I dropped it off at the local place I'd found online. A way bigger operation than I'd expected. Looking at the display cabinets & posters showing what they do in their reception I was actually surprised they be bothered to do a weld on a bike frame. Having been reading up on the subject of Ti welding & having just watched the GCN visit to Moots on youtube they said all the right things when discussing what was needed & were genuinely enthusiastic about the job. They've also made custom ti bike parts for riders before. i left feeling very confident. Here's hoping!
Struggling to find a decent 28.2mm seat tube. I've seen the Orange catalogue now & original seatpost was USE 420mm 25.4mm shimmed to 28.2mm. Silver post shown in brochure.
The seatpost with the bike is a red USE 420 but was sold & measures as 25mm. I'd also seen the bike in different config advertised previously with a different seat-post so high possibility the post is not original to the frame. I'm thinking maybe the shim is original & too big by 0.4mm. For now I'm planning on getting a fresh USE 10cm shim for 25/28.2mm.
Their enthusiasm, coupled with those displays sounds ominous as in the final bill.
I was looking to have some springs wound to change the rate of an Amp F4 blt I was renovating. Few listings in the yellow pages and general phone about I get the number of a company, and much the same their online reviews were all professional large engineering companies.
I asked for a ball park figure and got about 600 for the two small springs, though I could get the dogs danglies with progressive rates etc.
I thanked them kindly :shock:
Found a small local engineers did the springs for a tenner for the both.
A good welder is a good welder; doesn't have to be in the bike industry. Probably one reason the old Sandviks are so good.
I've had Ti frames welded and repaired by a chap who was simply a lone blacksmith; but a fine
one. Every two years he took a certification test to do emergency welds on grounded aircraft - any metal any shape.
Roughly £30 compared to £90 the frame builders quoted & no shipping there & back so I guess another £50 saved. He smirked when I told him I'd been quoted £90. Not knocking the frame guys plus proof will be in the pudding!
I read on here the T2's were made by Sandvik. This is isn't a weld this time but it does have a previous cracked weld repair on the drive side chain stay/bottom bracket joint. That was repaired by previous owner by some guy who made Ti exhausts for drag bikes.