I haven't the experience Dale has, but I also think the bend is repairable. I'd certainly trust it once it was fixed but maybe with regular inspections.
But I'm not so sure the frame jack pushing along the downtube would work for this bend. I picture it like trying to straighten a bent spoke by tightening it. you'll get tension, but it will still be bent., and return to bent once the tension is off. I've actually tried it with dead soft mild steel,(and 304 stainless) and just pulling won't straighten a bend like that in the soft stuff.
On the other hand, working it with some wooden blocks with grooves cut to give the tube proper support till it was straight should be easy.
Steve Birmingham Lowell, Ma USA
Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:47:37 -0500 From: Dale Brown <oroboyz@aol.com> To: smwillis@verizon.net, brluecke@gmail.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]de rosa vs pothole Message-ID: <8CA4A26E8DEBC03-D30-7AE@mblk-d37.sysops.aol.com> In-Reply-To: <009401c87be1$53b29650$2c01a8c0@bike1> References: <6e2bf8820803011216k1d62feck4b57d89d9c551c46@mail.gmail.com> <009401c87be1$53b29650$2c01a8c0@bike1> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Precedence: list Message: 15
Guys, in all my 36 years in the biz, I have never quite seen a down tube just bow like that!
All the head on pile ups and smack into something or other crashes I have seen, have wrinkled that DT just below the lower head lug.
That sort of long gradual curve is something you should be able to work with. I think it can be bent back.
As Brad says, I might reach for the fork jack... Actually not exactly the FORK jack but I think Park or Bicycle Research had a tool with which you removed the fork (leave headset cups in) insert a steel rod in the head tube and then use the jack pushing against and away from the bb shell. It worked on the frame alone and would equal in the opposite direction, the force which caused the damage.
Of course, you also need to check the fork too; looking at the pics, it is possible it got tweaked a little as well......
Dale Brown cycles de ORO Bike Shop 1410 Mill Street Greensboro, North Carolina 27408 USA 336-274-5959 http://cyclesdeoro.com http://www.classicrendezvous.com http://www.carolinacup.com http://www.greensborovelo.com http://www.bikegso.org http://nbda.com