Recommend me a titanium frame repairer

The inevitable has happened to my Lynskey after 11 years.

It’s got a lifetime warranty, but most manufacturers consider 10 years to be a lifetime don’t they?
It would probably cost more for return postage to the USA than a local repair anyway.
Is there anyone near Worcestershire who can repair it? I’d prefer to take it in person than post it.
I’m only 25 miles from Birmingham ‘The Workshop of the World’ so I’m sure I could find a titanium welder who could weld up the crack and add a gusset, but I’d also prefer to deal with a proper frame builder who can weld it in a frame jig to check alignment.

I would get in touch with Lynskey anyway,worth a shot.
I have had two Ti frames crack(Van Nic) and had new replacement frames sent both times.
Even after 11 years,that’s a significant crack/fail ,get some photos sent 👍
Good luck

If not Lynskey then Ted James Design is near Stroud, Gloucestershire. He’d be top of my list. Contact via IG.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CprlZBlNUMB/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Thinking about it now, isn’t my contract with the retailer, Chain Reaction, not the manufacturer, Lynskey, under UK consumer law?
The frame cracked around the seat tube when it was 11 months old and I sent it back to CRC for repair or replacement and they sent it to Lynskey in the USA. I remember Lynskey having the worst customer service I have ever encountered, it took months to get it back.
CRC have got a new order system and don’t have a record of any orders from before April this year, so they need the original order number. I have deleted all my old emails so have no record myself.

Stroud’s only 55 miles, that’s not too bad.

Your warranty is with lynksey as they offer the lifetime warranty

The retailer is responsible for the warranty of the usual consumer length ie 12 months

“You will also need to email, mail or fax us a legible copy of the your original proof of purchase…” from https://lynskeyperformance.com/warranty-information/

And

“We upgraded our website on 26/04/2023. All orders placed after this date are listed here.
To make a return on any orders placed before 26/04/2023 use our dedicated returns portal. You’ll need to provide your order number which you can find in the confirmation email you received when you originally placed your order.” from https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/my-account/order-history

I’ve deleted all my emails over five years old and long since lost any paper copy I might have ha, so I’m stuck either way.

Van Nicolas are known for having one of the best frame warranties in the business. Lynskey aren’t. (Edit; I’ve just read their current warranty clauses. Wow.)

As above, outwith standard sales contracts the warranty exists with the manufacturer.

This guy is local to me? ( Cumbria)

https://www.simpsonframeworks.co.uk/

I reckon it might need an entirely new chainstay, could be very pricey.

I reckon you’ve done well with 11 years out of a ti frame – and with no proof of purchase you’re probably up against it with warranty.

Also, you could spend a lot of money on a repair and then a frame of that age could fail somewhere else.

Think it might be time for a new frame (and maybe a new back tyre)

I’ve seen https://vernonbarkercycles.co.uk/ mentioned, no personal experience

I’ve emailed Ted James, and Titanium Techniques of Dudley who specialise in titanium offshore gas and oil pipework, so they probably know what they’re doing. I’ll see if either of them can give me a quote based on my photos.
A quick search for UK to USA postage costs looks like it’s around £80 one way.
Vernon Barker quotes £150 for fitting disc brake mounts to a titanium frame and I guess this repair would be a similar sized job, so even if Lynskey honour the warranty with no proof of purchase and do the repair for free, it will cost about the same and take longer.

Vernon Barker quotes £150 for fitting disc brake mounts to a titanium frame and I guess this repair would be a similar sized job,

Unless they want to use a new chainstay, in which case a lot of work to fabricate one…

Great video on how much work is involved..

Do not go anywhere near Vernon Barker for a Ti repair. I’ve seen some of his work and it’s absolutely horrendous looking. Google it or maybe look over on Retrobike. Really bad.

From my experience with a similar failure on my Blacksheep frame you’ll need the  complete stay replaced or even better both stays . Mark at Enigma did the first repair on mine – really good job with great looking welds,  then the chian stay snapped and he wouldn’t repair it only replace – the cost and time to get one from Blacksheep was ridiculous .

Your point of contact is with the retailer, yes… In this case, CRC is effectively both the retailer and the distributor too, because their sister company Hotlines is the importer of Lynskey anyway…

But if it doesn’t prove fruitful, then definitely speak with Ted James… But I will warn you, that emails may not prove fruitful. He’s quite an elusive character… The best way to get hold of him is sometimes just to turn up at his workshop, later in the day as he often works strange hours. Or pick up the phone and give him a call, and arrange a time to meet… He’s probably the most genuine guy in the frame building business that I have met, but he’s definitely not what you’d call organised! 😂

I think it may be new frame time.
I’m not 100% certain, but that looks like a crack, not a scratch, running up the downtube. The weld is definitely cracked.

Errmmm – that looks fubar to me.

No legal recourse after that time unless you want to try breach of contract over the lifetime guarantee especially given your history 🙂

That crack in the weld by the BB!!!

New frame time…

Time to test what “lifetime” means on the warranty I’d suggest.

New bike day! Congrats! 👍 Lots of nice stuff out there or find a top end steel hardtail of the same age as your Lynskey and swap all the bits over.

Why is titanium so popular? Every time I see a post about titanium it seems like there are multiple people talking about the number of replacement frames they’ve had!

Is the ride massively different to Carbon, steel or aluminium?

I love the way a titanium bike looks by the way.

Every time I see a post about titanium it seems like there are multiple people talking about the number of replacement frames they’ve had!

Would you like me to post about the 4 Ti frames I’ve owned (3 I still ride) that haven’t cracked?

Yes please!

And to add a positive note, my ti Dekerf frame, had it c.20 years and around 20,000 miles, still great…

Looking for Rohloff/singlespeed compatible titanium 29er frames in the UK, it looks like it’s Van Nicholas or nothing.

https://shop.vannicholas.com/en/products/titanium-frames/Zion-Rohloff-29er-Frame/8107

Could you consider pinion instead if you’re anti-derailleur?

Yes, but the Lynskey is my single speed bike. I’ve got a Qoroz titanium Rohloff 29er as well.
The idea is that I can swap between the two day to day, and if I ever go racing again, I can convert either one to Rohloff or single speed so that I’ve got two the same with oe being a spare bike for whichever category I’ve entered.
I doubt I ever will race again, so realistically, I just need a single speed frame.

it looks like it’s Van Nicholas or nothing.

I’d go for the nothing option. I’ve had 3 VN frames crack at the headtube weld in 10 years. The last was a Zion Rohloff which had relatively little use. They replaced each one under warranty but this time they pretty well admitted that there was a design issue with the Zion and recommended I switch to the Rowtag gravel frame.  I was so fed up of the hassle, I agreed but had to foot the cost of building with conventional gearing. I have a theory that the reason Ti frames are so expensive is to build in a margin for the repacement cost of lifetime warranty.

This guy did a very good job of fixing my cracked chain stay welds. You’d not know it was repaired. Very clean looking welds.

He did the warranty work for my frame supplier so no idea how much it cost.

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