Mountain Biking - Do you think a steel frame can be welded back together?

I'm asking this because sadly the frame on my KHS Sport is just about to give up the ghost, the down tube is well... torn apart (right before the welding point) and while the bike is still rideable it will be just a matter of time before the tube rips apart completely.

See, I'm getting a new bike anyways for the rough stuff but I'd like to keep my current bike as a backup as its not bad, you think I could have someone weld the frame back together (or reinforce it with steel or something).

Will I need a new frame to save this bike? How would an okay steel frame go for, I don't need top of the line, just something rideable, around the 70$-150$ price range, I'm not asking for much but...

P.S: Oh by the way and to avoid an additional topics, when I saw my brother's beat up tennis racquets (2 titanium, one aluminum) I noticed the titanium racquets were not bent at all, they were pretty banged up but had little shreds and rips (don't know how to explain it) while the alum racquet was bent, I suppose titanium doesn't bend or something, wouldn't that make it a superb wheel material?

Low heat, man, low heat. It won't be as strong, the heat fatigues metal. If you have someone do it they need to use as low a setting they can to get the weld to hold. What type of metal are you dealing with?

Let me add if you are going to jump this bike I would get a new frame.

I won't jump it, strictly recreational XC and small-time trialsy stuff, I will use my future new bike for all my "freeride" and dirtjumping needs (I'm thinking of a Kona Shred and upgrading it piece by piece as time goes on but I'm skeptical) so I don't need that it is super strong, just enough that it will hold up for your average trail.

sounds a bit dodgy, but if the tear's not too bad...go for it. just wear a helmet, and be careful.


check out nashbar's MTB 2 frame. $75+shipping for your standard steel frame.

Well, the tear IS bad actually, so much in fact the down tube is now completely torn apart from the head tube (I think that what it is called), well, I'm not sweating it, I'm getting a new bike pretty soon (probably a DJ hardtail kind of bike) and will probably get a nice frame for that bike eventually to make it my lightweight XC bike.

P.S: I already took pictures and all, if only I could find that damn USB cable I'd show them to you.

Trials? on a welded frame like that? No way. Like, wheelies/manuals, at most, if you are getting it welded...

I recently snapped the chainstay/drop-out on my singlespeed bike...while pedaling up a hill too.

It basically snapped right beside the weld, any future repairs will just weaken the area so I'm not going to bother fixing it.

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/PFS/IMGP2290.JPG

I recently snapped the chainstay/drop-out on my singlespeed bike...while pedaling up a hill too.

It basically snapped right beside the weld, any future repairs will just weaken the area so I'm not going to bother fixing it.

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/PFS/IMGP2290.JPG

That break is pretty clean and easily repairable by a good TIG welder........

I recently snapped the chainstay/drop-out on my singlespeed bike...while pedaling up a hill too.

It basically snapped right beside the weld, any future repairs will just weaken the area so I'm not going to bother fixing it.

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/PFS/IMGP2290.JPG

That drop-out looks more like it was brazed into place than welded. In which case it would be quite repairable. A competant bicycle repair shop would gently heat the brazed connections holding the two pieces of the drop-out and remove the fragments thenm braze in a new drop-out. I had it done to my old Volpe and rode it for several more years. The advantage of most brazing is that it is done at a temperature that will not affect the alloys in the drop-out and frame tubes. Brazing is like soldering wires together. Welding commonly melts the metal of the two parts being joined and can heat damage the metal. I would check with the people/company that built the bike about such extreme repairs.

Yes , they can be welded back together WITHOUT additional problems, along with Al.

yes, it can be welded together if some parts are reinforced depending on how bad the damage was.

Heh, well naturally if the tubing is all twisted & contorted it would just be a waste of time.
What do you mean by "reinforced"?