Frame breaking – who's done it?

Snapped forks on a Grifter and snapped an Ultra Burner frame in half but that was a long time ago now and I would put that down to the quality of the Hi Ten steel.

I must be a light rider compared to the rest of you.

After reading Singletrack issue 2 I wouldn’t bet on many IBIS Ripleys still doing the rounds.

Snapped the drop outs off an early Heckler
Ellsworth Isis broken frame at seat tube and around mainframe shock mounts
Ellsworth Joker swingarm
and then the Joker/Isis frame parts hybrid on Sunday last at the BB weld.

I’m hoping the next purchase lasts a bit better.

Titanium frame cracked across the seatpost/top tube weld

sorry bout the colour, its the only way the crack shows in the pic; see!

Specialized SX trail cracked going off the large ladder multiple times at Chicksands, luckily held together whilst I was riding, only noticed it the next day at home

Lastly this one’s not mine but an expensive mechanical to one of the group in Les Arcs July 2010. Double discs not secured correctly to the frame, apply brakes, brake retaining bolt cracks and wrenches apart the rear triangle of a brand new Nicolai

Andy

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0704liquidcrack 015[/url] by craigbart[/url], on Flickr

Think these had a bit of a reputation for this. Have to say Trek were spot on with the replacement.

The usual suspects keep croping up above…

🙂

Raleigh Maverick – cracked at the rear drop out.

Orange Prestige – cracked at the rear drop out.

Santa Cruz Heckler – broke clean through on the seat tube / bottom pivot weld.

Another Santa Cruz Heckler – same place.

Scott Single pivot full susser – cracked swing arm. One morning ride – oops!

Turner 5 Spot – clean through at the taco weld on the seat tube.

Cove Hummer – cracked at one of the gussets.

Ritchey Cross Bike – bent by an ejit in a car deliberately running into me.

Not broken my DW 5 Spot ……. Yet!

Mb

The

Sanny – Member
Santa Cruz Heckler – broke clean through on the seat tube / bottom pivot weld.
Another Santa Cruz Heckler – same place.

Hecklers hav one pivot which is on the downtube.

I smell a rat!

Mid nighties Orange Clockwork (C-16) .Was racing xc at Cheddar when taking a bottle from downtube and it felt loose. so thought bolts had worked loose, wrong the bolt mounts had pulled away from downtube in a thin strip. Replaced no problems.

Snapped a Whyte PRST-1 when the bridging plate connecting the brake caliper to the fork failed and put the caliper into the wheel, snapping the fork clean off just above the brake mount on the left side and up by the linkage on the right hand side. Was “just riding along”, down a single track road when a wee tipper lorry was coming the other way, i braked, the bike broke and i faceplanted in spectacular fashion right in front of him. Fair play, we put the bike on the back and he took me home. It was only 18 months old at the time and ATB Sales were only going to replace the fork but the lads at J E James in Sheffield basically said “you wanna see the state of this guys face, i think maybe some kind of goodwill gesture would be appropriate”. Few weeks later i recieved a PRST-4 frame which 8 nearly years on is still going. Definitely would have liked to have seen an action replay of it all going tits, would have been quite entertaining.

Cynic Al

Original Heckler had a plate weld between the seat and down tube. Straight back at ya! 😀

Since 1991 I have broken (as opposed to worn out) everything bar a front hub. Frame wise bent a saracen (bent it back) and snapped a Mount Mision at the pivot. Have ovalised a few headtubes too. Fork wise have snapped steerers, bent some out at 90 degrees blown up maguras and RSTs, entirely discombobulated an old set of rockshox. Everything went.

Re: hardcore hardtails, the 2003 secondhand Marin B17 frame that I’ve got a set of lyriks on and hurled into a load of silly things under a graceless, talentless, 220lbs lunk is still refusing to die. Astonishing bit of kit. Proper job.

Broken a few myself…….

GT LTS – cracked head tube, impact @ 30mph (ouch)
Saracen kili comp 853 (x3, yes 3) – poor build quality (crack in wishbone on all 3)
Whyte PRST1 – cracked downtube – high speed crash after 20km of the merida, rode the rest (100km) like this! found out next day when i washed the bike.
Scott genius (x2) – suspension pivot thingy, one of which while riding uphill!
On-one inbred 29er – crack in wishbone, commuting to work!

think thats it…. 😕

Not quite as good as some above but have been very impressed with both ATB and Trek warranty support……

Marin Quad rear swingarm bent, not really sure how I managed it but replaced under warranty along with the shock.

Same Marin Quad and the seat tube cracked above the bottom bracket, replaced under warranty with a complete new frameset. 🙂

Whyte E5, frame cracked around Quad mounting points, replaced under warranty with a complete new frameset. 🙂

Maverick SC Forks crack found in lower leg where the brake mount is, replaced FOC direct by Maverick in the States as no support in the UK at the time. 🙂

Whyte E5, Rear carbon swingarm separated from the important bit at the back! Replaced with a new E-120 Frameset.

Trek Remedy 9, found a crack in the seat/top tube weld, replaced by new frame with latest DRCV shock 🙂

My next bike will either be from the ATB stable or Trek 🙂 fantastic customer service..

My brother had been riding it for some time, but my first marin:

The ’08 Marin Mount Vision replacement (was offered a new front triangle for free, or newer for £180 to cover new shock) has recently had hairline cracks around the suspension linkages, so now on a ’10 Mount Vision frame

My spesh stumpjumper:

Had links replacement links on warranty
Also on 2nd front triangle after crack near the base of seattube

1970s Raleigh ridden into the back of a stationary Allegro while riding no handed talking to my mates behind me = snapped down tub, severe head angle and rudimentary suspension until cross bar creased and folded.

1993 Stumperjumper forks snapped brake boss

1995 M2 Stumpjumper big crack on top tube seat tube joint from a large unintended no footed air which landed on my saddle. Good old Shimano DX Steel seatpost didn’t break but the frame did…

1998 Klein all the way round the bottombraket – only found when cleaning after chainging cranks, bottom bracket, chain ring bolts etc to find mystery creak

1997 Verlicchi at seat stay seat tube joint – another mystery creak….

And I’ve just sold an old Cannondale tourer that I was hacking to work and back and the new owner found a crack that I hadn’t on the top of the down tube just behind the head tube.

Common theme is aluminium and too many stress cycles, except the steel Stumpjumper forks.

Intense Tracer First time

second time

cove handjob

Can’t imagine wtf you people do with your bikes!

Only bike I ever broke was a Raleigh Domino (I think) kid’s bike circa 1981. I was trying to do wheelies by heaving up on the bars and the single downtube snapped in two. Musta been 6 years old.