Determining damage from a wreck

ROCYC said:

I was hit by a car on my bike. The car hit the front wheel which is a total loss and the rear derailer looks bent. I have not ben able to get it to lbs yet for a full report . My question before I take it. How do you know if there are any cracks in the frame I can't see. The bike is an aluminum frame specialized . We went down pretty hard. Thanks.

Hopefully your LBS technicians will be experienced in evaluating a frame that was in a wreck. There are certain things that they do such as checking tube alignment and angles to see if they are to specification. If not, then they have to do more examination. They will also look for cracks in the paint, especially around the welds. They will check the fork for proper rake. There are several other things that they will look at. Do not, under any circumstances, ride the bike until the frame has been checked by someone who knows what they are doing!

If the car driver's insurance is paying up, have the LBS say that the bike is totalled with a value of what a new bike would cost. A new Specialized aluminum frame bike probably is not that expensive and teh insurance company will probably think that they are getting off cheap, unless their adjusters are riders.