Got a free 1984 Alpina Pro. A friend grabbed it from the metal salvage area of the local dump. I’m looking at this small crack and considering the location on the seat stay and seat tube maybe to do a weld repair? This would become some sort of basket bike so I don’t expect to be using it too hard. What say the community?
by Trailman57
10 Comments
Cut it up and return to scrap.
Think of, when it breaks again, where does that metal end up?
No sir, don’t like it.
This is hosed unless you are up for some serious repair work. That seat stay/clamp cluster is a brazed joint; brazing filler will crack welds, so you can’t weld it.
You’d have to somehow remove the seat stays and clamp, braze a patch over the crack, then replace the stays and clamp.
Ok…I thought that might be the case. But return to scrap yard? Not until I strip it. Sling shot stem, bear trap pedals, Suntour components and a pair of bitchin’ OG Dia Comp brake levers. I did a swing around the block and was nice ride. Too bad. Maybe next time
https://preview.redd.it/u1mnq6knsoxc1.png?width=2919&format=png&auto=webp&s=ad3932701ea7832104eb6bbc49fa1b9a0a507b26
She done. Over torqued one too many times.
https://preview.redd.it/azjo42p73pxc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce4e2e897c3c3278286768df1921ede46309172f
This guy on instagram made a nice lamp out of a broken frame. I think this kind of purpose for your frame is your way to go now
It will at least be nailed to the outside wall of my bike shed
She’s done. That said, I have one bike that has such sentimental value that I’d pay anything to have her repaired. The frame is probably worth $100. I’m irrational, I know.
Wasted away but I could probably save that unconventionally after cleaning it up to bare metal, drilling a small hole where the split finishes, then get the area super clean and hot to braze in a thin walled seamless steel pipe to sleeve it down but in deep enough to pass the top tube joint to reinforce all of that area, then cut the slot back in afterwards and size up a new thinner seat post to suite whatever the new ID would be
Bummer — 40 years-ish of service and it has reached the end. At least you noticed before something catastrophic happened. My Bianchi developed a similar crack and despite knowing that it’s not worth it financially to repair I still haven’t got around to trashing it. Something about tossing it doesn’t seem right after all of the years.