Bound to happen sooner or later!

Sorry to hear she took a spill, and glad to know she's ok. Happens to everyone at some point though. The new bike is always upsetting to "break in". Often, as long as the brake lever isn't bent, you can just pull it back out. If you cannot, the screw to loosen/tighten is on the inside of the brake lever as you are looking at the bike from the front. Squeeze the brake lever and look inside it. At least that's where mine is. Then you can loosen the screw(usually hex) a bit, reposition and tighten. Hope this helps.

Is it one of those combination shift/brake levers? And it may only be rotated on the handlebar. Often times the clamp will not be so tight that a crash allows it to do that. Hard to say if that's the situation without actually looking at it, but if you're not comfortable with the assessment, I'd take it to the shop and they will fix it up right for sure. Even if you try to twist the mis-positioned lever yourself, you still want to make sure that it's tight enough on the bars and that's better left to the shop mechanics. You don't want it to loosen up during a ride. And tell her I sympathize with her, but not to worry, these things happen all the time. I was in a crash in a bicycle race one time, and my whole front fork snapped right in two pieces!

Max

Yeah, for sure... as long as it isnt damaged, just push it back into position. the leavers are tightened only enough so as that they will move in a crash, so the impact does not damage them. ive had it happen many a time during a race, bashed it back into place and kept on riding. Get better soon Herdaughter!

aidan

Oh HerDaughter, I am sorry for your crash -- take care and get back on soon!

Hey everyone!! Thank you so much for caring about my crash, it wasn't that bad but I was on a VERY bumpy and rough road I'm a little banged up on my hip where I landed and my wrist is a little twisted. But I'm mostly OK. :-) My dad is a little upset about the bike and all. But now we know how to fix it without paying a bike shop dude. :-O :-) It's not bent or anything, only moved on the handle bars, so it should be OK. Thanks again everyone!!

glad you're ok! Bikes are fixable, we tend to take a while longer

Yes, it is a combination shift/brake lever. I really think it is just rotated on the handlebar. She was not going very fast and didn't hit that hard. We are going try to move it back into place. Tomorrow my daughter is riding with a top female triathlete, so I will have her take a look at it before they head out. We can hit the bike shop then if we need to, it is just down the road. Thanks for your help.

Awwww. what a cute picture! Nice looking daughter you got there Hermom! Must be spitting image of her mother!

Well herdaughter, there's an old saying: "There's 2 kinds of bike riders...those that have crashed, and those that will crash." So look at it this way...you got it over with! Keep on training, we wanna see you reach the top!

Max

Hitting the ground is never any fun, but it sounds like that you aren't going to let it hold you back.  Glad to hear that you are ok!  Keep Tri'n!

Glad to hear your daughter is OK. Now that the bike has been "seasoned", you won't have to worry about it getting that first scratch anymore.

What a positive attitude! Get back on that pony and ride it till it drops!

Your a true cyclist herdaughter!

aidan

Think of it as having baptized your bike, albeit rather painfully. I am glad that you were not seriously injured. As for the brake lever, simply pull it back into position and tighten the hex nut which is located on the inside of the head of the lever.

All is well again in our world. Daddy was able to reposition the lever on the handlebar and everything looks and feels good. The only other damage I can find is a small bit of the saddle torn off. It is on the side bottom, just above the seam. There is also a piece of leather that is loose. So, is there some sort of sealer/glue that I can put on it to keep it from getting worse? Thanks for all your help and encouragement!

Don't worry about nicks, scrapes, or tears on the bike. I have seen plenty of bikes in peoples garages that do not have a mark on them because they have seldom, if ever, been used. As longs as these slight abrasions do not affect the structural integrity of the bike, they are an indication that the bike is a well-used vehicle.

It the nicks, dents, and "repositioning" that mark your dedication, where them on your bike with pride!
What is important is that you did not sustain any injury.

If it is any consolation, I torn my bike seat bringing it home from the shop the day I bought it (the bike had never touched the road yet)

Monty

If the tear is small you can use one of those leather/vinyl repair kits. They have glue and color that you can use to try to match the saddle’s colors. They're available at Walmart. I used this on my old saddle that I recently replaced. I didn’t do all the steps precisely right, but once it was repaired it looked fine. I just got a Fizik Arione saddle and I’m hoping to not nick it like the last one.

JT