Cracked frame & tubing cracks - any suggestions?

So, the noise stops if you "hold the top tube and push downwards", presumably this takes your weight off the saddle? If it's also silent when standing... isn't it more likely to be the saddle rails/post than a frame crack?

I find the rear bolt on my Thomson post needs tightening every few months to stop the creaking...

Your diagnosis would indeed be correct Dr Munch. The seat post in the frame was twisting and creaking. Removed post, greased it and re-installed, did up bolt nice and tight. Problem licked. Suppose I should not always assume the worst then, eh.

prblem is on steel frames the sound bounces around all over the place so it's very hard to tell where it's coming from...

For sure.

I think I may have actually found a 5mm long crack at the back of the head tube where it meets the top tube. Could be a crack in the powderocat though. Time will tell.

. (duh)

i have one of these

http://www.konabikes.co.uk/2008/unit/unit-2-9.php

which has now got a cracked down tube

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41370578@N06/3812111638/

bit hard to see from the pic, but the crack goes all the way through.

does anyone think this looks repairable?

has anyone had any dealings with Kona? The bike is over a year old now, hard to find info on their warranties.

on the bright side it could result in a new bike...

bloody hell, i'd take it to where you bought it from first.

just dropped it off at my LBS, apparently Kona have a 4 year frame warranty, so i should get a replacement frame. guess it will take a while though.

nice.

hello

Hopefully some one can help me out with some advice on this Condor 1977 road race (I think it is) frame I got off ebay a while ago. I am thinking of building it up and I went into Brixton Cycles and a helpful bloke there advised against it as there is crack just behind the seat post and seemed to think when tightening the seat bolt it was crack more.

I know nothing but I guess it would last a while... but I think it would cost more than the £100 the frame cost to get fixed.

Anyone had an experience with cracks on a frame in this area and do they get dramatically worse or will it last a while?

probably get that fixed, rather easily with some brazing skills, i.e Roberts or Vaz. Do a search on brazing, and cracked frame see what other information is about. This is not the first time this topic has come up so most likely there is a few gems of information to be had.

Hmmm, that's a very unusual place for a crack.

I used to have an almost identical Condor frame in the late 70's. Those "fastback" stays were very popular back then. Never occurred to me (and probably not to the frame builders either) that incorporating the seat stays into the seat lug like that would be a weak point, albeit 30 years later.

thanks for the help guys, I shall consult with a frame builder and see what they say. I could even take it to Condor and see what they say.

I dont want to have to spend more money on this build!

Did you take it to condor? What did they say?

Thanks for your help guys but I am putting the project on hold for now as this crack was not expected.

I havent had a chance to take it to Condor - I emailed them and they gave me a rough quote of "cost with out respray will probably be around £120. Chas Roberts said "approx £70, Respray from £160"

I will be selling the campagnolo scirocco wheels I bought for this build in a bit on here

So I was pulling my 08 Tricross Singlespeed away from a junction the other night, and heard this rather sickening crunch. Couldn't tell immediately what the matter was, but it kept repeating it under anything but the lightest torque, and it seemed to be getting worse. Limped home, pushing it up hills. Took it to the bike shop this morning, assuming it was the bottom bracket with a slight niggle about there being a bit of movement on each noise. The mechanic called me thirty seconds after I left it there: the seat tube had cracked in two, hidden inside the lock mount. New frame needed. Cock.

They're calling Specialized to see if they'll replace it, but they reckon it might have been the lock mounting that weakened it. That seemed implausible to me, but I'd be surprised if I can generate enough torque to snap a frame, so here's hoping they call it a manufacturing fault.

Anyone else done this? Does the lock mount thing seem plausible?

Pictures?

It's in the shop. I'll try and get one tonight.

And don't get me wrong, I'm a fat bastard (6'3", 17st) and I do break bikes, but blaming the lock mount seems weird.

Lock mount???

Back when I used to MTB people used to tape their regular position onto seatpost with electrical tape, so that after dropping seatpost for off-piste hucking fun you could find the magic spot for the 10mile road section back to the pub.

Over the years, pretty much everyone that did that (and had a high end post, carbon/alu/ti, not one of the thick alu gas pipe jobs) snapped their posts at the edge of the tape or within it. Spooky shit.

Guess there is an increase surface stress being brought on by anything that wraps around a tube*

*awaits LFGSS metallurgists to back me up/ shoot me with fire in the face

Hello, my old 2006 Langster has cracked below the seat clamp. I was thinking to buy a new frame and transfer the parts but I do not have time to build it at the moment and I need a bike to commute.
Can I put an old aluminium seatport and glue it in the frame so I can use the bike for a while?
Any other ideas?

it wont be ideal, but until you manage something else, yep, why not. wrost can happen is that the glue breaks and you have cycle home with the saddle by the top tube and moving left to right...

Is the problem with alu frames, not easy repair.

photo of the crack? You may get away with riding it for a while, but aluminium can snap easily once cracked.

^true that

did you buy it new? might be worth trying to warantee it. (Though it does sound like it's been caused by overtorqueing the seat clamp)

did you buy it new? might be worth trying to warantee it. (Though it does sound like it's been caused by overtorqueing the seat clamp)

I bought the bike new from Evans back in 2006, is it possible to get a new frame as a replacement?

I know that Marin has a life time warranty, maybe Specialized too?

check in the web page