Mountain Biking - Welding Beads

The welding beads on mountain bikes are enormous. The thick welds are just for aesthetics, aren't they? They just give the visual impression of strength.

I've worked in a metal fabrication/machine shop. I never got to learn the logistics of all the operations. But we were producing some heavy duty stuff, and we never used such fat beads.

I mean, I'm not a weight junkie, but don't those gigantic beads add unnecessary weight? (Though it is probably minimal.) And in general, aren't they just absurd?

Just some pointless thoughts, I suppose.

Likely relates like this

sloppy welding = big welds = equal strength to well made strong welds however is not = in price...

Check some of the more boutique brands. Welds are done by hand and taken care of. On big production...its about strength vs machine :)

Maelstrom,

I suppose that makes sense. I don't know anything about your Transition frame. But it looks like it has normal beads.

I have a Rockhopper Comp, and it just has obscene welds. Like quite a few bikes I see pictured on the forum and being ridden around town.

My frame is a little better made than most. But generally, most big production frames have obsene welds. You really start to see quality welds in boutique bikes. (mine seem to be grinded a bit to make them less ugly) Depends on the company and how much money goes into manufacturing I suppose.

I didn't even notice my welds until you pointed them out haha

The welds on my cannondale are very nice, smooth and they seem strong.

The welds on my cannondale are very nice, smooth and they seem strong.

Maybe all I notice are cheap bikes.

In that case...

The welds on my mongoose look like rolls of quarters and probably weigh as much:)

Welds are a thing of beauty to make, can't get into seeing smooth welds.

my hardrock pro has pretty obscene welds as well. I think it's a matter of speed vs attractiveness. It takes a lot less time for them to put a big fat lumpy weld on a joint as opposed to making a nice, smooth, sanded down professional looking weld. Obviously the larger companies have to churn out more bikes so they don't have the time to take and make sure the welds are "pretty". The welds on my specialized aren't even close to being in the same galaxy with a Klein, for example.

I know abit about welding. Larger beads (with deep penetration) are usually going to be far stronger then a smaller bead, so long as you don't overheat the immediate area, causing it to become brittle. You can tell the difference on an aluminum frame easier then steel, because the weld will look nice and solid, or it will look like its kinda floating over the two joining pieces (like someone ran a bead of silicone over it, if you can hook a fingernail on it, its obviously just a booger weld on the surface). Aluminum also welds different, meaning, it doesn't change colors like steel (steel turns to red molting metal, alum. just kinda gets a flat shade of grey before it puddles), so it requires a good hand and eye for alum work. Steel is stronger (and easier/more common to weld) so it can have a weaker bead (like X-Mart bikes may have). I've never seen a big fat bead on a steel frame, like you would see on an alum frame. I think the reason the alum welds are so big, is because as you said, a big weld looks nice and strong.
By the way, my K2 frame has larger beads then my Marin (both alum) and my older Mongoose(10 years), has normal nice beads (it's a steely)

Cannondale is one of the companies that coats their welds....to make them look nice. All brands like that...non boutique...arent going to have top of the line welds, but nothing really obscene. I like the welds on my Bullit, and this bike :D

http://www.go-ride.com/frames/ventana/new/new2.jpg

http://www.go-ride.com/frames/ventana/new/new5.jpg

Am right to assume that entry-level, intermediate, and some upper-level massed produced bikes are welded by a machine? I figure my Rockhopper was welded by a robot or some person running a robot and not actually welding it by hand.

In the machine shop, we worked only with steel. So that may be part of the reason that the welds on my bike seem a little over-done.

What frame is that DJ? That thing is beautiful!

Hmm, my kona seems to have some pretty okay welds. I like smaller welds, not to big or too small. E.g. the Kona's Dj line has some nice looking welds. But....if you want big welds, mountain cycle 9.5 has monstorous welds. I find welds good to look at but not if they're all over the place.

I have done a bit of aluminum welding in my time. Not only is it an incredibly delicate procedure, it is also very difficult to do well. The "perfect" welds look like a roll of coins laid its side, which is what the welds on my Trek look like, as well as just about every non-dept. store bike I have ever seen. The size of the bead has a lot to do with the material. Steel has much smaller beads than aluminum mostly just because of the properties and chemestry of it.

Its a Ventana.....one of the companies with the finest welds on the market.

yo DJ, those are some nice looking welds... My Cannondale is nice and smooth but i sometimes wish it had some nice looking beeds on it. Doesnt Cannondale use a plaster type product over their welds? and then they hardcoat the frames correct?

Isnt Aluminum welding extremely hard? thats what i have heard.

^^Yeah Cannondale does that to their welds....as I said earlier.

Since any quality frame is heat treated after welding to remove the heat-affected zone, a large bead is typically not a bad thing, as long as it is uniform and the weld penetrates to the depth it is supposed to. I recently had the opportunity to tour the factory that makes most of the frames for Santa Cruz, Ellsworth, Intense, and a few other companies, and the beads on their welds are very large, but evenly spaced. They refer to them as a "stack of dimes," although they aren't quite that big. Even though they're large, however (see DJ's pic, the welds are very similar), the weld is very uniform, as is the penetration depth. The heat treating done afterwards removes the softness around the weld and actually makes it the strongest part of the frame, because that's where it's thickest.

The bikes I saw being made were all welded by hand by guys who usually had 3-4 years experience with TIG before they started doing frames. This plant didn't do Specialized, so I don't know your bike was welded by hand or robot. It seems to me like a bike frame would be hard to do by machine, but if anyone's got to the volume to afford the setup, it would be Specialized. Having seen the new Rockhoppers, however, I agree that the welds seem very large. I don't know if it's simply because there are a lot of total welds on the gussets, or if they actually are larger than normal for the sake of aesthetics.

Im almost positive that Giant, Cannondale, Spec, Trek, GF, Kona.....are not welded by hand. However, I could be wrong...I even thought that SC wasnt welded by hand, I guess I was wrong. Maybe that was just a few of their frames.

Amusingly, my Hardrock Pro has a sticker on the frame "Handmade in China"

Isnt Aluminum welding extremely hard? thats what i have heard.

Yes. You heard right, it takes many years and a lot of patience to master.

Weld porn.

That looks like a ti weld.

Its a Merlin Ti $3000 weld.

Handmade, I heard that means it gets painted and decorated in china. It's MADE elsewhere I think.

I could go take a few pics of the two Seven cycles in the basement.....or the 88' Yeti FRO :D Merlin sold out, I know a guy who has a Merlin ti though.

Not really..sometimes though. Handmade can be used for that purpose but you hope the companies have a higher stance than that and know not to call what you describe as handmade.

I think spec. should say "handmade in china by 9 year old kids using machines for .24c an hour" on all of their bikes across the top tube :D

My litespeed ti looks just like that merlin. Very smooth and low. My Yeti has slightly bigger welds, but really nice and not nearly the size some are mentioning. I have to say my carbon trek road bike has the nicest welds...






that was a joke

DJ, I was seriously thinking the same thing... I couldn't help but chuckle at the "Handmade in Taiwan" (that's actually what it says, not China) and think "yeah for $0.25 an hour". Was the Ventana frame you used the "El Cuervo"? I was looking at their site and ALL their frames are absolutely gorgeous. I've always known them to make nice frames, but never really taken the time to sit down and browse through their site. Also, that Merlin frame is definitely weld porn to the highest degree. Then again, if I'm paying 5k+ for a fully-equipped bike, it better be a damned nice bike!

you guys want to see nice welds? look at moots. so incredibly nice.

someone change the name of this thread to "weld porn discussion" rofl... we're talking about welds on bicycle frames like most guys talk about boobs and legs on girls... :rolleyes:

someone change the name of this thread to "weld porn discussion" rofl... we're talking about welds on bicycle frames like most guys talk about boobs and legs on girls... :rolleyes:


The knobs on mountain girls are enormous. The thick legs are just for aesthetics, aren't they? They just give the visual impression of strength.


Sorry, couldn't resist. Bolded words were changed. No offense to the ladies. :D

3-4 mm wide bead, 2 mm b'tween passes. Chromoly, and my welder has a first name..T.O.M...
my welder has a second name.....

....the mans stuff is sooo tight, fer-sure done by him (old Tom).

Sorry, couldn't resist. Bolded words were changed. No offense to the ladies. :D

rofl... if any of the women here are offended, they should lighten up :p

someone change the name of this thread to "weld porn discussion" rofl... we're talking about welds on bicycle frames like most guys talk about boobs and legs on girls... :rolleyes:

Well, this is a bicycle forum, and if you love bicycles, you should also be infatuated with their construction...

I agree totally... bicycle frames are often beautiful and are worthy of our undying admiration :P

Nothing beats Ventana for alum. welds
Moots does have nice Ti welds, but they are on par with Merlin and Seven