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What would you do about this?
I’ve been looking for a frame to build up a randonneuse, and fall and behold, found an early 70s Raleigh Competition at my local co-op. But it’s fairly rusty and shows some evidence that it was built under the influence of a few pints. To wit: there fork tube wasn’t properly brazed to the crown, and there’s a hole in what seems like an important structural area! Is this something that would be hard/expensive for a frame builder to fix? Or should I not worry about it at all? If I get the frame, I’ll need to modify the Huret derailleur hanger anyway, so it could be a two birds one stone deal--along with adding some bottle braze-ons, too. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f65650063.jpeg |
you can tell more once the paint was removed....
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That crown uses a plug that goes into the top of the blade, maybe about 1/2" of insertion. I suspect the pock hole is only in the brass at the blade's end and doesn't go all the way down into the brazed joint. Have you tried to push a piece of thin wire into the hole? That the steerer wasn't fully inserted into the crown is another indication to the builders having had a "good lunch".
I've seen a lot of really messed up Raleighs, build wise. Generally they don't have failure issues, just ugly joining. A few are worse and have pulled apart. Without destructive or "aerospace" methods I don't think you'll really know your answer, will this fork fail during use? I would be content with easy stress testing and then keeping an eye on it thereafter. To fix is to first find out what's really going on. So we go back to either destruction/taking the fork apart or some form of scanning to know how much filler is present (and the failures I've seen are almost always from a serious lack of filler penetration in the joint). Easier would be to build a replacement fork. Andy |
Thanks, Andrew. Sounds like more than I want to take on. |
That's nothing that a replacement fork couldn't put right in short order.
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