cudak888 

Seeing that cold setting and resulting frame strength have often brought out the opinionated in us, I thought it would be interesting to see just how many of us own and ride frames and forks - collectively or separately - that have been, at one time, repaired via cold-set bending techniques.

I'd also be curious to see how many machines in your fleet have not been cold-set, to see the ratio between repaired and intact machines.

I'll head things off with a list of machines that I own at present, and have ridden:

1951 Raleigh Sports "C" Tourist: Yes, fork only. Blades bent back a few degrees, cold-set to original spec., frame untouched.
1961 Schwinn Paramount: Frame cold set at left rear seat stay + seat tube. Fork untouched.
1970 Raleigh Twenty: No.
1970's (?) unknown English road frame with Rossin decals: No.
1970 Schwinn Paramount: No.
1972 Schwinn Paramount: No.
1973 Raleigh Sports DL22L: No.
1974 Raleigh Competition: Yes. Rear stays cold-set + front fork cold-set.
1975 Raleigh Twenty: Frame vertically twisted out of alignment by 4 degrees. Cold-set on a frame table. Fork was damaged beyond repair, replaced with intact, original fork.
1979 Peugeot PY10: No.
1979 Rudge (Raleigh) DL-1: Yes. Front forks bent back severely. Returned to original spec.
1980 Raleigh Sports DL22: No.
1982 Schwinn Superior: No.
1984 Raleigh Competition: No.
1984 Raleigh Super Course: No.
1989(?) Pinarello Cadore: No.
200(?) Dahon Boardwalk: No.
2005 Schwinn Grey Ghost: No.

Haven't had any adverse effects with any of these machines, yet.

-Kurt

unterhausen

I think it's fair to say that if you ride a C&V era production steel frame it has either been cold-set or it is out of alignment. I was amused to see a fairly recent picture of the Singer shop with a frame on a big steel table and a 6' long bar for straightening it.

You can build a straight steel frame without cold-setting, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't done back in the day.

I don't ride on any cold-set bikes, although I've been really lucky with my commuter, I almost piled into the back of a parked car last winter.

unterhausen

I think it's fair to say that if you ride a C&V era production steel frame it has either been cold-set or it is out of alignment. I was amused to see a fairly recent picture of the Singer shop with a frame on a big steel table and a 6' long bar for straightening it.

You can build a straight steel frame without cold-setting, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't done back in the day.

I don't ride on any cold-set bikes, although I've been really lucky with my commuter, I almost piled into the back of a parked car last winter.

cudak888 

That goes without saying, but I'm speaking of post-purchase cold-setting; cold setting done as a result of accident damage.

-Kurt

Sixty Fiver

Was reading up and learned that Ron Cooper is one of the few living builders who does not use a jig and all his brazing work is done freehand and that most of his frames require little to no cold setting when they are complete.... this is how they used to build frames when he started working in the 1940's.

My bikes...

The '75 UO8 needed some frame alignment as when I got it as the rear triangle was out and the tracking was off... now it tracks perfectly.

'87 Kuwahara has been cold set to 130mm from 126mm.

'73 Phillips just got cold set to 125mm so it could handle a 5 speed wheel.

'54 Raleigh needed the fork aligned (minor).

balindamood

In and out of the 'bike biz" for over 20 years...I would guess that I have bent/set/"repaired" close to 100, though nowhere near as many as I once did. One place's insurance made us get rid of all "frame repair tools". Most newer bikes are aluminum/plastic...I MAY have tweaked several of them, but you cannot prove anything.

I might add that I have destroyed at least twice that many, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes "practicing.

bigbossman 

Not repaired, but all my bikes have had the rear cold set to 130mm to accept modern groups. No issues - I don't concern myself in the slightest over it.

cudak888 

One of the local shops keeps all their "frame repair tools" in a wastebasket, to get the point across to such individuals.

But back to the question - how many of your fleet are post-sale cold-set?

-Kurt

lotek 

As a preparation for painting my Trek 770 David and I checked the alignment and cold set the frame to realign it. As I'm building this up with modern components we also cold set the rear triangle to 130 spacing to accommodate a campy 10 speed hub.

None of my other bikes have been cold set, although I did have one of the rear dropouts opened up as a result of minor shipping damage.

Marty

rhm

I've cold set a few forks with improvised jigs, and so far I've not noticed any problems resulting from this. In fact, in two cases my cold setting was entirely gratuitous; there was nothing wrong with the fork before I started, I just thought I could improve it. And, in the end, I think I did.

Kurt, if you haven't cold set the fork on your Raleigh Twenty, I suggest you try it. Straighten the blades a little bit to reduce trail; it makes the bike much more stable.

David Newton

I know this isn't what you are questioning, but I bent my wife's Raleigh Sports steer tube back as straight as I could. It now rides easily hands free.

Bianchigirll 

I don't know if this counts but, years ago while traveling by air the right dropout on my '87 Sprot SX (Tange frame) got bent closed. I opened and religned it best I could with scrounged parts and it worked great. a few years later I took a nasty spill on the way home and bent the trinagle a bit. I pushed and pulled and straightened it best I could in the stand. it seemd to line up great going by the park frame guage. it rode great afterwards.

dbakl

I have a number of frame alignment tools and usually check new to me frames for; dropout width correct for my needs; rear dropouts being centered; dropout faces being parallel; derailler hanger aligned; fork blades aligned.

A recent frame I acquired looks like it had been slightly bent and straighted behind the head tube... really nice job, almost undetectable except for paint cracks...

Years ago I ran into something and bent my fork blades. I pulled the fork and straightened the blades with rubber mallet blows. Not long after that someone ran into me from behind and bent the seatstay; same rubber mallet fixed it. Rode that frame another 10 years until it was stolen.

I think cold setting an old steel frame is quite common with no ill effects.

retrofit

Early 80's Gios - Yes. Before I built it up with a modern group I had my LBS check alignment and spacing. They respaced the rear triangle to 127 rather than 130 in case I decided to return to a vintage group and respaced the fork from 96 to 100.

1980 Bianchi - No. Alhough it was apparently built with 130 rear spacing, I built it up with a vintage group.

balindamood

1...1972 Gitane Tour de France i use as my commuter. The front fork was tweaked and I spread the rear a touch to take a 6-speed. I try to keep the rest of the fleet reasonably close to originial if I can stand it.



and yes, I ride tubulars to and from work.

Grand Bois

I cold set the replacement fork on my Competition to bring the amount of rake closer to the original. I have cold set the rear triangle on most of my frames either to accomodate wider hubs or to correct alignment.

noglider 

I've done all kinds of steel bending. My McLean (531) was spread from 120 to 126mm. That was back when I was afraid to do it myself. I wouldn't hesitate now.

unterhausen

I was never very satisfied with the Park frame straightening tool that pushes on the head tube. I've straightened some forks though, that seems to work ok. But we used to sell a lot of replacement forks, I don't think any of us liked straightening frames just because it isn't very satisfying seeing a bike leave the shop when you aren't really sure you've done the right or safe thing. Cold setting rear triangles is no problem, but you don't need to do that very often.

Ruffinit

I've straightened the Tange fork on my '88 Cannondale ST700.. It has the through fork lowrider mount. No problems there. None of my other bikes have had a need for it.

'87 T700 Bridgestone
'88 SR700 Cannondale
'88 ST700 Cannondale
'85 Colnago International
'89 Shwinn Traveler
'85 BH Vento
'75 C. Itoh Super Light

sailorbenjamin

I straightened the fork on an Ishiwata Trek and the rear triangle on that '38 Shelby lightweight that I had. I ended up flipping both those bikes but I haven't heard back from the buyers.
There have been a bunch of bikes that I haven't touched. Let's say 2%.
I'm gonna do my SuperCourse soon. That'll make 3%.

Sixty Fiver

Steel is a remarkably resilient material... you just have to know the limits of the material and recognize what can and can't be fixed.

Cold setting rear triangles is really common and not difficult to do... a frame gauge and calipers will let you know when the alignment is right and bikes with longer stays are far easier to work on. Seat and chain stays are lighter and more malleable while the main tubes on a bike take a lot more to bend and a lot more to straighten properly.

And if you bend the main tubes on a bike it is generally a write off.

I work on a lot of Raleigh 20's and the stock fork is always something that causes issue as the dropout spacing is narrower and although they are serviceable and bendable, replacing it will really improve the bikes ride (they are stiff as hell) and open up braking options as then you can run a v brake or canti but the number of replacement forks out there is small.

Will be getting a replacement fork for my Twenty and will be having one custom made as this is actually a less expensive option than buying a replacement fork and I will get exactly what I want and get a better riding fork.

bikamper

I cold set the rear triangle on my Mercier to accept an SA FW. A car cold set the same rear triangle a few months later, so much so, that the frame now hangs on my garage wall. I then did the same thing on my Super Course to accept the same hub. No problems three years later.

I've cold set a few Raleigh and Raleigh clone forks to use 100mm hubs. I had the crown split on a Robin Hood fork a few years after I set it, but I think that had more to do with the design of the of the crown than the cold setting. None of the other forks have ever shown a problem. Recently used the 20 ton press at work to straighten a steer tube. Looks straight but I haven't built the bike up to see how good I did. Or didn't.

RobbieTunes

Zero frames cold-set for fit (and less skin on my fingers because of that approach)

One cold-set RD hangar and rear stay repaired with cold set, a Tange 1 Ironman frame. No ill effects.

Not having as much fun with aluminum. Only one that worked, so far.

auchencrow

I cold-set the fork and head tube on my Trek 310. (The left front wheel of an oncoming car hit my left crank and twisted it up a bit.)

Anyway, I (mostly) straightened the fork, and untwisted the head tube so that it does not pull violently anymore. It now tracks straight and I still ride it occasionally, but unfortunately it leans, because the BB has been pushed over an inch or so from where it had been originally.



Fork straightening...



Using a home made bending crate and a pipe, with a laser-pen to project the head tube angle on a wall...

delicious

that's an interesting contraption there auchen. did you build it yourself? is it a sort of frame jig? how does it work?