Have you ever REALLY broken a frame?

I’ve only ever managed a a crack around a weld (Giant NRS back in the day, was replaced under warranty).

So, your tales, and I suppose your pictures of PROPERLY borked frames, if you please.

snapped a orange sub zero.

getting it sorted was a ordeal, too painful for me to tell.

snapped the down tub off a Diamond Back BMX from the bottom bracket when i did a bunny hop – not even a massive one – did not take a picture in 1984 – did cry though

Cracked and stopped riding bikes but that i smy only proper break – it was quite spongy with no down tube

Split chainstay top and bottom on my pastey howler ti.

Only cracked one…an old budget full susser, suspect it broke as my mate used to stand on the rear chainstays. Snapped where the chainstay met the BB, got a new frame out of it 🙂

Snapped the headtube off my first mtb bitd, a falcon sierra. Luckily it went from the downtube weld first and slowly chopped out before snapping off from the top tube.

Coptic hemlock, a great bike, but the v3 (?) chainstay was a bit snappy.

Mine snapped near bourg st Maurice. One minute I was in riding heaven, a moment later I was picking myself of the ground tangled up with a very poorly bike. I lashed it back together with some string, an inner tube, and leccy tape, and it rode fine for another couple of days!

Reversed into a garage while sweamrs Intense Tracer was on the rack… cracked the chainstay and bent the fork crown. Given the force involved surprised it didn’t look worse to be honest.

Aye, snapped a grapil, but then who hasn’t

Snapped thru my top tube & bent downtube on my Munimula.

Loved that bike, did cyb, glentress, all over the place.
Trying some jumps at mountainous Thetford, got way more air than my skills could handle nose dived into a dugout out.

Sad times, tbf Kona did me a good discount off a new frame when it was obviously not JRA !

Catastrophically split a Carbon Tallboy along the top tube, at the bendy bit. I’d just got back from a race and I think it had been squashed in transit, dropped about 2 feet landed and it unpeeled like a banana. They replaced it no worries.

Just a cracked chainstay here.

Not something I fancy doing either.

Broken chainstay on 2003 Enduro S-Works.

Cracked upper seat tube on 2007 carbon Stumpy.

There is another but can’t remember right now.

Sadly yes…

Snapped a Headtube off a hardtail Stumpjumper
Snapped the back end off a Sunn Dual (twice)
Snapped a seatstay on a Rocket FAB trials frame
Snapped a brake mount off a Pashley 26Mhz
Snapped the main pivot mounting on a Kona A

And numerous other cracked frames, including one Kona Kilauea with a crack in almost every important weld!

Not even going to list the cranks, BBs, bars, seatposts etc. that have met an untimely end under my careful ownership…

It’s been a while though so maybe I’ve mellowed as I’ve aged…

Nope, never broken a frame.

Not really broken much, snapped a bottom bracket axle, worn rims to the point of dramatic failure, and snapped a handlebar. The handlebar was around 90grams and snapped within two miles of being fitted so I put that down to a manufacturing fault.

Yes, snapped a seat stay completely in half on a carbon intense spider 29.

Also cracked the down tube on an ibis ripley.

Not me, but I was out with my brother when he hit a tree trunk with his frame. Bent the downtube and snapped the head tube clean off a Sunn Revolt 998. That was some accident!

I particularly remember that he was surprisingly unhurt and then, whilst wheeling part of his bike back, I gashed my calf on the broken frame and needed stitches!

I’d call this broken…

About 20 years ago I snapped the lower suspension point on a Scott FSR 2. I was on the original Coed y Brenin red and wondered why the back end of the bike was wandering about!

Verses is winning on photos so far!

🙂

As Junkyard
A BMX in 1983
S E Quadangle frame nr. 21

Snapped my Tomac DH bike in two at the BB and put myself in Van general for 12 days – which was nice

Trek replaced it under warranty and the replacement cracked in the same place, caught it before it snapped off though.

Yes. Many.

I haven’t but clearly I’m skilled on the bike or a wuss, think the latter but I’ve been with three people when their frames have cracked, one Orange, one On One, one Light speed road frame.

Cracked the seatstay on my cotic soul. Got it welded and painted at Enigma.

No and I’m a fat **** as well!!

Tried to break a GT avalanche, DH at Warncliffe didn’t even dent it….

I snapped the seat tube of an Ellsworth Truth “just riding along”. The shop and company support afterwards was terrible as they pretty much just washed their hands of the whole business after stalling for months. I was gutted because, at the time, it was my dream bike. Since then my bikes have been chosen for robustness (with the notable exception of a Hemlock) and they have all been fine (including the Hemlock which had some big mountain trips).

Bent a Rockhopper frame when I hit a car.

Yes.

I guess this counts, and yeah………that is blood 😀

Also got a pic somewhere of a snapped 1990 KX 250 moto cross frame, along with the rest of the completely wrecked 3 week old new bike (sponsor wasn’t chuffed with me), i tried to clear a stupidly large set of triple jumps at a Belgian moto-x race and didn’t quite make it – the invincibility of being a 17yr old who thought he was the next Rob Herring eh?.

And the others Matt….

Orange P7 circa 1997, cracked a chainstay.

Stif just raised their eyebrows in a “well done sir, respect” sort of way and instantly said they’d need 3-4 weeks to get the frame stripped, replaced and re-built, did I want another P7 or an upgrade to another Orange?

Those were the days. None of this talk to the manufacturer about a warranty claim nonsense. They sold me it and they were taking responsibility.

Now someone mentioned BB axles (spindles I think, but…). I totalled an XT HTII (760? The first 10 speed XT) – absolutely tore it in two. While pootling up a climb in granny ring.

Aye Hairyscary – you must have more pics of properly borked bike

I broke right through the bottom of the seat tube on a carbon Stumpjumper Evo. I don’t know how, I only found out on the first ten yards of the ride after when everything felt very floppy.

The most impressive break I have seen is my mate Will in Morzine about ten years ago-

Nope been mtb’ing since they were invented and never broken a frame. Just a swinging arm, but then I’ve always been a wheels in the ground type of rider.

Now we’re talking! Some proper spangage going on there, Soma and Munro!

Not a frame but I’ve had a crank shear in half on bmx when I was a kid. It was that sharp I didnt feel it go through my calf and only realised what had happened when I looked down

The joys of building ramps at the top of a set of stairs 😆 25yrs later there’s still a massive scar

BITD I killed a couple of Orange E2s. Gave up and bought a Bonty.

my mate Will in Morzine about ten years ago

What happened to the wheels?! Did they burn up on re-entry or something?