Frame weld concerns

[potatochip]

Hey, all. I just bought a new frame from All-City. I noticed what looks like a small gap between the periphery of one of the welds and the tube underneath. Would you be concerned about this? Or is it pretty normal?

http://i.imgur.com/CI8e3m9.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MU5TiDG.jpg

[weisan]

er...which one is the elephant trunk, and where is the tail?

[Scooper]

Those photos are HUGE. I resized them for you since there was no way they made any sense having to scroll both horizontally and vertically.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/All-City%20weld%201_zpswwsxch3v.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d7/k4drd/Bicycles/All-City%20weld%202_zpsyxqjnmcy.jpg

[sokyroadie]

Looks like the weld is undercut. Not ideal, but probably OK.

Jeff

[Louis]

If they're local to you I would take it to them and ask them what they think. When they say "That's no big deal" I'd get them (if possible) to promise a free replacement if anything weird happens there then over the next year. (If you don't already have some sort of warranty.)

If they aren't local to you I'd try to do the same thing via electronic communications.

If neither of those works out I'd ride it and not worry about it.

[potatochip]

Haha, thanks for the resize and replies.

I forgot to mention, the weld is at the seat stay/toptube/seattube junction. I'll be using the frame for track racing.

[Peter P.]

Even if the weld fails, the frame won't catastrophically fail.

The weld is certainly of poor quality. But as long as the frame is covered under a warranty, I wouldn't worry about it.

I can't imagine returning the frame and asking for another one; who knows how many frames you may have to go through to find one with satisfactory welds. Remembler, All-City is not exactly a high end marquee; your weld quality is going to roughly equal what you paid for the frame, unfortunately.

Your only other alternative would be to ask for a refund and buy something from another brand.

[seanile]

if the edges are that poorly joined then i worry about the heat applied to the actual underlying joint. take it to a reputable dealer (anyone with QBP as their distributor) and ask what they recommend you do. I'd request an extended warranty for any cracks that appear at that spot if they don't recommend you replace it.

[kevinvc]

Even if the weld fails, the frame won't catastrophically fail.

The weld is certainly of poor quality. But as long as the frame is covered under a warranty, I wouldn't worry about it.

I can't imagine returning the frame and asking for another one; who knows how many frames you may have to go through to find one with satisfactory welds. Remembler, All-City is not exactly a high end marquee; your weld quality is going to roughly equal what you paid for the frame, unfortunately.

Your only other alternative would be to ask for a refund and buy something from another brand.

All-City isn't Moots or Serotta, but they're definitely not Huffy either. I would put them above the mid-point for production run bikes and this weld should have been caught in QA/QC and the frame pulled. No, it's not likely to blow up but there is a chance that it could fail and, regardless, it reflects poorly on the company. My assumption, and I know nothing about the company's practices or customer service, is that they would rather have this returned and off the street rather than have someone riding around on it. It's bad advertising for them. OP's friends and riding companions would be less likely to buy an All-City seeing this.

I don't know where you bought it, but I would contact the seller and All-City and explain your situation. Include pictures so they can see what you're talking about (but use the smaller re-sized ones).

Just my .02

[sjbraun]

All City is a QBP house brand. Seems like it would be in their interest to replace the frame.
I'd pursue it with whomever sold you the frame.

[pbarry]

Is what that's an example of: Not enough heat from the torch and/or too much rod being applied for speed and temp of torch. Probably piecework payment in the factory which results in someone rushing. Best place on the frame for a defect, however. Look at your warranty. If it's decent, then ride the h*ll out of it. I'd wager it will hold up on the velodrome.