Crimping chainstays

[Luwabra]

Project-

Lemond poprad 853

Fits a 36 BARELY. Want to get opinions on ways to do it and not the bolt/vice grip method on YouTube/radavist. Anyone have a proper tool they’d rent me or is this something best paid to have done by a builder.?

https://youtu.be/oNX90sKhg0Q

[Kontact]

If it fits, even barely, why not leave it alone? I'd be more inclined to push the chainline out with a .5mm spacer than screw with the most stressed part of the frame.

[mattnes17]

Ive looked into this a bunch for my winter commuter. takes a 38 easy, but a 41+ gets too close.

The tool used by most builders is vice mounted to dimple the stays before welding. to boot, the fixture is usually custom and specific to the tubes and wheel size requirements.

If you send me a picture or measurement of your stays and I create a clamping tool like this:https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericmonasterio/9480926151
and dimple my stays and mail the "vice-grip dimple tool" to you!

[mattnes17]

Project-

Lemond poprad 853

Fits a 36 BARELY. Want to get opinions on ways to do it and not the bolt/vice grip method on YouTube/radavist. Anyone have a proper tool they’d rent me or is this something best paid to have done by a builder.?

https://youtu.be/oNX90sKhg0Q
Those stays in the video look like they got kinda messed up from the sharp corner of that nut and definitely by the channel lock pliers...

[BikeNY]

Those stays in the video look like they got kinda messed up from the sharp corner of that nut and definitely by the channel lock pliers...

Yup, that's probably why the OP doesn't want to do it that way...

[Luwabra]

Ive looked into this a bunch for my winter commuter. takes a 38 easy, but a 41+ gets too close.

The tool used by most builders is vice mounted to dimple the stays before welding. to boot, the fixture is usually custom and specific to the tubes and wheel size requirements.

If you send me a picture or measurement of your stays and I create a clamping tool like this:https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericmonasterio/9480926151
and dimple my stays and mail the "vice-grip dimple tool" to you!

Your going to custom make that?!?! This is going to be expensive I’m assuming. The stays are more vertical than circular.. I’ll attach a pic in the thread

[Kontact]

Keep in mind that Lemond stays are heat treated 725, both stronger and more brittle than typical bike tubing. They are not going to bend the way regular tubing will, and may crack because they are hardened.

[disspence]

I saw a video of this (must have been Ultraromance's Instagram) cause I can't find it again.

He used a vice and a wine cork. made it look easy.

[Luwabra]

Keep in mind that Lemond stays are heat treated 725, both stronger and more brittle than typical bike tubing. They are not going to bend the way regular tubing will, and may crack because they are hardened.

your raining on my parade. i appreciate it though bc i don't want to F up the frame. maybe my desire to fit a 38-42mm tire in this frame is overkill. a bonjon pass does fit but narrowly so.. basically just wanted to get a mm or 2 clearance on ea side for that tire.

[Peter P.]

Keep in mind that Lemond stays are heat treated 725, both stronger and more brittle than typical bike tubing. They are not going to bend the way regular tubing will, and may crack because they are hardened.

I agree with Kontact. If you can't get an answer directly from Reynolds or from a framebuilder who uses 853, then I wouldn't do it.

[blood]

I bought an old steel track frame a few years back. At the time I was in love with my omnium cranks, but the spider would strike the chainstay. I crimped it, the crankset cleared. Won some track races ;) It's 5 years later, no issues to report. I tried contacting some local builders at the time and they turned their nose up on helping me haha.

[belopsky]

vice and something like this works, but i'd use a socket and get some leather on the outside so you dont scratch up like i did recently

[unterhausen]

I have heard of people cracking stays by trying to make dimples in heat treated tubing. So I wouldn't be too aggressive.

Can't believe the people in the youtube in the OP used a bolt and nut. They were so close. Pretty sure that stuff wasn't heat treated though.

[weisan]

https://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f10/chainstay-dimple-tool-couple-questions-about-34833.html

[Kontact]

your raining on my parade. i appreciate it though bc i don't want to F up the frame. maybe my desire to fit a 38-42mm tire in this frame is overkill. a bonjon pass does fit but narrowly so.. basically just wanted to get a mm or 2 clearance on ea side for that tire.

I misunderstood that you were trying to get a 36t chainring on. But you may be pushing the tempo trying to dent those stays.

Maybe Doug Fattic or Dave Kirk can speak about the heat treated tubing. I may just be too cautious.

[Luwabra]

Pics uploaded

[Luwabra]

Other insight?? High probability it’s going to powder next week without dimples..

[weisan]

In a perfect world, I wish my Merlin has chainstays that started off like these...and set up for canti or disc.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4576/38773175581_7b62941741_b.jpg

[mt2u77]

Just did this last night to better fit studded tires in an early 80s Trek 520-- I opted for the vice grip method and it worked just fine. Of course, these were cro-mo stays on a cheap winter beater. I hack-sawed a piece of conduit lengthwise (~4"), slightly flattened each half to match the stay, and stacked them to make a backer. I taped the backers to the outside of the stay to hold them in place while I lined everything else up. I looked around my shop and grabbed a chain (not a bike chain, the stump pulling kind-- ~1/4" diameter steel, ~1.5-2" long link). I liked the way the "0" shape would round out the edges of the dimple. I slipped a link over my vice grip, lined it up with my mark, and squeezed the stay between the backer and chain link. Done.

I only needed a few mm, so I didn't take many precautions, but if I wanted to do a more severe dimple, I would put more work into the backer to prevent the stays from ovalizing. I'd go for strong support wrapped around the top and bottom of the stay to prevent it from growing vertically.

No way am I going to recommend you doing the same to air hardened steel. It might work, but might not.

[Luwabra]

thanks for all input... i think i'll just get it powdered and leave it as is. it'll fit a true 36 so i can live with that. theres plenty of tire/rim combos that will allow a good ride and adequate clearance. If it wasn't so iffy with the 853 steel i'd surely do it but... i really dont want to trash the frame on a hey hold my beer watch this move. Thanks for the input. Now what color.:confused:

[Jeff N.]

I owned a used, early Terraplane that wasn't dimpled properly. Wouldn't accept a Campy crankset without the inside ring touching the chainstay. It accepted Ultegra but just barely. I ended up selling it.

[tctyres]

I did it with a true temper Poprad, no issues other than making the stays symmetrical.

I made a wedge out of steel bar stock from McMaster and a cradle for the outside of the stay out of leftover red oak flooring. I squeezed the stay with a c-clamp.