Hi bikers
So I've been looking for a road bike for a while, mostly for commuting and ended up getting this giant contend AR for around 400 usd on auction, which I honestly thought wasn't too bad, the site did list a 'crack' in the frame and when I went to retrieve it I mistakenly thought it was this scratch on the top tube
Come home and turns out the crack was in fact someone getting what looks like halfway through one of the seat stays, I feel so dumb for not inspecting it probably but I was in a hurry, still dumb mistake
So how fucked am I? I'm assuming I can't ride it but how about fixing it? I'm working as a shipwright so I've done a bit of welding and have access to a TIG welder but is it even worth it? Salvage parts?
I might be able to return it but will probably lose some money in the process, money I don't really have since why else would someone hastily buy a road bike on auction
Any and all inputs are welcome but plz don't be too hard, I know I fucked up 🙏
by CrackedCarl
18 Comments
Ooooffffff, that’s a compromised frame. You got 400$ for parts homie.
Edit: which is still a super decent deal
That’s wrecked. Sorry OP.
It’s aluminum so you won’t be able be reliably weld it, best best would be to return it or strip it for parts.
I’d demand my money back or initiate a chargeback. That’s not a crack, it’s a slice and it makes the bike unrideable. It should have been auctioned for parts or not at all. If they implied it was a rideable bike, they outright lied to you
That’s a deep cut. Frame is toast unfortunately. If you’re mechanically inclined enough you can strip the frame and try to find a new one to swap the parts onto, but that’s the best case scenario in your situation.
You can’t really weld aluminum bike frames without compromising the heat treatment and thus weakening the area near where you welded, so I wouldn’t suggest doing that.
You do have everything needed for a bike sans the frame. In that situation, I’d probably try to find a donor frame to swap all the components to.
It’s dead Jim.
Alu is generally not repairable due to the heat treatment. Sadly it’s new frame time.
I think if this were a mad max like scenario and you absolutely had to salvage it, you could tack some flat stock or extra tube onto that tube and make a bridge or splint type fix.
in any real scenario that frame is toast, sorry op.
time to start checking out new bikes/frames…
That frame is toast, sorry.
Your first move should be disputing the purchase – that isn’t a crack, that’s a deliberate cut. You shouldn’t have bought a frame with a crack either (general rule), but you might have the option to reverse the purchase given that the description wasn’t accurate. If you were given the opportunity to inspect the goods before taking possession and completing the transaction then you might be out of luck.
Regardless, don’t ride this.
Well, frame is toast. If that’s how you set the seat up, the frame was too big for you anyway
Good news, you just need a frame to match the parts you already have. Getting all those parts for $400 isn’t terrible!
that’s totally done. even if you can weld alu (or know a competent welder) then that is extremely thin alu and it’ll have been heat treated at the factory… the cost to fix that properly will be way too
much to bother with.
i would try and return it to recoup some cost and chalk it up to experience and then finally throw it in a river
If you are experienced with aluminum tig welding you could fix it. But if you were experienced with aluminum tig welding you probably wouldn’t be asking us. tig welding thin aluminum is a whole different beast than stick welding some thick steel. And then you have to deal with re heat treating the frame. Best off finding a new frame and transferring the parts over.
Someone tried to steal that bike.
If the listing said “crack,” and didn’t have a clear image of this, that’s false advertising. This is an angle grinder cut halfway through a tube, probably from someone trying to steal the bike. This frame is totally compromised. If it were steel it could be fixed (for more than the price you paid for it) but this is an aluminum frame so it’s toast.
I’d attempt to return this.
Maybe put a bracket or sleeve to support it as well as weld it?
Time to find a sweet vintage frame and have a swap party
i’m not sure how this was listed, but when i look at vintage electronics there is always very clear “DOES NOT FUNCTION-PARTS ONLY,” in the listing, and i’d expect the same for a bike
I’d just weld it and send it (but don’t follow my advice please, it’s a parts bike now).
You could probably TIG weld it if you are confident in that transfer method but idk if it’d be worth it unless you can properly heat treat the frame afterwards