That crack did more than “develop.” Assuming aluminum, but it’s toast regardless.
Working-Promotion728 on
first: don’t ride that bike. it’s going to fail catastrophically while you’re on it.
can the shop (assuming this is a welder, not a bicycle shop) post-weld heat treat the whole frame? That’s unlikely, and it’s probably not going to be a durable fix. I’m 99% certain that frame is DONE.
are you the original owner? Have you reached out to Trek about any sort of warranty replacement?
GenericName187 on
Aluminum frames are hard to repair and are usually not worth fixing. That tube is almost split in two, that frame is beyond repair.
“ To rework an aluminum frame, it has to be stripped of finish, fully annealed then cut/welded and re-tempered then finished. The welding and tempering bring up issues with heat warping of a closed figure. Aluminum frames are usually not expensive enough to bear the cost.”
I would be suspicious of any local bike shop that claims they can fix that frame
racefacexc on
Is the bike shop also an aluminum frame builder?
You can’t just weld up an aluminum frame as is. The cost in doing that repair correctly would exceed the value of the frame.
MrRichardH on
Sorry, but your frame is dead. Start looking for a replacement. Maybe you’ll find a bargain in the used market.
Hour-Perception-3807 on
Alu frame there’s no fixing that time for a new frame
Won-Ton-Operator on
LMAO, unless they are cutting out any and all damaged tubes then welding to the head tube and seattube/ BB I see zero chance it will be done so it is safe to use.
What caused the crack? A really bad frame gouge you rode on a lot? A crash?
Max-entropy999 on
I had a cracked aluminium frame, got aluminium welder to weld those cracks up. After a very short time, new cracks appeared either side of the weld seam. Temperature gradients, donchaknow.
You have a genuine reason to buy a new bike/frame. Enjoy it. Most of us are pretending.
rdoloto on
There is no fixing that
AppointmentGreedy638 on
NOOO!!! Why do people even take a chance welding a cracked frame you’ve already destroyed the integrity of the frame one small jump and you’re done it’ll re crack and you might get really hurt not worth it to weld it.
Huskerzfan on
Toast. Congrats in advance on new bike day.
MacDougletonson on
Absolutely not! You’d need to be really good at tig welding. But even then the metal around the repair is weakened. Honestly toss it, it’s toast. Unless there’s a warranty.
Like you could Die. Don’t repair.
Liquidwombat on
**Insert treatise about welding heat-treated and painted aluminum**
**Mention that OP doesn’t come across as the type of person to strip a frame and assemble it later**
**Touch on the fact that it doesn’t look like a very expensive bike**
OP, unless it is absolutely impossible for you to find a replacement bike, the welding approach is really not recommended. Anyone offering to weld it for you likely doesn’t know the pitfalls. I’d stop riding that bike, and start feverishly searching for a new one. I’d also avoid that bike shop in the future.
But hey, there’s a strong chance you’ll like your new bike even better than you did this one!
13 Comments
That crack did more than “develop.” Assuming aluminum, but it’s toast regardless.
first: don’t ride that bike. it’s going to fail catastrophically while you’re on it.
can the shop (assuming this is a welder, not a bicycle shop) post-weld heat treat the whole frame? That’s unlikely, and it’s probably not going to be a durable fix. I’m 99% certain that frame is DONE.
are you the original owner? Have you reached out to Trek about any sort of warranty replacement?
Aluminum frames are hard to repair and are usually not worth fixing. That tube is almost split in two, that frame is beyond repair.
“ To rework an aluminum frame, it has to be stripped of finish, fully annealed then cut/welded and re-tempered then finished. The welding and tempering bring up issues with heat warping of a closed figure. Aluminum frames are usually not expensive enough to bear the cost.”
http://www.yellowjersey.org/rlfix.html
I would be suspicious of any local bike shop that claims they can fix that frame
Is the bike shop also an aluminum frame builder?
You can’t just weld up an aluminum frame as is. The cost in doing that repair correctly would exceed the value of the frame.
Sorry, but your frame is dead. Start looking for a replacement. Maybe you’ll find a bargain in the used market.
Alu frame there’s no fixing that time for a new frame
LMAO, unless they are cutting out any and all damaged tubes then welding to the head tube and seattube/ BB I see zero chance it will be done so it is safe to use.
What caused the crack? A really bad frame gouge you rode on a lot? A crash?
I had a cracked aluminium frame, got aluminium welder to weld those cracks up. After a very short time, new cracks appeared either side of the weld seam. Temperature gradients, donchaknow.
You have a genuine reason to buy a new bike/frame. Enjoy it. Most of us are pretending.
There is no fixing that
NOOO!!! Why do people even take a chance welding a cracked frame you’ve already destroyed the integrity of the frame one small jump and you’re done it’ll re crack and you might get really hurt not worth it to weld it.
Toast. Congrats in advance on new bike day.
Absolutely not! You’d need to be really good at tig welding. But even then the metal around the repair is weakened. Honestly toss it, it’s toast. Unless there’s a warranty.
Like you could Die. Don’t repair.
**Insert treatise about welding heat-treated and painted aluminum**
**Mention that OP doesn’t come across as the type of person to strip a frame and assemble it later**
**Touch on the fact that it doesn’t look like a very expensive bike**
OP, unless it is absolutely impossible for you to find a replacement bike, the welding approach is really not recommended. Anyone offering to weld it for you likely doesn’t know the pitfalls. I’d stop riding that bike, and start feverishly searching for a new one. I’d also avoid that bike shop in the future.
But hey, there’s a strong chance you’ll like your new bike even better than you did this one!