Indeed the tube is cracked with the crack parallel to the tube on the left side (90 degrees from
front) as you sit on bike. I had been having problems with the original headset working loose and
took it to the shop after discovering that the threads on the top bearing race were stripped. Sounds
like this may have fatigued the frame. :-(
Unfortunately, I bought this bike used so I doubt Raleigh will extend their warranty to me.
S. Anderson <
[email protected]> wrote: : Not trying to insult your intelligence, but
are you sure it's the aluminum : that's cracked? It could "just" be paint, in which case it's
simply : cosmetic. Generally, head tubes on alu. frames are mighty thick and will : not crack as
a result of putting a headset in, unles they seriously tried! : It's a tricky thing. Maybe the
crack was pre-existing and they just didnt' : notice. A loose headset causing long-term back and
forth forces could cause : it to crack and maybe they just made it more noticeable with a tight :
headset. It might be helpful to know where the crack is around the circum. : of the head tube.
Really, it's hard to know who's in the right here. Our : shop would have tried to get a
replacement from Raleigh first (we would : never have cracked it by forcing the wrong headset in
there..) and failing : that, would try to get you an equivalent frame at a discount. You can get
: some nice frames relatively cheap if you're in the business.
: Cheers,
: Scott..
: --
: Scott Anderson
: "Kurt Fankhauser" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
:
news:[email protected]...
:> I took my Raleigh R-300 aluminum bike into my LBS to have the headset replaced. When I got it
:> home I noticed a bubble in the paint. Upon closer inspection I found that the top of the headtube
:> had about a 1/2 inch long crack where the top bearing was pressed in. My understanding is that
:> the frame, being aluminum, is basically toast.
:>
:> Is it at all common to have a failure like this when replacing a headset? Is the totally the bike
:> shop's fault or could the tubing have been fatigued? This was my rain bike and although not
:> glamorous it was a good worker. How would a reliable bike shop handle this situation?
:>
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Kurt Fankhauser <
[email protected]> 815 S.E. Brittany Lane Sherwood, OR 97140
(503)625-5260