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resolvedA suspicious new creak in the bike turned out not to be the saddle rail after all, but a visible rust spot in a nook drew my attention to a crack on the underside of the lug joining the headtube to the downtube.
So it will need to be removed and replaced. Does anywhere in town offer such a service, I'd rather not faff around with sending it off somewhere.
I suppose it was about time to get the frame resprayed anyway.
Which is also why it pays to investigate creaks for a root cause.
Maybe a replacement frame is in order? I've seen a couple of 531 Dawes Audax bikes on fleaBay recently which could be suitable donors. A fair few 531 frames around of various sizes and geometries too.
I'm not an expert but is it possible to replace the lug without opening up at least one other joint on the frame?
I know Mr Hart can build custom frames so might be able to offer you some advice/repair.
@Crowriver given my attachment to this particular bike, I'd like to avoid replacing it if at all possible. Although if replacement begins to work out as cheaper than repair, of course I may rethink.
@acsimpson replacing the lug I assume would mean also removing the toptube lug and putting it all back together again. The jury's out, but there's a good chance the whole lot can be fillet welded over without having to replace the lug. It wouldn't ever really be visible given the location.
It's a pretty crucial location on the frame: right next to the fork crown?
I suppose a fillet weld might do it, but ultimately the lug is cracked which is a weak point at a safety critical point on the bike. If it were me, I'd be looking for a new frame. Maybe save the forks if they're the original Dawes Audax Giro ones with low rider bosses?
Here's a 631 TIG welded Dawes Audax (57cm) currently at £90. Six days to go so could rise, but chain/chainset need replacing (probably rear derailleur too) and it's missing front mudguard so maybe won't fetch a huge price. Ask the owner to pop it in a bike box, send Paisley Freight to pick it up (£23.50), and you've got a new frame and forks (which seem in decent nick) with the same geometry as your old one, for potentially less than the cost of repair. Maybe a useable wheelset, stem/bars/brifters, brakes, front derailleur, seatpost, etc. Hell it probably just needs a new chain and a front mudguard and you could ride it as is, at least for a while.
"Ask the owner to pop it in a bike box"
Easier said than done, which is why a lot of people say "pick up only" - especially if they work weekdays when most couriers collect.
@chdot, this is certainly true. My tactic is usually to ask the seller if they're happy to do this before placing a bid. If the answer's yes, no problem: I've successfully purchased three bikes this way which said "Collection only" on the listing. If the answer's no, fair enough! :-)
Having cleaned up the protective layer of muck off the frame, the crack seems worse than I thought, it's not just one side but both and not just the lug but also the down tube... feeling a bit less optimistic now about the ability to fix it.
Eek. Not looking good in the short term. Personally I wouldn't ride that again until a pro had taken the local paint off and deemed it repairable.
Doesn't look good at all. Some of the cracking may just be the tough paint finish, but definitely a crack in the steel lug there. Doesn't look safe: the joint could potentially fail suddenly with a sharp knock.
Dunno what size of frame you need, but I spotted this old school Dawes Competition Giro 300 yesterday: https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/dawes-winter-vintage-racer-racing-bike/1143566635
59cm frame, which may be too big, but a nice CroMo frame, albeit racing geometry and no eyelets for guards or racks. Looks like it would take mudguards though, and a nicer saddle could hold a largish saddlebag at the rear...
Reasonable stopgap nimble commuter for £140? If you transferred your components across from the Audax Giro it would be quite a nice wee steel framed bike...
Fortunately there's plenty spare bikes going on in the flat that I'll keep rolling in the interim.
If it's terminal I'll probably replace frame with something new so at least it's under a guarantee; unless something super amazing second hand happens to appear online.
Given the bike is more of an all rounder and less of an Audax and long rides-specific bike than when I bought the frame, my shopping list will probably include capacity for 28/32mm tyres and I'd definitely want a full set of eyelets for rack and guards. I have an inability to consider a compact geometry frame for aesthetic reasons alone. I half thought about a Surly Pacer being appropriate, although I'm not sure how well red and yellow go together. Wish it was still available in blue!
Good that you're not stuck for a set of wheels.
Surly Pacer is a really nice frame set for the price. I notice Spa Cycles still have the blue one in stock, though only in smaller sizes.
Cheapest steel 'audax' frame replacement would be the Ribble 525. Only £176, forks extra. However it's red and has a slightly sloping top tube by the looks of it.....also unclear whether it will take wider tyres.
Spa do their own range of audax and touring frames in Reynolds 725 for just over £300 which is very reasonable. The audax comes with carbon forks as standard. You may be able to combine that with the some steel forks sourced elsewhere (e.g.. SJS cycles).
Or you could look at SJS' Thorn brand. The Audax Mk3 is a super frame set, in a variety of colours from £425.
For exactly the same price you could buy a Hewitt Chiltern frame set (red or blue only) which is pretty similar to the Thorn (bit nicer though if you asks me).
For a 140 quid extra compared to the above there's the Bob Jackson Audax End-toEnd frame which will take a 28mm tyre plus guards.
Pity Velo Orange don't seem to make their Rando frame set any more. Might have been perfect for you...
It's probably a toss-up between the Pacer and the Hewitt. Can get the Pacer on sale at £340, and I'll need a new headset and stem given brokenbike is a threaded steerer and 1" headset. Apart from that I could swap everything else over and just live with it being red and be back on the road for ~£400. I'd have to live with attaching the pannier rack with a P-clamp.
It would be £500 all in for the Hewitt (or the Thorn, but that compact geometry frame isn't for me).
If it weren't for a bike that's not going to be doing any serious Audaxing that soon, I might try and talk myself into the Bob Jackson. But I've decided that's beyond what I want to pay.
There are quite a few 531 "light touring" frames out there second hand, designed for calliper brakes. Mostly late 70s/early 80s Raleighs, Carltons. Would be a cheaper option but of course could have hidden corrosion issues...
I see Spa Cycles are selling the Pacer frame set for £338: cheapest I've seen. Pacer probably most cost-effective option, but maybe the yellow cable outers and bar tape would look a bit out of place? :-)
We might be able to affect a repair if it's a steel frame. If you could bring it along to Eastside sometime we can give it a good look and see what can be done if anything.
Thanks
Iain
@Eastside - thanks, I live nearby so might be able to make it in tomorrow. I'm not optimistic though! (preparing myself for the worst)
I would recommend Eastsidebikes for frame repairs where possibly/sensible.
I had a crack in a bottom bracket shell sorted earlier this year, but that is a more substantial fitting than ordinary frame lugs and I don't think the cracking had affected any tubes.
The bike went to Eastside last week, they had a look and could see the downtube was cracked right around, hannging in there with about 1cm of metal... So it's been condemned.
Just picked up a 1980 Raleigh Royal 531 frame in "Oak Green" in good nick on Fleabay for 80 quid, as spotted by chdot.
Trigger's bike lives! (That said, there won't be one single original piece left from the Trek 1000 frame it started out as before the Dawes.)
Glad to be of service, sorry the prognosis wasn't better!
@kappers, pity about that. Still, the new old frame sounds nice!
I finally finished building up the Raleigh Royal in post-New Year timeoff, and got the first test ride in last night in advance of todays commute.
The only issues encountered were a rubbing rear mudguard (2 quick spins of a bolt to sort) and then the rear wheel hauling slightly out of position this morning on North St. David Street; QR not quite tight enough for the old-style forward-facing dropouts.
Always a joy to cycle on a new chain and cassette after riding something that had been worn into the ground through winter. The bike has a slightly longer wheelbase than before, and slightly more relaxed angle on the headtube and offset on the fork means there is no more toe overlap on tight steering through chicanes.
All-in-all I'm very pleased. Will put up a picture later.
Pannier rack added since the pictures were taken.
Easy to spot!
Easy to spot!
Yeah, I've not seen many bikes with a brass bell positioned on the stem like that.
I do like the shape of those bars.
The bars are Nitto Albastache (halfway between Albatross and Moustache).
Bell positioning is optimum I've found to prevent cobble/pothole chatter with this one that has a weighted striker on a spring. When it bounces due to rough surface, it doesn't hit the gong. It's also easy to get my thumb to with minimum palaver.
P.s. the saddle angle isn't nearly that jaunty. Trick of the photo, it's fairly level really.
Presta or schrader valves for the pink dust caps? Deal to be had on presta, schrader pricier
That pink is very... pink...
Albastache is a great name for a Victorian gentleman.
Fine looking device; I approve.
"I approve"
So would I, but Uberuce's approval is more definitive.
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