R.I.P. my bike

[SchwinnAlloySeven_GT5]

So, I was on my way home from work this morning, and I noticed my bike felt a bit "loose". I get home, and start checking stuff out. I found a few small things loose, but nothing that would cause my beloved 'Train to wobble the way it was. Then I inspect the frame...

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/7/19715254429.jpg

Oh noez! I don't know how it happened. I've hit a few nasty potholes in the dark over the years and had an episode a month back where I hit a chainlink fence head-on at 25MPH (headlights burn out at the derndest times!), which bent the fork. I was hit by a car last week, which caused much more damage to me than it did my bike (scuffed pedal and grip). Who can say what exactly caused a frame breakage?

Friend of mine said it can be fixed, and I found a guy who can tig it, but I don't think I want my paint ground down with an ugly tig weld stuck on the frame, not to mention the issue of trusting such a fix when I ride roughly 40 miles a day. I just passed the 3000 mile mark, too.

So, I'm on the prowl for another Schwinn. This one will be steel, like my '96 Cruiser Six (which faithfully served for over 30k miles). I'll miss the responsiveness of my Alloy Seven tho.

 

[darwin]

That bike needs a proper burial! Time to hit the thrift marts or craigs list. Good luck.

 

[Madwack]

mmmmm think of the possibilities

a NEW bike..maybe a nice TREK 4300 or something....nice light frame....wait this is my dream.....and my bike.....i have a 4300 and thinking of dropping an engine on that also....weeee....

GET YER OWN DREAM BUDDY


Sheezzz

Madwack

 

[datz510]

RIP... Thats a pretty nasty crack.

If it was my bike and if it was a steel frame, I'd be crazy enough to grind it down, clamp it to true the tube alignment up, and butt-weld up the split, then find some tubing to sleeve the repair job. cut the sleeve so that the welding is done at angles to prevent a future stress fracture ad weld the sleeve around the butt-welded repair. Quick shot of paint and keep on riding.

My current bikes are all aluminum. I need to invest in a TIG welder for aluminum welding work so I can fix this kinda stuff on my own bikes.. Its inevitable considering the abuse mine have and will go throuh.

 

[ihatemybike]

Icky, glad you found it before the front end fell away. I second your choice of moving to a steel frame. Go talk to your local Schwinn dealer, bring in your bike sans engine, and ask about purchasing steel frame as replacement. They might be able to help you get a decent price on a new frame.

 

[Madwack]

here is something similiar that happened to my freind on a stretched cruiser...the ones with the 1 spring on the front......well the bolt that holds the spring was not loctite'd ...and well u can guess what happened....yup it came out...the wheel shifted backwards into the frame....he was doing about 30km.....lucky fer him the bike went down in such a way that.....he landed on his feet....and ran it to a stop..result....bent front rim...broken fender....snapped front brake cable ....and well....me lol laffing at him hehehe.......only thing needing replacing was the rim.....lucky lucky he wasnt going faster....ouch


Madwack

after loctiting everything on my bike I thought i had it ...nope missed something....riding along one day...and my seat dont feel so right...lol all 4 bolts holding the seat to its base fell out...lucky it didnt come off..cuz i can imagine the pain and the jokes about seat posts..hehe

 

[SchwinnAlloySeven_GT5]

Yeah, things could have been much worse! Any pothole could have turned my bike into a lopsided unicycle! I have a 34T sprocket, too, so I'm usually at 25-30 MPH most the time. There would have been no running to a stop at that speed!

I'm looking at an '08 Schwinn Heavy Duti as a replacement. My local Schwinn dealer opens shop at 12:30pm, so I plan to either have it "in-hand" or ordered today. I hope they're not too heavy in weight