Adding to my comment about Specialized, I checked my bikes, 2 Giant bikes and a Dahon Cadenza, all aluminium. The Giant bikes front derailleur bracket is screwed onto the seat post. The Dahon front derailleur is all in one, so clamps around the seat tube. Why Specialized decide to weld the bracket to the frame, looks like cost cutting! Specialized should have done your repair under warranty or repaid you the cost in parts and materials. At least you know your repair is better than the original. I just searched the cost of derailleur clamp and the average price is £10! As I said in my other reply, my friend did get his bike replaced under warranty, but I don't think he mentioned an accident that happened weeks or months previously, before discovering the fracture. I suspect the fracture opened over time with later rides. He was more fortunate than you. Once again, top work and I would be proud of that repair. 👏🏾
At the last few seconds of the video, I gave a cost breakdown. The paint was more expensive than the replacement part! I still can't understand why a critical part, that can so easily break, was made a 'permanent' part of the bike. Your Dahon front derailleur sounds like the best option.
Non-round tubing aside, I prefer frames that do not use a braze-on style mount for a couple of reasons. One, it leaves the frame open to using any size chainrings. Two, a band mount derailleur is much more secure just by virtue of surface area compared to the smaller clamping surface of a braze-on front derailleur.
Very useful. I stress the use of the etch primer directly on top of the aluminum. Alu needs this so the paint sticks. I have used Zeinser one coat before on aluminium with success, I sanded immediately before, then cleaned then painted. Lasted at least 4 years, as I got rid of the trailer then, Zeinesser one coat paint has a life of 15 years.
Thanks for emphasising the use of etch primer and the tip about Zeinser. If I have an aluminium paint job to do again, I will look out for it. For now, I have enough etch primer to do another 100 bikes!
Haha! I did think of that. It could be a bit stressful doing this on someone else's bike though! I guess if it's do this, or it's the scrapheap, then I could help someone.
I think I could have taken off slightly more of the old bracket, and touched up any imperfections with body filler, then painted, sanded, painted. Also, if I'd used a white etch primer, then that would have provided a better base coat for this colour. The colour match was great, but on drying fully, there was still a hint of the base coat, hence the very slightly darker area where the repair is. I hope there is never a next time, but if there is I will have a better idea as to what to do! Thanks for your comments :)
First seeing this channel. Great fix. Not impressed with Specialized, but regardless of the cause, they should have honoured warranty! My friend had his Specialized bike replaced due to the top tube fracture just in front of the seat tube weld (aluminiumframe) . He told me of a crash with someone else weeks after the incident, but I don't think he told Specialized! He got a replacement bike. The original bike had issues from new, so it should have been sorted long ago.
My bike has been pretty good overall. I have had some issues with my back wheel popping spokes, so I got that rebuilt. It's fine now. This derailleur bracket issue was so stressful though. I think it is a weak spot on the frame - a design flaw! Now I've fixed it, I'd rather have it the way it is, rather than as it was out of the factory. Yesterday I did a 200km ride on it, and the bike performed beautifully, better than when I bought it. I half expected the warranty claim to be rejected, I recon they must get a few of these issues. It's a lovely bike to ride. Thanks for commenting.
I couldn't find anything on the bracket in the warranty. Although it does say that defects in materials or manufacture are covered. Since this was caused by me (with me barely pedaling as I was coasting downhill!), then they won't cover it. I have a better bike now it's fixed though! Thanks for your comment :)
Great fix Stu! I love to see people doing their own bike maintenance, albeit that this was much more than a standard bike fix! Awesome to see all the steps and the effort you went to for it. Great video, mate. Keep it up. 💪🏼
Thanks Peter ! :) It's not a video I want to have to make too often. I have a saying... There's nothing like a good disaster to make a good TH-cam video!
Definitely! I've just got in from a 200km ride with this bike and it performed beautifully, better than when I bought it. The two legged powered engine needs some work though!
Very good idea 😅 I am a fixed gear cyclist and will never have this problem. still found this an interesting video and will keep in mind for my roadie friends who have this type of gear system. And hopefully thy will let me fix it like you have done, when thy brake 😢
Thanks! Some people suggested grinding it off, but I couldn't find a video of anyone doing it. It was rather stressful doing the initial grinding, with a sense of immense relief and satisfaction when done!
I learned brazing when at school! I doubt they teach anything like that nowadays. I've never brazed aluminum. I did consider it, but I didn't fancy frying my frame at the worst, or mucking up much more paintwork at the least.
Good work. Another 2-3 repair jobs and you'll have the painting technique down to an art. You could probably get an airbrush for 10 quid and use an inflated tyre as an air source for it
I’ve got to knock some brake bosses off a steel fork for a build, TH-cam clearly read my mind again 😂😂. Working on Ali, and being the main triangle looks a bit more stressful! You dealt with it well, Good job!
Thanks! I think the using the straight edge to find high spots really helped me, maybe it could help for you too? If I did it again, I'd likely take off the masking tape near to the finish, and use the straight edge to get a more flush finish - without the tape. The 'etch primer' was recommended by the guy in the paint shop. It prepared the bare aluminum really well.
Hi Scott. It was great to finally meet you. I'm seriously impressed at your strength in cycling and running! I was toast on that hill where you finally breezed up it. That climb up Aston Moor in the headwind was tough, as was the first half of Yad Moss. I was ok once I got some more snacks in me and eased off the pace a little. I arrived back at 8:10pm, 40 minutes before cut off, I was last! No surprises there after my lack of training in the past five weeks due to my bike unavailability. Hopefully I will do better at the next couple of 200km rides. Thanks for your welcome to the club. I'm not sure what happens. I guess I just wait for email prompts to tell me more and see when meet ups occur? I've never used google groups, it looks like a messaging page for everyone to refer back to. See you soon :)
It was more the stress and not being sure of the way forward that made it difficult. If I did it again, it would be much less stressful and yes, not difficult. I couldn't find anyone else who was demonstrating this, so I was hoping it would be ok. Thankfully it turned out better than I expected. Thanks for commenting :)
Adding to my comment about Specialized, I checked my bikes, 2 Giant bikes and a Dahon Cadenza, all aluminium. The Giant bikes front derailleur bracket is screwed onto the seat post. The Dahon front derailleur is all in one, so clamps around the seat tube. Why Specialized decide to weld the bracket to the frame, looks like cost cutting! Specialized should have done your repair under warranty or repaid you the cost in parts and materials. At least you know your repair is better than the original. I just searched the cost of derailleur clamp and the average price is £10!
As I said in my other reply, my friend did get his bike replaced under warranty, but I don't think he mentioned an accident that happened weeks or months previously, before discovering the fracture. I suspect the fracture opened over time with later rides. He was more fortunate than you. Once again, top work and I would be proud of that repair. 👏🏾
At the last few seconds of the video, I gave a cost breakdown. The paint was more expensive than the replacement part! I still can't understand why a critical part, that can so easily break, was made a 'permanent' part of the bike. Your Dahon front derailleur sounds like the best option.
Non-round tubing aside, I prefer frames that do not use a braze-on style mount for a couple of reasons. One, it leaves the frame open to using any size chainrings. Two, a band mount derailleur is much more secure just by virtue of surface area compared to the smaller clamping surface of a braze-on front derailleur.
I agree! I didn't think of the option I now have for different size chain rings. Good comment :)
Very useful. I stress the use of the etch primer directly on top of the aluminum. Alu needs this so the paint sticks. I have used Zeinser one coat before on aluminium with success, I sanded immediately before, then cleaned then painted. Lasted at least 4 years, as I got rid of the trailer then, Zeinesser one coat paint has a life of 15 years.
Thanks for emphasising the use of etch primer and the tip about Zeinser. If I have an aluminium paint job to do again, I will look out for it. For now, I have enough etch primer to do another 100 bikes!
@@AyupStuggy could be a sideline 😀
Haha! I did think of that. It could be a bit stressful doing this on someone else's bike though! I guess if it's do this, or it's the scrapheap, then I could help someone.
Good effort! Nice to see a perfectly good bike not end in a landfill :)
If there is a next time, you can sand between coats to get a smoother finish :)
Now that would have been a sad day. It has a new lease of life now and is better than new!
I think I could have taken off slightly more of the old bracket, and touched up any imperfections with body filler, then painted, sanded, painted. Also, if I'd used a white etch primer, then that would have provided a better base coat for this colour. The colour match was great, but on drying fully, there was still a hint of the base coat, hence the very slightly darker area where the repair is. I hope there is never a next time, but if there is I will have a better idea as to what to do! Thanks for your comments :)
First seeing this channel. Great fix. Not impressed with Specialized, but regardless of the cause, they should have honoured warranty! My friend had his Specialized bike replaced due to the top tube fracture just in front of the seat tube weld (aluminiumframe) . He told me of a crash with someone else weeks after the incident, but I don't think he told Specialized! He got a replacement bike. The original bike had issues from new, so it should have been sorted long ago.
My bike has been pretty good overall. I have had some issues with my back wheel popping spokes, so I got that rebuilt. It's fine now. This derailleur bracket issue was so stressful though. I think it is a weak spot on the frame - a design flaw! Now I've fixed it, I'd rather have it the way it is, rather than as it was out of the factory. Yesterday I did a 200km ride on it, and the bike performed beautifully, better than when I bought it. I half expected the warranty claim to be rejected, I recon they must get a few of these issues. It's a lovely bike to ride. Thanks for commenting.
@@konradc12 think they state in terms and conditions that bracket is not covered
I couldn't find anything on the bracket in the warranty. Although it does say that defects in materials or manufacture are covered. Since this was caused by me (with me barely pedaling as I was coasting downhill!), then they won't cover it. I have a better bike now it's fixed though! Thanks for your comment :)
Great fix Stu! I love to see people doing their own bike maintenance, albeit that this was much more than a standard bike fix! Awesome to see all the steps and the effort you went to for it. Great video, mate. Keep it up. 💪🏼
Thanks Peter ! :) It's not a video I want to have to make too often. I have a saying... There's nothing like a good disaster to make a good TH-cam video!
@@AyupStuggy I have a similar one when deciding whether to do the smart thing or the questionable thing... 'Think of the content!' 🤣
What's your 'questionable thing' video called?
neat and nicely done,id say its an upgrade!!
Definitely! I've just got in from a 200km ride with this bike and it performed beautifully, better than when I bought it. The two legged powered engine needs some work though!
It's called more rides.😂
There's no easy way round that one!
Great solution although a cheap metal file would have probably done the job of removing the remains faster.
Thanks :) After doing it, I thought of a few ways to improve on it. As my old boss used to say, "perfection is the enemy of good enough" :)
Great repair!
Thanks! It was a relief once I finished it!
Very good idea 😅 I am a fixed gear cyclist and will never have this problem. still found this an interesting video and will keep in mind for my roadie friends who have this type of gear system. And hopefully thy will let me fix it like you have done, when thy brake 😢
Thanks! Some people suggested grinding it off, but I couldn't find a video of anyone doing it. It was rather stressful doing the initial grinding, with a sense of immense relief and satisfaction when done!
I just read about brazing being toxic, but I think that was aluminium on aluminium weld. You did the work outside too, so you are safe!
I learned brazing when at school! I doubt they teach anything like that nowadays. I've never brazed aluminum. I did consider it, but I didn't fancy frying my frame at the worst, or mucking up much more paintwork at the least.
Good work. Another 2-3 repair jobs and you'll have the painting technique down to an art. You could probably get an airbrush for 10 quid and use an inflated tyre as an air source for it
Thanks. I like the sound of that!
I’ve got to knock some brake bosses off a steel fork for a build, TH-cam clearly read my mind again 😂😂. Working on Ali, and being the main triangle looks a bit more stressful! You dealt with it well, Good job!
Thanks! I think the using the straight edge to find high spots really helped me, maybe it could help for you too? If I did it again, I'd likely take off the masking tape near to the finish, and use the straight edge to get a more flush finish - without the tape. The 'etch primer' was recommended by the guy in the paint shop. It prepared the bare aluminum really well.
Good to see that it worked. How did you get on at the weekend? Oh, and welcome to the club!
Hi Scott. It was great to finally meet you. I'm seriously impressed at your strength in cycling and running! I was toast on that hill where you finally breezed up it. That climb up Aston Moor in the headwind was tough, as was the first half of Yad Moss. I was ok once I got some more snacks in me and eased off the pace a little. I arrived back at 8:10pm, 40 minutes before cut off, I was last! No surprises there after my lack of training in the past five weeks due to my bike unavailability. Hopefully I will do better at the next couple of 200km rides. Thanks for your welcome to the club. I'm not sure what happens. I guess I just wait for email prompts to tell me more and see when meet ups occur? I've never used google groups, it looks like a messaging page for everyone to refer back to. See you soon :)
It's definitely worth a sub 🎉
Thanks! I hope I can keep making useful and engaging videos for you to enjoy. Take care.
Very brave 🫣👏
Thanks. Yes I could feel the pain as I was grinding away!
Not a difficult fix, but there are a lot of people out there who would neither think of this nor be able to do it.
It was more the stress and not being sure of the way forward that made it difficult. If I did it again, it would be much less stressful and yes, not difficult. I couldn't find anyone else who was demonstrating this, so I was hoping it would be ok. Thankfully it turned out better than I expected. Thanks for commenting :)
I love my dremel 😂
It's been a long time since I last used my Dremel. It was absolutely perfect for this job - once I chose the correct cut off wheel and sanding drum!