Folding Bikes - The Merc has finally cracked.

Well, today it finally happened. The frame on my 4000 mile Merc has cracked right around about an inch below where the seat post enters the frame. Quite disappointing since I have a ton of new spare parts waiting to fit on it as the old ones wore out. In fact, the only thing to wear out aside from two rear tyres and brake pads has been the frame....

Is it worth trying to repair, or should I try and get a spare frame? I know alloy is supposed to be non-repairable in an economic sense, but hell, I don't want to give this bike up for dead.



http://lh6.ggpht.com/_mxD813fC848/SoapVjZx6pI/AAAAAAAACRo/XfofDbF0JnE/DSCN1887.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_mxD813fC848/SoapWV_5z_I/AAAAAAAACRs/5M0yjJxTGAo/DSCN1888.JPG


By the way - I hardly ever sit in the saddle over bumps and I weigh about 165 - 170 pounds, so it has not been abused much.

Your pictures didn't post. Roger

Oy! Sorry to hear that. You sure made good use out of the bike. If the frame can't be repaired, can you find used Mercs in the UK? Or, used Bromptons?

Or, do you want your TSR back now :p?

Oy! Sorry to hear that. You sure made good use out of the bike. If the frame can't be repaired, can you find used Mercs in the UK? Or, used Bromptons?

Or, do you want your TSR back now :p?

LOL - no, I was always worried some beast would steal that one.

Can you see the pictures SesameCrunch? I can. Maybe if they aren't visible it is a permissions issue on the hosting.

I could contact Anita and see if she has a spare frame. She did have spares to fix common problems, but I doubt that this is a frequent issue.

I even thought of having a go at it with some supposedly 'miracle' brazing rod for allu called HTS-2000. Looks like you might be able to do it in the yard with a butane torch.

http://www.video.dental-links.co.uk/video/do2zYHwp78Y/Hts_2000.html

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4938/deadmerc1.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9148/deadmerc2.jpg

In case the top set of images are invisible to other people as reported.

In case the top set of images are invisible to other people as reported.

These two images and the image you posted earlier are visible form here.

Kam

I could contact Anita and see if she has a spare frame. She did have spares to fix common problems, but I doubt that this is a frequent issue.

I even thought of having a go at it with some supposedly 'miracle' brazing rod for allu called HTS-2000. Looks like you might be able to do it in the yard with a butane torch.

http://www.video.dental-links.co.uk/video/do2zYHwp78Y/Hts_2000.html

EvilOne, sorry to see that on a bike so gingerly ridden :lol: .. I like your style.. I'd give it a go with the miracle stuff.. sand it down, grind the crack out.. fill it up and see what happens.. nothing to lose.. you might even come up with a pretty good bodge... someone with a talent for tig welding could repair it.. but to be optimal, the frame should then be heat treated.. and there is always the option of locating another frame.. good luck with it... let us know the progress..

Nasty! My condolences... You can pick up spare brompton frames in lovely non-cracking steel over at SJS cycles - prices really not bad at all.

Could you braze a shim in and use a narrower seatpost diameter ?
you could also turn it in to a seatless trail bike,but thats another post.

Does it still need to fold? I know you hardly fold it usually.

Thanks for the ideas and condolences. I will need to think over the options you have suggested. I have so many brand new spares that I can't bear to just dump the bike. I have a brand new rear wheel complete with gears, spare rear triangle, spare front fork spare handlebars, four new tyres, spare cables and twist grip, new mud guards, tubes. Strangely, the only thing I lack is a frame - oh and a front wheel.

Maybe the best plan would be to think about the new brompton frame - but being cheap, only if they are really goood value. LOL. I might try and find out about the sjs cycles option.

I rarely fold it right down Bhkyte, I do the tuck under of the back wheel and drop over the bars to get it into the back of my car, but hardly ever fold the front tube.

This might be a possibility for £177....

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk//images/products/20004brompton_xl.jpg

It's kind of the opposite of what Pixel did, since he built up his Mercton with a Merc frame and Brompton parts, whereas I would be doing the opposite if I went this way.

On the other hand, I could just buy a Brompton, but that would be so mainstream that I'd probably have to do something much more ridiculous than that.

Anyway - I now have my Scott mountain bike shod with city slick tyres. It handles like a dog in comparison to my beloved Merc and I feel all stretched out on it. However - I have to ride something.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4604/scottw.jpg

Buying copies @ knock down prices has it's allure, but then stuff like this happens & it becomes clear why paying the extra beer chitties pays off in the end! Sorry to see you've damaged your pride & joy, especially when you were about to upgrade it. Was your seat post set as high as was possible? Are you of the 'portly' persuasion? What made it crack? Do you like Marmite? Did they really put a man on the moon? These & many other questions constantly vex my poor Welsh brain! :roflmao2:

The reason I asked about the fold was, could you weld the seatpost to the frame possibly using a gusset.

I think £177 for the Brompton front is possibly the best solution, but at a cost. You will get a better seatpost clamp and you can then fit the self locking clip as I have fitted one OK to a Bromie,but on a Merc it was very hard work to alter to to fit. Although usefull I felt was poor value. The resale value of your bike will increase also,and the Brompton finish is better,plus the QR are better IMO, so it is not all dead money. What about getting a Mezzo for £300 used on ebay?

Will the hybrid frame be lighter than a merc or brommie?

However, EvilV is currently riding a non folding bike. I say we disown him!


Ps. I am really enjoying my messing about my cycle trails bike recently (oops) Ignore the last comment.

Buying copies @ knock down prices has it's allure, but then stuff like this happens & it becomes clear why paying the extra beer chitties pays off in the end! Sorry to see you've damaged your pride & joy, especially when you were about to upgrade it. Was your seat post set as high as was possible? Are you of the 'portly' persuasion? What made it crack? Do you like Marmite? Did they really put a man on the moon? These & many other questions constantly vex my poor Welsh brain! :roflmao2:

Well, yes - but I have read of many Dahons cracking and usually with far fewer miles than 4000 on them, and when I used to read the Brompton Talk forum there were mentions of several cracked Brompton frames, so I doubt that buying a fake is the reason it failed. It has been ridden a long way and the point at which it broke is subject to heavy stress from the long seatpost. Even Bike Friday have released clamps to protect their Tikit frame at the same kind of place. Did you read SesamiCrunch's thread about the Tikit safety notice and recovery kit? http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=9013988&highlight=friday+crack#post9013988

The reason I asked about the fold was, could you weld the seatpost to the frame possibly using a gusset.

I think £177 for the Brompton front is possibly the best solution, but at a cost. You will get a better seatpost clamp and you can then fit the self locking clip as I have fitted one OK to a Bromie,but on a Merc it was very hard work to alter to to fit. Although usefull I felt was poor value. The resale value of your bike will increase also,and the Brompton finish is better,plus the QR are better IMO, so it is not all dead money. What about getting a Mezzo for £300 used on ebay?

Will the hybrid frame be lighter than a merc or brommie?

However, EvilV is currently riding a non folding bike. I say we disown him!


Ps. I am really enjoying my messing about my cycle trails bike recently (oops) Ignore the last comment.

I have emailed the lady who imported the Mercs to ask if she had any spare frames. She only imported one container load and stopped but she did seem to have a good spares inventory so maybe she might have a frame. If not, the SJS Cycles route might be the way forward, but I could still buy a Brompton, I would have done originally except they had a ludicrous waiting list at the time. It was over three months at the local dealers. I know a guy who works at a B dealer and he offered to get me discount a while back on anything I wanted. I might check that out if there is no other good solution. I could always use most of the spares on a B as it got older and worn. The parts are easily interchangeable as far as I can see.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=568613

Just to show a similar problem - seems to be associated with 16" wheel bikes with long seatposts and seat tube extensions. That guy was also normal-sized.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=568613

Just to show a similar problem - seems to be associated with 16" wheel bikes with long seatposts and seat tube extensions. That guy was also normal-sized.

Thanks 2wheeldeal. That crack on the Dahon Curve is absolutely identical to mine. Long seat posts obviously will work the top tube rather harshly. I mostly had my tube up as far as it would go - certainly no less than an inch from the top of its travel. I was just looking at the bike out in the yard. It looks in great nick apart from the fact that it's f***ed.

If I were you then I'd take this as the perfect time for a recumbent conversion and if I were me I'd ask you to sell me the broken frame for a few pence.

In case the top set of images are invisible to other people as reported.

I can only see the second set or photos.

Assuming Anita doesn't have spares, I would get the Brompton and pick the best parts between the two: you can probably use the same front mount and bag. I think that the brake improvements would be worth the switch since you already need a new frame. But YMMV (as well as the amount of free time you have!).

EvilV please let me know the cost of the brazing on V brakes bosses if you do get it done. I always thought £45 for a rear Brompton brake was ridiculous.

there is a secound hand Merc on ebay. 123Maddy,which was Anita old shop user name.

there is a secound hand Merc on ebay. 123Maddy,which was Anita old shop user name.

I can't find it. Already sold maybe ? Do you have the eBay link please ?

I will eventually sell my Merc frame (black), as I am already using parts of it for experimenting with e-bike / pedelec stuff for my Brompton (see my thread in the electric bike forum on here). My wife doesn't actually use the Merc much so I don't really want to spend time putting everything back together. Let me know if you are interested. Cheers, Dan

I can't find it. Already sold maybe ? Do you have the eBay link please ?



item number 220492949793 finished ,did not reach reserve

that is where aluminum frames break, I broke a reissue Raleigh Chopper at exactly that spot, and I didn't buy a Downtube 8H because I was concerned about the frame strength in that location. Some bikes like the Downtube 8FH and 9FS and the Breezer Zig7 and Zag8 have an additional reinforcement gusset in that location, which I now think is essential.

http://www.breezerbikes.com/im/bikes/zig7.jpg

http://www.downtube.com/images/2009_Bikes/9FS_Black_Standing.jpg

Did you get a new frame Evilv?

^ I'm also curious about whether Evilv was able to replace his/her Merc. Got pretty interested in his/her posts.

Evilv seemed to have stopped posting over a year ago

Thanks for the ideas and condolences. I will need to think over the options you have suggested. I have so many brand new spares that I can't bear to just dump the bike. I have a brand new rear wheel complete with gears, spare rear triangle, spare front fork spare handlebars, four new tyres, spare cables and twist grip, new mud guards, tubes. Strangely, the only thing I lack is a frame - oh and a front wheel.


Sorry to hear about the frame failure...:( Just curious why so many spare parts and any reason for the ones you have - ie. are the forks and rear triangles on a Merc likely to fail?

Vik, you are replying to a post made in August 2009 and it seems the poster has long stopped posting.

Regards

Jerry

Vik, you are replying to a post made in August 2009 and it seems the poster has long stopped posting.

Regards

Jerry

Damn I hate when that happens...:twitchy::o

Lol easily done, especially when its an interesting post like this. I am glad I have a steel framed Brompton. Mine is 15 months old and 1500 miles on the clock from commuting most days to and from work :)

Regards

Jerry

The reason why I was interested is because I am planning to acquire a similar bike. I wasn't able to view the pictures earlier but I see now that this manufacturer has made a modification with their latest model. I'm around 5'6" and I don't plan on commuting with this so I suppose I will have less chance of encountering this problem since I won't be extending my seatpost that long.

Of course my first option would still be a Brommie but they are not readily available in my location. I'd be spending a lot more than an average person in UK or USA to procure one and have absolutely no support unlike the alternative brand.

Flamingo bike tawain (think thats right), have upgraded their version. In the UK its called a MERC, but it can be bought with 8 speed hud and v brakes all round. I dont think there is a real quality issue having owned a Brommie and a MERC. The merc has a poor chain tensioner, and the seat post clamp is inferior. Other than than I did not find much difference considering the price difference. Evil v was a real heavy user of the merc doing extremelty loaded touring using the seat post to attach luggage. If you saw the picture you will see why the seat post cracked. I think the same loading would result in simular effercts on a simular designed bike, not due to any failing of the Merc frame quality. I recommend the merc ,espically if you can get an up to date version with V brakes more speeds and possibly some of the few problems ironed out.

I've not heard any mention of Merc/Flamingo on this forum for what seems like years, I guess since the only known importer ceased. Looking at the Flamingo website the only Brompton-style folder listed is a 7 speed, a bit on the heavy side at over 13kg, but has what may worthwhile improvements such as an ahead stem and double wall rims. However, those changes don't lead to a lighter bike. . . perhaps there might be less flex in the stem. I'm guessing the rack is steel and could be swapped for the lighter Brompton version, but that costs £100.

there was recent ebay auction for one of these. I never intended to bid on it, but I did "watch" it. Seems the buyer was asking too much ($890+40 shipping):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=170598998097&si=FPUWuaKjWoNc5Ptc1xOEr%252FgUfwE%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

"a bit on the heavy side at over 13kg,"

I can not remember the weight difference exactely when i weighed the two bikes before posting to sell, but I think the Merc was only around 1/2 pound heavier at about 12.6kg. My bikes had the same set up more or less. With 1/8 tyres and straight bars

I wonder how exact the official brompton weights are. My second-hand mark 3 Brompton with AW hub and rear rack is 12.5 kg according to the luggage scales I have. M3Ls are 11.5kg according to the Brompton site. The rack (with EZ wheels) might add 500g and hub 100. There's still 400 grams to account for. . . has the newer (post-2004)frame been optimised that much? Or perhaps my scales are inaccurate.

I wonder how exact the official brompton weights are. My second-hand mark 3 Brompton with AW hub and rear rack is 12.5 kg according to the luggage scales I have. M3Ls are 11.5kg according to the Brompton site. The rack (with EZ wheels) might add 500g and hub 100. There's still 400 grams to account for. . . has the newer (post-2004)frame been optimised that much? Or perhaps my scales are inaccurate.

The 12.6 is from memory ,I have been to bed since then!

In this side of the world, there are no Brompton Dealers. There is a Flamingo dealer though. Estimated price is 472 British Pounds. Featurewise, it is comparable to the M6R. I've already seen a unit in person. It's not light but there are EZ wheels.

I've check EvilV's pictures and its the old design with round tubes. The new design is hydroformed so its squarish. Riders who bought this have been generally been happy but have experience a little problems here and there but they've managed.

In this side of the world, there are no Brompton Dealers. There is a Flamingo dealer though. Estimated price is 472 British Pounds. Featurewise, it is comparable to the M6R. I've already seen a unit in person. It's not light but there are EZ wheels.

I've check EvilV's pictures and its the old design with round tubes. The new design is hydroformed so its squarish. Riders who bought this have been generally been happy but have experience a little problems here and there but they've managed.
I would go for it. We would be interested in hearing a review,

Before Brompton upgraded their braking system, I was hunting down a Merc/flamingo on a daily basis to get the rear triangle and fork with V-Brakes. overall, I believe the Flaming is a decent bike, I would go for it!

Thanks I'll get one when I have enough funds.

I'll post a review. I just hope Brompton fans won't lynch me for that..

Thanks I'll get one when I have enough funds.

I'll post a review. I just hope Brompton fans won't lynch me for that..

I will back you up!!!

I will get the little guy ,you get the two big fellows..............

I will back you up!!!

I will get the little guy ,you get the two big fellows..............

:lol: thank you for the uh... encouragement :twitchy:

I'd be very curious to know whether Flamingo/Merc bikes accept larger tyres than Bromptons.

the Merc I had would not, but a later version............

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6132/flamingock.jpg

Finally got a Flamingo. I'll try to post my review later.

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6132/flamingock.jpg

Finally got a Flamingo. I'll try to post my review later.

where did you buy it and how much ? the quote i got from flamingo is $780 + 230 shipping so total of $1010 which is almost the same price a a real brompton.

where did you buy it and how much ? the quote i got from flamingo is $780 + 230 shipping so total of $1010 which is almost the same price a a real brompton.

I bought mine at roughly $780 but shipping was already included since we have a dealer here. I live in Manila, Philippines. No Brompton dealers here so I'd probably have to pay more than $1,500 to import an entry level Brompton.

Interesting some more pictures would also be good. I doubt I will ever get one as I already have a stock Brompton M3L but I am curious to see some more close up pics of this one.

Regards

Jerry