Dented Titanium Seat Stay

[thegruyere]

I aquired this 1990 Titanium Merlin a few days ago and unfortunately I discovered that the seat stay is dented in a place that was hidden by a sensor.

How serious is this dent? Is it safe to ride the bike with it? Can it be fixed and is it worth fixing it?

Thanks

 

[nicklej]

I can't help but think if you were giving it the beans out the saddle, that the seatstay could fold there. Maybe my physics are wrong but I also think it can be tricky understanding the severity of a dent. On my frame it began making a light ticking noise which was a crack propogating and then it failed catastrophically on the the downtube.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I can't help but think if you were giving it the beans out the saddle, that the seatstay could fold there. Maybe my physics are wrong but I also think it can be tricky understanding the severity of a dent. On my frame it began making a light ticking noise which was a crack propogating and then it failed catastrophically on the the downtube.

I remember that

 

[Woz]

IMHO:

If it's a dent due to an impact the frame may not be in alignment and track well. If it's a dent due to accidental crimping it may be in better shape - excuse the pun. I've ridden a low end Ti MTB which had a crimp from a daft bike lock and attempted theft worse than that on the upper seat stay. It was OK. A failure on the rear triangle - in theory - will still allow you to control the bike. If it starts to fold it will do so gradually and you will feel it and probably get wheel rub somewhere as an early warning.

I think you could ride this and just keep an eye on it that it remains a dent without a crack. Not worth repairing.

 

[Nob]

Seat stay Ti tubing thickness is a concern here if your going to be sprinting for signs etc…I certainly wouldn’t want to be doing lots of fast descending on that TBH……so if it’s a keeper or sentimental value I would enquire to see how much it costs to fix through a builder that does Ti repairs try Enigma Bikes or Vernon Barker if they are still in operation for Ti repairs. Or get a refund

 

[synchronicity]

So the seller intentionally hid it from you?
What a bastard.

 

[BerthaPog]

So the seller intentionally hid it from you?

This.

I’d be looking at returning it For full refund. I don’t know anyone who’d put a speed sensor on the rear drive side - the dishing of the wheel makes it much harder to get a close alignment with the magnet. So that leads me to think that they have deliberately tried to hide it, and then what else have they not been honest about…

 

[chickendrumsticks]

Where /how did you get it? If it was deliberately concealed - and that's what it looks like - you'd have a strong case for getting your money back. Contact the seller and raise a complaint through ebay/gumtree, or wherever you bought it.
A clear misrepresentation.
I wouldn't trust it to ride. A shame because it's a lovely machine

 

[thegruyere]

Yeah it was clearly hidden on purpose, since the sensor was too far in the back, it needed to be on the fork to work and that's how I discovered the dent.

 

[Imlach]

Hope you can get your money back mate

What an absolute wankstain of a human being