Cracked frame?

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Mububban
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Cracked frame?

Postby Mububban » Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:36 pm

Should I be worried about this thin crack on the top of my headtube? I can stick the tip of a pin in it so I don't think it's just cosmetic cracking of the paint/clear coat.

It's a 2003 alloy MTB, it had a very gentle first 13 years of life, I've only started riding it off road on proper trails fairly recently.

Image

Image
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familyguy
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby familyguy » Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:01 pm

High chance of that becoming fatal (for the frame, at least) I reckon. Other smarter heads might chime in.

Jim

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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby NASHIE » Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:14 pm

Thats a bugger. If its got sentimental value then its worth removing head set etc and finding a alloy welder willing to plate/weld in a gusset to get a few more years out of it.

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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby Duck! » Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:47 pm

familyguy wrote:High chance of that becoming fatal (for the frame, at least) I reckon. Other smarter heads might chime in.

Jim
I'm with you on this. The upper headset loading will continually bash away at the deformed cup and open the crack further, and given the crack has reached the weld - an inherent weak point - it will travel along the edge of the weld.

That's done its day.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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MichaelB
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby MichaelB » Fri Sep 14, 2018 7:24 am

Duck! wrote:
familyguy wrote:High chance of that becoming fatal (for the frame, at least) I reckon. Other smarter heads might chime in.

Jim
I'm with you on this. The upper headset loading will continually bash away at the deformed cup and open the crack further, and given the crack has reached the weld - an inherent weak point - it will travel along the edge of the weld.

That's done its day.
Nailed it.

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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby find_bruce » Fri Sep 14, 2018 8:05 am

NASHIE wrote:Thats a bugger. If its got sentimental value then its worth removing head set etc and finding a alloy welder willing to plate/weld in a gusset to get a few more years out of it.
Been there done that nashie & its a waste of time - (1) aluminium alloys tear under tension which is what has happened here & (2) welding introduces a weakness & the next crack will be along the edge of the weld. This is why factories spend the money to heat treat the entire frame after welding & this is not practicable outside a factory - apart from anything else phase 1 of heating the frame to 500⁰C will wreck the paint

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MichaelB
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby MichaelB » Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:23 am

If you look close, the crack has already started tracking along the toe of the weld - to the R side of the pic.

Sad, but it's toast.

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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby bychosis » Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:47 am

New bike time! My previous MTB developed a creak in the headset area. Took a while to show an actual crack. I was very wary of completing my last ride on it lest I need to make a dental appointment. You might get a little more out of it, but I wouldn’t be keen to ride it off road, or over seesaw’s.
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foo on patrol
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby foo on patrol » Fri Sep 14, 2018 1:14 pm

familyguy wrote:High chance of that becoming fatal (for the frame, at least) I reckon. Other smarter heads might chime in.

Jim
What he said! :shock:

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Mububban
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby Mububban » Fri Sep 14, 2018 1:53 pm

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've decided to retire the bike effective immediately based on the advice.
The local MTB community is amazingly helpful, to the extent of someone I've never met lending me a bike so my son and I won't miss this weekend's kids group ride that he looks forward to each month.

Normally this would be (semi) cause for celebration (new bike day!) but with the wife not working, buying a brand new bike is a bit of an indulgence. Doable, but it'll be a budget buy rather than what I'd like to spend.

Definite first world problems though :) Thanks again folks
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MichaelB
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby MichaelB » Fri Sep 14, 2018 2:01 pm

Or you could MacGyver it.

Decent sized hose clamp or some baling wire would fix it :-)

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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby bychosis » Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:01 pm

Mububban wrote:Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've decided to retire the bike effective immediately based on the advice.
The local MTB community is amazingly helpful, to the extent of someone I've never met lending me a bike so my son and I won't miss this weekend's kids group ride that he looks forward to each month.

Normally this would be (semi) cause for celebration (new bike day!) but with the wife not working, buying a brand new bike is a bit of an indulgence. Doable, but it'll be a budget buy rather than what I'd like to spend.

Definite first world problems though :) Thanks again folks
What sort of bike? You might be able to find a replacement frame for cheap and switch some components over. You never know a forum member might have something stashed away for ‘one day’ and be able to pass it on for cheap. Alternatively buying a cheap hard tail and upgrading it with your good stuff might work, the frames often quite similar across a bike range while the component spec is what really changes the price.

When I cracked my last frame I bought a cheap-ish bike and switched across my good running gear while I saved up and researched.
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Mububban
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby Mububban » Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:47 pm

bychosis wrote:
What sort of bike? You might be able to find a replacement frame for cheap and switch some components over. You never know a forum member might have something stashed away for ‘one day’ and be able to pass it on for cheap. Alternatively buying a cheap hard tail and upgrading it with your good stuff might work, the frames often quite similar across a bike range while the component spec is what really changes the price.

When I cracked my last frame I bought a cheap-ish bike and switched across my good running gear while I saved up and researched.
It's a 2003 hardtail 26er with no particular sentimental value. Cost me about $1000 back then, including pedals and pump etc. Bike was probably $850 or so, definitely low to mid spec at the time. Coil spring Rock Shox Judy forks, rim brakes, Acera gearing, 2.3 tyres just barely fit in the frame :D

I'm sue if I put the word out, someone local will have a good second hand bike for sale. Realistically, anything will be lightyears ahead of what I'm used to. I could maybe stretch to $2000, I was hoping to replace the hard tail with a dual sus when the time came. Not sure what I'd get new for that money.
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby NASHIE » Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:29 pm

Have a large 26er HT frame from around same period that was a 1k bike at the time, that your welcome to have. Might tie you over until till funds cover a nice dually.

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Mububban
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby Mububban » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:17 pm

NASHIE wrote:Have a large 26er HT frame from around same period that was a 1k bike at the time, that your welcome to have. Might tie you over until till funds cover a nice dually.
Much appreciated. I've put a query out on the KMBC page and will see what pops up over the weekend. And I'll have a chat with the wife. If I have to go ultra budget, I'll be in touch :)
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby outnabike » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:49 pm

MichaelB wrote:Or you could MacGyver it.

Decent sized hose clamp or some baling wire would fix it :-)
Yep, I would simply turn up a ss boss that would then be pressed over the collar.Have a slight champher on the leading edge.
A small amount of heat just enough to to encourage expansion and bobs your uncle.

But I am probably more on the ambitious side of fixing stuff. Sound like the negativity of the members has won out. :)

Or it the inexorable pull of a new bike. :)
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Mububban
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby Mububban » Fri Sep 14, 2018 8:38 pm

NASHIE wrote:Have a large 26er HT frame from around same period that was a 1k bike at the time, that your welcome to have. Might tie you over until till funds cover a nice dually.
Can it take disc brakes or rim only? My hardtail was rim brakes but the fork has what I think are mounting points for discs.
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Re: Cracked frame?

Postby NASHIE » Fri Sep 14, 2018 8:53 pm

Mububban wrote:
NASHIE wrote:Have a large 26er HT frame from around same period that was a 1k bike at the time, that your welcome to have. Might tie you over until till funds cover a nice dually.
Can it take disc brakes or rim only? My hardtail was rim brakes but the fork has what I think are mounting points for discs.
Its disc only rear. I should have a lever/caliper hanging around, and there is a 26 disc rim thats needs bearing work but otherwise good condition.

I'll pm my address (Bassendean) and leave it on the front porch, so your free to look any time over the weekend. We are in and out but if it suits just take it.

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