Aluminium frame cracked.

Tommy Gunn

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
7,046
Reaction score
2
Location
Lincoln
Good morning Comrades.
I have an old (25+ years) Marin Nail Trail who's been sitting idle in the garage for far too long.
I took her to a friend and asked him to go through it bolt by bolt to restore her to her former glory with a view to using her again as I once did, mountain biking in the Peak District, NYMs and Yorkshire Dales.
Luckily (?) before he'd started to strip the bike down he discovered a 3" crack in the frame at the headstock tube (if that's the right phrase). It's a deep crack, almost certainly right the way through the frame.
It's a real shame as she's got Deore components and I'm advised by my mate, who's a cycling enthusiast, that the wheels are top quality for their day and that the bike is an excellent piece of kit.
That said, the bottom bracket bearings are knackered and the chain ring shifter no longer works and needs replacing.
So, do I:-
A) Get the frame fixed and spend the money to get the bike sorted,
B) Remove what's reusable, buy a new frame and (get my mate to) build a new bike
Or
C) Call it a day and buy a new/secondhand bike?

I plan on using the bike for riding the small roads, tracks and gravel lanes locally and also for bimbling with the wife around the local villages but would also like to do some more serious stuff occasionally.
Is it possible to fix the frame? I think it's an old 700 frame?
Buying 2nd hand seems like a good option, I've been looking on Gumtree and Ebay but don't want anything that's stolen and most of the bikes advertised on those 2 sites just look a little bit dodgy.
Unfortunately I couldn't have picked a worse time to decide to reignite my interest in this type of cycling but my local bike shop does have one of these available at 0% interest in my size (not XL)

https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/gian...D_BwE#giant-toughroad-slr-1-2020-bike-x-large

So, what to do?
Thank you in advance for any feedback.
 
Aluminium isn’t that difficult to weld, and the crack sounds like it’s where the tubes will be thickest. You don’t have a lot to lose by grinding out the crack with a Dremel and getting a welder to look at it..
 
Aluminium not hard to weld! Huh,who'd have thunk it.

If it's 25 years old,chuck it in the bin.I've welded so many ally frames up,that I won't touch them anymore.It might have all been top notch 25 years ago,but it will all be old hat now.Go and buy yourself a nice steel framed bike,or better still titanium if funds allow.Carbon frames are as bad as ally,so steer clear of those as well if you want a long term tough bike.

Just my two bobs worth
 
A couple of things to be aware of. Firstly, all aluminium frames will fatigue over time & eventually fail, although this depends on how it's been used & could take a very long time. Secondly, when aluminium frames are welded in the factory they undergo a tempering process after welding to improve the tensile strength of the alloy (typically T6). That said I know people who have had frames welded successfully (so far!). Speak to Vernon Barker cycles in Dronfield.
 
Aluminium not hard to weld! Huh,who'd have thunk it.

If it's 25 years old,chuck it in the bin.I've welded so many ally frames up,that I won't touch them anymore.It might have all been top notch 25 years ago,but it will all be old hat now.Go and buy yourself a nice steel framed bike,or better still titanium if funds allow.Carbon frames are as bad as ally,so steer clear of those as well if you want a long term tough bike.

Just my two bobs worth

There is your definitive answer! :thumb2 Strip any saleable items off and skip it. Shame but time to move on. :thumb2
 
Sounds like you want a Triggers Broom!
A 0% offer and sell of the good bits seems to me to be the only sensible way to go, but what do I know??
 
Quite a few bits knackered, and the remaining ones at 25 years old may have been good then but will be close to worthless now. it possibly had V brakes too, now very much outdated. I am with Vern - unless it has sentimental value, skip it.
 
Bike frames

Hello
Who mentioned steel or even better 3/2.5 Titanium is good.
My America manufactured female welded Road steed is going strong 50K-60k miles
1997 only fault decals are crazing .:)
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    232.7 KB · Views: 213
Thanx for the replies Comrades, very witty and very helpful.
The consensus appears to be that the old girl isn't worth fixing which is a shame.
I can't bring myself to bin her though so I'll let her retire gracefully at the back of the garage, gathering dust and cobwebs.
Thanx again everyone for your input.
 
Thanx for the replies Comrades, very witty and very helpful.
The consensus appears to be that the old girl isn't worth fixing which is a shame.
I can't bring myself to bin her though so I'll let her retire gracefully at the back of the garage, gathering dust and cobwebs.
Thanx again everyone for your input.

I was attached to mine the same way - a Marin Eldridge Grade with Tange Superlight Steel frame. 1995 vintage. I had upgraded all parts to Shimano XT or above and was good for its day. But as many have said, modern bikes are much better, especially the brakes and the gears change great on modern machines. So I Pt Ex mine and let her go.
 
I think i see this differently to most of the posters on this

MArin were the dogs danglies all those years ago and that one is a great bike

I suspect that Marin now compared to then are a shadow of their former selves just like many products ( BMW springs to mind)

I reckon that for the price of a new mid range bike you could restore that and bask in the glow of having a good bike that is somewhat retro/ old and worth taliking to folk about
 
I think i see this differently to most of the posters on this

MArin were the dogs danglies all those years ago and that one is a great bike

I suspect that Marin now compared to then are a shadow of their former selves just like many products ( BMW springs to mind)

I reckon that for the price of a new mid range bike you could restore that and bask in the glow of having a good bike that is somewhat retro/ old and worth taliking to folk about

Can’t see the point of spunking a load of money on an old slower heavier bike that probably has more hidden corrosion problems than you could shake a stick at. :nenau
Better off investing in a new stronger framed lighter bike.
And let’s face it, who on here, knows more about aluminium than the rest of us put together? And what was his opinion? :nenau. Says it all. :thumb2

It’s like old classic motorbikes innit. Ok to look at but you wouldn’t go touring round Europe on one. Well anyone with a shred of common sense wouldn’t.
 


Back
Top Bottom