Repairable or wall hanging ?

NakedGav · Dec 2, 2008

I've discovered that my old aluminium (6000 series I think) Caloi frame has a crack around the top of the seat tube, just below the collar that extends for half the tube circumference - see pics.
Now, my initial plan was to simply cut the tube off at the crack and fit a slimline collar and bob's your uncle.
On closer inspection however there seems to also be what look like stress lines just above the weld on the front of the seat tube where it meets the top tube and also one just in front of the weld on the top tube, you can just make them out in the last pic. Should these be troubling me and if so is there a repair solution or should I just clean it and hang it ?
Any thoughts/experience/advice welcome.

Cheers

Gav

legrandefromage · Dec 2, 2008

take the lip off a seat clamp and place it round the crack. Put original back on, replace seatpost, tighten up both clamps and ride away for a few more years.,

Its what I would do but others will have their own thoughts.

clockworkgazz · Dec 2, 2008

I would cut it at the crack and then use a very long post and just keep a beady eye on it.

Enid_Puceflange · Dec 2, 2008

I'm not sure what size drill i would use, but i would investigate drilling the very ends of the cracks to stop it spreading any further, along with a longer post . should be ok?

GC

elite504 · Dec 2, 2008

mmmmm.. . . wall art I think. .
Looks like you can't get a collar low enough to clear those wrinkles. .

Andy R · Dec 2, 2008

Stop-drill at the end of the cracks (1.5 -2.0mm dia.) and use a well-fitting seatpost that is plenty long enough to extend well below the top tube/seat stay cluster. Better still, get it prepped and tig welded .
It looks to me that a likely cause for the failure has been using too small a seatpost or one with a very short shim.

The worst that can happen is that if the crack propagated all round the seatube is that the seatpost and saddle would be free to rotate (as if the clamp was loose).

If it was mine, that's what I would do - get more use out of it.

scant · Dec 2, 2008

there looks to be additional stress fractures at the top of the weld, where the seattube joins the toptube.

i broke my 94 klein fervor in much the same way. I drilled tiny holes at the end of the crack to stop it spreading & used a massive long seatpost, but after a while it started big time creaking like a newly married couples bed..

NakedGav · Dec 2, 2008

Yeah, the crack I can cope with or get round but it's the hairline stress lines that are worrying me.
It's my old race frame from back in the day and I used it with a shimmed use seatpost so I'm suspecting the use shims didn't offer great support as they weren't the biggest or sturdiest of things were they.

utahdog2003 · Dec 2, 2008

Wall art. The crack on the top-tube at the leading edge of the weld is the one to worry about. No running-of-two-seat-clamps will help you with that one. :cry:

NakedGav · Dec 2, 2008

That's the news I'm afraid of.

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Repairable or wall hanging ?

NakedGav

Attachments

legrandefromage

clockworkgazz

Enid_Puceflange

elite504

Andy R

Senior Retro Guru

scant

Retro Wizard

NakedGav

utahdog2003

Senior Retro Guru

NakedGav

Similar threads

Latest posts