flyingdutch <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:
suzyj said:Maikkelli said:...Any ideas how/why it happened?
It certainly looks like the result of crash damage. From the looks
of it, it's had a front-end impact (hit a car, been jumped and landed
front end first, etc), which has caused the bottom of the lower head
lug to cut into the down tube (as well as buckling the underside of
the top tube). From then, it was only a matter of a time for the
crack that generated to work its way around the tube.
Replacement is likely to be expensive, as both top and down tubes
will need to be replaced. You're probably better off getting a new
frame, unless this one has special sentimental value.
Regards,
Suzy
slightly OT... can one repair 853? (welded, not lugged)
Short answer is yes and a fair bit easier than say aluminium(?) but...
Given that the amount of labour involved just the repair is going to be
expensive. This will depend on the actual break (clean or bent etc).
853's claim to fame is the tempering and that would be hard to duplicate
after welding (or at least slow) even assuming that enough information
is available.
Your other problem will be determining if plastic deformation has
occured. If the tube has broken after being bent sharply then it has
probably undergone plastic deformation, when stained (stretched) steel
will consistently elongate and recover until it reaches plasitic
deformation. From this point it takes on permanent set and ultimately
cracks and breaks. If that has happened there is no point in repairing
it because the steel is much weaker following deformation.
If you are keen on repairing the bike find a blacksmith (also called a
pattern or tool maker). These guys will be your best bet to weld and
retemper the steel but they are a bit thin on the ground. Your average
bike or engineering shop will probably be unable to help much but if
there is a foundry nearby try there (they normally have some
blacksmiths).
Cheers
Brett M
