I’m debating whether to sell my broken Dialled Bikes PA 853 frame rather than spending the time to repair it and get it resprayed myself (see classifieds). Crack is at the headtube/downtube weld, rest of the frame is in pretty good condition. How much would it be worth?

Anyone got any thoughts?

Free to good home?

I guess it would be worth the cost of a Dialled Bikes PA in good condition less the cost (and hassle) of arranging repairs by someone you’d trust to do a good job. Unfortunately I don’t have any numbers for either of those.

Stop messing about! leave it out for the bin men. They might get a fiver for it from the scrappie.

Wouldn’t cost a lot to get repaired and resprayed, not sure how much I could get for it once it’s been repaired etc.

Stop messing about! leave it out for the bin men. They might get a fiver for it from the scrap

Helpful!!

I’ve got some old rope if you want to do a swap.

Tek it to a car repair place, preferably one in a railway arch in a rough part of town. Get them to weld it up for you. Won’t look neat but it’ll do the job. Et Voila- decent hack bike frame.

a) What do Dialled say 9about the possibility of a repair..)?
b) recycle recycle…
incidently how did the ‘crack’ happen?

I wouldn’t buy use a previously cracked bike. Failed frames could cost lives. It’s done it’s job, time to hang it in the shed and move on.

If you sell it on, it may well move on again without the new owner knowing its history. And few people deserve that.

a) What do Dialled say 9about the possibility of a repair..)?
b) recycle recycle…
incidently how did the ‘crack’ happen?

It’s steel I’m sure it can be repaired with no problems?

I wouldn’t buy use a previously cracked bike. Failed frames could cost lives. It’s done it’s job, time to hang it in the shed and move on.
If you sell it on, it may well move on again without the new owner knowing its history. And few people deserve that.

I would never sell it on without telling the prospective purchaser it’s history.

So let’s see, a new one from Dialled is £295. Possibly cheaper elsewhere. Second hand value in good condition might be £100.
Repair is, say, £40, a half decent powdercoat £60, and decals £20. Not to mention the time and hassle.
Yes; The bin men is a helpful suggestion…

Will need a new down and top tubes to be certain it’s ok. Not cost effective to repair.

You may tell all but what about the next person to sell it?

Hang in shed, admire every ow and the and remember the good times.

Seriously, get it to a car repair place. They’ll have welding gear, and it’s only a bit of steel pipe, effectively. They could also possibly bung a little gusset on for extra strength.

I wouldn’t buy use a previously cracked bike. Failed frames could cost lives.

Bit overdramatic, no? I’ve ridden a frame that’s bin Araldited back together for over 3 years in the carnage that is That London.

And I din’t die. 😀

Even when it did fail, the pop rivets I had bunged in as a safety measure kept it from failing catastrophically.

I’ve seen some right bodged up stuff being ridden round for years. Get it welded up. Then just spray some primer on the weld, stop it rusting. If you use it as a hack bike, it won’t matter what it looks like really.

Or give it to me if you’re that fussy. Is it a small?

Well the rates I’ve looked at are cheaper than that.

Elfinsafety – agreed, steel is easy enough to repair.

I’d agree with elfinsafety, weld will cost a tenner at most if we’re talking minor crack, make a good hack. What about swapping it? Offer it up as is and you might get something interesting, someone will have a go at the repair! I’ve bought cracked frames before and welded them. Rather than a archway garage though I’d look for a local engineering shop or welder, more likely to have tig equipment than a garage.

Get it welded and flog it cheap.. I’m sure a less chubby rider could get a few more years ragging out of it.

I’d give you a score for it.

You’re like a stuck record trav. No one can match your buff body and good looks…!

Flattery won’t get me to increase my offer.

Ha ha.

will i get it repaired yes. But not at a car place, they are not trained to weld on bike tubes. They are much thinner than car stuff. However the little noisy one is right, it’s steel, so you’re safe enough to get it re-welded. You don’t bin a car because you need to reweld a panel do you…?

thinner than car stuff ….ever welded a sill or a floor pan ? Thinner than your bike tube ill bet ( or at least mines are )

Still not going to weld tubes my self 😉

If you want to pay postage i will happily weld it for you….

However the little noisy one is right

😆

I had a diamondback apex years ago and the headtube seperated from the toptube out in the Alps. Took it to a gargage out there who brazed it up. Was fine for the rest of the trip, getting a daily hammering. Got a local fabricator to slap a chuffing great gusset on when I got home and it lasted some years after that until the downtube split whilst commuting.
Not bad for a rigid xc bike running Z1’s!

I can’t see many people wanting to buy a broken bike, it’s a bit of an un-known really. So I would get it brazed in a workshop, get it powdercoated, and just use it or use it as pub bike if you’re worried about it. Should see change out of 50 quid.

Interesting. My old 1996 kona Kilauea has been welded twice…since the last one in 2006 it’s been used as a daily commute and predominantly for my 3hr or so rides. Oh also the Sarn Helen, Malin to Mizen, South Downs way x2.

But then I’m just a sentimental cheapskate who doesn’t like to throw perfectly salvagable things away.

Kev where are you getting your prices? They seem way out. A proper repair and respray would not an cost effective.

I don’t think MIG welding works on thin steel tubes IIRC.

To answer original question. The market for a still broken steel hardtail (even a nice PA in 853) is tiny – either people with skills and facilities up for a project or someone after a proper bargain and willing to do the leg work to get it sorted and prepared to take a bit of a risk. £40 max I’d say.

Sorted and resprayed it would be still worth more to you than someone else – bit like buying a house that has been underpinned it will always be worth a bit less than one that has not been. Only difference is that underpinned houses come with a guarantee. So, sorted with a half decent respray and decals and declared as welded £80 max.

Both those prices on a good day – could be half that on a bad day.

Keep it…

As above keep it or fix it yourself, if not give it away.

Kev, it’s very rare that one of my frames breaks, so if you want to trade it in for any new Dialled Bikes frame currently in stock, please e-mail me and I’m sure we can come to some arrangement.

I’m sure you’ll go for Mike’s super offer but just so you know I got my ’89 rockhopper repaired (cracked seattube) at Argos cycles with a lovely recolour and it was about £150 (including painting some forks) – so only worth doing if you, like me, have a particular sentimental attraction to the frame.

Mike, I know, that’s why I went for one in the first place and why I would like another one, super frame. I’ll email you. Thanks again.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08186.html
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09223.html

Those are frame failures leading to injury. If you are injured you probably came off the bike, do that In front of a bus and you can be killed.

I don’t think it ethical to put a repaired frame back into circulation. Personal use… That just a bit of gambling and maybe natural selection.

How would we feel if a frame manufacturer was putting out failed/repaired frames ? “nah Jim, just weld and paint the frame, we can sell it as ex-demo”

Malcolm “Jarvis” dines had this happen to him, an old fork resprayed, sold as new on a complete bike… The facial damage was incredible.. Ask to see the pictures if you know him.

I had my Thorn down tube and head tube replaced, cost about 300 IIRC.

Bin it!

🙂

The 853’s are pretty rare and my one seemed indestructible and if anything overbuilt.

I would definitely be getting it checked by a proper framebuilder and if he says it’s repairable to be as good or even stronger than new (uprated gussetting perhaps) it might not look as pretty but should certainly be safe.

Not really a cost effective option but as said ^^ it depends how attached you are to it and it is 853!

Mike at dialled bikes..
I knew I should have gone for a Prince A.. that’s what I call real customer focused support…
Next time i will be buying a dialed..steel frame