crash advice

ccf

Guru
I was hit by a GMC Denali on the way home from the office this evening. I'm OK, just a contusion on my right thigh and a bit of a sore right knee. But the front wheel of my S30 went under the front wheel of the Denali. The wheel is shot and the RD hanger is badly bent. I suspect that the RD may also be shot; it went into the spokes. The RHS of the bars are abraded; I'm trying to figure out of they are now bent.

The driver was very apologetic, agreed to pay for all of the damages, and got me an Uber home.

Any ideas from the forum about Silvio-specific damage to look for? The boom and slider appear straight.

-Cliff
 

super slim

Zen MBB Master
Cliff you were very lucky to be alive with a 3? tonne vehicle, running over the front wheel and not your feet!

If you are a bit of a bike mechanic, tip the bike upside down on the handle bars and headrest, and after checking that the brifters are both in the same position and orientation, check that the frame is vertical. If not, then the handle bar could be bent, as the crushing sideways load of the wheel would have a point load on the handle bar.

To see if the front fork is bent remove both the front and rear wheels, and fit pvc tubes of 100 and 130 or 135 mm lengths to the forks and hold in position with the 5 mm quick release.
Mark or file the centreline of the PVC tube spacers, and fix a string to one fork and hang the string with a bolt attached over the other PVC fork spacer.
Put masking tape at 3 widely spaced locations at the bottom of the frame, and carefully mark where the frame CL
Use a string and plumb bob with a pointer, and carefully move it next to the string between the forks, and see if the pointer is just above and in line with the three CLs marked on the masking tape.

To check the Boom/Slider straightness, use three masking tapes on the Bottom bracket, bend of the Boom, and the handle bar clamp, with the CL marked on each, run the string from the bar clamp to above the BB CL and see if the Boom CL is in line with the string!

Check the BB bearing and chainrings by removing the chain and spinning the crank to check for ease of spinning, and straightness of the chainrings.

If the rear derailleur cage plates to the take up idlers are bent, then replace the derailleur!

To check the chainstay, fit a spare front wheel and check the gap between the and the right and left inner edges of the chainstay!

If you have done all these checks and found minor? problems, I would still take it to a Local Bike Shop, OR preferably a Cruzbike bike shop, and get them to check it out more thoroughly, especially for cracks, as they would have inspected hundreds? of bent bikes.

It also means that a quote comes from a recognized dealer, so the driver will pay for the repairs with less concerns!
 

castlerobber

Zen MBB Master
I was hit by a GMC Denali on the way home from the office this evening. I'm OK, just a contusion on my right thigh and a bit of a sore right knee.
Glad you weren't hurt worse! It would be a good idea to see a doctor, if you haven't already, to document the injuries. You did file a police report, didn't you?
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Glad you weren't hurt worse! It would be a good idea to see a doctor, if you haven't already, to document the injuries. You did file a police report, didn't you?

This. Many people agree to pay until they learn the value of you bike. But better that than the value of you life.

Glad you are ok

Slim is correct your fork is the unknown hard to spot point for damage. But it is hard to bend. Depends on how far on top of the bike the truck went. . Every thing from the head tube back is likely ok. But you have to inspect every thing
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Hopefully you filed a police report, if you did not - see if you still can.
This should really go over to his insurance company, but if he insists that he does not want it to, I would get something in writing that he agrees to pay for your damages.
Best advise is to still get checked out psychically yourself.
I would not take any chances on the Silvio either. Make him buy you a completely new one. This is the safest!
 

ccf

Guru
Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and advice. I've heard that the REI in Berkeley does work on recumbents, so I'm going to take it there for a professional opinion. I didn't file a police report. Oakland PD is probably pretty busy with bigger issues. I talked with my insurance agent, and he says that OPD probably wouldn't have sent anyone. He said that I can file one any time in the next week if needed. My daughter took photos of the contusion on my leg, but no doctor visit yet. Planning to go see the doctor today just in case.

-Cliff
 

ccooper

Active Member
I didn't file a police report. Oakland PD is probably pretty busy with bigger issues. I talked with my insurance agent, and he says that OPD probably wouldn't have sent anyone. He said that I can file one any time in the next week if needed.
-Cliff
Oakland PD is totally useless. I had a robbery IN PROGRESS at my business, they didn't send anybody for 3 hours. For something like a bike crash, they won't send anybody. Just file your report online, at least that works and is not too difficult.
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
If it was the drivers fault don't bend over backwards to fix your bike. Oh and I agree with the everyone says they'll pay for the damage until they realize what the bike is worth. Get the bike fixed correct the first time with no expense spared or live with the regret of being too nice if you later find something amiss.
 
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