Can this be fixed for a reasonable cost? Team Lemond BB crack
09-28-22, 03:03 PM
#1
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Can this be fixed for a reasonable cost? Team Lemond BB crack
Hello, I am seeking advice and I have looked through previous threads and searched to start. I see mixed responses, but will try as this is otherwise a very nice bike.
There is a small crack along the lug that the seller disclosed. He noted some brownish seepage some years ago, cleaned it and painted over it and watched it. Over a decade it is perhaps a little bigger but overall fairly stable, and over that time a second bit of paint was applied locally, but nothing else has been done. Now, he is a flyweight and I am, sadly, not. So I imagine I would stress the area a wee bit more.... I asked if he saw any internal abnormalities when he last had the cranks off and he says he did not.
Can this be fixed and how much does something like this cost to fix? Lets say not an entire body repaint but just black repaint over the bottom bracket and bottom of seat tubes to accent/cover the area.
Finally, is there anyone near Durham, NC that can do it?
Many thanks for any input.
There is a small crack along the lug that the seller disclosed. He noted some brownish seepage some years ago, cleaned it and painted over it and watched it. Over a decade it is perhaps a little bigger but overall fairly stable, and over that time a second bit of paint was applied locally, but nothing else has been done. Now, he is a flyweight and I am, sadly, not. So I imagine I would stress the area a wee bit more.... I asked if he saw any internal abnormalities when he last had the cranks off and he says he did not.
Can this be fixed and how much does something like this cost to fix? Lets say not an entire body repaint but just black repaint over the bottom bracket and bottom of seat tubes to accent/cover the area.
Finally, is there anyone near Durham, NC that can do it?
Many thanks for any input.
09-29-22, 07:12 AM
#2
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They probably didn't get good penetration there, and what little filler they did get has cracked. I have never tried it, but I think the rust will keep filler from penetrating, so it's not a simple fix.
If you can contact Franklin Frames, he has replaced some bb shells for a very reasonable price. I'm not sure that's what he would suggest in this case. I know people have contacted him after he shut down his website.
If you can contact Franklin Frames, he has replaced some bb shells for a very reasonable price. I'm not sure that's what he would suggest in this case. I know people have contacted him after he shut down his website.
10-01-22, 11:04 PM
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I would think the ultimate solution would be to replace the seat tube. I have known of this type of problem just being reflowed but the possible corrosion in the joint makes me less thrilled. Not sure I would want to replace a shell... a seat tube is already over my pay scale.
The other option that I'm sure has been considered is to do nothing. But before any decision I would want to look inside the shell at the ST end and try to access the amount of well joined tube and socket. Andy
The other option that I'm sure has been considered is to do nothing. But before any decision I would want to look inside the shell at the ST end and try to access the amount of well joined tube and socket. Andy
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10-01-22, 11:37 PM
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I can't see it... Where? I must be going blind...
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10-02-22, 06:15 AM
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The crack on the drive side of the bb shell at the seat tube. It's probably the most likely failure point on a lugged bike that was brazed by someone that didn't want to be late for lunch.
Dave Moulton once said that replacing a seat tube is the hardest repair, and now that I have done it, I believe him. Maybe if you bore out the seat lug. Getting the seat tube out of the bb is easy, it's the seat cluster that makes it difficult. I managed to un-braze a seat stay. I guess I should have cut the seat tube in many places and taken it out in pieces. That's what I did when I replaced a bb shell, cut it into pieces and removed them one by one.
Dave Moulton once said that replacing a seat tube is the hardest repair, and now that I have done it, I believe him. Maybe if you bore out the seat lug. Getting the seat tube out of the bb is easy, it's the seat cluster that makes it difficult. I managed to un-braze a seat stay. I guess I should have cut the seat tube in many places and taken it out in pieces. That's what I did when I replaced a bb shell, cut it into pieces and removed them one by one.
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10-02-22, 09:18 AM
#6
framebuilder
My guess is that the seat tube to bottom bracket shell is 3/4th brazed around but not where the crack is located. This is an example to young and impressionable builders to not braze this joint in a fixture where it is difficult or impossible to see if there is full penetration all the way down, all the way around. It should be possible to see inside the shell while brazing. I used my torch flame like a flashlight with the flame inside the shell poking out the other end to see that the brazing material is everywhere it should be.
The good news is that the 3/4 braze will probably hold for a long time. And if it does break, it won't be catastrophic. In other words it won't kill you. However as already mentioned, it can take the better part of a day to replace the seat tube. Because that area of the crack is corroded, it can not be rebrazed without pulling out the seat tube. Replacing the shell would be even more difficult. It is getting it loose from the seat lug that is the hardest part - especially if it was brazed with brass instead of silver. That doesn't include any kind of paint repair although a basic white would be easier than many colors.
I'd thank the seller for pointing out the crack and not consider buying it unless it was really cheap.
The good news is that the 3/4 braze will probably hold for a long time. And if it does break, it won't be catastrophic. In other words it won't kill you. However as already mentioned, it can take the better part of a day to replace the seat tube. Because that area of the crack is corroded, it can not be rebrazed without pulling out the seat tube. Replacing the shell would be even more difficult. It is getting it loose from the seat lug that is the hardest part - especially if it was brazed with brass instead of silver. That doesn't include any kind of paint repair although a basic white would be easier than many colors.
I'd thank the seller for pointing out the crack and not consider buying it unless it was really cheap.
Last edited by Doug Fattic; 10-02-22 at 02:57 PM.
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