Ti frame crack safety

[crazydave789]

If you can find a car parts shop you could possibly get some fibreglass and make a "bandage".

Which would be absolutely useless - sorry to be dismissive, but just being realistic

I've seen similar patched up with zip ties and pop bottles. not perfect but like filling your tyres with leaves it will get you home

[DevonDamo]

If you can find a car parts shop you could possibly get some fibreglass and make a "bandage".

Which would be absolutely useless - sorry to be dismissive, but just being realistic

You're right and wrong here. Yes, the sort of fibreglass you get from a car parts shop would almost certainly be 'chopped strand matting' which isn't intended for significant structural strength. However, if you go to a fibreglass supplies place (or eBay) you can buy woven fibreglass tape, which can be used to make a bandage of however many winds you need to achieve the required strength. Woven fibreglass is used in structures which experience serious stress, such as multihull yachts and aircraft wings. You'd also need resin to bond it - personally, I use epoxy which bonds well to abraded clean aluminium or titanium, but polyester might also do the job too for a lot less money. I've used this method to repair the broken aluminium frame on my folder and it's a surprisingly neat and ridiculously over-strength repair.

[roubaixtuesday]

So, after about 300 miles on holiday, no drama with the tube

Some gory details close up:



And showing kick stand suspected as root cause:



Next step to see if it's repairable.

[pq]

Try Vernon Barker - he repaired a Ti frame for me years ago and it's still OK. Not pretty though.

Also lose the stand - that's not something I'd bolt to a nice Ti frame.

[nigelnightmare]

Expensive lesson* if it can't be fixed.

*Don't fit stand there.

If you must have a stand, get one that fits to the rear Axle.

[De Sisti]

Why the need for a stand? There are always walls, fences and trees to lean the bike against.

[Marcus Aurelius]

Ti frames cracking is quite common, typically around welds and stressed parts. Once the crack starts, if you notice it early, it’s possible to sort it out. If it’s more than a couple of inches, especially around the B.B. or stays, the frame is usually a write off.

[PH]

Try Vernon Barker - he repaired a Ti frame for me years ago and it's still OK. Not pretty though.

I have a frame that might be going there in the near future, I'm not confident enough in Ti repairs to trust it for touring again, but I have use for a local bike so it may be re-born.

[roubaixtuesday]

Van Nicolas have agreed to replace the frame under the lifetime warranty