Caliper repair or replace

I crashed on Sunday. I got crowded into the curb, tipped to the sidewalk,
had an encounter with a concrete trashcan container, pitched over and landed
on my left shoulder in a tuck and roll. I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

Bike damage: scrapes on levers, shredded bar tape, red curb paint on chain
ring, bent rear wheel and a bent front caliper.

At first I couldn't figure out what had happened to the caliper since it was
bent to the side but had no nicks or scrapes. The huge bruise that later
appeared on the front inside of my right thigh implies that I bent it with
soft tissues. The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

Dan wrote:

I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

I'm curious is these were SPDs, Looks, or something else. Shimano
clains SPDs are not supposed to release automatically in a crash
(something I worry about).

However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

No way! You did the right thing by replacing it.

Art Harris

On SPDs, I have experience with them releasing in a crash. Thrice.

First time: A car makes an illegal left, and I hit him at the RR
wheel. I release and go over the trunk on my way to the road on the
other side. Pedals/Cleats are Wellgo road SPD clones (not SPD-R).

Second time: I'm hit from the right side (a truck coming into the
road--didn't see me, he says) and the bike goes down. I separate from
the bike and slide a long ways. Good thing, because the bike went down
right in front of the truck. Cleats are Shimano, pedals are Icon road
SPD Clones (again, not SPD-R).

Third time: I drop my front wheel into a deep (1 foot or so) cut where
a curb and pavement have been removed. The end of the cut stops the
bike, and I go flying OTB into the road (so I'm told and so the
evidence indicates. I wasn't there at the time). Cleats are Shimano,
pedals are Ultegra road SPDs (again, not SPD-R).

In *all* of these cases, the pedals have released in the crash. I do
keep the tension rather light, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't
want your pedal to release in a crash.

The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

I wouldn't do that with a front caliper. Keep the old one for spare parts.
If you need two small parts for Campy calipers it's cheaper to get a whole
new caliper.


"Dan" wrote in message ...
I crashed on Sunday. I got crowded into the curb, tipped to the sidewalk,
had an encounter with a concrete trashcan container, pitched over and landed
on my left shoulder in a tuck and roll. I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

Bike damage: scrapes on levers, shredded bar tape, red curb paint on chain
ring, bent rear wheel and a bent front caliper.

At first I couldn't figure out what had happened to the caliper since it was
bent to the side but had no nicks or scrapes. The huge bruise that later
appeared on the front inside of my right thigh implies that I bent it with
soft tissues. The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

Dan wrote:


At first I couldn't figure out what had happened to the caliper since it was
bent to the side but had no nicks or scrapes. The huge bruise that later
appeared on the front inside of my right thigh implies that I bent it with
soft tissues.


The more usual scenario is that the brakearm hits the frame. Check for
dents there

The stud is bent and at least one of the caliper arms is bent.
The LBS cannot supply parts or a single Centaur caliper. They have ordered a
single Chorus as a replacement and I suppose the upgrade is ok since I
almost exclusively use the front. However, could and should I have tried to
straighten the stud and arm?

The cheap fix is to straighten the arm and move it to the back where it
has an easy life. But you can only do this once !

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

"Dan" writes:

However, could and should I have tried to straighten the stud and arm?

Stud : No

Arm : Yes, i've done this at least 2 times with black dia compe 500g
sidepulls and a blowtorch and either smooth vice grips or a crescent
wrench. I even painted the caliper black with epoxy paint to effect
an almost perfect repair.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

"Art Harris" wrote in message
ups.com...
Dan wrote:

I was still holding the bars but my
feet were unclipped.

I'm curious is these were SPDs, Looks, or something else. Shimano
clains SPDs are not supposed to release automatically in a crash
(something I worry about).

Yes, they were SPD's. They are not set very tight. SIDI Dominator MTB shoes
(easy to walk in) with Shimano PD-A515 pedals (Cheap!).

"m-gineering" wrote in message

The more usual scenario is that the brakearm hits the frame. Check for
dents there

You got the right scenario, I looked and found a dent near the rear derailer
barrel adjuster - not is not readily noticable in brushed ti.

"Donald Gillies" wrote in message
...
"Dan" writes:

However, could and should I have tried to straighten the stud and arm?

Stud : No

Arm : Yes, i've done this at least 2 times with black dia compe 500g
sidepulls and a blowtorch and either smooth vice grips or a crescent
wrench. I even painted the caliper black with epoxy paint to effect
an almost perfect repair.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

I don't think one should or even could straighten the stud but I am thinking
of bending the arm to see if it can be done.

Isn't it appropriate to adjust the shoe alignment by twisting the end of the
arm?

It is hard to tell if the arm is actually bent - it might just be that the
part of mounting stud between the right arm and the short link that goes to
the 2nd pivot is bent. It is really hard to tell exactly what is bent and it
could all be in the stud.

Where does one get a stud for a campy caliper?

On 3 Mar 2005 12:15:19 -0800, "Andy M-S" wrote:

On SPDs, I have experience with them releasing in a crash. Thrice.

First time: A car makes an illegal left, and I hit him at the RR
wheel. I release and go over the trunk on my way to the road on the
other side. Pedals/Cleats are Wellgo road SPD clones (not SPD-R).

Second time: I'm hit from the right side (a truck coming into the
road--didn't see me, he says) and the bike goes down. I separate from
the bike and slide a long ways. Good thing, because the bike went down
right in front of the truck. Cleats are Shimano, pedals are Icon road
SPD Clones (again, not SPD-R).

Third time: I drop my front wheel into a deep (1 foot or so) cut where
a curb and pavement have been removed. The end of the cut stops the
bike, and I go flying OTB into the road (so I'm told and so the
evidence indicates. I wasn't there at the time). Cleats are Shimano,
pedals are Ultegra road SPDs (again, not SPD-R).

In *all* of these cases, the pedals have released in the crash. I do
keep the tension rather light, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't
want your pedal to release in a crash.

The track guys consider it an issue. What they worry about is ONE pedal coming
out in a crash.

Ron