Jeff,
My experience has been that the damage done by a clamp to a tube is that they are oftrn the most difficult deformations to fix. One reason seems to be that the actual dent caused by the clamping is not uniform and frequently has a ridge or two associated with it because of the variying of radius of clamp vs radius of tube. The gap between the two halves is usually the first place that these odd dent pattern begin. Cheap insurance while working on your bike, DON'T EVER CLAMP A TUBE! That's my policy. I'll break down and give those who insist on clamping tubes in workstands. Use a heavy mil two layer plastic bag between the clamp and your frame. The lubricating properties and the two layers of the plastic will pretty much eliminate the possibility of scratching paint or decals. Many things in the bike biz come in bags that work perfectly for this purpose. But why clamp the tube???
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
>
> At 07:08 AM 10/9/2001 -0700, Brian Baylis wrote:
>
> >I like to clamp only on a seat post. Keep a cheap seat post handy just
> >for using when you clamp your bike in the stand. I really don't like any
> >clamping on any tubes.
>
> My brother-in-law once removed a bike from my workstand in order to clamp
> his large, steel, Specialized Allez in there. Well, the bike he removed was
> a tiny little RB1 with a 1" top tube, and he didn't readjust the clamp,
> just Vise-Gripped it in there, so he wound up with a squished top tube. I
> squished it back, but it's sorta box shaped now.
>
> I had to decide whether to tell him what he'd done, so he wouldn't think I
> had done it, or not mention it since I figured he'd never notice, and thus
> it wouldn't bother him. I told him, and it bothers him. Sigh.
>
> Moral: If you gotta clamp a tube, watch out for intruders
> Disclaimer: Neither of these bikes has Baylis-quality paint