View Poll Results: Would you ride it
Yes
14
28.57%
No
35
71.43%
Voters: 49. You may not vote on this poll
Would you ride it with this crack?
06-01-22, 01:03 PM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Would you ride it with this crack?
Like I say, small crack at seat lug. Would you guys ride it? I've got about 100mi on it with no problems. Want to use this for a winter beater. Thanks everyone.
06-01-22, 01:19 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,305
Mentioned: 130 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3463 Post(s)
Liked 2,826 Times
in
1,994 Posts
This the only bike to ride?
Likes For repechage:
06-01-22, 01:24 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,459
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 950 Post(s)
Liked 1,617 Times
in
1,038 Posts
I would inspect this bike in and out. After stripping the area the fix looks easy...
__________________
No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
06-01-22, 01:29 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,140
Mentioned: 481 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3802 Post(s)
Liked 6,625 Times
in
2,596 Posts
Nope.
06-01-22, 01:33 PM
#5
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 233
Bikes: 2014 Fuji Cross 2.0 LE, 1993 Santana Vision, 1993 Specialized Allez Pro, 1993 Trek 930, 1985 Panasonic DX3000
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 49 Post(s)
Liked 74 Times
in
55 Posts
Nope, not worth the possible injury if it fails. But, your bike, your choice.
06-01-22, 01:37 PM
#6
Full Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 201
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times
in
57 Posts
No, its an easy fix now, ride it a couple of hundred mies and the crack propagates circumferentially and its a bigger issue. Think about it, it crackd because its a stress point. Besides skin costs more than metal anyday
06-01-22, 01:51 PM
#7
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,626
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3870 Post(s)
Liked 2,563 Times
in
1,577 Posts
I'm curious how this kind of crack forms... seatpost not inserted far enough? Defect of some kind?
Paging @JohnDThompson
Paging @JohnDThompson
06-01-22, 01:51 PM
#8
Full Member
I'd ride it if I was only going to be slowly going around. I wouldn't trust it to go down hills at 30+, but riding around the neighborhood, or a few miles here and there for quick trips, not as much stress.
__________________
06-01-22, 02:02 PM
#10
Full Member
Thread Starter
I'm curious how this kind of crack forms... seatpost not inserted far enough? Defect of some kind?
Paging @JohnDThompson
Paging @JohnDThompson
Likes For belacqua:
06-01-22, 02:04 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2332 Post(s)
Liked 2,097 Times
in
1,314 Posts
There are still two seat stays and a top tube. Who needs a seat tube
Just wrap some duct tape around it and it is GTG
Just wrap some duct tape around it and it is GTG
Likes For GhostRider62:
06-01-22, 02:28 PM
#13
Bike Butcher of Portland
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,630
Bikes: It's complicated.
Mentioned: 1299 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4677 Post(s)
Liked 5,790 Times
in
2,279 Posts
I think y'all are missing the obvious.
This bike wants to be a Ritchey Breakaway.
This bike wants to be a Ritchey Breakaway.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Likes For gugie:
06-01-22, 02:28 PM
#14
Old fart
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,776
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3582 Post(s)
Liked 3,394 Times
in
1,928 Posts
At the time, it was a lifetime warranty for the original owner.
Likes For JohnDThompson:
06-01-22, 02:28 PM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4,083
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2332 Post(s)
Liked 2,097 Times
in
1,314 Posts
Trek does stand behind their frames.
06-01-22, 02:33 PM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,881
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4783 Post(s)
Liked 3,905 Times
in
2,539 Posts
If you really like this frame and are going to take it to a framebuilder for a real repair, consider having the seatstay caps reinforced at the same time. Those caps are famous for cracking across the letter "R". (You are going to need new paint anyway. This is the time to do any brazing, (Rack bosses? WB bosses?)
My Trek 4something now has a "T EK" seatstay cap on the right. Crack went clear through. Framebuilder filled underneath and the "R". Left side had smaller cracks so the logo stayed intact; just filler under. (He'd done enough of those repairs that he told me when I called him re: the right side to go look at the left; that I would see cracks there also.)
My Trek 4something now has a "T EK" seatstay cap on the right. Crack went clear through. Framebuilder filled underneath and the "R". Left side had smaller cracks so the logo stayed intact; just filler under. (He'd done enough of those repairs that he told me when I called him re: the right side to go look at the left; that I would see cracks there also.)
Likes For 79pmooney:
06-01-22, 03:04 PM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,674
Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1372 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,747 Times
in
937 Posts
I would not ride the bike in its condition, even if it was the only one I had. I came off of a bike in 2000, on the way to work, and broke my neck it two places. Lucky for me, the two vertebrae broken were still "stable" and I did not suffer any mobility loss but my neck still hurts every single day, 22 years later, That said, once I had stripped the cracked frame of its components, I would take a hack saw to the frame to ensure that nobody else would be able to ride the bike. But that is just me.
__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
Likes For randyjawa:
06-01-22, 03:07 PM
#18
Crawlin' up, flyin' down
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Democratic Peoples' Republic of Berkeley
Posts: 5,636
Bikes: 1967 Paramount; 1982-ish Ron Cooper; 1978 Eisentraut "A"; two mid-1960s Cinelli Speciale Corsas; and others in various stages of non-rideability.
Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1017 Post(s)
Liked 2,501 Times
in
1,045 Posts
I'm too big to risk riding a frame with a crack like that. Based on the frame size, you probably are, too.
__________________
"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
Likes For bikingshearer:
06-01-22, 06:17 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Baton Rouge La
Posts: 1,212
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 394 Post(s)
Liked 346 Times
in
230 Posts
Just curious - how would this be an easy fix. Seems like you'd have to replace the seat tube, or ream it out and braze in a sleeve, and ream that for a smaller seat post? Seems like it would be hard to get a good braze penetration on a sleeve.
06-01-22, 06:30 PM
#20
Half way there
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,955
Bikes: Many, and the list changes frequently
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 985 Post(s)
Liked 879 Times
in
526 Posts
My first impression from the picture was that it was a crack in the paint coating that was starting to rust. Is there more to see? For example, what does it look like on the inside of the tube; can you see or feel the crack there? The slot is covered by the lug so you probably would not see much there, but maybe. All will be revealed when you strip that area.
Let us know how it turns out.
Let us know how it turns out.
Likes For Moe Zhoost:
06-01-22, 06:38 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Medford MA
Posts: 2,091
Bikes: Ron Cooper touring, 1959 Jack Taylor 650b ladyback touring tandem, Vitus 979, Joe Bell painted Claud Butler Dalesman, Colin Laing curved tube tandem, heavily-Dilberted 1982 Trek 6xx, René Herse tandem
Mentioned: 80 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 964 Post(s)
Liked 1,451 Times
in
723 Posts
Trust, but verify.
I would ride it, sure, I bet it will fail gracefully and the seatpost will hold things together as the crack propagates - but I would check and see where that crack actually ends. It's probably not so short as what we see in the photo. It may well go under the lug, if the lug wasn't filled properly when the bike was made. You should be able to see the crack from the inside, and with any luck you should be able to shine a light through it to visualize it even better.
I would ride it, sure, I bet it will fail gracefully and the seatpost will hold things together as the crack propagates - but I would check and see where that crack actually ends. It's probably not so short as what we see in the photo. It may well go under the lug, if the lug wasn't filled properly when the bike was made. You should be able to see the crack from the inside, and with any luck you should be able to shine a light through it to visualize it even better.
__________________
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
06-01-22, 06:50 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Medford MA
Posts: 2,091
Bikes: Ron Cooper touring, 1959 Jack Taylor 650b ladyback touring tandem, Vitus 979, Joe Bell painted Claud Butler Dalesman, Colin Laing curved tube tandem, heavily-Dilberted 1982 Trek 6xx, René Herse tandem
Mentioned: 80 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 964 Post(s)
Liked 1,451 Times
in
723 Posts
René Herse and other constructeur frames from the early days often came with a sleeve brazed in the seat tube to make it take a 25.0mm seatpost. This is how mine is.
IMO, could be done here. Question is if it should be done here. Might be throwing good money after bad. Those old Treks have a lot of known failure points. Rest of the frame might have some skeletons in the closet too. I spy a Nikko one-piece headtube/lug combo. Those are prone to cracking - happened to me. Also is that an Ishiwata CCL fork crown? Can't tell from here but if it is, I'd give the fork a hard look as well.
On the other hand, you could use it as a tool to learn framebuilding like I did with my incredible cracking Trek! This thread has taught me that I should look at my seatstay caps. Might be another learning experience on my Trek.
__________________
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Likes For scarlson:
06-01-22, 07:24 PM
#23
verktyg
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 4,030
Bikes: Current favorites: 1988 Peugeot Birraritz, 1984 Gitane Super Corsa, 1980s DeRosa, 1981 Bianchi Campione Del Mondo, 1992 Paramount OS, 1988 Colnago Technos, 1985 RalieghUSA SBDU Team Pro
Mentioned: 207 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1036 Post(s)
Liked 1,237 Times
in
653 Posts
Is it a fixie or SS?
If it's being used as a fixed gear bike you're putting added stress on the frame every time you use back pedaling to slow down or stop.
On a frame that size and as high as the seatpost is raised all of the forces going into the saddle are being concentrated in the area of the CRACK! NO IT'S NOT IN THE PAINT!!!
The bottom of the seatpost rests in the area of the crack. Seatposts should be inserted 75mm to 80mm (~3") into the seat tube.
JohnDThompson "I suspect overheating the seat tube while brazing."
Easy to do while creating a fillet when attaching the seat stays....
If it were a 55-57cm frame and the seatpost were inserted 4"+ and I weighed under 150 Lbs. I would ride it and watch the crack carefully. I'd put a mark with a SHARPEE pen at both ends, keeping an eye on the lug point too.
For example: BB on a 753 frame... Is it a crack or a brazing flaw??? I carefully inspected it inside and out and a local frame builder did too. He thought that it was in the brazing.... That was about 10 years ago.
verktyg
If it's being used as a fixed gear bike you're putting added stress on the frame every time you use back pedaling to slow down or stop.
On a frame that size and as high as the seatpost is raised all of the forces going into the saddle are being concentrated in the area of the CRACK! NO IT'S NOT IN THE PAINT!!!
The bottom of the seatpost rests in the area of the crack. Seatposts should be inserted 75mm to 80mm (~3") into the seat tube.
JohnDThompson "I suspect overheating the seat tube while brazing."
Easy to do while creating a fillet when attaching the seat stays....
If it were a 55-57cm frame and the seatpost were inserted 4"+ and I weighed under 150 Lbs. I would ride it and watch the crack carefully. I'd put a mark with a SHARPEE pen at both ends, keeping an eye on the lug point too.
For example: BB on a 753 frame... Is it a crack or a brazing flaw??? I carefully inspected it inside and out and a local frame builder did too. He thought that it was in the brazing.... That was about 10 years ago.
verktyg
__________________
Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
Last edited by verktyg; 06-01-22 at 07:44 PM.
06-01-22, 07:36 PM
#24
Peugeot PSV10 or somethin
the no for me is because of all the rust elsewhere on the frame in addition to the crack. just one or the other would give me more confidence
also wanted to add, +1 to the seatpost being too high while ridden. I don't think it's all that easy to make that crack. I have "opened up" a lot of seat tubes that have been over clamped by using the end of a slightly smaller seatpost although I will probably stop doing that now
also wanted to add, +1 to the seatpost being too high while ridden. I don't think it's all that easy to make that crack. I have "opened up" a lot of seat tubes that have been over clamped by using the end of a slightly smaller seatpost although I will probably stop doing that now
Last edited by Stormy Archer; 06-01-22 at 07:47 PM.
06-01-22, 07:43 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,881
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4783 Post(s)
Liked 3,905 Times
in
2,539 Posts
I wouldn't panic about this crack. I'm assuming the post runs several inches below it. (If nor, I'd get a cheap but longer post for now.) Let's say the tube cracks all the way around and breaks the lug bond. But you are sitting on the seat, driving the lug and top of the tube onto the bottom of the tube with your weight. You get out of the saddle and bunnyhop a big one. You still have down tube and chainstays supporting the bottom bracket and a little seatpost friction resisting the seat tube sliding down. I doubt the seat tube going down more than an inch and will still have the post inside it. Bike will feel a little funky. You stop, look, maybe see a real gap in the seat tube. OK, speed work for the day is done but you can still ride it home..
Case in point. I had a crack like yours in my race bike only it was located near the right hand arrow in Verktyg's picture (as we look at it). Shop mechanic said to ride it until it broke then I'd get a new one under warranty. I did. It broke in a race. Bike went soft. I stopped, looked and rode it to the start/finish with the seat tube waving around.
Case in point. I had a crack like yours in my race bike only it was located near the right hand arrow in Verktyg's picture (as we look at it). Shop mechanic said to ride it until it broke then I'd get a new one under warranty. I did. It broke in a race. Bike went soft. I stopped, looked and rode it to the start/finish with the seat tube waving around.
Likes For 79pmooney:
