Frame repair advice! Help!

[lritter]

Hey bikey folks. I was hoping someone could advise me as to what my options are having discovered a crack in the top tube of my lugged steel Carerra road bike.

What began as a little hairline now visibly expands and contracts as I pedal, and sadly I fear it is no longer ride-able in it's current state.

I would really hate to throw out the frame, but I am not sure if it would cost more to fix than it is worth.

Does anybody know if this is possible to weld or repair somehow, and who to look up for that kind of thing?

Thanks for any advice!

-lee :confused:

[Alan]

... a crack in the top tube of my lugged steel Carerra road bike....who to look up for that kind of thing?

There is a list of Bike Builders on the front page of BikePortland. Sorry, I have no experience with any of them, but that's where I'd start phoning.

[wsbob]

lritter...you might consider presenting your situation to the people over at bikeforums, (in case some really smart mechanic person among bikeportland's forum doesn't happen to chime in):

Bikeforums, bike mechanics category (http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?10-Bicycle-Mechanics)

A number of people there will likely be able to give you sound advice about whether your frame is worth fixing. For yourself and anybody you ask, you should know things like, How old is the bike(maybe a failure is covered by warranty)? Does it have stickers/decals on the frame indicating it's constructed of high quality tubing? What kind of quality is the frame?

Replacing the top tube would be expensive, and you'd have to repaint too. Might do that on a custom built, or a high end production frame. Otherwise?

[lritter]

Cool. thanks for the advice. I will try to get in touch with a builder and see if it is worth while.