Originally Posted by GreenFix
Thanks for the warning. This bike (in its original configuration) was actually a gift from a good friend of mine that is riding recumbents now. I think he rode it quite a bit before he switched to recumbents. I have noticed one thing about the frame. The rear triangle seems to have some "spring" in it. I notice it when I install and remove teh rear wheel. Th dropouts appear to move laterally. I did not think that aluminum frames meant to do this so I checked it over for cracks or fatigue marks in the paint, but I could not find any. Do you have any experience with this? What was it like when your frame failed? Did it happen catastrophically like some people describe with aluminum frames, or could you catch the crack as it developed?
Thanks again
I didn't notice any of the "spring" you mention above. It could be that the bike was originally designed for a seven speed (126 mm between the dropouts) and now it's using an eight or nine speed (130 mm) hub. For an aluminum frame that would scare me a little, but only a little.
When I noticed the crack, I had felt like something was odd about the bike during a ride in the rain, but I couldn't isolate anything. Later when cleaning and inspecting the bike, I noticed that water was leaking out of the seat stay. I mean, I would wipe off the spot on the frame, then it would get wet again. It was not something I expected at all. Kind of like one of those "miraculous" statues.
If you look at a 2.4 series frame, there is a purposeful looking dent on the inside of the seatstay just above where it meets the chainstay. Watch that spot for cracks; might be hard to see on a black bike.