Classic Ti Raleigh death – can it be saved?

Hi everyone!

Just got back from today’s commute home and noticed my 20 year old Raleigh Dyna-tec Titanium had cracked one the downtube

So, do you think it can be saved? Is it game over? Will it die?

Sad face

Have a word with Enigma, they welded my Soda back up nicely. But that looks bad.

I haven’t a clue but I love those frames. Good luck!

Northwind, what sort of cost was that?

Ska, me too 🙁

I’d say it was dead on a stick, and after 20 years you deserve a new bike. 😀

Ladders, I think I was £90 including return postage. That was for 2 short cracks between seat tube and top tube but the frame was still in one piece so, not sure if that’s a useful comparison. But they’ll be able to advise how good an idea it is from your pics too.

Thanks Northwind, I’ll email them and see if there’s anything they can do

bit of duck tape’ll sort it…

(p.s. mine lasted 6 months before bending in a big stack)

No idea but that is a beautiful crack? So straight.

That really doesn’t look like a crack. That look like its been cut with a hacksaw.

Was it locked up at the time? Thieves around Leeds have been cutting frames to get at bikes with sell-able components.

I wouldn’t risk that…..bin it!

Coke can, jubilee clip, duct tape. Maybe some araldite for luck.

It does look terminal. If it was a steel frame it would be a tube replacement, but that?
Loved those frames, though a bit shocked at the ‘look’ of the welds.

I seem to remember at one point those frames had a ‘lifetime’ warranty. have you still got the receipt?
I broke 2 of the mountain bike versions! Sold the third one before it had time to break!

No, def not been hacked at!

Ha, I bought it in 96, receipt has long gone!

As a metalurgist and former failure investigator – on the basis of those pics i’d say 90% sure that is a cut not crack since:

Too straight for a fatigue crack, no branching or secondary cracking either.
Crack is completely perpendicular to tube
Not near any stress raisers (welds, bosses etc)
Tube is deformed slightly either side of crack – you can see this from the way the light reflects.

There’s another crack by the weld underneath!

There is no way that has been hacksawed.

The top of the tube would have witness marks where the blade would have slipped trying to start the cut.

Also, even though the tube is thin, it is made of titanium. That’s a slightly tough metal you know !

As nice as these frames are. They sell remarkably cheap on retrobike. Ime anyway. Id suggest wall arting it due too the crack. Enigma will likely suggest a new tube. Which will be expensive. 2-300 will get you a new one of those frames. 100 will get you a dynatech ti bonded frame

BigCol – Member

Not near any stress raisers (welds, bosses etc)

Butted tube?

Titanium’s a bastard to cut with hand tools even when it’s thin, and the location there would make it needlessly awkward too- if you were going to hacksaw through a frame you wouldn’t do it there. Think CSI can stand down tbh.

I’m not a metallurgist, but that’s definitely not been hacksawed, it’s a very typical down tube crack. Cracks usually grow circumferentially as that’s the shortest distance. They crack at that distance from the HT as that’s the point at which the tube can start to crumple – closer in, it’s stiffened by the HT.

As above, plus the fact that the crack wasn’t there at the start of my ride! 😉

Ladders, did you filter up the LH side of anyone? 😉

Only ideal way to fix that is to replace the tube, nothing else is really that satisfactory, esp when it comes to the front end/headtube joints, defo don’t want anything ever failing on you there, vs. a chainstay/dropout breakage isn’t going to pitch you into the ground.

I’d say if you can pick up another frame for around £200-300 then thats probably about the same price as getting another tube put in, though always worth getting pics and emails to Ti frame builders for a quote :p

Ha, I bought it in 96, receipt has long gone!

I have a Dynatech roadbike, it’s one of the ones with titanium tubes glued into ali lugs. I bought it second hand and after a year when I went to replace the BB the steel sleeve in the BB shell came loose. Raleigh replaced the frame without any problems, despite not being the original owner or having a receipt – might be worth a try?

A friend had an X Lite Ti frame (same Raleigh frame in a shotblast finish)crack in the very same way in the very same place (back in 2003 ish I think). He got it properly welded and I think it is still going (but has since cracked elsewhere). So it has not been hacksawed!

The early Ti Raleigh welded frames had a habit of cracking in strange places. I know two fairly lightweight women who both had the wishbone seatstay crack (in the middle of the wishbone strut).

The later (painted) ones they got as warranty replacement seemed to be OK.

I think the Raleigh ones had a lifetime warranty (X lite was only 1 year), but not a clue what they would change it for. Paul Hewitt cycles can also do Ti weld repairs (with argon back-purge).

I got this frame because I broke two other bonded steel Dyna-tec frames before it.

Like you mention, what would they replace it with if they did exchange it!

BigCol
“…former failure investigator…”
How did your career end?

Ben Cooper is spot on.

The slightly flared and wavy/rippled edges of the crack give away the mode of cyclical loading and movement of the tube as the crack grew.

By the way if you have a new good sharp hacksaw blade it will easily cut through a titanium tube.

jubilee clip round that and you’ll be reet 😉

It’s the great scrap heap in the sky for that IMO.

Are you quite sure it isn’t a sticker, etc……..

If it’s deader than a dead thing, can I please have the frame to hang on my wall?

I had a road bike with a bonded dynatech Ti frame and when it cracked Raleigh would only supply a steel frame as part of the lifetime warranty! Apparantly if you read the small print they don’t have to supply the same material frame, just another frame.

As said above, have a look at retrobike