A couple days ago I found a crack on my seat cluster. It appears to be a stress fracture right along the weld on the outer drive side. It’s about a centimeter long and just a crack, its not separating or anything. It’s actually right on the brass weld so I’m not exactly sure what to do. Any advice? I know a couple frame builders back in richmond but I’m only there on the weekends so it’s tough to get a hold of them.
I’ll try and post a picture later
tallbike build
is it a nice frame?
this might help your decision.
pic?
it’s an 03 bianchi pista that isnt super nice but it’s certainly not scrap-worthy
it’s scrap worthy now
not if it’s salvageable by simply grinding it down and putting a new bead on.
i got my 05 frame replaced recently by bianchi. cracked in the same place. got to a shop that has a good relationship with bianchi
Re-braze or weld. Or get it warrantied.
Til then… stay off the cobblestones?
This. Seriously.
really? what if they say “oh, it’s your work bike, of course you put more stress on it, of course it broke” or otherwise try to put it back on me? i mean, if i ever have to do this, which i hope i don’t.
What is the worse that is going to happen? They say no and you are back to square one anyway.
I work at a Bianchi dealer. We have had messengers bring in frames and they have been warrantied. Same deal with Specialized.
I’ve also heard the same for Trek.
huh, i just don’t expect companies to make it easy to get a replacement for stuff that broke.
Ian if you’re that worried about it why not just say you use it for whatever its built for? Track. Or riding? Sometimes less info is better, and frankly at any of the 2 bike shops I’ve worked for, if someone brought a frame in that looked like it was legitimately damaged and not like… hit by a truck while laying in their driveway… i’d do everything I could to help them.
People need to stand by their products moreso than is common.
like said above, the worst that could happen if you talk to a shop is they say no, and you’r eback a square one. it’s worth a shot.
Always try to go for the warranty. It isn’t any skin off the shop’s back. They call the company, the company says yes or no. All the shop usually does is hold the old frame until the new one arrives, then they destroy it. I always liked warranties because it meant that we got to take the destruction bar to a frame and beat it to shit.
Just don’t hassle the shop if the company says no. It usually isn’t the mechanic’s call. If you piss them off they may not plead your case very well though.
…if its not under warrenty
weld it.
and make sure your seatpost isnt in lol
my buddy made that mistake (during a tallbike build)
is it common for pistas to do this?
it happened to someone in salt lake a couple months ago too
if you decide to throw it out, ill pay for you to ship it plus a couple bucks, but thats really about all id pay for it
[quote=GRHebard]is it common for pistas to do this?
it happened to someone in salt lake a couple months ago too
[/quote]
I know of 2 people who’s pistas have cracked, one was a 01 and the other was an 08. Both of them beat the shit out of their bikes.
yeah I’ve beaten the fucking hell out of this bike. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for the frame to be officially dead.
I’ll try the warranty thing.
In order to warranty the frame, most places require you to be the original owner and to provide proof of such. If you can take it back to the shop you bought it from, they should have records, but a sales receipt should be good enough at any Bianchi dealer. Just don’t be a dick and give them nothing for their time - make sure you bring them a six-pack or something.