Kinesis titanium frame, it was great while it lasted!

[AlanW]

Putting a cable hole next to a weld by a bridge is just stupid.
Ti frame builders seem to make a point of incorporating stress risers.

I would tend to agree with you. However in saying that the crack has not touched the cable hole at all, so that would suggest that it wasn't a factor in causing the crack?

 

[Alien8]

Mudguard removed and a closer inspection reveals the full extent of the crack. Pretty much 3/4 of the circumference of the drive side chain stay.

View attachment 676805

Call that a crack?

Now this is a crack.

But good luck with your claim for a replacement.

 

[MichaelW2]

I would tend to agree with you. However in saying that the crack has not touched the cable hole at all, so that would suggest that it wasn't a factor in causing the crack?

Drilling a hole reduces stiffness in the tube allowing more flex but the flexing part is adjacent to the stiff weld. Without the weld, the hole itself "may" have been the origin of a crack, but here it just contributed to the lack if stiffness.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Call that a crack?

Now this is a crack.

View attachment 676807

But good luck with your claim for a replacement.

Can you zoom in a bit, I'm not quite seeing it

 

[Adam4868]

At least the welds held up 😁
I'd definitely be playing up feck with Kinesis about that...you know there more than likely going to be saying "wear and tear,state of the roads" blah blah but it's certainly not been fit for purpose.
If they offer you any sort of replacement it's got to be better than nothing ? Surely you could sell a replacement frame on,worse case scenario.
I'd normally say weld it...but it's in a bugger of a place ! Right next to another weld which I think would compromise that.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Mrs T's Van Nic suffered a similar failure, which we got a replacement for.

At the time, it became apparent to me just how many Ti bikes seem to suffer frame failures. It's regarded as a material for life, but the reality seems to be the opposite, seems to be the material most prone to failure.

I chose 953 instead - I think if I were you I'd replace with a different material, either steel or carbon.

 

[wafter]

Mrs T's Van Nic suffered a similar failure, which we got a replacement for.

At the time, it became apparent to me just how many Ti bikes seem to suffer frame failures. It's regarded as a material for life, but the reality seems to be the opposite, seems to be the material most prone to failure.

I chose 953 instead - I think if I were you I'd replace with a different material, either steel or carbon.

Indeed - apparently like steel / unlike ally it has no fatigue limit (so if stress is kept below a certain threashold Ti should never fail through cyclic loading), however I too seem to be seeing a lot of failed Ti frames.. so from this can only conclude that these failures are the result of design, production or material spec / quality issues.

Whatever the reason such news only reinforces my choice of steel tbh; and I don't think I'd buy Ti even if I could justify the cost.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I don't think I'd buy Ti even if I could justify the cost.

If you buy a nice bespoke 953 frame, you can make it easily more expensive than off the shelf Ti.

Don't ask me how I know

 

[MichaelW2]

Any frame can fail through poor match of design, material and construction. These Ti failues may be due to too thin unbutted tubing, heavy handed welding or building stress raisers into the design.
Ti has no mass market scale and few custom builders who learn from each mistake. The small factory scale of Ti, built far from the users, and the rebadging of frames, makes feedback from user to origin very poor.

 

[Fastpedaller]

Maybe I should sell my Brompton SL just in case, but I've only done about 100 miles on it

 

[vickster]

Maybe I should sell my Brompton SL just in case, but I've only done about 100 miles on it

Do Ti Bromptons have a history of frame failures?

I’ve two Ti bikes, no plan to sell either

 

[ColinJ]

I don't think they stock Cannondale anymore.

Drat, if THEY can't do it either. I am running out of local shops to try. I may end up just buying a new fork and doing it myself. (I don't think that Cannondale would supply a replacement fork to an individual in this situation.)

 

[Fastpedaller]

Do Ti Bromptons have a history of frame failures?

I’ve two Ti bikes, no plan to sell either

Don't know, and I doubt it....... maybe an over-reaction on my part

 

[vickster]

Don't know, and I doubt it....... maybe an over-reaction on my part

Sounds like it
Just keep an eye on it, presumably it has a decent warranty

 

[Milzy]

Crikey. I love my Ti frame but if it ever cracks I’ll never go back with that material.