Bent frame or triple clamp

[allkidd]

Recently, my 2015 xtrainer took a hard fall. The bike hit two trees at a pretty high speed. Destroyed the front left radiator and plastic but otherwise seemed to be okay. That is until a friend was riding behind me on a road and said the wheels don't line up. We switched bikes and sure enough by several inches the wheels don't line up.

So, I figure that I have either a bent frame or bent triple clamp. Just by eyeballing each I can't see any noticeable problems. The bike has over 500 hours so I don't want to replace both but if I knew the frame or triples were definitely the problem, I would replace.

Anybody have any thoughts on how I can determine for sure where the problem is?

[oldman]

May just be sissored forks. Loosen up your upper and lower fork clamps and your front axle pinch bolts slightly. Now place the front tire between you knees while you wiggle your handle bars to let every thing seek its home position. Tighten your fork bolts first then your axle bolts.
If you still have a alignment problem after doing this you may have something bent.

[Lonesome Dave]

+1^
I think Oldman nailed it.

[allkidd]

Thanks guys. This afternoon, I will give your suggestion a try. Would be great if that simple and cheap! I will report back.

[pscook]

The easiest way to check bent or misaligned triples is to remove the front axle. If the forks "spring" when you pull the axle, something is out of alignment. Then you just need to loosen the pinch bolts and rotate the upper fork tubes, and then see if the axle will align with both lower lugs. Don't tighten the pinch bolts until the wheel and axle are installed. If you can't install the axle without forcing something, then you need to dig into the triple trees for straightness. But this quick check will prove that it's good or bad.

[allkidd]

Thanks for the thoughts on what to try.

Yesterday, I attempted to align the front end but it didn't make any difference. I'm afraid that either the frame or triples are bent. When my son wrecked the bike it hit hard at the left radiator. This location seems like it could have bent either the frame or triples. Viewing from the naked eye I can't see anything obviously bent.

[pscook]

An easy way to check if the triples are bent is to remove the fork tubes and then completely remove the pinch bolts. Any misalignment with the pinch bolt holes indicates bent triples. If I can find any of my examples in my scrap pile I'll post a picture, but it's fairly obvious once you remove the bolts as the gap springs out and the holes don't line up.

You should consider checking the fork tubes as well. If the triples are straight, install the forks and rotate the upper tubes 90 degrees, then install the wheel and axle. If it goes together, the front end is fine and then you need to find a frame shop.

[allkidd]

Thanks pscook. Either this afternoon or tomorrow I will give your suggestion a try and report back.

[allkidd]

I tried taking off the forks and checking for pinch bolt misalignment but all seemed in line. Probably the frame and not worth replacing. This has been a great bike. I bought it new in 2015 and have put on 500 hard hours. Primarily, I ride in rock and so it has taken some hard falls.

When riding in technical areas I don't notice that it is out of alignment. We have a riding area near us called, "chadwick", that is almost all rock and technical. So, I think that I will designate this out of alignment bike as my chadwick bike.

Again, thanks for all the help!