wheels might be more prone to going out of true. Personally I'd ask for €150, covers a set of reliable wheels, but nothing flashy and pedals. You can povide him with a price from an online shop.

I got hit by a guy who turned across me a few months ago, no damage bar the front wheel. He asked was I OK, it was just the wheel, he admitted fault. He asked how much did I think it would be to fix/replace. i took out my phone, found an askium front wheel for 100euro, he handed it over and we shook hands, all very civil.

Beasty

I can recommend a decent orthopedic surgeon...
...along with a maxillofacial specialist...

...and a plastic surgeon...


...a neurosurgeon....



....and an eye surgeon


in fact if you need any repairs I probably have experience of it within the Irish hospital system

magicbastarder

beasty is the six and a half thousand euro man.

Qrt

Rang the LBS (well second L'est LBS) and it's sounding like roughly €80 for the lot. I can feel two loose spokes but nothing major, hopefully it'll be a quick fix. Thanks everyone.

Qrt

Actually, does anybody know if it's possible to buy a regular Giant wheel? Nothing out of their fancy and eyewateringly expensive range on their website.

CramCycle

Qrt wrote: »

Actually, does anybody know if it's possible to buy a regular Giant wheel? Nothing out of their fancy and eyewateringly expensive range on their website.

I'd go onto Rose or Bike 24 and buy a low cost Shimano or Mavic front wheel, a cheap Giant wheel, and you can get lucky, is more likely to cost you more in the short term.

Qrt

Bike shop got back in touch, front wheel was fixed, back wheel replaced, pedals, and turns out my fork was bent too. €200 in total, sounds about right? Stupid question too, it you get a new wheel, is that a new tyre too? I had a fairly decent tyre like.

Eamonnator

Qrt wrote: »

Bike shop got back in touch, front wheel was fixed, back wheel replaced, pedals, and turns out my fork was bent too. €200 in total, sounds about right? Stupid question too, it you get a new wheel, is that a new tyre too? I had a fairly decent tyre like.

I cannot envisage any circumstance, in which I would trust forks, that had been damaged and realigned.

ted1

Qrt wrote: »

Bike shop got back in touch, front wheel was fixed, back wheel replaced, pedals, and turns out my fork was bent too. €200 in total, sounds about right? Stupid question too, it you get a new wheel, is that a new tyre too? I had a fairly decent tyre like.

Bent forks will have lost their structural integrity and possible cracks in welds. As I said before consider the bike as a a Write off

CramCycle

If it is a steel fork you might get away with it but even then, i'd only trust someone who knows how to reset the forks rather than someone bending them back. If they are Alu, I wouldn't overly trust them, certainly wouldn't be doing any speed or coming down hills fast, or anywhere that might need heavy braking.

Qrt

Got it all sorted; €200 for it all. New rear wheel and fork, new set of pedals, front wheel fixed and then some labour. Got all the money too so not too bad of an outcome in the end I guess. Fork is relatively basic but sure I wasn’t expecting a brand new one.

Stupid question, but the bottom of the front tube and where the fork comes out is a bit...rough. Is there meant to be a taper with some form of plastic covering or something?

magicbastarder

would need photos for clarity.

Qrt

magicbastarder wrote: »

would need photos for clarity.

yeah that’s fair haha will do next time I get a chance thanks

magicbastarder

however, if the bike shop spotted the bend in the forks i assume they'd also have spotted damage to the head tube.

Qrt

Where the fork meets the bike tube, it’s fine but surely there’s some sort of tapering ring I can get or something? (God I’m actually clueless)

magicbastarder

looks like it's the replacement fork? the old fork was designed to look flush with the headtube, but the new fork is not built with the same profile; this is an escape 3 i believe:

Qrt

magicbastarder wrote: »

looks like it's the replacement fork? the old fork was designed to look flush with the headtube, but the new fork is not built with the same profile; this is an escape 3 i believe:

Yeah that’s exactly it, well spotted 😅. I just didn’t know if bike forks in general are meant to be flush or made flush with a rim around where they connect!

CramCycle

Qrt wrote: »

Yeah that’s exactly it, well spotted ��. I just didn’t know if bike forks in general are meant to be flush or made flush with a rim around where they connect!

I could be wrong but they don't have to be, it just accomplishes two things, firstly, it looks nicer, secondly, it presumably helps prevent water ingress so everything should last longer.

ted1

Qrt wrote: »

Where the fork meets the bike tube, it’s fine but surely there’s some sort of tapering ring I can get or something? (God I’m actually clueless)

*looks fine.

magicbastarder

the one concern i would have would be them not replacing like with like. the forks they put on may have a different geometry for a different style of frame. does the steering feel the same as before?

Type 17

Old forks were aluminium, replacements are steel, so are much thinner (but a lot cheaper than alu forks). Looks a bit weird, but works perfectly fine.

iwillhtfu

I can't believe they slapped any old fork on there :eek:, regardless of whether it works or not I'd be going back to them and asking for it to be swapped like for like. If they can't source it I'd be off up to the Giant store. It may also be rough due to damaged bearings or being over tightened either way it shouldn't have left the shop like that.

I assume you're not out of pocket for this and whoever hit you is coughing up.

magicbastarder

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I'd be going back to them and asking for it to be swapped like for like.

this wasn't a warranty issue with them having a duty to replace like with like, this was someone bringing a bike with a damaged fork and being asked to replace it. it's the customer's duty to request a like for like swap - probably at a considerable premium as getting the right forks in the right colour may be expensive and/or slow.

iwillhtfu

magicbastarder wrote: »

this wasn't a warranty issue with them having a duty to replace like with like, this was someone bringing a bike with a damaged fork and being asked to replace it. it's the customer's duty to request a like for like swap - probably at a considerable premium as getting the right forks in the right colour may be expensive and/or slow.

I'd assume a damaged fork would be replaced like for like and if not I'd certainly want to know why it wasn't.

Getting the correct fork should have been the route taken regardless of cost or time, now op has paid for works and presumably put in his damages claim and is left worse off than he was prior to the incident.

Perhaps the fork was put on at the request of the OP but clearly he's already having an issue.

Qrt

I just think the fork is a bit odd. It seems a bit bumpy on concrete slabbed roads but that might be to do with me usually wearing gloves and not doing so over the past few days. I need the bike for work so I’m happy to have anything really. And yes while I know I should have gone down the insurance route, at the end of the day I had no serious injuries and I just wanted my bike back tbh. By the sounds of it, Giant forks are a bit tricky to source (not to mention all the more harder because of the whole pandemic thing).

at1withmyself

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I'd assume a damaged fork would be replaced like for like and if not I'd certainly want to know why it wasn't.

Getting the correct fork should have been the route taken regardless of cost or time, now op has paid for works and presumably put in his damages claim and is left worse off than he was prior to the incident.

Perhaps the fork was put on at the request of the OP but clearly he's already having an issue.

You'll very rarely get an original rigid fork as bikes change so much and so quickly. It's also not a common spare part so no one can stock one for every bike they sell, hence most shops will keep one generic steel one. Imagine a shop having to carry a spare fork for each bike it sold, how many would never be used!

The replacement fork is fine and adequate for the job and intended use, the issue here is simply that it looks different and nothing else, functionality is fine.

I would suggest putting on a headset cover such as one from Lizard Skins or similar to prevent water ingress.

ted1

magicbastarder wrote: »

this wasn't a warranty issue with them having a duty to replace like with like, this was someone bringing a bike with a damaged fork and being asked to replace it. it's the customer's duty to request a like for like swap - probably at a considerable premium as getting the right forks in the right colour may be expensive and/or slow.

I’d expect them to Replace it with a fork of the same material. Changing from Alu to steel is wrong

A garage wouldn’t stick a different colour bumber on a car. Sorry we couldn’t get a colour bumber so we stuck on a black plastic one...

Op, make a claim for a new bike from the person who hit you.

at1withmyself

ted1 wrote: »

I’d expect them to Replace it with a fork of the same material. Changing from Alu to steel is wrong

A garage wouldn’t stick a different colour bumber on a car. Sorry we couldn’t get a colour bumber so we stuck on a black plastic one...

Op, make a claim for a new bike from the person who hit you.

Sorry but why is it wrong to change to steel? The bumper comparison makes no sense, if the OP wants they can have the fork sprayed like a car owner and a bumper but I see no point and more so no benefit.

CramCycle

ted1 wrote: »

I’d expect them to Replace it with a fork of the same material. Changing from Alu to steel is wrong

Not really unless the OP asked, once the fork fits and works, the material is a secondary concern. Plenty of chepap alu bikes are sold with steel forks.

A garage wouldn’t stick a different colour bumber on a car. Sorry we couldn’t get a colour bumber so we stuck on a black plastic one...

Some would, depends what you asked for, they might offer you a wrong coloured one to get past the roadworthyness test and an additional cost to respray it if necessary

Op, make a claim for a new bike from the person who hit you.

Probably whave been done in the first place but I fear it might be too late if they ahve already agreed and the work is done.

To the OP though, there appears to be nothing wrong with the work done. i'd lather the thing in grease but other than that, it will do the job.

magicbastarder

comparing a bumper, which is very specific to a car (i.e. you can't fit a corolla bumper on a 323) to a fork is a false equivalence.
also, plenty of bikes have a fork which is a different colour to the frame. i have two, for example. i think the colour is immaterial.

ted1

magicbastarder wrote: »

comparing a bumper, which is very specific to a car (i.e. you can't fit a corolla bumper on a 323) to a fork is a false equivalence.
.

I meant body colour number to a plain old black one. Anyway let’s move on