Is my frame bent? 1991 Trek 7000 Aluminium.

[dannykryan]

Hi all, I picked up this cool Trek 7000 yesterday but it looks like I've got a big problem...
Can someone tell me, is this frame bent? Or is it supposed to be like that?

And if it is bent, is it safe to ride?

I'm afraid I'm not that experienced with bikes so thought you guys might be able to help.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Does look bent with your square on the tubes.

 

[Siish]

It does look bent when you place your straight edge against it, but with tubing that has been mis shaped there is usually some crease marks/ indentation/stress marks where the bend is, so it may meant to be a curved down tube.

 

[mk one]

The top tube looks the same.

 

[dannykryan]

Ah bugger. Thanks everyone. Do you think it's safe to ride?

 

[Repacker]

Maybe someone else on here with the same bike could do a similar check for reference.

It would surely have taken some extremely precise circumstance to accidentally bend two tubes in this way without showing any other damage or dents or stress marks. Presumably its still aligned side to side? - In which case all of this would be the way the bike is meant to be, quite possibly just the varied thickness / butting of the tubings at the ends of each section of frame.

 

[Markybeau]

Safe to ride?

Yes - but I won't accept liability for saying so . I've ridden, and seen ridden, frames in far worse condition than that. As long as you're not going to start taking huge air on it I don't see a problem with riding it.

 

[dannykryan]

Maybe someone else on here with the same bike could do a similar check for reference.

It would surely have taken some extremely precise circumstance to accidentally bend two tubes in this way without showing any other damage or dents or stress marks, and this may well be the way the bike is meant to be, for whatever reason.

Thanks. I have tried to check for further signs of damage and found some lumping of the downtube where it meets the head with some paint chipping.

Thanks for all the comments. I think I'll pull the parts off the bike and sell them to recoup my losses... and chalk it up to inexperience!

 

[Ippikin]

I would say distorted as it looks like that top-tube is definitely bent. Are these frames put together with sleeved inserts? If so it looks to have failed where the insert would end probably following a head on . Good decision to not ride it as aluminium can and does fail without any warning!

 

[Ricker]

As you are aware, that frame uses cast internal lugs that are unlikely to fail. I would assume that failure would happen at the joint (downtube joint is very visible- it is the glossy part where the paint is matt along the side) or on the tube at the end of the internal lug on the inside. I don't remember how long the internal lug is inside the tubes but want to say around 25mm?