Galaxy Steel Frame repair advice please

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531colin
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Joined: 4 Dec 2009, 6:56pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Galaxy Steel Frame repair advice please

Post by 531colin »

What strikes me about this is how little metal there is in the bit of the seatstay which has failed. Just sticking it on the seat lug a bit higher up would give a bigger cross section of metal.
I think I've seen Brucey's "splice and cap" called a "top plate" to differentiate from the manufactured piece which is a top eye. The OP's photo shows "Dawes" embossed on the part; does this mean its a manufactured top eye rather than a top plate? Cleaning the paint off will show the braze lines.
Seatstays are a part of the frame where the designers let their imagination have free rein. I remember the wrapover seatstays somebody mentioned, and we have had "shot in" seatstays, various "triple triangles" and now dropped seatstays are (back?) in fashion.
Most frames are "cold set" to get them in track after manufacture, this builds in stresses and I wonder how much this has to do with failures?
As Brucey says, a top plate will be heated twice, and you have to get much more heat into the seat lug than into the end of the stay to get them up to brazing temperature. A bigger lump of stay brazed to the lug seems like a good idea, but I guess it won't be immune from built in stress?
Brucey
Posts: 44454
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Galaxy Steel Frame repair advice please

Post by Brucey »

IIRC the last dawes one I saw that looked like that (it even broke in the same place....) had a top plate/cap rather than a separate top eye.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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bikes4two
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Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: Galaxy Steel Frame repair advice please

Post by bikes4two »

Well, I've learnt a lot about seat stays and their fixing methods from these posts - thank you one and all for sharing your knowledge. As has been said, the particular way Dawes chose to 'attach' the seat stays does leave a lot to be desired in terms of the rather small attachment area - but hey ho, I love the bike and it is now fixed thanks to the welding from a small garge in Southsea who specialise in all aspects of work for VW Beatles and Buses.

Armed with the accumulated knowledge gleaned from replies to this post regarding what method of welding would suit, I asked the proprietor how he would effect the repair and his answer was in accord with my learnings and the job was done for 20 GBP.

As I'd mentioned earlier, the frame's overall paint condition was OK but not great and neither being too fussed nor budgetary equiped, I employed a tin of Hammerite Smooth blue to paint over the weld and other areas. Not an overly neat job but I'm pleased with the now improved looks of the frame and I'm hoping for another few years happy pedalling from my Galaxy

Thank you all once again.
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