GT Edge Aero TT --> paint pron tarck conversion attempt

A bit more work on the ends today - managed to borrow my neighbour's angle grinder, which was useful, but not fine enough detail really, so back to the file and drill. Nearly there - should be done tomorrow, but we'll see if I find the time.

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Now that's more like what I expected this project to look like!

Not in a good way.

Y u no use die grinder or dremel? That's the ugliest bit of metal work I've ever seen :/
Really hope you pull something special out the bag before the frame ends up in a skip...
In fact you prob could have learnt to weld alu, cut new drops from plate and fit them in the time you've been smashing away with whatever's to hand!
Admire the huevos to tackle it though...

I thought I was looking at some Futurist sculpture after this page loaded, my oh my.

Good luck!

It might work out ok. You might get lucky. At least buy a 4 1/2" grinder and put that 9" beast back on a building site where it belongs.

Simply bolting the steel track ends on actually seemed like an ok solution. Removing all sorts of material that makes the frame one piece is not.

Its not that bad.
Its probs just scratches making it look like that.
I'm sure with the bits bolted on it'll cover the majority of the blemishes and the just using a file you could tidy it up after.

It's the missing aluminium I'm worried about. If GT thought that drop-outs half the thickness would be fine then they would've made them that way.

And all the lovely stress risers that have been introduced to it

I'm (obviously) not an engineer but I would have thought the main forces would be acting along the stays causing the stay/dropout area to shear due to the loss of the ALU. But after fitting in the ends surly that would have fixed it.

As I say, have no idea whether any of this is true.

As Branwen says basically. Every one of those scratches/gouges/over the top drillings is a stress riser and therefore a crack just waiting to happen. That'll need some seriously neat filing and polishing to make good.
Obviously irrelevant as drilling holes to bolt the new drops in will create more stress risers anyway.

I'm definitely no engineer but from my completely uneducated standpoint I predict the first skid stop/resisting pedals to slow down will kill it in the face with fire...

Was there a reason not to run gears/magic gear/eno/ecc bb or is it just money to burn and overestimated abilities at work here?

was looking good, butttttt then you did this.

basically...

This looks worrying.

How many hours have you spent on this? And how much do you get paid per hour? Also factor in reconstructive surgery into your cost/benefit analysis.

ok, ok it sounds like I f'd up, I am willing to admit that I was not aware of the stress risers issue of holes/scratches, and did not consider that when I started removing the aluminium - I was just trying to get the track end to sit flat on the inside, thinking this would distribute any pressure more evenly, thus decreasing the stress. I would have thought even distribution of pressure was the more important physical property rather than the potential damage to the structural uniformity of the aluminium - which, I don't actually think I have compromised that much. I concede I may be wrong on that, but I maintain there is a method to my madness - I am not just dicking around for the hell of it, though I can see now that the time I've had to spend on this is disproportionate to the benefit of the change I'm making.
In any case, I don't think the situation is beyond salvaging, as the thin-ness of the aluminium should be compensated for by the steel, so ultimately the thickness will be significantly thicker than it was originally. I will likely have to reinforce what I have so that it isn't simply the track ends bolted onto the other bits, but I think it can be made structurally sound enough...

The overall thickness may be thicker, but you're bolting onto a now compromised piece of alu.
Remember: 'a chain is as only as strong as its weakest link'. That rear end looks terrifying to me.
I have an analogy to describe the stress risers but only works if you understand the principles of cutting/working with glass. if I can be bothered later I'll get on ms paint and draw it up.

I really hope you prove us all wrong and whip skid it like a boss all day long. Started out as such a nice frame...

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Just a suggestion ..

http://welduk.com/product/aluminium-welding-durafix-easyweld-10-rods

Good call Oswald, if only the OP wasn't using steel dropouts lol....

If all else fails there's always:

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I think good sir , you find yourself out of your depth.

Sinking fast.

Aren't they makin' those frames with like a lot reserve of materials and strength to keep them safe? Just to don't be sued for any unexpected accidents? Anyway if it's not microcracked anywhere then polishing should keep it all right.

Lol wut?

Has this been recycled yet?

My local council wouldn't recycle it, so I fished it out of my wheelie bin...
Seriously though, I don't think it'sthat bad- this is how it currently looks (below). You all have scared me sufficiently though, that I've handed it over to a local metalworker (not sure what he calls himself, but Tom does all sorts of structural welding and things) recommended by Cycletastic in Willesden Green. We'll see if he can work any magic, but one hopeful note from his initial diagnosis was that he says if / when it fails it's unlikely to fail suddenly. If so, I am not quite so worried about it, as I'll obviously have to treat this bike a bit carefully anyways, and check for faults frequently. More updates next week when Tom is through with it...

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So I presume the metal worker is going to do the right thing and just tig in some proper track ends?
Can't see that being a very pricey job at all for someone who knows their trade as cutting them from scratch and fitting would only take a few hours.

Glad you've seen the error of your ways at least.

i could be wrong but i think that if an Alu frame is welded then it needs either heat treating as a whole afterwards or being left for a certain period of time before ridden, something to do with the micro structure - it depends what type of alloy it is. If treated properly you stand a chance.