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Nightmare cracked frame!!!!!
This is my fillet braised Curtlo frame that I bought second hand a few years ago and I have just spotted this crack. It runs down the side of the down tube roughly along the line on ovalised part of the tube. You can see the length in the picture and while I have removed the powder coat I havnt taken it all the way back.
Bit gutted really
Has anyone experience of this?
Is it possible to braise along the tube?
Anyone know who can repair this type of thing or do I send it back to the US to be repaired?
Will I die if I continue riding it?
Thanks in advance.
Chris
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I wouldn't do a patch or braze repair on a crack that big - just get a new tube brazed in by someone local-ish.
If you are in Glasgow then I think Ben at Kinetics lists tube replacement prices.
Out of interest, is it a 29er frame with a really short head tube and "overlapping" top / down tubes at the head junction?
Thanks for the reply, does feel like it will need replacing.
It is a 26 Curtlo so nothing too complex, will have a look at Kinetics but based in Chester so a bit of a trek.
http://www.curtlo.com/frame_pages/advanced_mountaineer.html
Chris
If it were my own then I'd fix it, but not professional of insured so not going to help with yours 🙂
Steve Goff at St Helens is long established, sensibly priced and I've known him do repairs for other people. Matt at 18 Bikes in Hope (Peak District) might also do it if not busy with frames.
http://www.steve-goff-frames.co.uk/
That 26er should be relatively easy (separate tubes at the HT).
Thanks mick,
I will get in touch with them to see if they can fillet braze. Seems a strange place for a crack and i only use it to ride to work on.
Chris
Are you sure it's a crack? It looks like it might be a seam where the tube was rolled up from a piece of flat sheet. Does it move when you flex the tube?
Pretty sure it is as the powder coat has lifted right along the line but i will check if it moves when i flex it.
Steve and Matt both fillet braze.
I'd imagine it started as a flaw in the original tube from a seam or from drawing (some tubes also start life with a seam and then get drawn). Drawing flaws would also run along the tube. Curtlo frames were pretty cheap for hand made so imagine they aren't the fanciest tubes to start with.
I've broken a seat tube on an old commuter frame just above the bb - plenty of high cycle torsional fatigue with added corrosion going on down there.
that powdercoat is making me cringe thinking of it going under a nail when trying to scrap it off 😯
That is a strange way for a frame to crack - it's not really stressed in that direction, it does look a lot like an ERW tube that's split.
I'm happy to have a look at it, but there are other good framebuilders who are closer to you 😉
Ben,
Didnt realise you were on here and have just emailed you, also googled ERW to see what it meant. Website says its True Temper Ox Platinum but I don't know if that is ERW? Ben is it cheeky to ask if you recommend a good frame builder any closer?
Andyl the wife is out so I used a kitchen knife....
Chris
Posting a frame is only £10 ish. You don't have to go local.
Matt at 18Bikes is good 😉
True Temper isn't ERW - it could be an extrusion fault I guess, I've never seen a tube fail like that before.
Mmmmmm braised fillet. Yum
Nearly as nice as fillet brazing... 😉
Friction Stir Welding would be ideal to fix that.
Looks like an interesting solution, anyone know anwhere that can do it?
Ben thanks for your response, I have emailed Curtlo to see what they say and come back to you.
Thanks
Just wasted 20 minutes watching FSW videos - started out thinking there's no way that actually works. Impressive!
Linear Stir Welding is equally impressive.
True Temper is seamed tubing.
Friction stuff welding is something I learned of about a little while back. It's one of those things that doesn't seem possible and is therefore more awesome for it!
The video that made my head hurt was one doing a weld in a block of aluminium - it looked a lot like a blunt milling cutter cutting a slot, but when the tool was removed there was no slot.
Witchcraft.
This one?
That's the one.
Truck axle ends are friction welded on - 120mm steel axle centre tube, and they stop spinning with both brake caliper lugs (already on the spindle ends) in the correct place and aligned on either side of the axle!
Metallurgy PORN!
Yup, I could watch this stuff all day
This one is particularly satisfying
Gents,
Didn't intend on starting a welding porn topic but very interesting all the same. Been confirmed by Curtlo that it is a material fault and they would replace the tube but as postage costs are a bit steep going to get it sorted over here.
Thanks.
Chris
Childish I know, but if I worked at that factory where they were welding the truck axles, that robot would have a big happy head drawn on the "head" white box thing and some massive googgly eyes.
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😀
Exactly like that!
🙂