So, does a dent in a frame = fu@ked?
I'm in a sea of used frames, and I'm drowning.
On one side, i've got boutique frames that I'd like to hump just as much as I'd like to ride. But, they cost about as much as a months rent/mortage.
On the other side, I've got used boutique frames that have some dings and dents, but they're in ever-expanding galaxy that is ebay (and craigslist, and pinkbike...), so I can't actually see, smell, or ride them. Instead, I get fuzzy pictures of the bike from 30'. But these seem in my price range. (like 3-500 ish)
Then, behind me, I have (currently) a fisher cake 3 with a decent dent on the drive-side of the chainstay. I like this bike...i do. But when I sit on a Yeti 575 (or a Titus Motolite {sick}) it makes me.....aroused. So, alas, I lust.
What ever will I do? Do i drop a load on a new shiny frame and then get fucked b/c I'm financially screwing my family (got a kid, a wife, and a biz), or do I ride my fisher until I destroy the frame? Or do I drop a couple hundy on something else that's all dented, and sell my dented fisher frame to some sap even poorer than I?
Sorry to sound apathetic, but...
Bikes are meant to be ridden 'til they are broken, not dented.
Go ride. When it breaks, then worry (and buy a Slayer).