So we are close to Paris (100km) and this happened to my friend’s frame. Luckily we found out while going slow. Is this weldable/fixable. It’s alloy 7005 (aluminum).
welding aluminium is difficult. so the answer is theoretically possible but not feasible at all. your friend has the great opportunity to finally buy a new bike
owlpellet on
Nope.
Jeffthermite on
A pro welder might be able to do it, send the pic to one. shouldnt be too expensive.
aqjo on
It’s definitely possible to weld aluminum using e.g. heliarc. The complication is its thin walled tubing. I would find a shop and ask an expert. You also might be able to hold it together with a hose clamp, or some sort of splint arrangement with wood/metal strips and hose clamps. No guarantees, of course.
Traditional-Soil-235 on
With a little duct-tape in the frame color, you won’t even notice it.
mxmbulat on
…on the other hand, it’s a new bike day!..
safe94 on
Duct tape
musical_throat_punch on
Was this cut intentionally?
Amazing-League-218 on
That’ll buff right out.
positive-delta on
Warranty.
WrenchHeadFox on
It’s fixable by replacing the frame, unfortunately.
Formul8r1 on
Duct tape was made for this.
jzwinck on
Not fixable for less than the cost of a new frame.
OttawaPerson5050 on
Don’t listen to any comments advising how to fix it. The frame is done for. Buy a similar used bike and see how many parts you can take from your broken bike to use on the used bike. Or sell the broken bike for cheap.
raftminer on
I would contact Koga about this. Not necessarily for a replacement frame, but rather to make them aware. Koga is a premium brand this critical failure should not happen.
schramalam77 on
You just need to replace one part… the frame.
Classic_Ostrich8709 on
Don’t buy a koga, check!
jeffbell on
The good news is that 7005 doesn’t need the heat treatment that 6061 needs.
The reality is that it’s more practical to get a new frame than to find a welding shop and get on their schedule.
logjames on
Wild…I can’t imagine it could be fixed for less than the cost of a new frame. I think the fix would forever change the properties of that tube. I imagine they might have to put a sleeve in it and weld it, like a gusset, around that crack.
Accomplished-Fox-486 on
Technically yes. In practice, not really
I can’t say I know the details exactly, but my understanding is that aluminum frames are welded together then heat treated. Welding after the fact basicly means you destroy the heat treatment. Which means at the very least you’d have to weld the frame and then heat treat the whole thing again
I doubt any one has the facilities to handle that sort of work unless they build aluminum hike frames. S9 unless your touring in Taiwan, your pretty much toast
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news
delicate10drills on
Smart move for most people is call a bunch of shops looking for a new touring frame in near-enough to the right size but also get to scouring whatever the french version of craigslist is to maybe find something cool and already patina’d instead of shiny & new to swap the racks & etc. onto.
That is something which I would advise only my friends with good craftsmanship skills to sand down to the metal, clean, and epoxy & carbon/kevlar/glass cloth layup (whatever they can get at the car parts place or nearby aerospace mfg facility with a little bribe) a good 10-15 layers at least up probably 3-4cm past the cable stops and halfway to the top bottle cage boss to at least get the tour finished, maybe even keep it as a commuter for another season or 2 or3.
23 Comments
I’m going to guess that it’s toast. So sorry.
RIP.
welding aluminium is difficult. so the answer is theoretically possible but not feasible at all. your friend has the great opportunity to finally buy a new bike
Nope.
A pro welder might be able to do it, send the pic to one. shouldnt be too expensive.
It’s definitely possible to weld aluminum using e.g. heliarc. The complication is its thin walled tubing. I would find a shop and ask an expert. You also might be able to hold it together with a hose clamp, or some sort of splint arrangement with wood/metal strips and hose clamps. No guarantees, of course.
With a little duct-tape in the frame color, you won’t even notice it.
…on the other hand, it’s a new bike day!..
Duct tape
Was this cut intentionally?
That’ll buff right out.
Warranty.
It’s fixable by replacing the frame, unfortunately.
Duct tape was made for this.
Not fixable for less than the cost of a new frame.
Don’t listen to any comments advising how to fix it. The frame is done for. Buy a similar used bike and see how many parts you can take from your broken bike to use on the used bike. Or sell the broken bike for cheap.
I would contact Koga about this. Not necessarily for a replacement frame, but rather to make them aware. Koga is a premium brand this critical failure should not happen.
You just need to replace one part… the frame.
Don’t buy a koga, check!
The good news is that 7005 doesn’t need the heat treatment that 6061 needs.
The reality is that it’s more practical to get a new frame than to find a welding shop and get on their schedule.
Wild…I can’t imagine it could be fixed for less than the cost of a new frame. I think the fix would forever change the properties of that tube. I imagine they might have to put a sleeve in it and weld it, like a gusset, around that crack.
Technically yes. In practice, not really
I can’t say I know the details exactly, but my understanding is that aluminum frames are welded together then heat treated. Welding after the fact basicly means you destroy the heat treatment. Which means at the very least you’d have to weld the frame and then heat treat the whole thing again
I doubt any one has the facilities to handle that sort of work unless they build aluminum hike frames. S9 unless your touring in Taiwan, your pretty much toast
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news
Smart move for most people is call a bunch of shops looking for a new touring frame in near-enough to the right size but also get to scouring whatever the french version of craigslist is to maybe find something cool and already patina’d instead of shiny & new to swap the racks & etc. onto.
That is something which I would advise only my friends with good craftsmanship skills to sand down to the metal, clean, and epoxy & carbon/kevlar/glass cloth layup (whatever they can get at the car parts place or nearby aerospace mfg facility with a little bribe) a good 10-15 layers at least up probably 3-4cm past the cable stops and halfway to the top bottle cage boss to at least get the tour finished, maybe even keep it as a commuter for another season or 2 or3.