Drop in replacement frame surly LHT 60cm urgent

[Brucey]

........I had a steel top tube fail towards the front of the bike. I thought the handling feels a bit odd......

that looks like a Dawes from the 1990s.. They were notorious for the top tube rotting out

cheers
Brucey

[richardfm]

........I had a steel top tube fail towards the front of the bike. I thought the handling feels a bit odd......

that looks like a Dawes from the 1990s.. They were notorious for the top tube rotting out

cheers
Brucey

Spot on. It lasted about 20 years

[brucelee]

Horary, the frame turned up but it's got a vertical hole for the rear mudguard (weird right ?). Pictures on the net show people have drilled the mudguard and put a spacer in but then there'll be a protrusion into the inside of the mudguard. Anyone got a trick for this ? Thought of designing a 3D printed bit of plastic to turn vertical into horizontal but it's a lot of bother and I'm not sure stuff like PLA will stand up to the stresses and nothing elegant springs to mind....

I've stripped the old frame and am transferring stuff now (except the mudguards : I refuse to get stuck on this) but I'm gonna try to fix the surly as well - I've got all the bits to make another bike and the time this has taken makes it clear I need a spare. I'll be back to pick your brains when I'm up and running but want to ask a pre-emptive question. Could I just braise a load of solder over this - into and around the crack ? What happens to this type of steel when exposed to braising temperatures ?

As to the failure - the frame lasted over 10 years and I've given it a horrific beating. The thing I think broke it was the fitting of the ebike conversion kit. Both motor hub (4Kg) and the battery (2.5Kg) are rigidly mounted to the frame. Could this sort of tightly coupled mass significantly increase the stresses the frame is subjected to. There's nothing I can do about the motor but I reckon the battery could be less rigidly mounted. Anyone got ideas in this area ?

Welcome back Brucey - the cycling tinkerers are safe once more. Hope your feeling better.

Cheers,
Bruce.

[Brucey]

if you use an [ideally, modified] csk screw with a suitable washer it will minimise any such protrusion

[PH]

Horary, the frame turned up but it's got a vertical hole for the rear mudguard (weird right ?). Pictures on the net show people have drilled the mudguard and put a spacer in but then there'll be a protrusion into the inside of the mudguard. Anyone got a trick for this ?

Not a trick, but I just use a shallow button head, you'd have to be very tight for clearance before that was an issue.

[slowster]

the frame turned up but it's got a vertical hole for the rear mudguard (weird right ?). Pictures on the net show people have drilled the mudguard and put a spacer in but then there'll be a protrusion into the inside of the mudguard. Anyone got a trick for this ?

From memory the chainstay bridge is the same. I presumed that the simple holes instead of threaded bosses were to keep the cost down. I imagine that others may be able to suggest better/more elegant solutions, but I drilled the mudguard to take a long M6 bolt (M5 is too narrow for the hole IMO) and used both rubber and metal washers. From the inside:

M6 button head bolt head
penny washer
mudguard
rubber washer
seat stay bridge
rubber washer
metal washer
nut

I have 50mm tyres. If you have narrower tyres and don't want maximum clearance between tyre and mudguard, then you will need to add M6 spacers.

[531colin]

Button flange screw for the guard. From Westfield fasteners. I think it’s a neater and more adjustable fixing than the traditional mudguard bridge.
For the cracked frame better to braze a patch than just to puddle some braze over it. Not an obvious part of the frame to be stressed by an electric conversion?

[cycle tramp]

Horary, the frame turned up but it's got a vertical hole for the rear mudguard (weird right ?). Pictures on the net show people have drilled the mudguard and put a spacer in but then there'll be a protrusion into the inside of the mudguard. Anyone got a trick for this?

Welcome back Brucey - the cycling tinkerers are safe once more. Hope your feeling better.

Cheers,
Bruce.

This is mine;

I've used a long stainless hex bolt, it goes through the hole that I've drilled in the mudguard... however between the head of the hex bolt and the mudguard is a large stainless steel penny washer... the larger black thing you can see against the mudguard is a rubber tap washer, then I've got a regular m5 stainless washer and then a couple of spacers and then the bolt is screwed into the fork crown....

[Bice]

If it fails, outcome is a face-plant and a totally wrecked frame. You might have to forgo the cookies!

Not in my experience. Many years ago I had a steel touring frame break during a tour of Malaysia, at the point where the DT shifter bosses were brazed on. All that happened was that I was riding along and suddenly felt as though the frame had suspension - stopped and found the break in the down tube.

As I was only about three days from the end of the several week tour, I just cut it a bit short, took a train back to Kuala Lumpur, and flew home a few days early.

Good for you.
I'm not going to recommend on an internet forum that somebody rides a broken frame.
You can if you like.

I rode this from Westminster Square six miles to home. Gently, mind

[andrew_s]

Spa are also listing Trucker frames in both rim and disc brake; I didn’t check size availability.

The listing shows 2021 Disc Truckers in all sizes, and 2019 LHT in 42 cm/26" wheel only.

A drawback of the Disc Trucker is that it's through axle, which means new wheels as well as the frame.

[simonhill]

.......and I thought LHTs were indestructible.

Any chance of a photo, please Bruce.

[Brucey]

either Screwfix or toolstation [can't remember which] do stainless m6 threaded coachbolts. They are cheap, have a smooth head and are easily modified.

[brucelee]

.......and I thought LHTs were indestructible.

Any chance of a photo, please Bruce.

I'll do a bunch of photos including some internal inspection stuff when I get round to it but need to sort the new one out first - there are additional issues such as the selected headset - FSA "The Pig", and a lack of internal coating, so corrosion may be an issue. It was used as a road bike for a long time and a lot of sweat will have gone down into the frame. It's apparent from the state of the head tube.

cheers,
Bruce.

[brucelee]

Spa are also listing Trucker frames in both rim and disc brake; I didn’t check size availability.

The listing shows 2021 Disc Truckers in all sizes, and 2019 LHT in 42 cm/26" wheel only.

A drawback of the Disc Trucker is that it's through axle, which means new wheels as well as the frame.

spoke to the guy at SPA, the only original LHT they have is the small one as above.

[brucelee]

So far so good ...