Bent frame - sell, repair, adapt, live with?

[Ugo51]

Thanks.

Yes 124mm. Mostly centered. There is still a bit of difference but it's about 1mm measured with the string at the level of the seat tube.

I thought it was meant to be a 126mm and I read somewhere that sometimes spacing was slightly less than hub size?

I had a look at the stays and they look the same on both sides so I don't know why the right one would spread more than the left.
I'll pick it up again in the weekend. And maybe in the meantime try and find something I can use as a 4x2.
Maybe a 4x2...

 

[hamster]

I'm going throw a bit of a spanner into the workings. Weren't some touring frames designed asymmetrically? To allow less wheel dish and hence a stronger rear wheel. And as Orbit were a smaller factory with a speciality being touring frames, maybe it was them

Yep, the Romany was definitely asymmetric mid-90s. However as far as I know the Harrier wasn't. The Romany took 26" (559) wheels and was aimed at heavy touring on rough roads, the Harrier at lighter stuff.

My Witcomb was re-spaced by GA Cycles in Southampton as part of a renovation. https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1980-witcomb-restoration.477670/

 

[Ugo51]

Ok. So confirmed the Harrier is not asymmetrical.
That helps.

 

[Ugo51]

So, I was wrong.

The spacing is 126mm (just a smidge less, and to me doesn't look like it's been stretched. The dropouts are parallel.

But the frame is not symmetrical. With the string method, I confirmed there is a difference between the two sides, with the wheel on and with the wheel off.

Not sure how I managed to get it so wrong last time, but working in a rush is never a good idea.

Anyway, at this point, I would tend to believe the frame indeed has asymmetrical stays, as it doesn't seem very likely to me that the rear triangle is bent if the spacing is 126mm

Having said that, I passed the string across the head tube, so it's possible that it's the front section of the frame that is not planar. But there are no dents that suggests the frame might have been bent.

I guess at this point the easiest solution is to take off the spacer in the hub (non drive side) and try to turn the 130mm spacing wheel into a 126mm one...

 

[bikeworkshop]

So, I was wrong.

The spacing is 126mm (just a smidge less, and to me doesn't look like it's been stretched. The dropouts are parallel.

But the frame is not symmetrical. With the string method, I confirmed there is a difference between the two sides, with the wheel on and with the wheel off.

Not sure how I managed to get it so wrong last time, but working in a rush is never a good idea.

Anyway, at this point, I would tend to believe the frame indeed has asymmetrical stays, as it doesn't seem very likely to me that the rear triangle is bent if the spacing is 126mm

Having said that, I passed the string across the head tube, so it's possible that it's the front section of the frame that is not planar. But there are no dents that suggests the frame might have been bent.

I guess at this point the easiest solution is to take off the spacer in the hub (non drive side) and try to turn the 130mm spacing wheel into a 126mm one...

Asymmetrical stays I've only seen on 135
We were an orbit dealer mid late 90s

 

[Ugo51]

Thanks. This confirms what I found online on another forum, where someone who used to be Orbit sales manager (you probably know him), was saying that only the Romany and another model I don't recall, but not the Harrier, were asymmetric.

So the frame is bent.
And I have the vague impression it's bent in the front section.

It's a shame. It's an otherwise beautiful frame, but I don't have the space/tools/time (and most likely skills) to attempt to restore it

 

[bikeworkshop]

If you clamp the bb shell in a vice, you can see where the asymmetry is.
It's hard to bend the main triangle without obvious curvature or dent.
The back end can often be pulled back in to shape, but if it had a collision, the insurance would write it off.

On the positive side, there are plenty more fish in the sea, so recycling the damaged ones is no problem.

 

[Ugo51]

Sadly, I live in a tiny flat and all my tools fit in a shoulder bag.
If I was at my family home, I'd strip the frame and try and identify the problem but as things stand, I'll just get a new one and swap the parts.

Do you think it's a nice enough frame that is worth passing it on even if potentially damaged or should I just get rid of it?

 

[bikeworkshop]

If its bent its best recycled - there are many more nice frames out there wanting use.