Bent triple clamp?

[call_me_crash]

Had a wipe out conisiting of 2 broken ribs, dislocated ac joint and chipped spine. Fortunately the bike got out better than I. I think it might be a bent tri clamp but can someone verify?

[grayracer513]

Not likely. Loosen the upper clamps all the way, and the lowers about halfway loose on the forks. Push the wheel back where it belongs and snug it up again. Usually, that will do it.

[call_me_crash]

When I align the top part of the tri clamp, the bottom slants to the right a lil bit. The rim spins true, but still veers to the right when teh handle bars are straight. I am totally new to this so any help would be much appreicated.

[Sider_steve]

When I align the top part of the tri clamp, the bottom slants to the right a lil bit. The rim spins true, but still veers to the right when teh handle bars are straight. I am totally new to this so any help would be much appreicated.

Front fender looks twisted to me.

Might want to pop the fender off and look at the rest without it on there.

[KJ790]

When I align the top part of the tri clamp, the bottom slants to the right a lil bit. The rim spins true, but still veers to the right when teh handle bars are straight. I am totally new to this so any help would be much appreicated.

Right, and I second what Gray already said. The top and bottom clamp can twist in relation to one another. Loosen the pinch bolts on the clamps, hold the wheel between your knees and twist the bars until the wheel is straight. Then torque the bolts back down. This is very common on all bikes after a crash.

[mkporn]

Right, and I second what Gray already said. The top and bottom clamp can twist in relation to one another. Loosen the pinch bolts on the clamps, hold the wheel between your knees and twist the bars until the wheel is straight. Then torque the bolts back down. This is very common on all bikes after a crash.

remember as a kid when you would wipe out on the BMX bike and the headset would twist in relation to the fork......you would get on your bike, ride it to the curb and smack the curb with the tire to straighten the bars.....push the bike over to a tree and give it a smack in the direction opposite of which way it is tweaked, it will go right back to where it needs to be....no fuss and no need to loosen everything....give it a shot, I have seen it 100 times if I have seen it once...

[grayracer513]

If you loosen the clamps, it will be 3 times as easy to return to it's original position (usually, it will go about halfway back on it's own), and it won't leave a bunch of stress built into your fork.

[mkporn]

If you loosen the clamps, it will be 3 times as easy to return to it's original position (usually, it will go about halfway back on it's own), and it won't leave a bunch of stress built into your fork.

Agreed, but I can tell you from experience that a smack on a solid object or turn the bars till they come up against the stop on the frame and give it a love tap with your boot will put it right back into place....it wants to be straight, you just gotta help it. And from experience, as you loosen the bolts the head set and forks will ting and make a couple creaking sounds real quick as you move it all back...point is, a good tappy tappy tappy will put it right back into place....to prove that, give it a smack and center it, then loosen the bolts nothing will move or make any sound...I have been down this road a tone of times....

[call_me_crash]

so if the wheel spins w/o wobble, its not bent then correct?

[mkporn]

so if the wheel spins w/o wobble, its not bent then correct?

correct....there are two motions, axial and radial....up and down and side to side when looking at a wheel to see if it bent. basically the rim can move up and down or side to side when bent...it can do both at the same time..

if you spin the wheel and watch the edge of the rim at the tire you will see if it moves back and forth or up and down if it doesn't your good (dont forget that you can hav a dented rim also) a little is OK (couple mm is not a huge issue and can usually be taken out with a few turns of a spoke wrench)...A bend is a different story...I won't even go into that for fear of attack for telling you to straighten it with a BFH and a block of wood...