I snapped my frame!!



hippy

New Member
Sep 5, 2003
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Original Post w/ pics: http://thehippy.net/nucleus/index.php?itemid=664

This morning I was "Just Riding Along" (I can hear all the LBS guys groan but I'm serious!) when my GT frame snapped.

I was 30 minutes into a fairly relaxed 36 minute commute, having set a PB for this same ride yesterday (finally cracking the 30 minute mark with a relatively easy 29:52).

I was cruising along Sussex Gardens when there was a loud bang from the rear wheel.

I thought it was the quick 'n' nasty spoke repair I'd done last week but a glance seemed to indicate the wheel was true. Another quick look at the next set of lights and everything seemed ok.

It was all very odd because when I spun the wheel, everything appeared straight, but as soon as I jumped on and pedalled, the back-end was all over the place, like I had a flat rear tyre.

I thought it might be a broken axle or perhaps shot wheel bearings or some other internal chaos (maintenance levels are not high on this bike) so I watched the hub closely for signs of movement (while dodging the black cabs of course). Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except the swishy rear end. WTF?

Being close to work I just kept going, slowly, knowing I'd get to check it out properly once I'd stopped.

Which I did. The spokes were all intact and the wheel spun straight and free..

So I grabbed the wheel and yanked it side to side. The whole rear triangle moved. This is when I spotted the crack all the way through the drive-side chainstay. Damn..

hippy's GT Talera cracked chainstay 2
Pic was taken at an odd angle, in a dark room with my mobile. I'll try for a better one just as soon as I work out how to get the bike home!

This certainly explained why the whole back end was fishing around even though the wheel looked and spun fine.

Ode to the GT:
The GT Talera was a mid-90's steel bike bought for $300AUD in showroom condition with lots of bits in 2002.
It was going to be my first singlespeed project but I got into trials and fitted it with wide bars, platform pedals, etc.
When I bought the trials-specific Zebdi, it was time to turn the GT into an SS. Mick from CCW helped me do this under the "$0 Rule".
It was raced at the SSWC in 2003.
It did a tonne of commuting in all weather conditions.
I had so much fun with this I rebuilt it with better bits when the first lot of parts wore out.
It did my first lap at the Kona 24hr in 2005.
Before leaving Australia for England I fully rebuilt the GT as a touring machine with new front wheel, DeoreLX, guards, rack, panniers, barbag, etc.
Spent 4 months riding around Europe on it - killing both wheels - one from loading strain, one from a head-on with a motorbike.
Back in London it was my commuter since early 2006 when I started working for a company with showers.

One of the guys who rides at work suggested this mob for frame repair: Mercian

Not sure of a course of action yet but given the repair is likely to cost more than the bike is worth, a new machine is definately on the cards. "N+1", where N=0, currently.

For now I am a Tube-*****.

But that On-One Il Pompino is looking better every day.. "I'm EXCITED!"

hippy
 
Bumcakes! That'll put a damper on the day. I don't suppose there's much in
the way of hard rubbish collections where you are? A basic frame the right
size plus a couple of hours worth of swearing would sort that.
 
hippy said:
Before leaving Australia for England I fully rebuilt the GT as a touring machine with new front wheel, DeoreLX, guards, rack, panniers, barbag, etc.
Spent 4 months riding around Europe on it - killing both wheels - one from loading strain, one from a head-on with a motorbike.
so it had a fair load at one stage?

Paconi (Kevin Wigham) in Braeside repairs stuff for a good price

Factory 7a Macbeth St BRAESIDE VIC 3195 (03) 9587 0688
 
531Aussie wrote:
> hippy Wrote:
>
>>Before leaving Australia for England I fully rebuilt the GT as a
>>touring machine with new front wheel, DeoreLX, guards, rack, panniers,
>>barbag, etc.
>>Spent 4 months riding around Europe on it - killing both wheels - one
>>from loading strain, one from a head-on with a motorbike.so it had a fair load at one stage?

>
>
> Paconi (Kevin Wigham) in Braeside repairs stuff for a good price
>
> Factory 7a Macbeth St BRAESIDE VIC 3195 (03) 9587 0688
>
>

Bit of a commute from london but

ROTFLMAO

(not at the cracked frame, sorry hippy, We will drink a toast to the
GTs memory at the GOAT on friday )

Dave
 
531Aussie wrote:
> ooops, I read his location under his user name
>
>

Yeah. I miss Hippy.
Hey Hip? You should catch up and have a beer with Sara before you come
home :)

Dave
 
hippy said:
Original Post w/ pics: http://thehippy.net/nucleus/index.php?itemid=664

This morning I was "Just Riding Along" (I can hear all the LBS guys groan but I'm serious!) when my GT frame snapped.


You've been drinking too much Merrimans Old Fart again, haven't you? Seriously tho, it's sad when a beloved old steed gives up the ghost, remember Bikesoiler's Ti MTB frame that finally expired last year? Everything has it's season, sadly. :(
 
hippy wrote:
> Original Post w/ pics: http://thehippy.net/nucleus/index.php?itemid=664
>
> This morning I was "Just Riding Along" (I can hear all the LBS guys
> groan but I'm serious!) when my GT frame snapped.

--
> hippy


The actual fix is likely to be relatively cheap, repainting will be
more expensive.

I've snapped (and repaired) two frames and if you don't do a repaint
but just a shonky cover up may not be too expensive. Cant remember
exactly but I think last one was $80 AUD.
 
On 2006-07-12, Resound (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> Bumcakes! That'll put a damper on the day. I don't suppose there's much in
> the way of hard rubbish collections where you are? A basic frame the right
> size plus a couple of hours worth of swearing would sort that.


A couple of hours of swearing? You know this from experience? ;)

--
TimC
Bad command. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaay. -- unknown
 
"TimC" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2006-07-12, Resound (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>> Bumcakes! That'll put a damper on the day. I don't suppose there's much
>> in
>> the way of hard rubbish collections where you are? A basic frame the
>> right
>> size plus a couple of hours worth of swearing would sort that.

>
> A couple of hours of swearing? You know this from experience? ;)
>

More or less. Provided you don't have to swap over the hard bits like
headset or bottom bracket...that may vary depending what tools you have
available as well.
 
Bugger about the frame. Shop around and you should be able to get it repaired fairly cheaply so long as you fix the paint up yourself.

The arrow on the google map just about points exactly to where I lived for a while when in london. A bedsit so small that if you wanted to change your mind you had to leave the room. Great area to live in though. Have you been riding around the canals yet?

Cheers

Geoff
 
Resound said:
Bumcakes! That'll put a damper on the day. I don't suppose there's much in
the way of hard rubbish collections where you are? A basic frame the right
size plus a couple of hours worth of swearing would sort that.

If by "much" you mean "3/8ths of 2/12ths of fsck all" then yeah, there's much.

The only bikes that people leave lying around in this town are smashed to pieces by drunks walking home. I've never seen a hard-rubbish day.

Old bikes are used here until they die and then when they are well and truly dead, they are ridden for another year, once that year is up and they are junk metal they are given to the neighbor to ride for a couple of years.. you get the idea..

New it is.. plus a frame repair job on the GT.

hippy
 
dave said:
531Aussie wrote:
> ooops, I read his location under his user name
>
Yeah. I miss Hippy.
Hey Hip? You should catch up and have a beer with Sara before you come
home :)


I thought I changed my login to say London a while back.. hmm..

Awww.. and I miss you too.. awwww... :)

I'm still not close to thinking about leaving (that may change after Winter #2) so unless Sara is heading elsewhere, I can find any pub :D

hippy
 
Resound said:
"TimC" <[email protected]> wrote
> On 2006-07-12, Resound (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>> Bumcakes! That'll put a damper on the day. I don't suppose there's much
>> in
>> the way of hard rubbish collections where you are? A basic frame the
>> right
>> size plus a couple of hours worth of swearing would sort that.

>
> A couple of hours of swearing? You know this from experience? ;)

More or less. Provided you don't have to swap over the hard bits like
headset or bottom bracket...that may vary depending what tools you have
available as well.

Well, anyone who's ever seen me touch anything mechanical will know I start swearing before I touch "tool to job" (not 'that' tool, you bunch of gutter bunnies!). I'd say 2hrs is conservative.. there'll be lasting "swear vapour" and tourettes for some days post as well..

As far as tools go, they're all back in Oz save for an Alien2 multi, a screwdriver, a file and perhaps a pedal spanner. I should've thought further ahead than the touring..

hippy
 
geoffs said:
Bugger about the frame. Shop around and you should be able to get it repaired fairly cheaply so long as you fix the paint up yourself.
The arrow on the google map just about points exactly to where I lived for a while when in london. A bedsit so small that if you wanted to change your mind you had to leave the room. Great area to live in though. Have you been riding around the canals yet?

Since the touring I've only really been commuting with a bit of London exploring thrown in - 99% on roads. I wouldn't mind heading down to Richmond along the river and there's obviously a tonne of longer stuff I want to do but lots of this will have to wait until I can be arsed organising something. My weekends are usually filled with other activities these days.

hippy
 
PiledHigher wrote:
> hippy wrote:
>
>>Original Post w/ pics: http://thehippy.net/nucleus/index.php?itemid=664
>>
>>This morning I was "Just Riding Along" (I can hear all the LBS guys
>>groan but I'm serious!) when my GT frame snapped.

>
> --
>
>>hippy

>
>
> The actual fix is likely to be relatively cheap, repainting will be
> more expensive.
>
> I've snapped (and repaired) two frames and if you don't do a repaint
> but just a shonky cover up may not be too expensive. Cant remember
> exactly but I think last one was $80 AUD.
>


Painting expensive? ***********, it's only to stop the metal rusting.
Brush a bit of grey galvanising paint of the exposed areas and it'll
last for ever. Pretty paint won't make you any faster.

Friday
 
Friday wrote:
<snip>
>
> Pretty paint won't make you any faster.
>

Surely you jest!! It's a well known fact red bikes are faster.

Parbs
 
"Friday" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> PiledHigher wrote:
>> hippy wrote:
>>
>>>Original Post w/ pics: http://thehippy.net/nucleus/index.php?itemid=664
>>>
>>>This morning I was "Just Riding Along" (I can hear all the LBS guys
>>>groan but I'm serious!) when my GT frame snapped.

>>
>> --
>>
>>>hippy

>>
>>
>> The actual fix is likely to be relatively cheap, repainting will be
>> more expensive.
>>
>> I've snapped (and repaired) two frames and if you don't do a repaint
>> but just a shonky cover up may not be too expensive. Cant remember
>> exactly but I think last one was $80 AUD.
>>

>
> Painting expensive? ***********, it's only to stop the metal rusting.
> Brush a bit of grey galvanising paint of the exposed areas and it'll last
> for ever. Pretty paint won't make you any faster.
>
> Friday


Oh bugger. So you mean I'm going to be just as slow on the upcoming bike as
all the others?