Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
johnstclarky
Posts: 2
Joined: 18 Oct 2020, 8:55pm

Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by johnstclarky »

Hey everybody - I got given a very beaten up Jamis Nova Sport recently and have been eyeing it up as a good project frame to improve my bike building/maintenance skills. Only thing is there’s quite a large dent on the bottom tube of the frame which makes me doubt whether or not it’s worth it. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas whether or not I’d be stupid to try and ride a bike with a dent like this or whether I’d be stupid not to, seeing as it was free.... I’ve searched this a lot so I understand that technically any dent could structurally compromise an aluminium bike but just thought I’d see if anyone had any experience with this or any expert knowledge. Have checked it’s alignment and it’s all still straight so at least that’s good. Anyway, any help would be much appreciated Thanks
Attachments
75BFA6EF-A59A-4D52-88E3-D5CAF2C82D95.jpeg
88EF8987-D4FA-4E8A-A638-70BEFE3B7465.jpeg
40370B8A-677B-4631-A6E6-653B1B0FEA1F.jpeg
6056DB29-57DF-47FD-BDB0-A3BA5C561D2E.jpeg
Steve O'C
Posts: 165
Joined: 3 Mar 2013, 1:32pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by Steve O'C »

I think the standard reply on bike forms to this sort of question is to say it will be fine to ride.
PS can I have your shoes when you die.

Seriously this looks like it has been in a high impact front end shunt. As well as the creased downtube the forks will have sustained a significant impact. This could lead to sudden catastrophic failure and you will then hit the ground. How seriously you are injured depends on how fast you are going and what traffic is around you.

Start again with another frame and put that one in recycling.

Steve
peetee
Posts: 4292
Joined: 4 May 2010, 10:20pm
Location: Upon a lumpy, scarred granite massif.

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by peetee »

I agree with Steve. It’s more than just a dent and should be binned.
The way I look at that sort of damage is like this:
Find two empty drinks cans. Put a crease in the side of one. Now push down evenly on both.
Ride that frame downhill and brake hard and that tube could fold up like the creased drinks can.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
User avatar
The utility cyclist
Posts: 3607
Joined: 22 Aug 2016, 12:28pm
Location: The first garden city

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by The utility cyclist »

Ride it and ignore the usual types who suggest death will come to you and then want to steal the shoes off your feet :twisted:
Keep checking the frame, if you hit some hard bumps it might well crack at some point, until that happens you won't die :roll:
As for comparing coke cans, again, more insane nonsense!

But, your bike, your call, if it isn't worth a lt to you then take it to the scrap metal recycling and get another alu frame for not very much via ebay/gumtree, there's loads.
pwa
Posts: 17367
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by pwa »

If you want to be riding something you have to keep inspecting to see if cracks are developing, use it. But if you want a bike you don't need to constantly worry about, get something else. I may be considered alarmist for pointing this out, but I did know someone locally who finished up in A&E having lots of stitches on a knee wound when their ally frame fractured down the middle and the sharp ends dug into them in the crash. None of us know whether, when that frame fails, it will be polite enough to give you a visible crack some time before, or whether it will just become two pieces as you hit a pot-hole. There is a skip at the recycling centre waiting for that frame. Get another.
mattsccm
Posts: 5101
Joined: 28 Nov 2009, 9:44pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by mattsccm »

Try it. If thats had a front ender the whole front end has come back a bit and it won't feel right. Also check anything else for clues. My first reaction was that it had been dropped on something or something on it. I would use it for the planned excercise but if it handles badly extract the forks to keep and bin the rest.
Brucey
Posts: 44517
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by Brucey »

If you had some knowledge of exactly how the damage occurred you might be better off. The dent in the down tube is bad but some folk would ride that, if they absolutely had to. How often should you look for cracks..? About once every five miles sounds about right...

However as the first reply mentions, the prang which caused that damage may well have involved overloading the fork too. If the fork is damaged in the steerer area you won't be able to see it, and if it fails it can kill you. Life is short enough as it is, there is surely no need to take risks with shonky frames/forks that might fall apart beneath you, is there?

This frame is probably fit for the skip or maybe a 'turbo bike' perhaps. However you could still fall flat on your face if it breaks whilst attached to a home trainer....

cheers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
yostumpy
Posts: 994
Joined: 29 Oct 2010, 6:56pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by yostumpy »

But, in all honesty, why would you even ask?
User avatar
fausto99
Posts: 952
Joined: 19 Sep 2011, 10:06am
Location: NW Kent

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by fausto99 »

The fork, where the steerer tube joins the fork crown, is the crucial bit. I'd be surprised if that wasn't seriously damaged if the down tube has that much of a crease. You don't want to be riding when the fork parts company with the steerer!
merseymouth
Posts: 2519
Joined: 23 Jan 2011, 11:16am

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by merseymouth »

Hi, I wouldn't even re-use the head-set! Total scrapper!! MM
rogerzilla
Posts: 2887
Joined: 9 Jun 2008, 8:06pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by rogerzilla »

Down tubes are loaded in tension and in torsion, so a sudden collapse is unlikely but it will probably crack quite soon. Bin it.
peetee
Posts: 4292
Joined: 4 May 2010, 10:20pm
Location: Upon a lumpy, scarred granite massif.

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by peetee »

rogerzilla wrote:Down tubes are loaded in tension and in torsion, so a sudden collapse is unlikely but it will probably crack quite soon. Bin it.


They are also subject to compressive bending loads during heavy braking and impacts on the move such as potholes and ridges. The same, though lesser, than they would when the front wheel is involved In a catastrophic collision such as this bike. That’s how the classic creased down tube is formed; the head tube tries to rotate around a point mid-way between the head and down tube joints.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
johnstclarky
Posts: 2
Joined: 18 Oct 2020, 8:55pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by johnstclarky »

Thanks guys - you’ve confirmed what I thought would be the most sensible approach but the longer I looked at it the more I thought “mayyyyy e...?” But yeah definitely not looking for stitches in my wounded knee or a face plant on the tarmac any time soon!

Salvage the parts and scrap the rest it is!
iandusud
Posts: 1577
Joined: 26 Mar 2018, 1:35pm

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by iandusud »

johnstclarky wrote:Thanks guys - you’ve confirmed what I thought would be the most sensible approach but the longer I looked at it the more I thought “mayyyyy e...?” But yeah definitely not looking for stitches in my wounded knee or a face plant on the tarmac any time soon!

Salvage the parts and scrap the rest it is!


Good call. I'm honestly surprised that there are people here suggesting that you ride it and keep an eye on it. Apart from the fact that something could fail catastrophically (and bear in mind if it did it would probably be at high speed or when braking hard) the steering geometry will have been altered which may well result in dangerous steering.
scottg
Posts: 1218
Joined: 10 Jan 2008, 8:44pm
Location: Highland Heights Kentucky,, USA

Re: Is my Dented Jamis Nova Sport aluminium Frame salvageable?

Post by scottg »

fausto99 wrote:The fork, where the steerer tube joins the fork crown, is the crucial bit. I'd be surprised if that wasn't seriously damaged if the down tube has that much of a crease. You don't want to be riding when the fork parts company with the steerer!


That fork is the exciting bit, if you live near an airfield, you could find an A&P* with composite inspection
equipment. An ultrasonic inspection would be in order. In the old days you put a piece of broom handle
in the steerer tube, so if steer came adrift, you'd have chance to stop before the fork fell apart.
Ahhh, the good old days, they're to be missed. :)

Airframe & Propulsion Technician.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Post Reply