What's the difference between 'cold setting' and 'bending' rear stays?

[e-rider]

as title - sound the same to me!

 

[Landslide]

I'd suggest the former is intentional, the latter accidental!

 

[brockers]

Without looking, isn't 'bending' when you lay the frame down on the floor, stand on one half of the rear triangle and yank - whereas cold-setting is an expensive procedure carried out by a crack team of highly-trained and time-served professionals who do exactly the same in the bike shop after you've left place the frame in an expensive jig, and turn some nuts on a special threaded bar between the dropouts, thus enabling a symmetrical load that pushes the steel past its yield-point?

 

[PpPete]

I always do it with threaded bar anyway. I did try it once with the Sheldon "2 by 4" method, and found how easy it was to overdo things!

 

[mickle]

I recently corrected my Africa bike after bodging it the first time around through impatience and personal slackness. It involved bolting an old hub into the drop-outs, resting the head tube on a log and jumping up and down on the seat tube.

Bending is what amateurs do. Cold setting is what we professionals do.

If both end up with the same outcome then they are describing the same thing.

 

[Ian H]

Cold setting indirectly refers to the inadvisability of heating and bending some steels, such as 531 which is weakened by heat.

 

[Gareth]

Bending is what amateurs do. Cold setting is what we professionals do..

And those of us with greater skills and experience, and who number amongst the ranks of elite are called Tube Manipulators.

 

[brockers]

So those of us who are neither professionals or manipulators, are benders?

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

while pros like Mickle are setters?

 

[Hacienda71]

So those of us who are neither professionals or manipulators, are benders?

So an amateur recumbent cold setter would be a bent bender?

 

[PpPete]

So an amateur recumbent cold setter would be a bent bender?

 

[Cheradenine]

They made spitfire wing spars from 4130 steel so I doubt spreading it 1/4" yourself is going to break it or do it any harm.

I know a chap (and I don't recommend this BTW) who had his newish Dawes Galaxy mangled in an unlit skip collision, the only spare frame he had was a 70's built Galaxy with 126mm spacing.

He shoved all the new kit on the old frame including the 135mm hub wheels, then he did the Lejog on it fully loaded, it's still running three years on.

 

[andrew_s]

I believe that 531 forks used to be built with straight blades, and then just bent cold set to the required rake with a big scaffold pole over the steerer. Maybe they still are.

 

[TheDoctor]

Cold setting is what I do. Bending is what you do.


Seriously, I reckon they're the same thing.
With 531 and lesser grades of steel, it should be fine.
Anything else, I'd leave well alone.
Alloy and carbon - don't even think about it!!