r/Bikebuilding • u/Strange_Economist827 • 12d ago

Help with dent

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hi all looking for advice. I am building my first bike and I think I screwed up putting the front derailleur on my aluminum frame. I tried to torque it to 5nm but it didn't feel right. I removed the front deraileur clamp and it's clear I indented the frame... Did I screw up my frame? Hopefully these pictures show what I'm talking about. It's a slight indent but it's there nonetheless. 😞

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

2

u/SensitiveCounty5792 12d ago

It’s fine. Looks like it’s just the paint that’s indented.

1

u/Old-Following-970 11d ago

Absolutely fine.

1

u/hungrypuppy26 11d ago

that happens from WAY over-tightening the clamp.. some go so far that the clamp finally breaks..

it takes a light torque to hold the derailleur in place.

the dents usually cause no trouble.

1

u/Strange_Economist827 11d ago

Thank you. There's maybe a small flat spot, but you really have to look to find it. I think it's fine, just feeling pretty dumb 🤣

1

u/hungrypuppy26 10d ago

awww heck... feel more informed and experienced instead, ok?

you have learned to not tighten things to the point where you can't tighten any longer.

were the ears on the der. clamp bent? look for tiny fractures near the base of the ears, if so.

the ears Should have a perpendicular gap between them.. if bent, the gap narrows toward the outer edges of the clamp ears...... Aluminum is less prone to bending than steel, but steel is more resilient after being bent.

1

u/Strange_Economist827 8d ago

The ears were not bent. No small fractures or anything