Frame and help (for cargo bodge)

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  • Hi all,

    Looking for advice on what frame will work and then if anyone has any knocking about that would be ace.

    Picked up this cheap cargo bike online to help collect freebie furniture and stuff as just moved into my first home.
    It was super unstable riding back and leans to one side considerably, turns out there's a crack on the top and down tube near the head tube.

    Anyone know if any old frame will work with this, not sure on geometry and stiffness requirements.


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  • Frame is fucked, take it back to the seller.
    Is it that guy on eBay that makes them himself? They all seem to break within 10 minutes of use.

  • Was on gumtree, I'd like to keep it as hoping I can just swap the frame out with something cheap/free but not sure yet

  • At a cursory glance, from an engineering perspective, there is next to no chance you'll find a frame with a 1" headset that is built to take all the stress that riding that thing with cargo is going to produce.

    From the pictures the headtube looks almost vertical, which suggests the cracked frame as been modified or bent to fit, either scenario making it more likely to fail.

    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think this is worth whatever you paid for it.

  • As has been said, you're unlikely to find a suitable donor frame. A generic frame would have a rake angle to the headtube which would mean the front two wheels wouldn't pivot around the same point and it would likely want to hoof you into the nearest hedge. Best bet to keep it would be to strip the frame and take it to a local metal fabricator and have them weld the tubes and fit gussets or triangular side plates to reinforce that area.

  • Ah, how disappointing, was excited about this prospect.

    I'll message the seller but don't expect I'll get my money back,

  • It may be possible in theory to reuse the head tube and the rear triangle of a old donor frame, just welding in new top and down tubes. Some straight guage, heavier wall tubing would be stronger than bicycle tubing.

    But it may be cost prohibitive

  • I would just take it back though

  • Wasn't it like £50?

    I'd try and find a friendly forumer or a car garage to bodge right again!

  • Yeah, £50 which is why I've not given up hope of trying to get it fixed

  • Going to try returning it, it was meant to help making new home life easier so don't have time to sort it, anyone want a punt at it before I do? £50

  • That geometry has huge negative trail and huge bump steer. I can’t imagine a way to make riding that trike any sort of fun.

  • Plus it has no reinforcement at a huge stress point and there is no way to add it because of it's design.

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Frame and help (for cargo bodge)

Posted by Avatar for HeyHey @HeyHey

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