Hey guys,
today I crashed my enduro bike and the seat stay landed on a rock. Unfortunately it got a little ding and gouged a little bit of material. My feeling is it’s safe to ride but I’m just get hung up on this stuff so wanted to get some opinions. Will also reach out the the manufacture.
It’s a Raaw Madonna alloy frame, pretty heavily built for this reason. Ding is quite shallow but can be felt my touch. No cracking or creases. Material at bottom edge is ripped frame protection.
In my amateur opinion, that ding should be no problem on an alloy frame.
Zero issue with that. Ride it.
I’d carefully smooth out the gouge with some emery cloth, removing as little material as possible.
This should help reduce the risk of cracks forming and propagating.
That area should see little to no twisting or flexing, just compressive forces, so it’s absolutely fine, particularly as the stays appear pretty chunky.
Good idea, smoothing the ding will also reduce the chances of snagging in clothing or skin while moving or working on the bike.
My experiences with Raaw customer service have been nothing but perfect. Send them a picture and ask what they think, if they deem it not safe to ride you could probably get a crash replacement discount.
