Have I Cracked My Frame?

[Hacienda71]

exactly what i made (it was shite though, dropped all metalwork/woodwork in favour of german the next year)…

I dropped German and took Design I think they called it where I went to school in Wilmslow and made a back rest and spare wheel holder for my Vespa, it was crap............

 

[BrumJim]

I am still concerned about it as a lot of my riding is up in the Pennines which, if it is a crack will be putting a lot of stress on it, so I will probably take it to the LBS where the guy I know has said he will have a look at it for me.My commute in terms of monitoring it though is not so extreme.
How do the dye pens/spray work in terms of revealing the integrity of the weld?

Read the instructions, but spray on the dye penetrant spray, wait for a minute or two, and clean off the excess. If there is a crack, it will show in pink as a very thin line where the dye penetrant has gone down the crack, and therefore has not been wiped away with a cloth.

 

[fossyant]

Doesn't look good - worth removing the BB, giving the whole area inside a clean then shine a bright torch inside to see if the crack goes through. Could be a paint crack, but it's not in an area of flex.

Ribble carbon frames are cheap (ish) !!!

 

[Globalti]

What's the point in rubbing pink dye in? He's already spotted the crack because it's got dirt and oil in it. T'would be better to take it along to a dentist or a friendly vet and get it X-rayed.

I know a friendly vet, I ride with him.

Mmmmm.... Ribble bikes..... I was in their store at lunch time.... considerable drool potential there!

 

[Zoiders]

If there is a doubt I would shelve it, you were aware of the fact it was getting on in years so you sensibly checked for cracks - this is grounds enough to make it a DNR.

I would transfer all the bits on to Merx if it's a 126mm spacing, yes you might lose a bit of ride height but you can plug larger tyres in and guards if you choose to.

Ignore dire warnings about cold setting unless it's one of the more recent superlight alloys of stee l- it will stand up to the slight spread of the rear triangle without problems, Surly for instance even use this as a design feature these days.

 

[Davidc]

Not worth the risk. Best to buy a new frame and transfer all the kit to it.

Aluminium snaps, and when a frame goes you crash.

 

[andrew_s]

I had a (steel) frame break there once - the BB shell broke, allowing the bottom end of the seat tube to flap about. It's not the sort of thing that's going to cause an instant crash. I rode it about 30 miles home. It was best to stay seated, and you'd have problems with the front mech pushing the chain off (I was on fixed).
Keep checking the crack, and start thinking about a new bike or frame, more urgently if the crack show any sign of growing.

 

[uphillstruggler]

Shoot me down in flames is this is nonsense but i used to get ali brackets welded by a local engineering company, is it now worth taking it in for a chat local to you? it may be a little expensive as i remember.

 

[Hacienda71]

Shoot me down in flames is this is nonsense but i used to get ali brackets welded by a local engineering company, is it now worth taking it in for a chat local to you? it may be a little expensive as i remember.

No I don't think that is nonsense. I spoke to a client in Macclesfield today who owns a metal fabrication co. they do weld aluminium and he has suggested that I bring it in so they can have a look. The frame new wouldn't set me back more than £150 from Ribble and it is a few years old now so I just need to be sure that it is a worthwhile exercise when I add in the cost of a powder coat after the repair.

 

[Zoiders]

If one weld went there is a very high possibilty that the rest of the welds are aproaching the end of a fatigue life as well (head tube being the worst case scenario). Repairing a crack in ally that's fairly new well thats not a problem - something old I would not bother though.

This is why aircraft get binned after so many hours of use.

 

[uphillstruggler]

If one weld went there is a very high possibilty that the rest of the welds are aproaching the end of a fatigue life as well (head tube being the worst case scenario). Repairing a crack in ally that's fairly new well thats not a problem - something old I would not bother though.

This is why aircraft get binned after so many hours of use.

this is a good point also, and if you can pick up a new frame for £150, then that would be the route i take too.

although i really hate letting things like that go, especially after having it for such a long time.

good luck either way

 

[EYE-TYE-MAD]

Just came back from a hilly ride in and noticed what would appear to be a crack about 3cm long around a weld on my Ribble. Is it likely to be terminal? It is a relatively old aluminium 7005 racing frame.
One way of checking if the frame is cracked is a method used by Gunsmiths to test shotgun barrels. Suspend the frame by a length of thin cord, obviously minus the forks & everything else, absolutely everything, then tap lightly with a screw driver or some such object. Like a tuning fork or a bone china cup suspended by the handle, the frame should to a certain degree have a ring. If the sound created is dead & flat the frame is most certainly cracked.