An Ode to a cracked frame
 

Anyone want a Trek 7.3FX?

Rant here: http://optifat.blogspot.com/2007/09/...ackle-pop.html

Image:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_ysiJFvX1F0E/...091107_001.jpg

Not a hundred percent sure as the picture is a little blurry but I think that's the result of a bad weld, not a bad frame. It looks like it cracked through the weld and then migrated up into the frame itself. Aluminum actually flexes quite nicely, the only problem is that it tends to stay that way, so in bike frames they have to make it heavy enough that the duty cycle (number of flexes before permanent change occurs) is high enough to prevent the frame from folding up the first time someone sits on it. This causes issue with getting good penetration on the welds as well as some issues with the heat treating at the weld site. My guess would be that they didn't get it warm enough in the ovens when they heat treated it, or some minor contaminant within the weld (why they use carbon dioxide and not helium for this is something I really can't fathom since the cost would be a bout a penny a frame on that scale). Anyways you failure was probably the statistical anomaly. I say ride the new one when you get it.

The life time warranty pays off. Those LHT's are cool.

Dude, that so sucks. Between your wheel issues and then this. Just damn.

I'm dreaming of an LHT too... if you get one first, I can't wait to hear about it! That seriously sucks, about your Trek. I'm going to be checking my aluminum frame too, now!

Aluminum sucks if you ask me.

Similar thing happened to me last summer with my Cannondale R1000. A mystery snapping noise developed into a cracked bottom bracket shell. Took me over a year to get them to warranty it but finally I am getting a new R1000 frame. And yeah, I'm going to sell it.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your Trek. At least not all is lost. You'll still be able to sell it and you won't have to fight tooth and nail for a year for your warranty. Btw...you might want to check your helmet for cracks if you really threw it across the lawn!

Interesting. My Trek 7200 frame is Alpha ALuminum as well and I have had no troubles with it (6,400+ miles). Are you the one that does some off-roading on your bike?


Congrats on the LHT bike choice. That will certainly be an upgrade!

That stinks. :( I opened the thread cautiously because I was afraid it was going to be the HardRock.

Be happy that didnt happen going downhill @30 mph.

But I still rode today. The fiancee got a little worried last night after she saw it, and started suggested other workout methods. But, she even said, "I know you, it could have resulted in a year at the hospital learning how to walk again, then you'd still get back on the damn bike", can't say she's lying ;D

But yes. That bike, unfortunately, just isn't for me.

It'll be awile, I have a wedding to pay for in about two weeks, but after that the savings will be going straight to "new bike fund".

All is not lost, I have a Hardrock. And they are made of the iron from Chuck Norris' own forge.

Ouch! I've heard about Cannondale and warranties, that sucks to hear in person, though.

That is the only shining light, that everyone says Trek is "awesome" about warranties and frames. Here's hoping :)

Good luck on the replacement frame and repair. Then sell the bike and get what you want. I never knew how much bicycling would change my attititude towards other things and the different people I meet on the trails. Have you taken it in to TREK to see what they say about the repair and replacement costs, if any. I would hope they would replace the frame for free and do the labor to switch all of the components for free also. But these days it really is hard to say.

Heh, I never offroad on the 7.3, but I beat the holy snot out of my Hardrock. Ironically, no issues there, but it's a Hardrock. Downside is what I remembered this morning.. street + Hardrock /= Trek FX + street :(. By all accounts this really is/should be just a fluke, but I've pretty much lost faith/trust in the bike. Had this have been a catastrophic failure five minutes earlier, the best result is that I would have hit pavement at 20mph. Worst result is that I would have hit pavement, and the car behind me would have run me over.

I'm pretty stoked about the LHT, I've wanted one essentially since I started cycling. I'll do some minor customizations to the "LHT complete" build, but I'm sure it'll be a tank.

Fear not, the Hardrock is going strong. After this morning's commute, it's 45 miles away from the millenium mark. I'm pretty sure, like I said before, that Specialized contracted Chuck Norris to build the thing. If only it was a little more comfy and speedy, I'd never have a stray eye :D

Ironic you mention that. Going home is a steep (5-6%) quarter mile downhill that I fly down. Yesterday I figured it was a BB issue, so I flew down. Had it been catastrophic, well, it would have been painful. Or on the shoulder of the highway I was on. Or on the busy street I was on right before that.

But yes, at least it held together. That makes me a little happy :)

From what I was told last night, it's about 99.9% likely that Trek will provide a direct replacement frame, and all I'll have to cover is the labor costs. I think that's fair, really, but a tad on the annoying side. Annoying toward Trek, not the shop.

And while I love to save money, I think from now on I'm going to invest more in my cycling habit. The price of the Long Haul Trucker seems trivial when I think about what a catastrophic frame failure on the shoulder of the highway would have resulted in. At least the steel frame would give me some warning :).

This is the first FX Frame Failure that I've seen. I am positive that Trek will take care of it with no questions asked. Some shops will absorb the cost of the frame swap to provide "Good Will" to the Customer, others may not. If you were keeping the bike, this would be the time to upgrade parts like the Bottom Bracket and Headset to higher quality and more durable parts. I understand your situation with your wedding coming up.

The LHT is a great frame and it's always been that way. I have yet to hear anything bad about one of these frame sets.

Good Luck to you!

Speaking of scares on a steep DH, check out this frame break story from Elden, the "Fat Cyclist". ;) Be very happy this didn't happen to you ;)

http://www.fatcyclist.com/2006/07/06/rip/

IIRC, you haven't had that bike very long.
Wouldn't they have something like "free replacement" in the first year?
I can understand paying labor if my frame was 20 years old!
NOT if it's "relatively new".
The FRAME is the "soul" of the bike. The rest of the bike is just the parts that are installed on it!
IMO, TREK should "make you whole" at THEIR expense.

I hear ya! I have pimped mine out to a pretty functional hybrid/commuter but it will always be more Land Rover than Lamborghini. ;)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1085/...40d681263d.jpg

That has to be the scariest thing I have ever seen. I didn't know a down tube could realistically break without a crash involved!

+1 on the LHT, I have one that I bought back in June or July. I wanted a steel road bike with a triple chainring, and the LHT looked like the best choice. Also I wanted to stay away from the "compact" frame geometry, as I feel that style frame too often leaves a lot of seat tube exposed above the clamp, which acts like a lever trying to pry the frame apart. Not too expensive, either, compared to some other bikes made out of old Fresca cans and frozen snot! I'm 6' - 2-1/2" tall with 24" wide shoulders and size 14 feet - no problems with toe-overlap even with the canoes I wear.

When I got on the scale this morning I was 265 lbs. A bike made to carry a load seemed like a good idea. I paid just under $1200 for mine. It was more or less "custom built" by my LBS,, who pretty much hit what I wanted right on the head. Here's a pic:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...rly_LHT001.jpg

I intended to use mine as a road bike, not for touring, so it was built with 700 x 28 high-pressure tires instead of the 700 x 35's as usually used. I particularly like the bar-end shifters - shifts smooth and accurately every time. I really appreciate the ability to "tune" the front derailleur to eliminate the chain clicking on it as the chain angle changes across the rear cogs.

My experience with "indexing" shifters as used on most "modern" bikes is that they seem to be "fiddly" - they are always needing a 1/2 turn on a barrel adjuster to keep them shifting smooth. The bar-ends just work - every time.

I recently had the LHT back to the shop for it's first tune-up. The young lady - part owner of the shop, I think - working there, when I remarked how much I liked the bar-end shifters, admitted that she had never ridden a bike that had them. I guess we have a whole generation coming up that know nothing but brifters - their loss!

What happens, depends partly on the dealer, if the company does not include the labour

1) The dealer eats the cost of labour, because it's a way to keep a customer.
2) The dealer offers to take the old bike (including the new frame) in trade on a new bike, that and the discounts on 2007 models on the floor can leave you out very little money.
3) The dealer leaves you to cover the labour costs. If the dealer isn't able to help you out, at least a little, I would collect my bike and new frame, then either do a build project, or part it out on fleabay or CL.

That LHT is an awesome looking bike! I never really looked at them before. It has a throwback/vintage look to it.