I have a long Roadrat frame in large which has a cracked chainstay.

What do you reckon it's worth in an unfixed state versus me getting it welded/fixed?

MM

£47.76

Bugger. Was hoping for at least £49.80

I guess it depends on how much an unbroken frame goes for, iirc a replacement chainstay at argos will cost about £80-90, and then add cost of respray/ powercoat and then add hassle, and see how this fares against the price of second hand road rats. I have a feeling £48.90 could be about right, but that's just me,and then there is ebay!! 🙂

I'll swap it with you for a knackered superstar headset and a presta dust cap.

Can the crack not be welded then? Will it need a whole new chainstay?

It depends how bad it is, a photo would be useful.
Have you spoken to cotic about it? they may do something under warranty, depending on how it was done/how old it is.

That's the 452nd knackered superstar product I have been offered 😉

If the tube was a clockface it is cracked from 12 till 10.

Cotic said it was not in warranty and they don't do repairs. I bought another one as the time it would have taken to get it sorted I would have spent almost the same on train fares for my commute.

Depends on the severity of the crack, I just took it from your original post it was pretty bad (not sure why now re-reading it?). A minor crack should be able to be welded, steels good like that, if it's pretty small some folk might not bother with a respray either.

edit – oop's a bit slow there, but rather than hazard a totally ill informed guess, go see an expert or email cotic and see what they recommend, I've always found they very helpful.

That could probably be welded but personally I would put it in the recycling bin as I don't think I would trust it.

gaffer tape'll sort that

I rode it for a couple of weeks while my new frame arrived and I had it powdercoated (new frame was that yucky tea colour).
Didn't feel much different! Slightly flexier when stomping out of the saddle!

Personally I would Tig it up and put a patch on the inside out of view. Id have no worries riding it.

Odd place for it to crack? What did you do to it!

No idea! It's only used as a singlespeed commuter on the road. I can only think the twisting motion of 14 stone pedalling out the saddle has caused fatigue.

Nah, 14st wouldn't do that on its own. That's likely a material fault. My old steel Cougar has 16st of me, & two kids in a trailer behind it, running on 700c x 23c's. Has been fine.
Personally I think Cotic are well out of order here, they could have sent you a new frame for free. Its not as if you buy a RoadRat for dirt jumping is it!!!.

How long does the warranty last? Seems harsh!

It was in warranty but I bought it second hand as a complete bike off here and although it had only done a couple of hundred miles I have no reciept. I was expecting a half price replacement though as stated on their website.
My worry is that my Soda frame which I did buy new may do the same thing.

Speaking form experience, it looks like it could be chainsuck that's had something to do with that crack…..

I would be tempted to avoid welding the crack, and get a new chainstay put in. Argos charge £70, but any custom builder will be able to do it for you. It's not a big job, and it's a proper fix. (Again, I know this from experience!)
It will also come back stronger, if you so wish…. 🙂

Seems very harsh to me. Manufacturer's not honouring warranty's because it has changed ownership doesn't promote green antics in a 'I'm not using this I'll pass it on' kind of way. Also, what with Cotic frames being mail order (mostly) the chances of pople buying worng size frame etc then selling them on will be quite common.

If it was me, I'd hassle Cotic, and maybe settle for a 'deal'. If I didn't get any luck out of them, I'd pop pictures of the frame and crack on a popular mtb forum, saying "look everyone, don't buy one of these, they crack"….. oh hang on…..!

Chainsuck? on a singlespeed? Mind you I guess previous owner could have run it geared. Not that I'd mentino such things on an internet forum, but have you considered contacting the original owner to see if they can contact Cotic….mind you Cy will have seen this now. Hi Cy!

Well, not on a SS no (Unless your chain's been falling off?), but I can see marks in the paint there, that's what I was basing my diagnosis on! 🙂

Good God. Will someone shoot me because of my spelling please.

Good God. Will someone shoot me because of my spelling please.

Bang bang

Cotic don't HAVE to do anything because it'll state (?) that the warranty only covers the original owner – 99% of companies do that I think.

It does just look weird that it broke there which is what'd lead me to think it was a defect with the tube. How many other Rats have broken at that point?

Cotic will be at the Earls Court Cycle Show so why not take the frame along and ask them to have a look at it………..

even if it's out of warranty, i'd have thought there would be some interest at cotic in getting hold of it so they could try to spot why it occurred? send it back in exchange for a cheaper replacement or the like?

maybe not…

don't see why cotic should transfer warranty to a SH buyer – they're under absolutely no obligation to. that's the chance you take not buying new.

Not overly impressive of cotic, they could of at least looked at it and upon investigation if appropriate there could of been a goodwill gesture even though it was seconhand even a few quid off a replacement

Strange place for it to crack

there's a difference between goodwill to customers and goodwill to non-customers. the first would be seen as good customer relations, the second, what? charity?
sorry. i don't see what cotic ( or any manufacturer ) 'owe' or 'should' do for any SH buyer.

Well the point of this thread was not to slate Cotic. I don't have a reciept so didn't expect anything…although it would have been nice to have some goodwill as an owner of one of their other expensive frames.

I bought another Roadrat frame (at a £50 discount because of damaged paint) as I think they are a great bike and I love my Soda. No complaints.

My point was really is it worth fixing. I don't need the frame now as I have a new one but it is no good just sitting in the garage.

Part of me wants to mend it and get it repainted in a bright colour, as I had my new frame powdercoated metallic gun metal grey for the commute.

The other part would just like rid and spend the money on one Rapha sock 😉

MM

I'm with PeterPoddy on this one – I think it looks like the previous owner had some problems with chainsuck and has damaged the stay in a couple of places…..

It was running a Truative crank which ran MUCH closer to the chainstay when I bought it so it probably did have chainsuck. It's now running an XTR m960 crank as a singlespeed and there is a lot more clearance so hopefully wont have the same problems.

MM

Chainsuck, well theres no damage that looks like chain suck in the picture.

I'd have thought a chainstay replacement was a little OTT, the frame was made by welding and brazing steel pipes together.
I'd need to have a good look at it, as to whether i'd weld or braze a repair. But i'd fix it and ride it.
See if you can find a good steel fabricator to have a look, you don't have to respray the whole frame, just paint the effected area and use it.

If you don't want it drop me a line.

Cheers
Paul

Chainsuck, well theres no damage that looks like chain suck in the picture.

Well, you must be looking at a different picture to me! 🙂

What I can see it either chainsuck or something rubbing on the stay (That close chainring?) and IMO that's what's caused it.

Looking at the pic taken from above, and comparing it to the stay on my RoadRat which is sat outside right now, the outer surface of the stay is noticeably different…… Worn??

EDIT
And the failure mode is exactly, precisely identical to my Inbred. And that was chainsuck…
🙂

I think the initial cause must have been chainsuck but was only paint deep when I removed the old crank.

It has run for over 2 years on the XTR before the crack appearing.

I'll post some pics soon of my new Gun metal Rat. It's Pimp to the power of RAD 😉

MM

Well i don't know what you are looking at.
there doesn't seem to be any major paint scuffing in those pictures (i'm seeing 2, are there more waiting to down load?)
But i'm sure you are a expert in chain suck.

Bin the bloody thing or give it away. Life is too short to waste time on that sort of thing IMHO
I think Cotic are also fine to not do anything on the warranty either but perhaps I am just being a miserable git today