Originally Posted by
arbalest
Do you know a ball-park price range I should expect to pay for tube replacement? I realize there are limits to unseen estimates.
I am pretty sure that the cost of tube replacement plus a new powder coat would be better spent if it were put towards a new frame. But I have a "thing" about restoring or salvaging old stuff. I'll probably go with a patch.
Typically replacing a simple tube like a top tube will cost $200 or so not counting paint. But a seat tube is much different. Replacing a seat tube is like getting a spine replacement - everything hooks to the seat tube and you end up undoing so many of the joints to get it done.
The repairer would cut the seat tube in half somewhere in the middle and them undo the top tube and the monostay from the upper part. Then he would remove the other half from the BB and where it intersects the down tube and c-stays. Then all that needs to be cleaned up and made ready for another tube. In many cases, with a fillet bike, I'll bet I could make a new bike in nearly the same time as pulling and replacing a seat tube.........and since time is money and the materials used are cheap you will pay a huge amount of labor to make the frame whole again. And even after all that you have an old bike still.
And then you need to repaint it.
So unless the frame was made by your granddad for you right before he passed I'd cut your losses and put a patch on it...........or better yet buy a new one and enjoy and no worry about it.
dave