crmo frame crack

Hello,

few weeks ago i, (or rather a mate) discovered that there was quite a large crack across the back of the bb part of my frame. Its a Surly Steamroller, just over a year old.

Apparently i can’t get warranty as its been resprayed.
My question, is it worth getting it welded, or should i ditch it.

re: welding, any recommendations? i live in Prahran if theres somewhere close, but can travel…

Peace

Definitely get it fixed. Or sell it to me :smiley:

post pictures so that all the metallurgists and engineers on the forum can prognosticate as to the cause mechanism etc of the crack but not actually tell you where to get it fixed :evil:

I have a MAPP torch and I’m not afraid to use it but it really depends where the crack is as to weather brazing will be workable solution or not.

You can also check out grip sport who do a lot of bike repairs (not too local though)

Define ‘BB part’, is it the shell, downtube, seattube, chainstay, or the interface of one of these that has cracked? I’d be surprised if you cracked the BB shell.

What’s the history on the frame? Excessively spread? Thrashed hard every day or ridden to a cafe on Sundays? Rider weight? (i.e. is this failure due to use or is it a fabrication defect?)

I think it’s poor form on Surly’s (Dirtworks’? If so, contact Surly direct) part to refuse warranty simply due to repaint. Blasting and paint/powder won’t affect tube strength/weld integrity. Frame mods, possibly.

It’s TIG welded, so not quite as easy as brazing in a new tube/BB, but any decent framebuilder should be able to repair it for you. Try Saints Fabrications (@St. Kilda Cycles), Ewen (@ Cog Bike Cafe), Gripsport for a start. Take some photos, send them an email, see how you go.

Failing that, buy a new bike.

thanks for the replies!

the crack is on the back of the bb shell, will take photos tonight and post them.

I will contact surly again, as i had someone from BSc do it, i dont know if they ever did, they just told me it would be doubtful.

as for my riding style, im 90kg, the frame is 59cm, i like to flick the back wheel up a bit… i dont thrash it, i just ride (rode).

www.surlybikes.com/files/Frameset%20Warranty.pdf

FRAMESET WARRANTY
Surly™ frames and forks are guaranteed to be free from manufacturing defects for three
years from the original date of purchase. If we screwed up something in the manufacturing
process that resulted in the premature failure of the product, we’ll fix or replace it at our
discretion. This warranty is for the original buyer of the product and is not transferable. It
should go without saying that we won’t even consider your warranty problem without a
dated proof-of-purchase.
This warranty doesn’t cover damage resulting from any sort of riding other than “normal”
riding, and the inevitable wear and tear resulting from “normal” use. Surly
products are built to be used vigorously, and we wouldn’t expect you to treat them gently.
However, we can’t be responsible for the inherent danger to body and property you face
each time you throw your leg over the top tube. We’re hip to the “just riding along” phenom-
enon - and frankly, we’re just not having it.
Sorry, the paintjob isn’t covered, nor is any damage that happens to you or your other
components as a result of any failure of one of our products. Lastly, if you modify or
neglect our products, we can’t be responsible for them or what might happen to you while
you’re using them. We hate to spell it out, but hey, it’s the 21st Century. We’re known to
back up our products, but we’ve seen too many peoples’ parts come back to us that were
not defective and did not meet our warranty guidelines. Save yourself some time and
shipping money by reading this and making a decision for yourself. If you and your shop
think your Surly product is worthy of a warranty inspection, please return the
product to the original place of purchase, accompanied by a sales receipt. In the unlikely
event that this is not possible, call or email us and we’ll do our best to get you riding again.

soo…

so it depends on how nice they are. it’s definitely worth a shot, apparently they’re very helpful

Pity it won’t be Surly warranty-ing it. Maybe better to go direct to them instead of through shop…?

ill give dirtworks a call tomorrow
BSc didnt really seem to give a shit when i brought it in.

Thas because BSC are Cunts with a capital C

so i rang dirtworks and the guy was very helpful, told me to send it back through the shop and they would have a look.
but yeah, respray could be an issue.

I can claim that it was bead blasted and powdercoated, thats what Bell St Powdercoaters do, correct?

I don’t think saying that will help your claim any more than saying it was resprayed. Have you emailed Surly yet?

no, should i bypass dirtworks and ask surly directly ?
gotta take photos, being lazy.

Bead blasting won’t cause a crack. If anything it’ll help close cracks and peen the surface (but not really, because it’s not steel shot).

Don’t bypass Dirtworks, Surly would likely direct you to them anyway because you aren’t going to send the frame to the US for assessment.

The respray will be their loophole, depends on how generous they’re feeling.

You could always get a failure analysis report from DaFrog to back up your claim (assuming it’s a manufacturing defect)…

Try dealing with Dirtworks first.

Failure analysis reports can get kinda destructive :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
If it is a manufacturing defect you could get a new bike from surly if it isn’t you get your bike back cut into little pieces and mounted in phenolic resin :smiley:

Well I was thinking more along the lines of a (mostly) non destructive one, if the BB shell is indeed cracked away from the welds.

But a sectioned BB shell mounted in Epofix would make a nice paperweight.

im giving my roller a new paint job this weekend, might be worth having a good look over everything whilst ive got it in pieces.
let us know how you go with the warranty.

did you find any cracks?

dropped it into BSc the other week, they were dubious still, but did it anyway.

the crack end up being (on closer inspection) pretty much the entire side of the welding where the BB and seat tube meet. awesome.