ok, call me crazy, and i know you will, but anyway…

My new idea for a bike is based around a steel charge duster frame with a steel kona p2 fork, only, I want it custom! the idea is a super “clean” look.

I want to remove all the tabs and cable stops on the frame, weld a discbrake tab onto the chainstay (to make the caliper sit between the chain stay and the seat stay) and drill holes on the frame to run the cables internally. also want to drill the forks to run the front brake cable internally as well. yes, yes, you nutter. so i go for looks over practicality! sue me…

so, i recon this would be safe to do, just a few wee holes can’t hurt the strength of a steel frame, surely. but does anyone care to disagree? is there a reason that i’m not thinking of why this wouldn’t work? also, has anyone tried anything like this?

Whats the worst that could happen

I’d buy some cheap steel frame from fleabay and give that ago 1st

Seen worse trolls but pretty poor IMO

drilling holes will most likely screw your frame. you are removing material and creating stress points that the frame was never designed for.

plus internal cables are a bugger.

Ok, I’ll bite. Decent internal cables routes have a tube (often copper) running from one end to the other so you can push a cable through. Just drilling a hole at either end is going to make threading cable a nightmare.

yes, i know custom internal will be crazy hard. i rise to the challange! and the holes would be kept away from the welds as well…

Ask this fella…

…drill holes on the frame to run the cables internally… also want to drill the forks to run the front brake cable internally… so i go for looks over practicality!

Beg to differ… you are attempting ‘looks’ over sensibility!

Drill holes all along the frame. If it won’t weaken the tube at one point it won’t weaken it at any of the other points. And it’ll be lighter. Maybe not the clean look though. 🙄

yes, yes, your ever-so-smug references to the suicidal nature of frame drilling aside, do you actually beleive it to be a real issue? obviously it will make the frame weeker, but will it make that much weaker? we’re not talking about drilling holes all along the top tube here, we are talking about drilling a couple of cable sized holes, same as the holes for the bottle cage bolts. are you of the opinion that this will make the frame snap or is it just good-natured banter?

oh, and has anyone tried welding mounts onto a steel frame? becuase that’s another thing i would be trying for the first time.

dunno if it’d be safe or not, but if you did it right it would look damn cool!

drilling any hole will weaken it FACT. holes that are already there should have been taken into consideration when designing the frame.

welding mounts is possible but I’d not bother, take it to a frame builder and get the job done properly.

in fact you’d be better off getting a custom frame made, its not overly expensive plus you can sell the duster to recoup some of the cost and it’ll look way cleaner than modding an existing frame.

The potential for disaster is so great (ruined frame, personal injury) and the positive so slight, that I just wouldn’t bother.

Can you get someone to video the first time you hit a rock at speed and put it on youtube Sounds like it might be good for a giggle

well, i haven’t bought the frame yet, but one thing is for certain it will be far more expensive either to get a custom frame or to get a professional to customise the duster.

and forgive me just a little skepticism, but everyone told me painting a frame myself would be shit and just to pay for a profesional to do it. I did it with a rattle can from halfords and it looks fantastic! saved myself a totally unnecesary 70 quid payment! nice one!

you sound like you know something about welding. is it difficult? 😀

I can’t imagine two small holes will be an issue for frame durability for the average user. If you really nail the frame normally and put it under stresses that would likely break it anyway the holes might tip the balance. Unlikely though I reckon.

Zero engineering knowledge though

you sound like you know something about welding. is it difficult?

like anything, not if you know what you are doing.

where are you going to get the equipment?

custom frames are NOT expensive. there are many production / far east frames that cost much more

oh and painting a frame V’s drilling welding are not comparable

Do it!

“welding. is it difficult?”

Maybe not with thick metal

The steel used in higher end bike frames tends to be very thin. You’d easily cmelt holes all around where you were hoping to attach the disc mount

That aside, how do you plan on getting the mounts (from where?) on the frame 52mm apart, parallel with one another and at the right angle so the disc caliper is exactly in-line with the disc? When the frame is built they’ll use a jig to weld all the bits in exaclty the right place

Drilling out a frame is just madness

If you’ve internal cable and hose routing, to put the rear brake on you’ll need to diconnect the hose to take in on/off, which can be a pain

All in all, get a custom frame builder to make you a ‘clean’ looking bike with internal cable/hose routing and the ‘custom’ brake mount

hhmm, i hear what you guys are saying. to answer the podge, i wasn’t saying painting and welding are comparable. far from it. i was just giving an example where everyone told me it wouldn’t work, and it worked without a hitch.

something i should have made clear – this is for a commuting bike, i don’t intend mountain biking on it.

so how much are we talking for a custom frame then? because my impression (dunno where i got it from) was that they would be about 500 quid and up. am i wrong?

to answer james, accidently cutting a hole through thin tubing is something i hadn’t thought of. thanks for pointing that out. but lining up the caliper mount shouldn’t be an issue – it is 1 mount with two bolt holes, not two mounts, and you can buy them very cheap. then just connect the caliper to the mount, tighten the wheel into the frame, and screw the brake pads in till they clamp tight on the rotor – this will hold the mount nice and straight with the frame for you to weld on. or so i imagine. well, i can’t see how it wouldn’t work.

Bob Jackson Cycles that should give you a rough idea.

a novice cannot weld items to a frame

drilling holes in a frame is a silly idea

removing cable stops will look mess & no doubt damage the frame too

or speak to Vernon Barker Cycles. fantastic chap and more than happy to help build you a custom frame

drilling holes in a frame might not ruin it but i for one would’nt risk it.

i’ve welded fairly thin plate, and have mates that are highly skilled fabricators i nor them would go near a bike frame – the tubes are really really thin compared with most things and welding a thick disc mount onto (thin) tube is not easy.

maybe speak to a custom builder about modding the charge in the way you wnt – they might tell you that you can drill the frame and forks.

one more point – there is no way i’d want to be crashing on a fork that’d been drilled.