American Content...

[Sidekick416]

more pics...

My own purple blue fade Complite..

my mate, Wyatt's satin M16

 

[Sidekick416]

Izzy's Camo Complite & Eddie's Black Complite

 

[Andy R]

Looks pretty cool, but that welding is just horrible.

A cable stop attached with about a ton of chicken shit and closed gussets on both the top and down tubes too :roll:

And the cable stop isn't welded onto the gusset - the gusset is notched to clear the stop :shock: . Too many stress risers for my liking, right where you least want them.....

 

[Ductape]

Looks pretty cool, but that welding is just horrible.

A cable stop attached with about a ton of chicken shit and closed gussets on both the top and down tubes too :roll:

And the cable stop isn't welded onto the gusset - the gusset is notched to clear the stop :shock: . Too many stress risers for my liking, right where you least want them.....

I have been riding my American built Rodriguez AL-26 Mtb Tandem since buying it new in 1990. Never a frame issues outside of a few bent der. hangers.

A few things to ponder:

For the past 20+ years I have weighed 220 to 225 lbs.

In the early 90's this bike was raced quite often by myself with a 175lb stoker (strong team, I was much younger then).

The last time I weighed the bike (probably when I got it in 90), it came in at an admireable for the time 38lbs, or less than my Kona Stinky Primo weighs ("chicken shit" must be lighter than it looks).



No suspension, the frame along with the fork and riders took the abuse from the trail.

Not sure if you have ever rode hard off road on a rigid tandem before but if you haven't, I assure you, there are stresses put on an offroad tandem frame that a single frame never experiences.

The bike itself has experienced three total new groupsets over hundreds of offroad miles.

When seen in person, I usually get compliments about the way the bike was welded.

Angel Rodriguez a premiere steel Tandem frame builder (from this part of the world, google him) was happy enough with American's craftsmanship to put his name on their aluminum frame.

Admittedly, For the past couple of years, the bike has been set up in a road configuration, while my then girlfriend now wife became a comfortable cyclist. Now that she is more interested in her single bike, I am devising plans to get the bike back into it's proper knobby tire form.

I guess what am respectfully trying to say is that those "chicken shit" welds have held up to more stress than most (not all) bikes presented here over the years on RBUK.

Cheers,
T

 

[Andy R]

How did this get to a point where you've read my post as being critical of either the build quality or durability of your tandem frame? My criticism wasn't of all "American" frames but was based solely in what I saw in the photograph.

All I was saying was that it's generally considered bad engineering practice to have welds running around a tube as opposed to along it, hence the reason that most gussets on light gauge tubes (like on a bicycle top tube and down tube) aren't closed at the end. If it's thought desirable to close the end (for cosmetic reasons?) then on a steel frame they can be silver soldered.

For the same reason cable stops on aluminium frames are frequently bonded and blind riveted in position because having two 1/8th" dia. holes in the tube is much preferable to having to weld in that area.
Just as on a steel frame they are brazed rather than welded.

And I stand by what I said - that is an example of both bad design of a welded assembly and badly executed TIG welding.

 

[CTK]

I love the fat welds especially on the unpainted frames I think they are beautiful. Completely OTT of course, but thats part of what I like.

The Pesenti road bike in my signature has an a bit of Beryllium in the tubeset.

 

[Ductape]

How did this get to a point where you've read my post as being critical of either the build quality or durability of your tandem frame? quote]

I simply stated some documented first hand knowledge about a different American frame while touching base on the concerns you brought up in your post about the original posters American: cosmetics, the weight of chickenshit, and durability of the frames construction.

I tried to give just enough background about my specific ride to document without being a detailed boring.

Enjoy the weekend,
T

 

[Andy R]

How did this get to a point where you've read my post as being critical of either the build quality or durability of your tandem frame?

I simply stated some documented first hand knowledge about a different American frame while touching base on the concerns you brought up in your post about the original posters American: cosmetics, the weight of chickenshit, and durability of the frames construction.

I tried to give just enough background about my specific ride to document without being a detailed boring.

Enjoy the weekend,
T

Thank you, I wish you the same

Andy.

 

[crconsulting]

American Breezer

 

[allard]

Man love the wheelcovers on that camo american... Forgot all about those things. A friend of mine in the early 90's had a crappy Djerba with a rear wheel like that. Gotta get me a set for fun!