I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?
Road Cycling · Public discussion
Aluminum frame cracks
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- 20 October 2006
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- 2 November 2006
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- coast rider
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Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?You could have that issue with a frame made out of any material; it's hardly
something unique to aluminum. In general, if you rode a steel frame long
enough to fail, it would do so in one of two places. Either the
dropout/chainstay connection on the derailleur side, or a tear in the
downtube a bit below the front derailleur, on the side opposite the
chainring.I'm assuming that what you're seeing is actually a crack and not just a hole
in the junction that was there from the beginning. In any event, you should
bring it back in to the dealer so they can assess what's going on and
process it as a warranty if appropriate.--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA"coast rider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames? -
Mike - how long (or far) is "long enough to fail"?
I've got an 853 frame from 1999, with (I'm guessing) 15-20K miles. Should I
be worried?
- Gary"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
In general, if you rode a steel frame longQuoted message said:
enough to fail, it would do so in one of two places.
-
Quoted message said:
Mike - how long (or far) is "long enough to fail"?
I've got an 853 frame from 1999, with (I'm guessing) 15-20K miles. Should
I be worried?
- GaryIf built properly, it's got a long & useful life ahead of it. Generally
35-50k miles is where you see such things. Some frames go longer (sometimes
much longer), some less. The usual problem with an 853 (or other superlight
super-air-hardened steel alloy) tends to be from the use of rivnuts for the
bottle fittings. The tubes are so thin that a round hole for the rivnut
usually doesn't keep it from spinning, so they punch a squarish hole, which,
while it eliminates spinning, can cause tearns in the metal at the corners.
Aside from that, 853 (and the similar materials made elsewhere) are rather
amazing for how well they hold up, considering their weight. Far stronger
than much heavier steels (531, Columbus SL & SP) from earlier days.--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com"Gary Smiley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Mike - how long (or far) is "long enough to fail"?
I've got an 853 frame from 1999, with (I'm guessing) 15-20K miles. Should
I be worried?
- Gary"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
In general, if you rode a steel frame longQuoted message said:
enough to fail, it would do so in one of two places.
-
coast rider said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
-
Group: rec.bicycles.misc Date: Sun, Oct 22, 2006, 1:12pm (EDT-3) From:
[email hidden] (SMS)Quoted message said:
It's a common problem with aluminum
frames.
ReadQuoted message said:
"http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
Aluminum does have a lower resistance to metal fatigue than steel. that
is a physical truth.However using Rivendale as a source of "expert opinion" on anything not
dyed-in-the-wool-traditional is not going to be very convincing.
Remember, the company was started by a former CEO of Bridgestone's
bicycle manufacturing division here in the US.Now, does anyone here really expect unbiased "research" results on an
untraditional anything from the retrogrouch leader of the world?- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" netMy website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner -
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
It is not a problem with aluminum frames; it's a problem with frames made of
any material when not properly designed or improperly built. To put your
faith into an article where, for the favored material of the author, it
lists "Maybe none" as the downside to steel... that should be the first
indication that this might not be the best place to look for answers.Failures in steel frames, when steel was the norm, were not infrequent. It
is far from being a perfect material for a bicycle frame. Well, that's not
quite right. Any material can be the right material, if used properly.--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com"SMS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
coast rider said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
-
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it."Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
It is not a problem with aluminum frames; it's a problem with frames made
of any material when not properly designed or improperly built. To put
your faith into an article where, for the favored material of the author,
it lists "Maybe none" as the downside to steel... that should be the first
indication that this might not be the best place to look for answers.Failures in steel frames, when steel was the norm, were not infrequent. It
is far from being a perfect material for a bicycle frame. Well, that's not
quite right. Any material can be the right material, if used properly.--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com"SMS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
coast rider said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
-
Mike Jacoubowsky said:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
It is not a problem with aluminum frames; it's a problem with frames made of
any material when not properly designed or improperly built. To put your
faith into an article where, for the favored material of the author, it
lists "Maybe none" as the downside to steel... that should be the first
indication that this might not be the best place to look for answers.IMO, asking Riv for an opinion on aluminum is as silly as asking
Cannondale about steel.Quoted message said:
Failures in steel frames, when steel was the norm, were not infrequent. It
is far from being a perfect material for a bicycle frame. Well, that's not
quite right. Any material can be the right material, if used properly. -
Quoted message said:
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it.Grrrrr. Thanks for letting me know; looks like my website has a problem
again. I'll be changing service providers shortly; this is getting really,
really, really old.--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it."Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
> fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
> the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
> with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
It is not a problem with aluminum frames; it's a problem with frames made
of any material when not properly designed or improperly built. To put
your faith into an article where, for the favored material of the author,
it lists "Maybe none" as the downside to steel... that should be the
first indication that this might not be the best place to look for
answers.Failures in steel frames, when steel was the norm, were not infrequent.
It is far from being a perfect material for a bicycle frame. Well, that's
not quite right. Any material can be the right material, if used
properly.--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com"SMS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
coast rider wrote:
> I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
> fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
> the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
> with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
-
Quoted message said:
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it.Try www.ChainReaction.com for now. That still works.
--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA"Earl Bollinger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it."Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
> I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
> fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
> the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
> with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
It is not a problem with aluminum frames; it's a problem with frames made
of any material when not properly designed or improperly built. To put
your faith into an article where, for the favored material of the author,
it lists "Maybe none" as the downside to steel... that should be the
first indication that this might not be the best place to look for
answers.Failures in steel frames, when steel was the norm, were not infrequent.
It is far from being a perfect material for a bicycle frame. Well, that's
not quite right. Any material can be the right material, if used
properly.--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com"SMS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
coast rider wrote:
> I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
> fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
> the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
> with aluminum frames?It's a common problem with aluminum frames.
Read "http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/html/101_framematerials.html"
-
Ozark Bicycle said:
IMO, asking Riv for an opinion on aluminum is as silly as asking
Cannondale about steel.Or as silly as asking Jobst about carbon fiber.
(this ought to be a r.b.t. topic, no?)
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com/ -
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it.Grrrrr. Thanks for letting me know; looks like my website has a problem
again. I'll be changing service providers shortly; this is getting really,
really, really old.--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USASo, even an old bicycle hand like you can learn something useful from a
newsgroup 😉--
Mike Kruger
The slowest of the Greek philosopher-cyclists was Aristurtle.
Aristurtle's followers called themselves the Sloics. -
Quoted message said:
So, even an old bicycle hand like you can learn something useful from a
newsgroup 😉Frequently! My general rule of thumb is this- the more certain I feel I'm
right about something, the more likely it is I'm wrong. And I'm very often
right about that. Or is it wrong? Well I'm mixed up anyways, that can't be
denied! :>😉--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com"Mike Kruger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Why do you require people to login to your website
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com ?
If you are advertising something no one can see it.Grrrrr. Thanks for letting me know; looks like my website has a problem
again. I'll be changing service providers shortly; this is getting
really, really, really old.--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USASo, even an old bicycle hand like you can learn something useful from a
newsgroup 😉--
Mike Kruger
The slowest of the Greek philosopher-cyclists was Aristurtle.
Aristurtle's followers called themselves the Sloics. -
Mike Jacoubowsky said:
Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?You could have that issue with a frame made out of any material; it's hardly
something unique to aluminum. In general, if you rode a steel frame long
enough to fail, it would do so in one of two places. Either the
dropout/chainstay connection on the derailleur side, or a tear in the
downtube a bit below the front derailleur, on the side opposite the
chainring.I'm assuming that what you're seeing is actually a crack and not just a hole
in the junction that was there from the beginning. In any event, you should
bring it back in to the dealer so they can assess what's going on and
process it as a warranty if appropriate.--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA"coast rider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames? -
Mike Jacoubowsky said:
Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?You could have that issue with a frame made out of any material; it's hardly
something unique to aluminum. In general, if you rode a steel frame long
enough to fail, it would do so in one of two places. Either the
dropout/chainstay connection on the derailleur side, or a tear in the
downtube a bit below the front derailleur, on the side opposite the
chainring.I'm assuming that what you're seeing is actually a crack and not just a hole
in the junction that was there from the beginning. In any event, you should
bring it back in to the dealer so they can assess what's going on and
process it as a warranty if appropriate.--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA"coast rider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
I have a 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. It has an aluminum/carbon
fiber frame. Last week I noticed a severe crack in the rear drop (where
the rear axle connects to the frame). Has anyone else had this problem
with aluminum frames?Mike,
It's definitely a fatigue crack all the way through the dropout. Fuji
is sending a new frame. The bike has 8000 miles on it.Kurt
-
coast rider said:
Mike,
It's definitely a fatigue crack all the way through the dropout. Fuji
is sending a new frame. The bike has 8000 miles on it.This is a common problem with aluminum frames. It's too bad that Fuji
has discontinued most of their cromolly frames. Only their touring
bicycle still is steel, as is the touring bicycle from Trek. -
SMS said:
coast rider said:
Mike,
It's definitely a fatigue crack all the way through the dropout. Fuji
is sending a new frame. The bike has 8000 miles on it.This is a common problem with aluminum frames.
Given the current crop of bicycle frames, that would mean it's a common
problem in bicycles. I don't think it is all that common, do you?Quoted message said:
It's too bad that Fuji
has discontinued most of their cromolly frames. Only their touring
bicycle still is steel, as is the touring bicycle from Trek.Aluminum frames are cheaper to make and easier to sell; how can a bike
maker resist? -
SMS said:
coast rider said:
Mike,
It's definitely a fatigue crack all the way through the dropout. Fuji
is sending a new frame. The bike has 8000 miles on it.This is a common problem with <del>aluminum</del> *bicycle* frames.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There, I fixed that for you. Of course you know that cracking of
the dropout is a common problem in all bike frames. I've had it happen,
and I know multiple *steel* bike owners who've had it happen.Quoted message said:
It's too bad that Fuji has discontinued most of their cromolly frames. Only
their touring bicycle still is steel, as is the touring bicycle from Trek.Meh, I ride all steel bikes, but I'm not a fanatic about it. It just
works out that sort of bikes I'm interested aren't generally made in
Aluminum, or I'm doing salvage.--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
Also, the Scots are said to have invented golf. Then they had
to invent Scotch whiskey to take away the pain and frustration. -
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:04:40 -0700, Dane Buson <[email hidden]>
wrote, in part:
\Quoted message said:
Meh, I ride all steel bikes, but I'm not a fanatic about it. It just
works out that sort of bikes I'm interested aren't generally made in
Aluminum, or I'm doing salvage.Extruded aluminium is worth about $0.84 per pound these days.
Do the world a favour and scrap all those aluminium frames you
salvage.
--
zk
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