broken Ti/carbon frame

[The Gnome]

I have a Lemond Tete Titanium/Carbon frame that broke out on my ride last night...not a crash or anything, just riding along and during an interval I heard a loud pop...then got the speed wobbles ect...the downtube is titanium and had snapped near the top, right around the cable knobs....this went clean thru actually so it is not just a crack...it is a serious break...does anyone know or have any ideas on repairs or is that most likely just impossible given the nature of the break?

 

[washedup]

Should have a lifetime warranty... right? That should fix it.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

I have a Lemond Tete Titanium/Carbon frame that broke out on my ride last night...not a crash or anything, just riding along and during an interval I heard a loud pop...then got the speed wobbles ect...the downtube is titanium and had snapped near the top, right around the cable knobs....this went clean thru actually so it is not just a crack...it is a serious break...does anyone know or have any ideas on repairs or is that most likely just impossible given the nature of the break?

If you are the original owner, perhaps a warranty but with Trek flushing Lemond, maybe not. Go see a Trek dealer and see.

 

[The Gnome]

nope...not warrantied...second owner...

 

[washedup]

They don't really look into that stuff. Give it a go.... with a good story of course.

 

[AeroAdvantage]

does anyone know or have any ideas on repairs or is that most likely just impossible given the nature of the break?

http://talu.com/materials.php#titaniumheading

Titanium bicycle frames must be welded in an environment cleaner than a surgical operating room, free of all oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon. Titanium welding equipment is expensive and titanium tubing preparation techniques are expensive. Immediately prior to welding, the surface of the titanium tubing must be treated in expensive ultrasonic baths

A titanium bicycle frame weldor requires a great amount of skill, training and nerves of steel. One small error can send an expensive partially-completed titanium frame straight to the recycle bin. The motor skills necessary for welding a bicycle could be compared to flying a helicopter forward one millimeter off the ground at night while threading a needle with the other hand. The weldor must have a steady hand and accurate depth perception. Several tasks must be undertaken with simultaneous coordinated and absolute precision to guide a tiny white-hot pool of molten metal around various three-dimensional curves, many of which are in confined areas

 

[richwagmn]

They don't really look into that stuff. Give it a go.... with a good story of course.

Agree. My local LBS has told me they'd go to bat for me even with a used bike.

Too bad it's not in the carbon part of the frame. You might be able to get something through their crash replacement plan.

I crashed my 5200 this spring and broke the top tube. Trek sold me a 5.9 madone frame for almost half off retail.

But like the other poster says, see if your local LBS can help you out.

 

[Granville57]

If I understand the OP correctly, that's a very strange place for a non-impact break to occur. Don't know who to approach regarding possible Ti repair but this has been my experience with LeMond warranty issues:

Trek will often offer some sort of compensation towards frame replacement. You might have to send the frame to them for inspection but their policy is such that they won't send it back to you, even if they can't repair it (which, in the case of Ti, I would imagine they can not).

They very well may offer you a carbon Madone frame at a greatly reduced cost but obviously it will be nothing like your Tete de Course.

You may want to seek the advice of some of the smaller independent companies that specialize in titanium.

Or email Greg!

 

[The Gnome]

I appreciate all of the responses...to give abit of background...yes, I am the second owner...but I bought the bike from a trek dealer, bike shop owner...who gets himselfa new bike or two each year and rides them for a year, then sells them on...so i wrote him and he told me there is no way the warranty can be honored...as he knows the guys at Trek and they know it was his bike...a sticky spot for me really...I wish I could post a photo of the break but never have luck on here figuring that out...right around the cable knobs on the downtube...and it is broken all of the way thru...goes 9/10's around as well...never have seen such a break in all of my days...trek made this bike and I have babied it...so it seems like a pretty crappy job to me done by trek...and that a dealer of theires gets it for himself at a cheap price, then sells it on to me and everyone goes "not our problem" is just kinda crappy...if I had crashed the thing or abused it...or was too heavy ( I go around 170...) I would get it...but I guess I am out of luck...and trek offering to send me some madone for 800 bucks aint gonna do it...i don't want full carbon...partially of course, this was my fault via not buying new...that comes from being cheap/poor...but still, up to me I guess...think I am screwed...

 

[dsut4392]

Sorry, you must have made a mistake, titanium doesn't break. In the next planet of the apes film, pristine Ti bike frames will be unearthed from shifting sands as stark remnants of a long-forgotten civilisation. Oh OK, I suppose it's barely possible that the close proximity to carbon over several years weakened it.

[truly sorry about your frame, but after all the Ti-hugging and carbon-bashing that goes on around here, it had to be said]

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Sorry, you must have made a mistake, titanium doesn't break. In the next planet of the apes film, pristine Ti bike frames will be unearthed from shifting sands as stark remnants of a long-forgotten civilisation. Oh OK, I suppose it's barely possible that the close proximity to carbon over several years weakened it.

[truly sorry about your frame, but after all the Ti-hugging and carbon-bashing that goes on around here, it had to be said]

We are talking about a Trek. Trek can make any material break.

 

[brianf7]

Manufacturers can put a new tube in it so just take it to a Le Monde dealer and prepare to wait a few months to get it back or if its insured tell them it was accident and get a new one.
There is nothing else you can do unless ypu want to pay big$$$ to a frame builder.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Manufacturers can put a new tube in it so just take it to a Le Monde dealer and prepare to wait a few months to get it back or if its insured tell them it was accident and get a new one.
There is nothing else you can do unless ypu want to pay big$$$ to a frame builder.

No such thing as a 'Le Monde' or Lemond dealer anymore..Trek flushed the line.

 

[bc_hills]

..think I am screwed...

maybe not... pm'd ya.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

I appreciate all of the responses...to give abit of background...yes, I am the second owner...but I bought the bike from a trek dealer, bike shop owner...who gets himselfa new bike or two each year and rides them for a year, then sells them on...so i wrote him and he told me there is no way the warranty can be honored...as he knows the guys at Trek and they know it was his bike...a sticky spot for me really...I wish I could post a photo of the break but never have luck on here figuring that out...right around the cable knobs on the downtube...and it is broken all of the way thru...goes 9/10's around as well...never have seen such a break in all of my days...trek made this bike and I have babied it...so it seems like a pretty crappy job to me done by trek...and that a dealer of theires gets it for himself at a cheap price, then sells it on to me and everyone goes "not our problem" is just kinda crappy...if I had crashed the thing or abused it...or was too heavy ( I go around 170...) I would get it...but I guess I am out of luck...and trek offering to send me some madone for 800 bucks aint gonna do it...i don't want full carbon...partially of course, this was my fault via not buying new...that comes from being cheap/poor...but still, up to me I guess...think I am screwed...

If the bike shop owner 'owned' the bike, then it can be considered a 'demo bike', and you ARE the first owner and 'should' get a warranty. But I'm not surprised the trek owner doesn't want to go to bat for you. What a surprise.

I would try to contact Trek and go direct to try to get some sort of warranty for this. It is CLEARLY a manufacturing defect and the bike shop owner or Trek should stand by their product. But 'Should' is a big word.

 

[MonsterMan]

It sounds like the shop owner could be buying bikes through prodeals, and then selling for profit. A condition of many industry deals is that the product is for the purchasers use, and not to be resold. If that is the case here, and the owner tries to file a warranty claim for you on a bike that he bought it could put him in hot water with his friends at Trek.

 

[The Gnome]

Well...an update...the bike shop owner got abit testy with me when I asked if he had ever registered the bike and that I had done so online and maybe could be considered the first real owner as he was a Trek dealer after all...snapped at me that he was not going to lose his francise over doing something "dirty"...told me he got the bike thru an "employee discount" from Trek...ect ect...and I agree, I would think it could be considered a demo model...so I will call Trek myself...I doubt they will do anything...he told me he was going to contact trek and "just be honest about the whole thing'...which I found an odd thing to say from his side and tells me something fishy (maybe) is here...so he did that, and Trek said no warranty ect but they will sell me a madone 5.5 (2009) frame for 1300 bucks...curious to see what folks think of that offer out here on our forum...tho, at that point if I am going to eat 1300 I think I would rather buy a Torelli steel frame for about the same amount...and don't really feel like giving Trek any money as they have no been so great about this...anyhow, looking forward to hear what you guys think of all of this...thanks...

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

It sounds like the shop owner could be buying bikes through prodeals, and then selling for profit. A condition of many industry deals is that the product is for the purchasers use, and not to be resold. If that is the case here, and the owner tries to file a warranty claim for you on a bike that he bought it could put him in hot water with his friends at Trek.

Interesting. I wonder how prevalent this is. I have been offered bikes used by various shops' staff several times. They always seem to claim that the bike was only used for a few months and the owner is upgrading. If there is no warranty then it looks like a bit of a scam.

 

[The Gnome]

further note...a friend of mine is a welder...he has worked on FAA airline stuff...has done titanium quite abit tho never a bike frame...he says he thinks we can weld it...he looked at it and said he thought it was not a big deal to weld (tho he has never worked on bike frames and does not know much about bike stresses ect...but he is a master welder...I help him on jobs sometimes when he needs another hand)...not sure just how safe it will be but he is pretty confident...figure I might as well give that a shot...I mean it's just my a** if it snaps again right...

 

[richwagmn]

Well...an update...the bike shop owner got abit testy with me when I asked if he had ever registered the bike and that I had done so online and maybe could be considered the first real owner as he was a Trek dealer after all...snapped at me that he was not going to lose his francise over doing something "dirty"...told me he got the bike thru an "employee discount" from Trek...ect ect...and I agree, I would think it could be considered a demo model...so I will call Trek myself...I doubt they will do anything...he told me he was going to contact trek and "just be honest about the whole thing'...which I found an odd thing to say from his side and tells me something fishy (maybe) is here...so he did that, and Trek said no warranty ect but they will sell me a madone 5.5 (2009) frame for 1300 bucks...curious to see what folks think of that offer out here on our forum...tho, at that point if I am going to eat 1300 I think I would rather buy a Torelli steel frame for about the same amount...and don't really feel like giving Trek any money as they have no been so great about this...anyhow, looking forward to hear what you guys think of all of this...thanks...

Depends what you want. Not sure why it's a 2009 frame though? They should offer you about the same deal on a 2011.

Having had a frame fail like that, I wouldn't give my money back to Trek. That's just not right. Very, very strange place for that failure to occur.

 

[The Gnome]

Depends what you want. Not sure why it's a 2009 frame though? They should offer you about the same deal on a 2011.

Having had a frame fail like that, I wouldn't give my money back to Trek. That's just not right. Very, very strange place for that failure to occur.

yeah, and I don't mean to knock carbon frames here...or folks who like Treks...not at all...just not feeling too apt to give them 1300 bucks after this...tho I guess they offered...and I have no idea why it's a 2009...

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

yeah, and I don't mean to knock carbon frames here...or folks who like Treks...not at all...just not feeling too apt to give them 1300 bucks after this...tho I guess they offered...and I have no idea why it's a 2009...

Maybe it is the frame the owner was riding for the 2009 season.

 

[The Gnome]

and you are right it being a odd place for the break...it pretty much goes all the way around and into both down tube cable knobs...my feeling is that Trek messed up the welding on the knobs as the break is right there and all the way round...

 

[krebs303]

I think you will enjoy the Torelli steel if yours cannot be fixed. I have a Mondonico steel and I believe they are essentially the same.

 

[The Gnome]

I think you will enjoy the Torelli steel if yours cannot be fixed. I have a Mondonico steel and I believe they are essentially the same.

Yes, I think they are the same...was going for the Mondonico one actually...do you know which model you have? I was looking at the frame priced at 1300...thanks...