Bike Mielec

the box arrived in okay condition, there were no holes, just had areas where there was signs of bending

the head tube had a piece of cardboard taped over it, and that was it ://///

yeah , I'm at a lost, seems Robert is not replying to my emails, I tried calling no dice, I wished it was packed better, pvc piping for exposed tubing would have been better, and maybe a fragile sticker on the box might have helped ... sigh

I contacted Polish Post about this and they need a Poland bank account # to claim damaged goods. I sent Robert step by step instructions in Polish but the email got rejected due to his inbox being filled :/

Bike shops sell tyres, you need a metal fabricator that works with aluminum.

Alternatively if you know what grade of aluminum was used, you might be able to heat it up and reform it, so long as it is a particular grade.

I was referred to 2 bike frame repair/building shop, they all denied 100% guarantee repair, you can't just cut out the head tube and re-weld it, because alu is heat treated , if you tap it out, there is a high chance of this cracking, the metal is bent so much I can see and feel the paint cracking ... you can't just heat it up and reform alu, it's not the same as steel, yes, I have done countless hrs of research and calling experts around me, my last hope to get this in riding condition is, I have reached out to aluminum metal fabricators who make home related accessories (fences, doors, awnings, etc etc) waiting for them to reply

tbh, this shouldn't even be an issue to begin with , I think I've done almost everything possible on my end

Not all aluminum is heat treated. And I don’t think the stuff meilec uses is heat treated. Heat treating adds costs and requires big ovens. Not something small builders have access to and if they did it would be reflected in the price.

If you can find out the grade they used it will help work out how repairable it is. The type that doesn’t need heat treatment age hardens. I suspect yours is that type as it bent without snapping. If it was t6 it either wouldn’t have deformed or would have cracked.

If done correctly it could be repaired in my view. I say that as someone with a metal workshop and has actually welded aluminum.

This. It just doesn’t have the feel of like a 6000series frame. Tubes thick, bb pretty soft (easy to crossthread)

I read somewhere it's 6069 T6, maybe @gbj_tester has more knowledge about this material

https://bikemielec.com/en/na_zamowienie.php

You might want to take a look at this.

Do you have an idea when the frame was built approximately? It will give an indication of how strong it is as it will potentially still be in a softer state if only made a couple weeks ago.

It's not cost effective to heat treat one frame at a time, or even small batches.

maybe tester has more knowledge

I know from looking at the pictures that the frame is fucked and the seller should refund or replace.

6069 is a relatively new (1990s introduction) member of the 6000 series, offering higher strength than the common 6061. Like 6061, it needs heat treatment after welding to T6 (artificially aged) condition to achieve the desired properties. All of which is moot if Mielec use 7005 and 7020, which naturally age harden quickly and can therefore be used for welded structures without post-weld heat treatment.

Robert isn't being cooperative, I am beyond frustrated, if there are any locals still in this form who can help me out, that would be great, I'm trying to get Robert to at least try to claim Polish Post money for damaged shipment (the package wasn't insured btw) but I was told there is a chance for money back by a Polish Post consultant by submitting an online form ... I'm not trying to diy fix this my self because I know I will not get it right

The frame material is most likely 7000 series alu , probably 7005, the frame was built around 4 weeks ago

If someone can help me translate that the inner head tube is also bent, as well as the lip in Polish that would be great, I have tried google translate as well as chat gpt translate, and it seems that Robert thinks only the lip is bent ... Idk why he can't see that the inner head tube is also bent further down... the photos are very clear

do you have time and are you willing to provide steps for me to follow to carefully bend this frame back in place?

I'm not worried about the lip part, I'm more worried about the inner head tube that is bent further down from the lip, I'm not sure how to bend it back correctly to be round again

Not sure its the right way but a tapered wedge 2ill make unround round again. Done it on pipe but not a ht.

If I were in your shoes I would try an exhaust expander tool that will fit in the gap at present and use it very carefully to try and get it round again. But be super careful not to expand it. You may be able to get it round again if you’re very very careful. I would grease up the bent in part and just go as carefully as possible.

This would be the best way I can think of doing it that gives you control and can save you going too far. You just want to avoid stretching the metal or cracking it. I would hope it goes back in to shape doing this and I feel it’s probably your best chance with available easy to use tools and not using a hammer or anything that could make it worse.

My only worry with this is that it’s hardened up to the point that it wouldn’t go back easily and will put pressure in the wrong areas and make it worse.

Before you do it research weather heating it would help. It might aid it, it might not. But don’t just blindly heat it hoping for the best as you could make it worse.

And maybe test on an old frame or bit of tubing first if you can to see what is likely to happen.

For the lip, you might be able to prise it back and gently get it back to shape. That’s the part I would worry most about cracking.

I have an idea but would require making a tool or jig. I’ll have to get back to you on that one

I’m assuming you’re at a point where you feel you may as well have a go otherwise it will get chucked in the bin….

research weather heating

It's happening, at least partially due to people moving carbon from under the ground to over it🙂

Anneal temperature for 7005 or 7020 is beyond what you can do at home.

The rim of the bearing seat looks like it already cracked. This is not a place I'd want to just wing it, there are substantial radial forces on the bearings under service loading, particularly braking, which rely on the bearing housing being an intact ring of material. A competent welder could grind out the damage and build up the material, but then you've got to put the frame in a mill to bore the seat to size and recut the chamfer, by which time you've spent more than the cost of a new frame. That's the best case scenario. If the tube is bent, the two bearings are never going to be coaxial short of cutting out the whole head tube and replacing it.

In the end, the seller is responsible. If they won't play ball, let's hope the buyer paid by credit card because a chargeback is the next step.

In the end, the seller is responsible.

This.

The buyer has been nice and checked out whether it can easily be professionally repaired to make life easier and potentially get a speedier result.

It can't.

If I were in your shoes I would try...get chucked in the bin….

Ftfy.

Looks like I will be out 350 pounds, I paid via wire transfer, bad experience, I will hold onto the frame until I meet a nice welder who would want to take on the job for fun, Idk why Robert doesn't want to go through with the Polish Post claim, sigh frustrating, I appreciate everyone helping me out here and hearing me out

I will def do an update when I get the chance to fix this, I think the best solution is to either order another frame or cut the head tube out and replace it, and the next best solution is to throw it away and never think about this ever again haha

Very bad that Mielec don't take responsibility for this

Idk why Robert doesn't want to go through with the Polish Post claim

I'm guessing the service used doesn't have sufficient cover. If that's the case, he was winging it to save a few quid on insurance, which is a scumbag move. None of which removes his liability under either EU or UK law.

Have you pointed Robert to this thread? He must have got a lot of business from forum members over the years.
I did have a sort of plan to get a Polo frame from him but not really sure about risking it now.

Update: I guess my persistent push for him to go to the Polish Post worked, he will send someone tomorrow to talk to the post office

I have not pointed Robert to this thread particularly , for context though, they shipped this frame internationally to USA , I can't say anything about services within the EU/UK regions but if you are local, issues like this might be easier to handle (but that's me assuming)

Update: Robert got back to me

Basically saying he wants me to be satisfied but it's not possible for them to rebuild a frame or refund me the money because they are a small business which I understand

I'm not 100% sure if he has submitted a claim for Polish Post, as it sounds like he has not

He also mentioned me sending the frame back from USA to Poland, that will cost me $32o USD to ship it back """SAFELY""" , I'm not sending it back the same way it came ... and insurance is only $5 for $500 ... SIGH ... yes throwing a lot of shade because this all could've been avoided had it not been for cutting cost to begin with ...

Any way, I will have to ask, but the next best solution is to just pay a discounted price for a new frame, I really like the frame still and really wanted to build it up and ride it this summer, I would be happy with paying an additional $200 USD , will ask later today

they are a small business

They'll be an even smaller business when people find out about how they do business.