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I've had my Mk 1 Tripster for about 4 years now, bought second hand off the classifieds, and it has been fantastic.
Made the mistake of cleaning it today and discovered a crack in the weld on the drive-side dropout.
So, i presume its repairable, but at what cost?
I've sent an email to Enigma to ask for a quote. Where else should I try ? (West London ideally)
Kinesis offered 25% off a new frame, but I cant afford that unfortunately. The AT is a possible alternative though.
Sure there was a thread in here recently about a chap getting great service from a couple if brothers in Sheffield who could weld titanium.
Vernon Barker was the go-to for Ti, not sure if he's still about.
Thanks. I found Vernon Barker, along with lots of people saying his work was a bit 'agricultural', but to be honest I don't really care as long as it holds! The non-bike welders I've called arent interested in such a small job and Enigma are rushed off their feet.
I had Vernon Barker fix a Ti Cotic Soda a couple of years ago (maybe 5ish having given it a bit more thought!)
It wasn’t pretty but it was fixed and the repair held up. It wasn’t too hideous a repair either.
Worthwhile if you love the frame like I did.
Just got a crack in the seat stay of my Genesis Latitude Ti repaired by Pat at Limited Fabrications
He was super helpful, quick turn around and I thought very reasonable, he was happy to repair when others wanted to replace the whole stay for 4 times the price! Wholly recommend him
Ti = bike for life
Ti = bike for life
No-one said you wouldn't have to repair it occasionally during that life 😉
My other half got a ti frame crack repaired by Racefit in Matlock who make noisy exhausts for motorbikes.
It’s not the neatest job ever, but it wasn’t hugely expensive and 18 months later it’s still good. Despite not back purging during the welding process they reckon they’ve never had a repaired frame back and have done a few. Time will tell!
Made the mistake of cleaning it today and discovered a crack
😢 Never cleaning mine again! What I don’t know can’t hurt me.
Had a crack done all the way round a chain stay by Vernon Barker. It was about £65. As others have said, not the neatest but am really happy with it. It’s good to have a few battle scars anyway.
I did ask Enigma but their solution was a whole new rear end for a huge amount of money.
People are always saying Ti is for life but you see a lot of cracked frames on eBay from all makes.
This is likely because there’s enough residual value in a Ti frame to make it worth repairing but it’s enough faff that many don’t want to undertake it themselves. Steel is an easy fix and aluminium is often not worth the bother. That’s likely why you see more Ti frames with damage up for sale.
Yep. Ti frames seem to crack. Wouldn't bother tbh.
Yep. Ti frames seem to crack. Wouldn’t bother tbh.
Yeah, I suppose people get attached though and it's still very much a sort of 80s/90s super bike Material. I remember listing over such things when I was a teenager.
I also remember realising that Ti is actually not an ideal material for a bicycle frame being expensive, more difficult to work with than steel or aluminum (and arguably carbon) and generally a wee bit more Prone to cracking than steel (discuss?)...
If you truly want a "bike for life" you can choose Titanium, but it might be a bit of a triggers broom by the time you pop your clogs 😉
All metals can crack! I've never seen any stats on steel Vs tho and it is obviously about design and welding as well as the material, tubing guage etc.
Carbon breaks too, tho it does seem to require an impact.
All metals can crack! I’ve never seen any stats on steel Vs tho and it is obviously about design and welding as well as the material, tubing guage etc.
Yes any material can crack, but Titanium welds are particularly Prone to oxygen embrittlement, Hence the need for an argon shield when welding it. Even if shielded there's guarantee that the weld won't be compromised...
Carbon breaks too, tho it does seem to require an impact.
Everything can be broken a number of ways. Carbon weighs less than Ti, costs less than Ti and can be repaired with relatively non-specialist tools or training.
On balance steel and Aluminium are actually pretty good materials for frame construction from a weight/cost/strength/durability perspective...
Titanium just does not offer the balance of properties, cost and ease of repair.
Update - I sent to Limit Fabrications as recommended by TiBoy up-thread. He fixed it very quickly for £100 and it's on its way back to me now.
I started to build up my old Crosscheck in the meantime, and the difference in weight (with a steel fork too) is stark at first. Never got far enough with the build to compare the ride quality though.
The skinny crosscheck does look cool with 47mm tyres, so thinking about sending it away to get a disc mount welded on.
How was the work from Limit Fabrications?
I am looking to send my Tripster ATR V1 frame there for repair after it cracked nearly all the way around the down tube at the cable lugs.
They and Kinesis are recomending that the whole down tube be replaced!
Yep new down tube needed
Rich from Enigma here. In the past we have offered repairs to other titanium frames, but we've been so busy this year it's something we've had to put on hold for the time being.
Sometimes we have been able to simply weld over a crack, but other times due to the chance of it going again it makes more sense to replace the whole tube. If the tube is cracked around a significant proportion of its circumference then it certainly makes more sense to do this.
Stays tend to be difficult as us having a single matching stay (diameter, taper, bend etc) in stock is unlikely, so we have sometimes recommended a pair of stays or the whole back end is replaced, but of course this is rarely economical to do.
Anyone is welcome to email us pictures of their damaged frame for advice or a quote, but at the moment we're unable to commit to completing repairs in a reasonable time frame.
Thought I'd add this as it may be useful for others who find this thread.
I must admit, as much as I want a ti gravel bike right now, these threads do put me off anything that doesn't have a long warranty.
I'm surprised the Enigma Signature series get only ten years. J. Guillem get 125 years, but if they don't make their own bikes, how long might the relationship between shop and factory last? Maybe Moots are worth the premium after all.
Had two V1 Tripster that both cracked in the same place as yours around the downtube, luckily I was in warranty and Kinesis were great, now have a V2.
I must admit, as much as I want a ti gravel bike right now, these threads do put me off anything that doesn’t have a long warranty.
@Onzadog that's exactly how I feel. The planet x one's were really cheap at the start of the year but a 2 year warranty just isn't enough.
Alpkit/sonder do a 10 year warranty with their and they are worth the extra money imo.
I see Kinesis have increased there Warranty to five years, when I purchased it was 3 years.
My first v1 was a year and half old when it cracked, second v1 cracked about the same, I was just out of warranty but Kinesis replaced it with a v2 for free. v2 is now 2 years and 4 months old, fingers crossed.
5 years is still too short for my liking. It's enough for a bike to not make the short list.
Myv1 cracked on the downtube..was replaced with a V2, which is fine..
DrP
My V1 is ok at the moment but I'm not going to clean it!
I see Kinesis have increased there Warranty to five years, when I purchased it was 3 years.
My first v1 was a year and half old when it cracked, second v1 cracked about the same, I was just out of warranty but Kinesis replaced it with a v2 for free. v2 is now 2 years and 4 months old, fingers crossed.
The frame weighs about as much as a decent steel equivalent.
Unless you can afford to spend big on a Moots/Seven/similar quality equivalent, you're better off with carbon/alu as it's better in every way.
Thanks for the reply’s.
What would people say a Tripster Atr v1 frame is worth?
I’ve had a rough quote of £400 to replace the tube plus postage back and forth.
I would actually be happy to replace the frame with a Kinesis RTD frameset. I like what I’ve been reading and my ATR has never seen much more than the bumps and mud than from bad British roads.
I would sell your cracked frame on eBay & let someone else take it on.
Only because so many in this thread have cracked and yours may crack again somewhere else after repair.
Pat Banks @ Limit as above would be my recommendation - he is on the outskirts of Norwich and builds (not just repairs) Ti.
Vernon Barker often comes up as an option but as above can be a little agricultural.
The frame weighs about as much as a decent steel equivalent.
A bit tangentially, but I've just started some tentative enquiries with Rourke about an 853 gravel frame, so this comment makes me feel a bit better...
5 (6?) year old V1 here, used every day with a big lump sat on it and it's fine. I love the frame like a child, so if it cracked, I'd have to seriously consider a repair. But I think I'd probably just replace it. (On credit!)
Stuff breaks from time to time - all materials, all manufacturers, regardless of cost. No ti manufacturer claims that ti is 'for life' - it is a common assumption, but frankly standards will date a frame and make it unusable more likely than failure. My first ti bike had a 1 inch headset, rim brakes, 135 QR spacing and whatever the opposite of long/low/slack geometry is!
There are things that can be done to lessen the failure rate (design, manufacturing, materials etc), but they cost more. On the whole there is a relationship between price and warranty. I say on the whole to avoid offending some folks. That doesn't mean that cheap products are worse. It means that a longer warranty and the support structure required to facilitate it just costs more, and this is reflected in the price.
Cheaper products generally (but again not in every case) carry a lesser warranty for a reason. Taking the appropriate care during manufacturing a ti frame does take longer and this is reflected in the price. Brands such as 22, Seven, Moots etc that offer a lifetime warranty do so because their failure rate is low. They also manufacture their frames so they can monitor quality during manufacture more easily and deal with repairs directly, more cost effectively and tend to repair rather than replace.
In the case of Kinesis in this example, the frames are manufactured by a third party. The fact that this third party is in Asia is neither here nor there. Because the expertise to manufacture them is not in house, the likelihood of a repair either during or after the warranty period is slim.
It's all part of the purchase decision. Buying a cheap ti frame with a lesser warranty new is a risk and the risk is made greater if you buy second hand. In this case, I would love to see the repair.
Hello. OP here.
Thought I'd drop in a picture of the repair:
Pat at Limit did a great job and got the frame back to me very quickly. I have since done some fairly demanding rides around the surrey hills and SDW and all seems well.
On the subject of the Tripster and Ti in general, I have never owned another Ti frame, but have the dubious honour of having broken the chainstays of steel (Crosscheck) and aluminium (Felt F something or other) and now Ti bikes.
The Tripster is fantastic and has stood up to fast(ish) road riding, 200 miles in a day touring, gravel and blue MTB trails. It one of the first batch of the V1 and I think that makes it early 2014 vintage.
I wouldn't buy one at full price though. If i was buying now, I think factors like geometry, tyre clearance and mounting options probably come above frame material in the checklist.
That is very neat indeed, and since it is under the chain stay, won't even be noticeable.
Glad it all worked out. Nice job.
My V1 is ok at the moment but I’m not going to clean it!
Mine is 6 years old and I love it, if it cracks I'll be gutted 🙁
that repair is a spot on IMHO
Very nice job and reassuring to know it can be done that well at that price. Bookmarked. (Hope that's not tempting fate..)