Wear to chainstay

[Jimmy Welch]

Hi Everyone
I had a bearing problem on the rear hub on a long ride and it caused the rear wheel to rub intermittently on the area in the picture there a groove <0.5 and paint damage its an aluminium frame whats eveyones thoughts long term given its location

 

[Jimmy Welch]

Sorry pictures attached

 

[wafter]

Hmm... doesn't look good tbh. That's probably gone through a fair amount of the tube's thickness and given ally's predisposition to cracking due to fatigue has likely created an initiation point for this to happen.

On the other hand it's probably happened in the least-stressed part of the tube's circumference since under the rider's weight the top and bottom faces will see the highest stress.

It would be significant surgery to address this (and being ally it's probably not a hugely expensive frame...) so all I can suggest is that you keep riding and regularly inspect it for cracks. Might want to stick a bit of paint on it too for a bit of corrosion protection.

Others may be less pessimistic

 

[Jody]

whats eveyones thoughts long term given its location

How much do you like your teeth?

Personally, I'd scrap that frame as it's not worth the risk of it snapping.

 

[ianrauk]

I would say that's been rubbing far longer then one long ride

 

[wafter]

I would say that's been rubbing far longer then one long ride

Reckon that could be achievable on a reasonable ride and gritty tyres..

 

[Jimmy Welch]

Hmm... doesn't look good tbh. That's probably gone through a fair amount of the tube's thickness and given ally's predisposition to cracking due to fatigue has likely created an initiation point for this to happen.

On the other hand it's probably happened in the least-stressed part of the tube's circumference since under the rider's weight the top and bottom faces will see the highest stress.

It would be significant surgery to address this (and being ally it's probably not a hugely expensive frame...) so all I can suggest is that you keep riding and regularly inspect it for cracks. Might want to stick a bit of paint on it too for a bit of corrosion protection.

Others may be less pessimistic

Cheers yes I think it's pretty much my feelings

 

[All uphill]

I'd get hold of a good used frame of the right size and swap the components over.

What condition is the tyre in?

 

[Big John]

It's your decision. That said, I've had worse on two bikes I currently still ride. One is a 7005 frame which I managed to saw a groove in the chainstay by badly fitting a new chainset many years ago. I painted it with touch up paint and that was it.....still riding it after all these years. The other was a crack in a carbon fame on the seat tube at the top where the post goes in. That required me finding a carbon fibre repair kit off the net. It's definitely not pretty but I still ride it after at least ten years since I did it falling off somewhere. If it was me I'd ride it but, like I say, it's your decision.

 

[matticus]

keep riding and regularly inspect it for cracks.

This would be my approach. It's probably the "least worst" place for a frame to fail, and I've seen tons of steel frames with rubbing on the forks/stays.

 

[wafter]

This would be my approach. It's probably the "least worst" place for a frame to fail, and I've seen tons of steel frames with rubbing on the forks/stays.

Indeed; a chainstay failure like that is potentially going to be far less catastrophic than a steerer tube, for example.

My Fuji has / had some abrasion in the same area; although until the OP's frame the steel seemed to be intact with the greatest cause for concern being the light pitting that had resulted from corrosion of the exposed metal. Now touched-up and forgotten about - hopefully it remains intact!

 

[Jimmy Welch]

I'd get hold of a good used frame of the right size and swap the components over.

What condition is the tyre in?

Immaculate to be honest which make me think this may have been a bit more historical and I did go through a couple of sets of Corsas quickly about a year ago

 

[Cycleops]

How much do you like your teeth?

Kanye West isn't bothered having all his replaced with metal dentures. Way to go.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

You'll get plenty8 of warning of future failure. A crack will develop in line with the deepest part of the groove and grow into the painted area. When you do your weekly bike clean and inspection (yoiu do that, don't you?) you should inspect the area where the paints starts for evidence of a crack. It will show up as a black line in both the naked alu and in the paint. Eventually the crack will start to give you audible warnings - creaks and pops, that's when you start shopping around for a new bike.

Drink a beer, go ride and revel in the fact that you've learnt that softer materials can abrade hard materials without any damage to the former.

 

[rogerzilla]

Aluminium tubing is quite thick. I doubt that will affect the life of the frame by much.