FishBiscuit

Hi everyone,

I impulse-bid on an early-80s Dawes Atlantis off of eBay a couple of weeks ago while doing a search for "531 60cm" and finding an auction that was ending within 3 minutes and within my budget. I won the auction and I received the bike today.

It appeared to be in pretty good condition until I noticed that the frame pump had been bolted directly to the frame. Oddly, the holes for the pump were drilled and tapped off-center in order to center the pump within the frame. I assume the bracket was designed to hold the frame pump next to a bottle cage. Having the holes off-center ensures that they will never be used for anything but the pump bracket that is on there now.

My biggest concern is safety. Is the bike, with a Reynolds 531 double-butted seat tube, safe to ride with two holes drilled into it? If not, is it something that is easily fixed? If so, what is the ideal fix for something like this?





Thanks!

dddd

At least those holes are relatively high up on the seat tube, where bending stresses are MUCH lower than below the front derailer clamp.

Repair would depend on a lot of things, but since this could be called undisclosed damage, you might just ask the seller for some compensation and just forget that the holes are there. Any kind of metal repair will ruin the paint.

I once saw a bike with holes drilled in the seat tube for a custom name plate. Unfortunately, it was drilled much lower down the seat tube so might be expected to lead to premature failure if used hard.

dsbrantjr

I'd just carefully de-bur the holes, fill them with body filler and touch up the paint with nail polish or car touch-up paint. You might be able to fill them with plastic or rubber plugs of some kind. Or just forget about them as suggested above. I don't think that they pose any mechanical weakness.

FBinNY 

+1

Other than looking like crap, and being an entry point for water, these holes are nothing to worry about. Patching them won't be all that easy because there's nothing for a patch to hold to, so I'd clean them up, and cover them with some kind of trim tape. If you're really concerned, install a Riv-nut, and mount a stainless buttonhead screw, which may be less obtrusive than a decal.

Ira B

I doubt they will cause a failure other than the failure of decency of whoever drilled those holes.

FBinNY 

What do you mean by failure of decency? At the time the prior owner drilled these holes it was his bike, so he had no obligation to anyone else. I doubt the bike itself cared either way.

But I do agree, that it warranted mentioning when the bike was put up for sale, even if only as cosmetic damage.

Ira B

Personally, While anyone can do whatever they like to their own bike, I think anyone who would drill holes like that in a such a nice Reynolds frame also must have a hole in their soul.

FBinNY 

Let's be real. It's a bicycle, not a living, sentient being. Bikes are just hunks of metal, plastic and rubber. I'm aware that some people like to see more in them, or assign some aesthetic or other value, but it isn't there.

They're just bikes, and will not care in any way what happens to them. If you want to worship your own bike, more power to you, but IMO, anyone who frets or moralizes about what anybody else does to their own bike has misplaced priorities.

wrk101

Should have been disclosed in listing. Depending on what was paid for the bike (and if it was not disclosed), I would be looking for some relief on ebay. While it does not hurt functionality, it certainly hurts the bike's value and if/when you try to sell it, it will be worth a lot less than if it did not have that damage.

Well, I found your auction. That guy sells A LOT of bikes, did not disclose damage, and IMHO, should have known it was there. He is a top rated seller, I would file a claim to get some consideration for a clearly damaged bike. Again, it should not affect function, but it does affect value.

gforeman 

You could also have someone install threaded rivets (AKA Threaded Inserts), and then put a round cap screw in, and it will look almost factory. Then if you ever want a pump of something attached, you are all set. We use these on motorcycles all the time.

Ira B

I like you ok and enjoy your posts but you have a cold, cold heart.

fietsbob

Ideal, ? tube replacement and repaint.. but in sub ultimate ..

Notify ... the fool messed up the frame.

De Burr the hole , tape over the holes .. and since they are a waterbottle spread,
look for a band mounted Bottle cage to look like you applied the tape over the paint
As If You had planned to put the extra bottle cage there.

Ira B

I would also consider having proper threaded bosses soldered into the hole.

fietsbob

Soldering?

Ira B

I meant brazed.

A frame builder should be able to "fudge" those holes a little closer to center.

fietsbob

If, Brazing (and repainting) more possibilities exist..

like making a steel plug, brazing them in, and filing it smooth with the surface.

jim hughes

+1
Just a totally bone-headed thing to do. Probably some kid. Seller likely didn't notice it.

Won't weaken the frame, but I'd get them properly filled at a frame shop for a few bucks, spray the area with some reasonably close color and get a repro decal, or wrap with tape, etc.

dddd

I would use a pair of World Championships stripe bands to cover the holes.

I would not add the embellishment of a riv-nut, and it's up to the new owner if the pump bracket is deemed desireable.
A riv-nut may further distort the hole in the tubing, furthering the remote possibility of structural failure.

As for value deprecition, this is a failrly utilitarian bike, but one that gets some of it's value from collector-buyers as well. As such, and depending on how much you payed for the bike, something like 25% compensation might be in order for this undisclosed defect imo.

FishBiscuit

Thanks for the replies, everyone. The consensus seems to be that the holes aren't a hazard. I like the idea of covering the holes with tape and mounting a clamp-on bottle holder bracket there. Would at least look era appropriate. I talked to the seller, and he offered a refund and to pay return shipping, but if the bike isn't going to collapse on me, I'd rather not forfeit what I paid in shipping. It's a pretty nice frame otherwise. I'll live with it the way it is for now...

AlphaDogg

^^Try to get at least a partial refund.