Deep Sigh
#1
Enjoying the ride
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Deep Sigh

Finished the 3 month Centurion Prestige build. Adjusted everything on the stand. Test rode up and down the block, brifters and brakes, it's working nicely so I go to end of the block, turn left uphill and stand on the pedals. I didn't finish the second rotation when it came apart violently.
This was a tough lesson; when building on an old frame with unknown history, build and test before any cosmetic work.
Only 10 minutes to live

So, the worst has happened; n-1, and this will be rectified soon!
Last edited by BTinNYC; 03-24-22 at 09:35 AM.
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#3
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Ugh. I feel your pain! I've never seen a failure like that. I wonder what kind of forces, and in what direction(s), caused such a failure.
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#4
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Get it fixed. It will be worth it.
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#5
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Holy crap, never seen that before. Hopefully you came out of it unscathed.
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#10
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Awful... Though the half a dropout is proof positive of the enormous wattage that you clearly put out. If it were mine, I'd hang it on the wall and recount the story to houseguests. Good luck finding your n+1!
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#11
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I would think the force exerted would tend to pull the axle towards the front of the dropout, along the slot. What caused it to force the bottom part of the dropout (I'm guessing), down, vertically?
#12
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Usually it happens as a result of the chain jamming and pulling on the derailleur. This could have happened under a previous owner, who straightened the damage. A subsequent hard shift may have been enough to cause the failure in that previously weakened spot.
#14
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Well, all the old books say that a great benefit of steel frames is that they can be relatively easily/cheaply repaired. Time to place that ancient wisdom into practice!
#15
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2. Worth fixing.
3. Take the picture, frame it, mount that on the wall as proof of your wattage.
4. Refine the story to generate swoonage.
#16
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Long drive, but...
Come to Harvard and I'll MIG it for you.
Bring a nice Calvados or green chartreuse and be prepared for an evening of fun.
My prior dropout work is here. I'm confident I can do this. Super easy, especially if you can forego the adjuster. I can redrill and tap the adjuster as well, just a bit more work.
Come to Harvard and I'll MIG it for you.
Bring a nice Calvados or green chartreuse and be prepared for an evening of fun.
My prior dropout work is here. I'm confident I can do this. Super easy, especially if you can forego the adjuster. I can redrill and tap the adjuster as well, just a bit more work.

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Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
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#17
Enjoying the ride
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Long drive, but...
Come to Harvard and I'll MIG it for you.
Bring a nice Calvados or green chartreuse and be prepared for an evening of fun.
My prior dropout work is here. I'm confident I can do this. Super easy, especially if you can forego the adjuster. I can redrill and tap the adjuster as well, just a bit more work.

Come to Harvard and I'll MIG it for you.
Bring a nice Calvados or green chartreuse and be prepared for an evening of fun.
My prior dropout work is here. I'm confident I can do this. Super easy, especially if you can forego the adjuster. I can redrill and tap the adjuster as well, just a bit more work.

#18
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Sure I would. For a bottle of green chartreuse and some agreeable company. Would also consider añejo mezcal or tequila. You know, the stuff that's been aged on oak. Come over on the megabus, tell them it's a folding bike, they won't know!
I'd rather do that than try to source another dropout, melt and grind and file the old one out, prep everything, and braze it. The bottom of the dropout doesn't see much stress. This is way easier than the one I just did, linked to above. Only risky thing is trying to drill through the weld and tapping that hole for the adjuster. Much easier and stronger if you forego the adjuster on that side. But I can drill it too, if you must.
I'd rather do that than try to source another dropout, melt and grind and file the old one out, prep everything, and braze it. The bottom of the dropout doesn't see much stress. This is way easier than the one I just did, linked to above. Only risky thing is trying to drill through the weld and tapping that hole for the adjuster. Much easier and stronger if you forego the adjuster on that side. But I can drill it too, if you must.
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Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
#19
feros ferio
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This is the one argument in favor of stamped dropouts over forged.
It is also possible that the dropouts were not properly aligned, or that the previous owner had broken a rear axle and stressed the drive side dropout in the process.
It is also possible that the dropouts were not properly aligned, or that the previous owner had broken a rear axle and stressed the drive side dropout in the process.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
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#20
Bikes are okay, I guess.
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"...so there I was, rolling easily along at about 8/10ths when I decided to pour on the coal..." Etc., etc.
#21
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Any signs of corrosion in the threads of the adjuster hole? Just grasping at straws here.
That's gonna be a pretty build once it's back together.
That's gonna be a pretty build once it's back together.
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I've seen that before. In those cases, it was from putting a longer OLD axle in frame designed for 120/126mm without cold setting and making sure the dropout faces were parallel to each other. Mind you, that's not what I'm saying is the case here.
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#25
Enjoying the ride
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I will very closely check the DOs after fixing.
I did not successfully cold set because the stays were like spring steel (wouldn't hold a mm of bend, even after spreading to 165mm, yet relatively easy to spread by hand) and now my check for parallel with a homemade tool feels cursory.
Edit PS
Wouldn't that misalignment become evident while setting up the RD?
Last edited by BTinNYC; 03-25-22 at 08:39 AM.