mrruins

I understand that it is repairable, but should I bring it to a frame builder or a "yellow paged" aluminum repair shop?

Any suggestions to frame builders around Sacramento or San Francisco?


Thanks in advance.

randyjawa 

Repairable, yes, but a considerable cost.

The heat required to repair that crack will destroy the glue holding the tube into the lug.

In my opinion, the frame set is toast unless you can find a replacement lug, remove the old one, get the correct glue and then put it all back together, ensuring that you build no misalignment into the frame.

Make no mistake about it, the seat lug experiences lots of stress under load. That crack will continue if left unchecked.

You could take a small drill and drill a hole through the lug right where the crack ends. This will help to prevent the crack from continuing to run.

If that works, great, but it is a patch up, not a repair. And, to be honest, I doubt that it will work. But you have nothing to loose by trying.

Remember, this is just one old fella's opinion.

mrruins

Guess I should start searching for a replacement lug...

unworthy1

I agree with everything Randy wrote. I have used an aluminum welder in Berkeley to repair cracked alloy motorcycle parts, but I think this might be something he'd refuse to try to repair. I also think that the internal structure of that lug has concentric ridges that help hold the glue to the tube, and I don't think the only place that might have repair parts for that frame (in BC, Canada) has any ALAN seat lugs. The safest thing would be to retire it before it fails on you.

toytech

Norman Racing? I agree with all the previous advice, fixable maybe but it would be much cheaper/easier to find another frame.

unworthy1

No^ it was Advance Heli Welders on Pardee St., excellent work, but don't know if they are still around.

Chombi

Aluminum seat lugs with seatpost clamp ears cracking had always been the bane of Alan, Vitus and Peugeot Al and CF frames. to the point that Vitus went to a totally different seat post anchoring design with the grub screw, which although better, was still not the perfect solution. Not sure, but maybe you can investigate on how you might make an expanding wedge seapost work on your frame instead. the Al seat tube might not be able to take the pressure from such a seat post, but maybe you can introduce split steel sleeve in it to spread the point loads from the expanding wedge... add some kind of grit compound between the steel sleeve and Al seat tube and it should be enough friction to hold the sleeve and seapost in place when riding.

Chombi

toytech

pretty sure they are. Mr. Norman I swear could tig two full beer cans together without losing a drop! A real artist.

unworthy1

Ah! Now I know who you're talking about: I just think of them as that place with the Alfa Romeos around...they have a very high reputation

cudak888 

AlAns...I decided not to touch them after one of the long-time, old-guard mechanics at the LBS said he pulled the downtube out of two of 'em (one warranted with the other) within 3 months of ownership. They refused to warranty the second frame.

-Kurt

toytech

I know an old racer who used to ride them back in the 80's (he still has one of their cross bikes set up as a commuter) he was of the opinion they were never intended to last more than a season or so of racing. Out of the 4 or 5 I have seen up close, his was the only un cracked example all in the seat cluster.