CAAD12 - dented top tube: thoughts?

[dton13]

Hmm I have a similar dent on my CAAD12 top tube that I've been riding all season. This post is making me slightly worried now. I'll try and get pics up for assessment.

I will say that as much as I like my 12, my next frame will NOT be super light alu. Way too susceptible to accidental dents.

[dton13]

These aren't the best pictures but they were the best my phone could capture. Ignore the paint protection film and some dirt which is to protect the top tube when transporting on my car rack.







Does anyone have any opinions? Rideable but just keep an eye on it?

[beanbiken]

Yes that would concern me. I would be looking to replace the frame.......... but then my OCD wouldn't put up with seeing the dent whenever I looked down

BB

[Lewn777]

I dented a top tube in an old XC mountain bike worse than that, rode it for thousands more kms and sold it to a friend, he rode it for thousands more. Heavens knows where the bike is now, maybe retired, it's done it's 7 years (lifetime of abuse). I really don't think crease-less top tube dents are anything to worry about.

[antonioiglesius]

I would like to hear Cannondale's response. Is this normal? Can it be ridden further? Can it be fixed?

[53x12]

I dented a top tube in an old XC mountain bike worse than that, rode it for thousands more kms and sold it to a friend, he rode it for thousands more. Heavens knows where the bike is now, maybe retired, it's done it's 7 years (lifetime of abuse). I really don't think crease-less top tube dents are anything to worry about.

Old XC MTB =/= lightweight aluminum CAAD12 frame where Cannondale has gone to the extremes to cut weight. You are comparing apples to potatoes.

[jlok]

Hmm I have a similar dent on my CAAD12 top tube that I've been riding all season. This post is making me slightly worried now. I'll try and get pics up for assessment.

I will say that as much as I like my 12, my next frame will NOT be super light alu. Way too susceptible to accidental dents.

mind telling us how u did that? handlebar strike?

[jfranci3]

You're fine to ride that as long as it isn't cracked.

Aluminum doesn't like to be dented, and it really can't be hammered or sucked back out, so the dent is going to stay there. As someone else noted, there doesn't appear to be a crease, which is a good thing.

The frame was likely weakened by the dent, but not so significantly you need to worry. Really, aluminum will form a crack and tear, but it's not catastrophic. So, go ahead and ride the heck out of it until you see it crack.

Lastly, yes, the aluminum is very thin, and has been getting thinner as they strive for lighter frames. Still, it was possible to dent and break heavier aluminum frames. I lost an 03 S-Works E-5 to a dent. I went down in a crash, and my bar slammed into the top tube. The frame survived about six more weeks of racing before it cracked. I'd still put it on a trainer though if I needed to.

You don't know things about almuminium and fatigue.

[573]

Interesting dton13, thanks for posting. Interested to know how you did it and what others think re. frames strength / chance of failure.

[thumper88]

The red one scares me more than the OP bike. But still...
It's not just that the walls are thin on top tubes in these locations... its that the alloy and how the tubes are made make the metal harder but more brittle, and a failure could happen quickly, almost explosively.
I got a great deal on an CAAD10 frame that had a much smaller dent in the downtime near top, and wasn't worried about it, but when I got the frame home looked more closely with an oblique light source just out of an abundance of caution and ... there was a tiny crack in the aluminum.
That crack was on the outside, and is the kind of stress riser where failure starts.... these, especially the red one, may have such cracks on the inside... dunno.
I'd happily ride both as dedicated trainer bikes but ... prob not on the road.

[dton13]

Mine was pure carelessness, bike tipped over into an open door frame. Stupid, but I can't help but feel that carbon wouldn't have sustained that kind of damage (maybe super light carbon?) based on what my previous bike was able to withstand. My top tube also has a smaller dent on the bottom side from a handlebar strike.

I appreciate all the input! I'm going to start the search for a new frame but keep riding the bike for now since its my only bike and I'm pretty light at 63 kg.

[ultyguy]

Just stumbled upon this. I had a handlebar strike on mine in a race crash back in May. I didn’t notice anything very bike but just recently I noticed that the dent was much more pronounced than before after riding it pretty hard for a week. I now have to wonder if the same thing isn’t happening to mine.

I’ll take some pics later but I’m pretty darn sure it’s gotten much worse after some hard riding...

It’s still an amazing ride tho, I highly regard it. The crash would’ve exploded any other carbon bike I’ve ridden, it was very hi impact.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mythical]

Personally, I would just ride it. I have a CAAD12 as well and I suspect it won't stay dent-free forever either. I don't think it's such a fragile frame since I had lighter. The several aluminum frames I had, I also have a Spooky that I ride, all are/were dented and I just keep riding it.

One time a car drove into me and I narrowly avoided a terrible accident, but the non-drive side chainstay of my Giant TCR LTD '00 (1080 gram frame) ended up chafed near the dropout from contact with a curb. That and my Sidi shoe. I was uninjured though. I'd say the wall thickness was reduced by about half and I kept riding it for a few more years until I got a new bike. It held up during all those years of abuse. Then a friend of mine who worked as a mechanic at a LBS asked for a frame for a town bike, so I gave it to him.

I had a crack in my top tube of my '08 Scott Addict R1 frame after it was blown by a gust and fell right into the point of a car door. Very unlucky fall indeed. I still rode it for a few more months. Then I had it repaired before finally selling it. After that experience, I went back to aluminium and haven't looked back.

I've never had a dent in an aluminum frame led to a catastrophic failure. My bikes ain't exactly garage queens. I mostly keep my chain lubed and make sure nothing is worn out. I also occasionally ride my road bikes on gravel and sometimes even on MTB trails, and I don't wash my bike after every ride or so to keep my bike pristine.

[spartacus]

The top tune on the green bike would have folded in half with a big enough hit, good call to retire it.

[kgt]

@ultyguy
You may ask Damon Rinard's opinion.