Wilder Muni--dust to dust

Actually, Eyal has the photo.

It was unfortunate - over a bump and *plink*, the Toucan snapped...or
maybe 'ripped' is a better term. Either way, definately beyond
repair.

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entropy
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that sucks

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manon1wheel

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Sorry to hear that John. But the KH is also aluminum, right? So you
shouldn't be giving up much weight, hopefully. It's probably a good
thing that I wasn't able to join you all, since it sounds like that
particular trail was on the super advanced side! 🙂

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terrybigwheel

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entropy said:

Either way, definately beyond repair.

Did you get this diagnosis from a reputable welder or is this just a
"layman's estimate" of the damage? A classic frame such as this
shouldn't be laid to rest unless it's absolutely hopeless...

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maestro8

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I will take the remainders of the frame if you dont want them.
I can try to weld them

ps sorry bout your frame man

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dang... ben beat me to it.
I need welding practice. but i'm pretty decent at in now though...

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thats is the fate of aluminum, tough loss.... i fear a few of the of KH
frames will have a similar fate over the next couple years...most will
last a long time.

the new KH's with the knurled crown have me paticularly worried since
AL is so fatigued by stress rizers....

btw,that did happen to another Wilder frame awile ago.

R.I.P

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u have a pic of ur dead one???

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maestro8 said:

Did you get this diagnosis from a reputable welder or is this just a
"layman's estimate" of the damage? A classic frame such as this
shouldn't be laid to rest unless it's absolutely hopeless...

Layman's estimate. It probably can be "fixed" to a certain point.

The only other Wilder frame that was used regularly on SB trails
(different rider) failed in the same place - seatpost tube at the fork.
It was re-welded several times by the manufacturer but continued to
fail in the same spot. The manufacturer finally refused to repair it.
It was sent to another welder, but the new repair has yet to be tested
on the trails. People just get sick of having to walk back to the car
from the halfway point.

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entropy
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John, that sucks. I'm not surprised, though. You really spank those
muni's.

I'm willing to give it a try re-welding it, for whatever it costs to
ship it back to you. I get free time on TIG welding machines, and if
you want a more reputable welder to do the job, my boss is always happy
to lay the actual welds (free) on these sort of projects. He's been
welding aluminum for about 25 years. Pm me if you want to try. I'll be
in Santa Barbara next weekend.

Was a reinforcement plate added following previous welds? I would
imagine beefing up the area would help signifigantly.

--
gerblefranklin

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Thanks, guys, for all the offers. But I'm sending it back to Scott
Wallis, who assembled it, so he can deconstruct how it broke for furute
reference (rumor says Scott is working on a Monster Garage Muni
design). Fact is, I really and truly shreaded this thing--a huge
circular piece of the alum. tore off around the seat post. And this,
the last Wilder model, has an internal tube that was busted off deep
into the frame. Like Bevan said, the big problem is heat, and in all
four attempts to fix Han's Wilder (broke at the same place), even extra
plates and shims and so forth didn't help. The "fix" would last a few
rides and then would bust again. The alum., once heated and rewelded,
got brittle as fine china.

Fact is the new KH frames are probably better anyhow. I must had done
about ten miles of drops on that Wilder and mile upon mile of hard
tractoring over nasty boulders up in SB and in Simi Valley. And at 210
pounds, with a style Jesse R. describes as tank demolition, it's a
wonder I didn't bust it earlier.

But I took that baby down the hardest rides we have in this area so
it'll always have a place in my heart.

JL

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gerblefranklin said:

Edit: Matt, these wouldn't be easy welds, and would not be forgiving to
practice on. You would want to use a TIG welder, for starters, and also
it would be best to lay the bead as fast as possible, so as to avoid
damage to the heat treat of surrounding metal. Beginners (myself
included) are notorious for welding slowly and making a large
heat-affected area. On steel this is no big deal, but on aluminum this
can further weaken the metal due to loss of heat treat, etc.

thanks for the info, gerbleman. i didn't know that.

can't you use a MIG, too? i thought i saw some aluminum wire at the
hardware store i work at...

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MIG has a lot of problems with it. Generally you want to use a "spool
gun" which has the spool of aluminum built into the MIG gun, rather
than at the machine. This is because aluminum will kink in the MIG line
easily and have feed problems (read: jam, and be a royal pain in the
ass).

Theoretically, you could use MIG. At work I use a regular Hobart MIG
welder (no spool gun), but I only do it for tack welds, and I do it
heavy stuff, meaning 3/16" and 1/4" plate, not 1/8" and lighter. The
welds are ugly, and not something I'd like to see on a frame. When I
shattered my aluminum pedal, I re-welded it with the TIG welder, since
I wanted to fuse in some cases, without adding filler rod. you can't do
that with MIG.

Matt, my advice is learn TIG and if possible O/A and everything that
those do. Get a job at a welding shop, and ask if they can teach you to
use their machines. Don't just buy a machine and fool around, but
really have someone teach you.

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Nick's main man.

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Here they are. Sorry for the delay. One closeup of the damage. One
comtemplative moment. Both by the great Morgan (Macrocycle).

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Filename: 2.jpg |
|Download: http://www.unicyclist.com/attachment/12455 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

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eyal
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that sucks, if i break my frame, im stabbing 8 people and pouring papaya
juice on there femurs

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Whoa, settle.

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eyal said:

Here they are. Sorry for the delay. One closeup of the damage. One
comtemplative moment. Both by the great Morgan (Macrocycle).

The "contemplative moment" one is almost tear-jerking... my condolances
to all parties involved... the rider John, the Wilder, the coroner
Scott...

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It's merely a flesh wound, John! It will live again.

On Sunday I was telling a muni friend that now that I know more about
how and where you ride I was surprised you hadn't had any frame
problems. I spoke too soon.

Scott

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The "contemplative moment" wasn't so much about the busted frame--I
expected that to eventually break. It's that I didn't expect to get so
tired that I start floundering around and couldn't ride for s@#t at the
end. Santa Barbara is more fittness than anything else and once you get
tired you're just done. Josh and I had been riding shortish tech
trails for two months and toward the last mile of Tunnel (many miles
long and continuous) I was hosed.

And Scott, if that's a flesh wound, I'm a monkey's uncle. It's toast.

JL

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