wca@ut-ngp.UUCP (William C. Anderson) (01/29/85)
Be sure to inspect the frame when considering a used bike. Most frame
damage is obvious ( bent fork, stays, etc. ), but a frame which has
experienced a front-end collision may have had its fork replaced and
still be out of alignment. There is a simple inspection to determine
whether or not a frame has been bent in this manner.
/
/ / *
/ /-----------
/ / <--Top Tube
Head Tube--> / /-------------
/ / *
/ /
/ /\ *
/ / \
/ /\ \ <-- Down Tube
/ * \ \
\ \
\
The important places to visually inspect are just behind where the top and
down tubes meet the head tube ( the stars are in the above diagram ). Look
for small wrinkles in the metal, small cracks in the paint, or the tubing
pulling away from the lug ( in a lugged frame ). Any of these symptoms
indicate that the frame has been in a front-ender. Needless to say, stay
away from bent frames! There are plenty of used bikes out there which are
undamaged.
Happy trails,
Willie Anderson
"I had a lease on an Oedipus complex back in '81" -- Zippy