is this damaged frame safe?

I don't think I'd use it to jump boulders, but for riding on the street I wouldn't worry about it.

You may find that when you put a wheel in there it won't center itself between the stays. That might be the reason it was in the dumpster.

TD

moskos said:

I'd appreciate any and all advice, but I'm really looking for someone who might have an opinion based on more knowledgeable than a guess. I'd really like to hear from someone who has built and/or dealt with and/or fixed damaged steel frames. Or perhaps you've been riding a frame that's damaged in a similar way for years! Of course, I will not hold anyone legally or morally responsible for any advice they do offer, even if it's wrong.

I just don't know whether this bike would be safe to ride. What do you think? Make a bike or back in the trash?

pictures of damaged frame

All you are going to get from here is a guess. I'd throw it back in the dumpster. Around here, cheap frames are a dime a dozen and they aren't damaged.

Really depends on your objective. Impossible to speculate on the durability of the frame after what has happened to it. Also depends on your overall weight and how many miles on the old frame in terms of its fatigue strength relative to how it has been bent....even your riding style The thing is...you have to consider economies of scale. Without knowing the pedigree of that frame, likely isn't worth the effort you are putting into it. There are many very nice and even freshly painted frames on e-bay that you could pick up for a modest cost if are going to build the bike up yourself and hang a relatively good component group and wheelset on. You will always second guess that frame after expending considerable effort restoring it. As Tyler suggested...very hard to get the bike to track properly with the drop out so badly bent. I would simply find another frame for my restoration.
HTH,
George

Depends on your price point. I wouldn't spend much on parts for a frame in that shape. You can get real inexpensive no-name frames from places like Supergo if you intend to build it up with halfway decent parts. I've rescued my share of throwaway bikes, but I never toss any major bucks into them.

Thanks for these good replies. I think the frame is probably OK, and it seems to seat the rear wheel just fine... but, as some of your raised, why? I do want to make a nice bike, so I guess it's kind of dumb to start with a damaged frame, even if it is free (Though I like to think I would get good charma points for saving a bike from the trash. Just think of how loyal it would be!)

You're not wasting anything other than your time. I rescued a racing bike recently, and it's a time sucker going through the components, cleaning them, and putting stuff back together. If you build this bike up and find the frame doesn't work out, maybe it'll take you 2-3 hours to transfer the components over to a new frame. If this isn't something you've done before, consider it a cheap learning experience. The only things that may not transfer over will be cable housing and cables, but that'll be <$10 unless you buy the expensive stuff and you can salvage most of that, too.

moskos said:

Thanks for these good replies. I think the frame is probably OK, and it seems to seat the rear wheel just fine... but, as some of your raised, be!)

by and large agree with jasong's good advice with the exception that moskos is painting the frame which really is a waste of time. If you are going to put forth the effort to strip and restore a frame, chose a straight one. :p There are tons of good steel frames on e-bay. Honestly, the most expedient route is to find a frame already painted and restored. The cost for a restored frame is almost always less than the time and effort and paint cost to restore a frame yourself. You will still find ample opportunity to vent your creative skills. As to building bikes, thats where the fun is for most of us. After a while, its all parts...you no longer view a bike as an entity but a collage of parts.
Have fun with it.
George