New bike...smacked by a car...any advice appreciated - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

08-30-2004, 11:30 AM

I got my new road bike from Gary Hobbs at GVH bikes Thursday. It is
(was) a beautiful burnished Cannondale Caad5 with full carbon fork,
Campy Centaur, and a high zoot Fizik Aliante saddle. Gary did a great
job of building the bike and getting it to me in time to enjoy the
weekend with it. It rode like a dream.

All was good, until this morning commuting to work I was t-boned by a
car running a red light. Fortunately, the young female driver was able
to slow down enough to avoid running me over completely. I was thrown to
the ground and so far I have only noticed a sore left elbow and very
slightly sore right knee. The bike didn't fare quite as well. She nailed
the fork and front wheel, possibly the frame and crank on the left side
as well. I fell over on the right side, and the visible damage amounts
to gouges on the pedals, rear derailleur, and saddle, and a bent front
rim.

After carrying it a mile back home, I see more ominous signs of trouble.
I knew he bars were out of line, but then I noticed the headset felt
loose. I reset the preload on the headset to something that felt snug
but not overly tight, and the headset still felt loose. I torqued down
the end cap way tighter than I have ever done and most of the slop went
away, but it seems there is still a tiny bit of slop if I lock the front
brake and rock the bike back and forth. The drivetrain is out of kilter
as well making lots of racket. I can try to adjust it later when I have
the time, but there is no doubt some damage to the derailleur or hangar.

The question is, what should I demand of the insurance company? Visibly
the bike looks almost as good as new, but they weren't made to be
broadsided by cars. The headset situation I find unacceptable and I
suspect a cracked fork or bent head tube. It was a brand new bike, but
now I don't completely trust its safety and certainly not its longevity.
The drivetrain doesn't make me happy either. I'm sure I would have
eventually bent the derailleur and got the various nicks on my own, but
in this case somebody else is liable. Should I demand a total loss and
replacement, or will I be f'ed over by the insurance company and be
stuck with a damaged bike?