anyone recommend a ti frame builder/ repair specialist, preferably in the yorkshire area?

thanks.

http://www.vernonbarkercycles.co.uk/contactus.htm

Has popped up on STW a few time – but iirc mixed reviews from folk getting disc tabs added.

thanks stuey.
i thought about barkers, but their website hasn’t been updated since may 2008. suppose i’ll drop them a line.

“mixed reviews” doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence though.

From the repairs I’ve seen I think it’s safe to say that Vernon’s work could be described as ‘functional’ rather than ‘aesthetic’. He’s pretty much the only chap that’ll weld ti in the UK though, but he does give you an appreciation of how good the Chinese (and others) welders really are…

What are you looking at having done anotherstan?

Not in the Yorkshire area, however these guys have a good reputation. Might be worth the postage costs!

Link

What is it that you want done / welded?

There are a lot of specialist welding companies that can weld titanium but who are not purely bike welders eg
http://www.carrswelding.co.uk/cycling.html

Hang on a minute, what’s my frame doing on Carrs’ web site ?
Picture 6 on their gallery of cracked titanium frames is my Lynskey.

Lynskey repaired it under warranty. It’s never been near Carrs.
You’d think they’d show some before & after examples of repairs they’ve done themselves rather than just blagging some random picture of a cracked frame off the web.

it’s actually a modification rather than a repair.
i have one of the early lynskey/ 456 frames which (imo) is perfect in (almost) every way, but…
i was wondering about having the seat tube swapped out for a 30.9mm to allow me a greater choice (or even a choice of greater?) dropper posts.

don’t want to get rid and buy something else if this is an option. might not be feasable, but if i don’t ask, i’ll never know and that’ll bug me 😕

Sounds like an incredibly expensive job even if you could find someone who could do it.
Didn’t the lynskey ti 456 have a bonded in shim to take it down to 27.2mm ?
If it has could that be removed you should be able to shim the seat tube to 30.9 ?

taxi25

Sounds like an incredibly expensive job even if you could find someone who could do it.

I’d have to agree. I wouldn’t have thought repairs and minor mods to be too much of a prob but swapping out a tube won’t be cheap.

TBH it’ll probably be cheaper,better and possibly safer in the long run to get a new frame.

Didn’t the lynskey ti 456 have a bonded in shim to take it down to 27.2mm ?
If it has could that be removed you should be able to shim the seat tube to 30.9 ?

Of course, why hadn’t I thought of that (I’ve a 456Ti and want a dropper post), that bonded-in shim was obviously there for no reason whatsoever… 🙄

Just buy a Gravity Dropper.

Whats with the raised eybrows an sarcasm br ? The op is talking about replacing the whole seat tube ! ! Not a thing I’d dream of doing. Maybe replacing the shim isn’t an option hence the ? mark. But if I realy wanted to go for a 30.9 s/post thats where I’d look before the angle grinder came out.

Sell it on before it cracks and then get one of the newer VN made 456’s. I think they have a larger seat tube (and they look a bit more “solid”)

thanks all for the suggestions.

yes, it may well be an expensive option to change a tube, but out of 15 frames i’ve owned over the last 4 years this one just feels like it ‘fits’ much better than the rest.
for that reason i think it’s worth at least asking the professionals for a quote/ opinion.

taxi – i noticed the shim, and your suggestion did cross my mind, but i suspected there might probably be some structural reason for its inclusion.

i have tried pure racing and gravity droppers, but wasn’t overly impressed, and that’s when i came up with this hair brained scheme.

i’ll reveal the cost once enigma get back to me.

cheers, stan.

Anotherstan – I’ve had two Ti frames that have had their seatpost shims ‘unstuck’ and swapped out. One was a pig to remove as the epoxy was very tough – took heat and a pair of mole grips, My Tinbred was easy to swap- it would be worth emailing the manufacturer and asking them ‘what glue’.

Swapping the seat tube not only verrrrry expensive but a different diameter ‘pipe’ may mess with the ride quality you’re trying to preserve.

I spoke with Mark Lynskey about the possibility of this a while ago, I will try and dig out the emails from the archive tomorrow so you’ve got it from the horses mouth.

well, i’ve heard back from enigma (on a sunday too) looks like it’s going to be way too expensive, as predicted by many. they have said that they would be able to make a custom copy of the frame complete with 30.9mm seat tube, but i think that’s also an expensive way to end up with what was originally a ‘bargain’ ti frame.

stuey, you make a valid point about it possibly changing the feel of the bike. it would have been gutting to realise that i’d ruined things after spending a wad of cash.

zulu, i’d appreciate that if you can find the emails.

I’ve been thinking a lot about trying to de-shim (and possibly re-shim) my ti456 eat tube to facilitate the use of a 30.9mm or 31.6mm dropper post, so I’d love to see those e-mails too.

I can probably get a custom shim made if I know what the dimensions should be, but I’m worried that it might be structural…

I got my Ti road bike fixed by Vernon Barker
Pics here
http://audaxing.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/it-was-dead-but/
It’s not the neatest repair ever but I asked for it strong not pretty
I do fairish miles on the road bike and the repair is ok now since last xmas

The KS Supernatural 272 not an option?

null

The Supernatural is an option (as is the Xfusion Hilo and in the future the KS Lev 27.2mm, if it ever gets finished). There are issues with all of the 27.2mm options though, so the idea of using (one of the better) 31.6mm ones appeals.

I contacted Lynskey and On One, and they were fairly useless, just going “don’t do it, you’ll die” without any real explanation as to why.

I then spoke to Enigma, and it sounds like the internal diameter of my seat tube is likely to be c.33.0mm (the standard for 34.9mm external diameter titanium seat tubes) and de-shimming/re-shimming it a relatively simple/cheap process. Subject to checking that the external diameter of my seat tube is 34.9mm with my micrometer, I think that I’m probably going to go with getting Enigma to fix it.

vorsprung – Member

I got my Ti road bike fixed by Vernon Barker
Pics here
http://audaxing.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/it-was-dead-but/
It’s not the neatest repair ever but I asked for it strong not pretty
I do fairish miles on the road bike and the repair is ok now since last xmas

I weld Ti for a living and am horrified someone did that to your frame and charged you money for it. that is the worst Tig welding i have ever seen! 🙁

@tom. just seen your reply mate.
have you done anything about getting your ti456 re-shimmed? …did they give you an idea of cost at all?
i’d be keen to hear how things go. either on here or my email address is in my profile.

cheers, stan.