Figure this might help potential buyers (and no, I'm not trying to pimp this in the wrong forum, purely seeking the thoughts of the STW massive on the 'best' repair option). I'm sure some will say it's a skip job, but hopefully there'll be a few practical/useful solutions amongst the jibes 🙂

So, here's the problem (in case you don't know!):

This cracked due to running too much seatpost extended on a long pedally section in Morzine (not by me, by Jemima of this parish).

My thought is that it should be fine with a long seatpost inserted right down (ie. as you would when bombing downhill), but maybe I'm out on that assessment? Welding is an option, but folk have differing views re. heat treatment and the like…

Anyhoo, if it was yours, and you wanted to repair it (and why wouldn't you?), how would you do it?

cheers 8)

If it was mine I would claim off my household insurance.

I do want it and am trying not to get it on a credit card that I can't afford!
I have two frames that were cracked and have been professionally welded with no problems at all. Cost me a tenner each to get welded as well.
So if I had it, I would take it down to the welders and get them to do a nice little job on it and then run it with the seatpost down through it.

Strangely I'd just mentioned this to the missus, and done a bit of googling over my wine.

Personally I'd look to get a crash replacement front triangle.

Having read up on aluminium welding bike frames it seems very hit and miss and that is a stress area, so reasonably likely to fail again. I wouldn't risk it on a hard hitting frame.

If I were you, I'd get someone to weld it, and ebay it with full details of the fact you got it welded.

Probably not what you wanted to hear so feel free to ignore me.

Out of interest what is the shock lenght as I'm looking for a coil for the nomad.

now that's an idea- buy it, then claim on the insurance.

I would contact Intense and ask them if it's possible first. There are those people that say you never weld heat-treated ally again as it will just crack near where it's welded and I'm sure there are those that say it's possible. Google ally welding and see what you find. I'm sure some firms could be emailed and so worth a punt trying that surely.

clean area up remove all paint tig weld dunck in cold water leave for 2 wks to age harden use longer seat post with more insertion. min 3"
thwang

Have you spoken to Intense US? Ask kindly if they could supply you with a front triangle at US cost?

say I get it welded, does anyone honestly think it'll be dangerous to ride, as long as one is careful to use a long seatpost fully inserted?

Have you spoken to Intense US? Ask kindly if they could supply you with a front triangle at US cost?

Jemima apparently did, replacement cost was prohibitive…

Was this bought new? Worth asking the manufacturer if so, you never know.
If no joy you could ask someone like argos cycles if they can replace the tube and respray. If selling just put it on ebay or similar and be honest- a dubious repair will just devalue it.

Get it welded, post it on the 'bay. There will be someone willing to take the chance. It might be perfectly fine, it might also be bloody dangerous. There will be some one out there willing to take a punt on a socom I reckon.

Can we have a sweepstake on what it will sell for if welded?

I'm going for £631.65

I'm surprised that Intense would make the cost prohibitive. I bought a s/h M1 a few years ago and it had stripped the threads in the bb. I tried to retap the threads but it had pulled them out. I sent it back to Two Wheel Trading who were importing them then. They sent it back to the states and they replaced the whole shell and welded it in and painted the frame. For £72!! I only paid the postage to Two Wheel Trading.
I say get it welded and run the post down through it. Argos should be able to make it like new for you.

I'd ask "Jemima of this parish" to buy me new one 😈

Could you not weld it, then epoxy a metal sleeve into the whole length of the seat tube (with slit at the top for saddle clamp) and then get it reamed out to accept a 27.2mm seatpost?

If it was my frame and I broke it, I would claim on M&S house insurance, but I wouldn't consider buying it to claim for it, you can only do that so many times before you start paying for it in premiums…hope I never need to claim on my insurance.

I'd ask "Jemima of this parish" to buy me new one

I bought it with full knowledge of the crack, no worries there 🙂

Could you not weld it, then epoxy a metal sleeve into the whole length of the seat tube (with slit at the top for saddle clamp) and then get it reamed out to accept a 27.2mm seatpost?

That was my plan in fact… though I wonder if the whole 'epoxy, ream to 27.2mm' thing would actually be required?

I'd phone up Extra uk. Dealing with them and my socom, they suggested a new front end would be about £500, which aint too bad for a top end frame.

Weld it and put a sleeve in it..Then run smaller diameter seatpost to suit, assuming it runs say a 30mm+ size post originally?

Talk to north west mtn bike centre first. They may refer you intense uk but they helped me a lot with my out of warranty cracked m1

Just bought a Socom second hand… did not want to see this thread!!!! And I've been running the seatpost quite high up in the frame… no anymore!!!

I'd suggest running a telescopic seatpost… with the lower half all the way down in the frame.

And I've been running the seatpost quite high up in the frame…

Don't do it 😯 Even telescopic posts are advised against by Intense, that area just isn't designed for the leverage a long extended seatpost exerts (no matter how far it's inserted into the tube)…

I thought you ment you lent the bike to this jemima person. In that case i'm up for the sleeve idea.

Just being nosey but have you won the lotto psychle as you buy a lot of bikes.

Just being nosey but have you won the lotto psychle as you buy a lot of bikes

nah, I wish (I'd have a few more bikes then!). I'm just a hopeless bike addict/tart… drives my wife mental, but there you go 😆 trying to cut back on impulsive 'bargain' purchases, it's a bit of a problem at times 🙄

maybe i could live with the 24" tt, and as i,v blown most of my spending pennies on a pimp road frame,howbout £300 for it and i,ll do a before/after weld /bodge job piccys too…..

frame only?

Dealing with them and my socom, they suggested a new front end would be about £500,

I wonder how much it cost to make and the customer service points but thats a totally different arguement for a different thread.

If its £500 then the weld option but with a welder who knows bikes IMO.

if you get it repaired do not flat the weld

epoxy resin and carbon tape, easy peasy.

frame ,shock ?. might be too big ,but i,ll take risk! cheers…

Why not search for the thread where all of this was asked before?

I would get it welded and be fine about it – but I would get someone who is used to welding alloy frames to do so – such as one of the specialist motorcycle frame builders( they build moto GP frames from scratch). External or internal sleeving is a possibility as well.

Id go to an expert and get their advice

What a strange failure mode. Appears to have cracked on the weld, but the radiated out into the tube itself. Would have thought it would have continued on the weld itself.

I'd be interested to see the heat treatment record for that batch of material…

you coulg gussett it like a turner and done right it wouldnt look out of place.

Balls. Looks like the Mega Avalanche is going to be harder than usual… with the seat down 🙁

I love Socoms
I'd get it welded and run a seatpost in it all the way down
would probably ride it with the seatpost down all the time anyway
.
how much did you get it for? if you can say

not much thankfully… thinking about it, I reckon I will just get it repaired and eventually ride it myself, one day! In the meantime it'll just sit in my shed, unbeknownst to my wife 😉 😆

They are amazing bikes. Only ridden mine four times but love it. It weighs 39lbs, and that is with stupidly heavy Travis forks and 729 rims. It will be 37lbs by the end of the month. It's a kinda strange, innocent bike. Plods along single track nicely, even goes up hill quite well. Then point it down a stupidly steep and technical Dh track and the bloody thing eats it up for breakfast. Came up short on a gap jump over a ditch… hardly noticed the impact. Worth every penny. Just need shot of the forks and rims and stick a lighter spring on the shock… heaven…

Post a message here, you will probably get a response from someone at Intense:

http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35