After cleaning my Specialised Rockhopper Pro yesterday I’ve noticed a crack in the top of the steerer tube, from where the upper bearing sits, on the frame. The frame is an A1 alu job.
Is this terminal, can it be welded or do you think my local Specialised store will be able to do anything/exchange/ discounted replacement?
Anyone else had this problem with this type of frame.

lifetime warranty on spesh frames if your the original owner. give them a call.

So lets say I’m not the original owner, however the guy who had it before me only used it for commuting and I wouldn’t say I’ve been particularly “rough” since I’ve owned the bike

Your better putting in a warranty claim here as new is sometimes better than a re-weld, although getting a pro welder to help here could actually add something in value to the quality frame you already have. Why pay for it though if its already covered by warranty?

The lifetime warranty is for original owner only. (Unless you can get proof of purchase off the original blokey and pretend)

The old ‘you can get it welded’ chestnut.

Sorry, if it is broken then welding it without heat treating it won’t work for very long.

Hopefully see the original owner in work tomorrow, just hope he still got some receits.
The A1 frame has been superceded by m5 alu frame, do you think will that make a differece as regards the replacement, I think the bike is 4/5 years old

The old ‘you can get it welded’ chestnut.

Sorry, if it is broken then welding it without heat treating it won’t work for very long.

Listen to the words written above, any weld won’t do.

No weld. Would last you all of 10 minutes before it was back and worse than before.

Get the original owner to put in a warranty claim (assuming he registered the bike for the warranty with Specialized) and they’ll get you a new frame.

Of course it can be welded – how strong it will be depends on the actual type of alloy and the skill of the welder. How do you think alloy frames are made? Not all alloys need heat treating after welding

Extra metal could be put on as well to strengthen the area – IE machine a ring to go over it and then weld that on.

So it might last as a repair or it might not. If you like the frame and it is scrap otherwise then it must be worth a try. Obviously if you can get a warranty replacement that is best otherwise use someone who is a skilled fabricator used to welding alloys.

My favorite frame is a 10 year old hardtail that I had disc mounts welded on it. Its been perfect! Done right a skilled tradesman will always come out on top!

TJ It’s nowt to do with the skill of the fabricator. If it’s welded, then chances are it will break withing a couple of inches of the new weld, and not the actuall weld itself, That’s what the heat treating gets rid of, the stresses around the weld area.

Paul – and not all alloys behave like that – and heat treating is possible. In the motorcycle world alloy frames are modified and welded all the time – mst modern motorcycles use alloys that don’t need heat treating.

And in the motorcycle world they’re not dealing with alloy tubes that are less than half a mm thick in places. Not really a good comparison to make, is it?

You’re quite right that not all alloys need heat treating after welding but the vast majority of bicycle frames do. It’s not an expense they go to during the original construction for the hell of it you know.

IWH – you would be suprised how thin the frames are – and they have to cope with far larger stresses.

And in the motorcycle world they’re not dealing with alloy tubes that are less than half a mm thick in places. Not really a good comparison to make, is it?

The thinnest aluminium main tubes are 1.2mm thick. Not half a mm.

7000 series alloys will age harden to 85% of max UTS within 4 weeks. Naturally. Just by sitting there having a rest.
Fatigue strength is not affected by heat treatment btw.

6000 series tubing would need heat treating to regain its strength though.

This text says just want Brant says:

http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=Lskj5k3PSIcC&pg=PA397&lpg=PA397&dq=6061+post+weld+heat+treat&source=bl&ots=Fsz5ec6xeV&sig=M2cdWt5jBsYLteUVrU-wAZ2tBAE&hl=en&ei=0-_WSaKLPJn0tAPYn_mqCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#PPA397,M1

Look at the column “Post weld heat treatment in the HAZ”

And if you want to know all about heat treatment (and have the time) read the US Department of Defense Military Specification Milspec MIL-H-6088G here:

http://assist.daps.dla.mil/docimages/A/0000/0000/5791/000000131081_000000173221_PSZOMYBORO.PDF?CFID=26180546&CFTOKEN=5c73bcc6dcf53dbc-6F850C50-1372-548A-D34714E0A69EDC5F&jsessionid=06303cb7472e6a7a02d3

drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop it getting any bigger

Had a crack on my Pace frame at the weld between the BB and chainstay. Contacted Pace who were no longer repairing their own frames. They advised me to contact a motorcycle frame manufacture as thy are used to welding light aluminium alloy tubing.

Took the frame to a place near Liverpool. They repaired the frame for about £30. I was advised to leave the frame for a week or so, to allow it to age-harden.

Still going strong after 3 years [touches wood].

If the warranty option is a no go- it’s worth a try.