robow

I know nothing about welding (other than the many UV keratitis I treat when guys won't use their hood) but for those in the know, what about this stuff for aluminum repair? Seems a propane torch would be easy to find anywhere in the world. If it works, it might add to the steel vs. aluminum debate?
https://www.aluminumrepair.com/

dwood

Aluminum brazing alloys have been around for many years . . . and some actually work fairly well. But that doesn't eliminate the problem of losing the heat-treatment of the aluminum due to the heat. The weld area and several inches on either side will be dead soft.

DON

countrydirt

Don, I agree - no shield, no sight. I teach welding to high schoolers, so I am hypersensitive to protecting the eyes from not only physical damage but the IR and UV as well.
I would not take on an aluminum repair without either a TIG machine or a MIG machine with aluminum wire. Steel? probably TIG as well.

northboundtrain

My steel frame broke on tour. The seatstay cracked all the way through right at the seat cluster. I considered finding a welder to repair it, but found that a combination of parachute chord and hose clamps provided an adequate splint to get me home -- another 250 miles.

Once I was home, I was able to weld and braze the frame for a very satisfactory repair. I'm just an amatuer/hobbyist welder, so if I can do it, then any professional welder should be able to easily. People sometimes say that welders aren't familiar with thin tubing, as if all they've ever done is weld angle iron. Welders do all kinds of metal work including auto body repair, which involves pretty thin metal. For that matter, an auto body shop should be able to fix a steel bike frame as well.

If repairability is at all a concern, go with steel for sure.

IntoThickAir

As for JB Weld and similar products: as someone who has had to remove that crap prior to welding, after some homeowner has smeared it all over in a futile attempt to repair something, I absolutely despise the stuff. It has its place . . . but not as a substitute for welding metals. 30+ years owner of a welding and machine shop.

DON

Dear Don,

I sympathize with your dread of cleaning up JB Weld before you can lay a proper weld, but we're talking about how to fix a frame when you're on the road in, say, Djibouti. With regard to this forum, steel is easier to weld, and that's the whole point. As for JB weld, my 1968 Jeep keeps chugging along with more than one JB Bandage. Besides, it's been around for decades, and I love the way the package never changes, with the same testimonials: "A Kansas farmer said: 'I have used JB Weld for more than five years on my farm equipment and I have decided that it is even better than bailing wire."

Which reminds me: I always bring a bit of bailing wire and duct tape on my tours. Which further reminds me: a good way to keep your bike from falling apart is to check the rack mounts, etc, each day. As soon as a nut loosens up, trouble follows.

nancy sv

I've never had my whole frame break - as in fall apart in two pieces. If t hat ever happened, I wouldn't even try to get it welded back together - I would cash it in on the guarantee and get a new one.

But - I did have a small little braze-on that was essential break off in India while l oading the bike onto the bus one time. It was the little thingie that holds the rear brake cable in place. needless to say, if I couldn't have gotten it welded back on in the little Indian town I happened to be in, the trip would have been over.

I'm sold on steel for travel in third world countries - alumiinum is just too difficult to fix.

znomit

Very common is asia. Watched some blokes welding a gate in china a few years back. I think they close their eyes.

NoReg

"Very common is asia. Watched some blokes welding a gate in china a few years back. I think they close their eyes."

They must have been watching American Chopper.

Here is a link to some heroic roadside welding:

https://www.antipodes-expeditions.com...anada/DSCN5980

vik 

I haven't ever had a frame or rack break, but I tend to be a bit zealous when figuring out a safety factor for my gear. I generally over spec and under load my bikes so having to worry about dealing with a broken bike isn't as likely.

tarwheel 

When I was in college, I backpacked the entire Long Trail across Vermont. The first week, the aluminum frame in my backpack cracked -- probably because I was carrying too much weight. We hitchhiked down to the nearest town, and I was able to get the aluminum backpack frame welded for about $10-20. It held the rest of the trip -- about 6 weeks and hundreds of miles. I also got rid of some of the extra weight I was carrying during that first town stop.

aroundoz

MEV,
Reading your initial post about flying back for a new frame sparked a memory. I landed in Australia May 7, 01 and heard about someone flying back for a new frame. I don't think we crossed paths, did we? I was on a Bridgestone MB1. The Bush Telegraph really works.
Paul

mev

Paul,

When cycling the perimeter of OZ, I definitely kept in touch with several others via bush telegraph. It was particularly interesting in the north.

I don't specifically remember you, but it sounds like we were there very close to same time. I landed in Sydney on 2 May 2001 and cycled counter-clockwise. I was in Shark Bay on August 16th when I noticed the cracked frame: https://www.mvermeulen.com/oneyear/Journal/august11.htm

I then cycled to Geraldton and on August 23rd flew from Perth to San Francisco returning August 30th. If I had been two weeks later, travel would have been much more obnoxious with both 9/11 aftermath and then Ansett Airlines collapse.