@Cyclist asks:
I have a Raleigh Randonneur from the early 90s. It's been well looked after, with many years of regular use, often heavily loaded. The frame was slightly dented at the back of the seat tube by a bike shop many years ago. All components apart from front & back rack have been replaced over time.
Q2. What should I check to help decide if I need to replace this much loved old bike?
(When is it time to retire a bike?)
#BikeNite A2: dents *can* compromise steel tubing, but the risk is generally crumpling/buckling in thin sections under compression, plus some chance of fracture in higher-strength alloys with cyclic loading (crack formation, growth and then catastrophic spread). Both cases would be sudden and severe failures, eventually. But steel is fairly tough and dents are mostly cosmetic other than cracking the paint and allowing rust to start forming cracks or spread to a weld.
Phil (ascentale)
😀🚲