Cracked chain stay - repairable?

[foxyrider]

Still definitely worth researching if there's a way to get a bit more luggage on the front without totally messing up the handling as it could still work out a lot cheaper overall.

you can certainly fit low riders on the front forks even without mounts, my Focus Mares is set up thus using Tubus adaptors which will work with any brand of lo rider. As to the stability/ handling - that'll be down to the load/packing - i generally have @ 2kg each side on the front (usually my clothing/footwear/guides/maps) and don't have any handling issues. The rear bags take the bulkier/heavier stuff and may get to 4kg a side if i'm carrying food/drink about.

[531colin]

...........

you can certainly fit low riders on the front forks even without mounts, my Focus Mares is set up thus using Tubus adaptors which will work with any brand of lo rider. ............

Is that OK with carbon forks?

[foxyrider]

...........

you can certainly fit low riders on the front forks even without mounts, my Focus Mares is set up thus using Tubus adaptors which will work with any brand of lo rider. ............

Is that OK with carbon forks?

I wouldn't clamp anything to a carbon fork, the potential for crush damage is just too high and potentially lethal. My Mares has Al forks do no issue

[PT1029]

I would agree about not clamping onto carbon forks.
I have just had a look on the Tubus website. Both bolt on clamps (one is a jubilee clip type, the other a "clamp") instructions (and FAQs) make no mention about not fitting to carbon forks, which I find odd.
I have heard of car cycle racks crushing frame tubes in the securing clamp. Ouch!

[Bowak]

Yeah I definitely won't be fitting any clamps to the carbon forks. One thing I might consider for it for the future is a replacement fork that has mounting bolts, but I wouldn't expect that to be cheap and it's definitely not a this year upgrade.

For the Topstone, I mostly want it to be a day or single night trip bike so I think adding the rear mech extender and putting a 40 tooth cassette on it to go with my bikepacking gear is the way for that one.

I definitely keep getting tempted by the Disc Trucker (and have been for years tbf). It is expensive, but having the top size be genuinely right for me has one hell of an appeal. Though if Trek 520s were actually available that'd probably be my first choice.

[Slowtwitch]

Had a similarly cracked frame on an old Stumpjumper, as up thread it was repairable (I welded it myself) but I Don realised it was only good for a pub bike afterwards and not really the stuff of touring, heavily laden dreams!

[Bowak]

I've ended up getting a Ridgeback Panorama as a replacement (had a disc trucker on order but the expected delivery date kept getting delayed).

I really like it so far and have been getting used to it over the last 3 weeks, and I've attached a photo to show roughly how it's going to look for my tour up the Rhine.

https://imgur.com/gallery/BvAYc9S

Once I'm back from the trip I'll be giving Ellis Briggs a call to get new dropouts for the Galaxy as mentioned by thirdcrank - my provisional plan is to carry on using it for food shopping, though I'm still tempted to get it stripped and powder coated silver, though maybe it is better to just keep it looking a bit battered and shabby as that look's kept the thieves away so far.

[drossall]

The great thing about steel bikes is that, properly repaired, that part of the frame will be as good as new. The practical issue is to work out whether other parts may be similarly affected. For example, if rust is a factor, are other parts of the frame likely to be suffering too?

I've had various steel frames refurbished and had minor repairs done, generally very successfully. I hate throwing out good stuff. But all good things come to an end.

[531colin]

...................if you want to use the bike as a hack, I would just get the existing dropout brazed up.

In my opinion don't even consider using it for touring. If its 1997 531 I'm guessing its the old standard size tubing, thats inch top tube and inch and eighth seat and down tubes. For somebody 6'5" and close to 20 stone a modern frame with oversize tubing will ride so much better, particularly loaded.
(The Trucker is said to be "famously stable" .....its actually famously stiff, they use huge tubes, even in the smaller sizes. Those huge tubes are right in big sizes, because a long tube flexes so much more than a short tube.)
............

Do a little test.
Get both bikes out, the old Galaxy and the new Ridgeback.
Stand next to one bike, holding the bars with one hand and the saddle with the other hand.
Push the saddle away from you, pull the bars towards you; then reverse. Notice how stiff the frame is ...compare the 2 bikes for stiffness.
Still holding saddle and bars, one hand each, give the bottom bracket axle a little push with your toe; notice how stiff the frame is, compare the 2 bikes.

Some of those "last of the UK manufactured" Galaxies (that folk go all misty-eyed over) are awfully floppy.
They are all 531, all lugged and brazed; the big variation in the stiffness of individual samples is based on 2 things
1. Size; when all sizes use the same tube sizes, then stiffness is inversely proportional to size; the smallest rider gets the stiffest frame.
2. Within the lugs, the tubes should be accurately mitred so the tubes are actually brazed to each other inside the lug, and all the joints should be entirely filled with brazing spelter. If this has been badly done (by a bored operative on piecework in a stinking factory) then you get a floppy frame.

[Bowak]

I'll give that a try.

The Galaxy has always been a little bit squirrelly when heavily loaded at high speed, and one of the things I'm looking to test is if the Ridgeback is as well.

If it is too, then I guess I need to carry a bit less and/or accept that a few more an hour slower on the of time I actually hit a high speed with it isn't going to many any noticeable difference to my day and save the bigger speeds for my road bike.