frame damage question
 

I have a crack that follows the bottom inside weld of my stem tube, can I re-weld this or is my bike completely done?

Pictures?

I don't have a digital camera so you'll just have to use your imagination.

we need more info: what kind of frame is it, steel? alu? lugged? tigged? when did you notice the crack, how long is it, how far around the headtube does it go, etc.

It's an early 80's model, steel frame, the crack follows the weld 3/4 of the way around, not lugged, I don't know what tigged is, I noticed it two days ago, it kind of looks like a subduction fault.

Amazing.
The understanding of the word "Tigged" is SURELY found somewhere between knowing your own name, and knowing what a "subduction fault" is
:)

take it to freewheel hayes and have travis or matt look at it.

also, what jasonsan said

(TIG: Tungsten Inert Gas, it's welding method).

oh, I don't think it's tigged. It's pretty old and not too fancy. is freewheel still open?

Wow. That's intense.

tig welding isn't fancy, it's fast and cheap. that being said, it seems kinda unlikely to me that an early 80's frame would be tigged. what kind of frame is it?

http://www.thefreewheel.com/

also, if it looks like a subduction fault (one side the crack riding up on top of the other) that's not a hopeful sign

its a peugeot mixte

prolly not worth fixing, and almost certainly lugged

Not worth fixing!?! Pft. This mixte has been passed down man, it's an heirloom, however old and sad the current state is. There's sentimental value attached to this mass produced french gem.

*rolleyes*

If it isn't lugged take it to a specialty welder and get it TIGed back together. MIG, even if done very carefully, doesn't have the heat control to melt the old weld while maintaining an adequately "cool" temperature on the original base metal without making the weld brittle.

If it has sentimental value, expect to pay 75-100 bucks for a decent job by a pro-welder that knows the ins and outs of welding dissimilar metals. Pay 10-15 bucks for a hack job the will probably end up cracking again in a few months

i see those all the time at the swap meets

poor mixte :(

dont scrap it

It it sad! I loved my bici so much too! I think I'm gonna go to the bike kitchen chop shop and see if I can't sand it and then weld it. Wish me luck!