Adding Braze-ons

[Jsnyder]

Can anyone recommend a good builder or welder that could add a couple of braze-ons onto my Steel LeMond? I love everything about this bike as my everyday commuter, except that I cant put a rack on it. I would rather add these than ride my commuter most days.

Any downside to adding braze-ons?

[q`Tzal]

Downside?

The main downside in Portland is that those most likely to do a good job are also very likey to be several months deep in pre-existing work.

[wsbob]

You're probably aware that around the braze point the heat from brazing would burn a sizable area of paint which you wouldn't likely be able to touch up to match the original finish.

Beyond this consideration, I wouldn't have a particular suggestion for someone that could do the brazing, except that Portland seems to have a slew of frame builders, some of whom are listed on the right side column of the bikeportland main page. There's also a bike repair school in Portland; some of the students might be willing to take the project on for a very economical price.

You may have already looked around for ideas about how to attach a rack to a bike that doesn't have the eyelets. If you haven't done so, that might be worth your effort. There could well be something out there designed for this situation. Maybe not quite as good as braze-ons, but might serve your needs.

[canuck]

Any bike shop should be able to set you up with a rack using readily available adapter kits that clamp on to the seat stays.

Or if you are feeling in a do it yourself mood, head over to you local plumbing supplier and look for P-Clamps. They are used to secure pipes to walls etc, most come with rubber padding to reduce pipe knock, buy works well to allow for a good connection to the bike and to save the paint.

As mentioned welding would require some serious repainting.

[q`Tzal]

As a former user of P-clamps for frame attachment my opinion is they are great for light loads on good roads.
I did some rural touring in the Deep South and if you can keep the load below 2 full gallons of water or always stay on smooth pavement you should be fine. After losing several smaller clamps due to vibration fatigue (something the clamps were not designed to resist) I switched to larger clamps. When those stopped breaking the bolts refused to stay tight as the constant metal flexing provided greatly increased opportunity for even lock nuts to come loose. Eventually I had to resort to the high strength engine block grade Lock-Tite to keep the hardware in place. This did make eventual removal problematic.

If your cargo carrying aspirations are anything other than pedestrian I'd agree that braze ons are the way to go. A skilled pro can greatly minimize paint damage.

[Alan]

Would a seat-post rack carry enough for you? Here's an example, from halfway down this page: http://suitcaseofcourage.typepad.com...age/commuting/

[RonC]

This link might give you some other ideas on how to attach a rack.

http://www.bikebagshop.com/tubus-accessories-c-29.html

[Jsnyder]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I currently have a seat post rack and it just is not stable enough. I will check out some of the options listed above before deciding if I should just find someone to add braze-ons.

[biciclero]

Old Man Mountain makes racks that attach to the rear axle. There may be other manuf's out there who do something similar. Braze-ons, schmaze-ons.