Fix or leave alone? Vintage steel frame content

[fmradio516]

So of course the week I decide to spend some money to spruce up my oldest, most favoritest ride, i find this. The seat collar braze-on separating from the frame. Not sure how long its been like that, but its the first im seeing it. Looks like its cleanly separating from the tube... probably from years and years of over-tightening, which is ironic because it is a TIGHT seat tube. I can probably do 3nm on the clamp and be good.

That said, do I:

1) grind down to where its cleanly "one" again and keep an eye on it?
2) leave alone?

The diameter w/paint is 31.8, so i imagine if that cleanly comes off one day, i can grind off the other side and use an over-the-tube seat collar.


https://i.imgur.com/t0to9vd.jpg


Not sure why the seat was so high in this picture, but its normally around half that height.
https://i.imgur.com/dsU0mYI.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/1qqusju.jpg?1

[C40_guy]

Send that photo to Toby Stanton at Hot Tubes. My guess is that he can probably braze it, if it needs fixing, and maybe even touch up the paint without requiring a full respray.

And you can drive it out to him/pick it up...much easier and less expensive than shipping...

[fmradio516]

Send that photo to Toby Stanton at Hot Tubes. My guess is that he can probably braze it, if it needs fixing, and maybe even touch up the paint without requiring a full respray.

And you can drive it out to him/pick it up...much easier and less expensive than shipping...

Thanks for the rec, but weeeeellll this is actually the lesser of a much bigger problem with the frame.

I bought it 10+ years ago on ebay knowing there was an issue with one of the head tube lugs. Ive ridden it on crappy boston streets for the last 10 years(commuting) and i WISH i took a picture of this when I first got the frame but i didnt. Not sure how much its changed since i got it, but its definitely changed.

So not really worth putting a ton of money into.

https://i.imgur.com/GvZDseC.jpg?1

[Hindmost]

To enable the flow of opinions and conjecture we need to know what the frame is.

[C40_guy]

You could just hang it on the wall on a vintage oak bike hanger. Hmmm... :)

[Themountaintop]

A skilled tig welder could solve that pretty quickly. Using a small electrode diameter ground to a thin point and a good back purge of argon you could close that seam.

[mhespenheide]

I mean, if it's me any my money, I'd probably retire it.

Not saying it can't be fixed, but when there are $350 Eddy Merckx framesets with polished head lugs floating around the classifieds...

[fmradio516]

To enable the flow of opinions and conjecture we need to know what the frame is.

Its an early 90s Bottecchia. Just added a pic to my OP.

You could just hang it on the wall on a vintage oak bike hanger. Hmmm... :)

Yeah! Problem solved! :)

[vqdriver]

i'm kinda with ^
steel is eminently repairable, but it's more a question of worth-it
only the op can decide if the cost is worthwhile

after a decade of commuting, i'd say that frame has served you well.

[vqdriver]

just saw the updated pic. that's the columbus sl? i owned that same bike and loved loved loved it!

[AngryScientist]

that half a mile of exposed seatpost might have had something to do with it, with a bike from an era of "fistful" of post common...

[unterhausen]

I can fix frames and I wouldn't mess with it. That crack at the top tube is weird and a good reason to retire the frame

[fmradio516]

that half a mile of exposed seatpost might have had something to do with it, with a bike from an era of "fistful" of post common...

I noted that the seatpost is usually at half that height. I forget why I put it up that high for the picture.

just saw the updated pic. that's the columbus sl? i owned that same bike and loved loved loved it!

unfortunately the Columbus sticker is worn away. But yeah, i really love this bike..

[fmradio516]

I can fix frames and I wouldn't mess with it. That crack at the top tube is weird and a good reason to retire the frame

Thanks! Ill hang it on the wall and take it out for a spin when im feeling blue.

[Hindmost]

That is a cool bike. Has it been repainted? I would expect more chrome on a Botecchia.

[weisan]

Pretend you never saw it.

See no evil, hear no evil.

Whoever scares you with impending doom is smokin' crack.

[fmradio516]

That is a cool bike. Has it been repainted? I would expect more chrome on a Botecchia.

Nope, this is how they come. Under the paint is chromed though.

[m_sasso]

Chrome, who needs chrome?

[oldpotatoe]

Pretend you never saw it.

See no evil, hear no evil.

Whoever scares you with impending doom is smokin' crack.

Righto...if that lug gives way, no the frame won't explode but the seat 'may' slide all the way down as you sit on it after a out of saddle climb and you 'may' hit the ground because of it..

I think anybody who thinks a broken frame part is 'no evil' is the one smokin crack..BUT sure..a little electrical tape and a hose clamp and yer good to go...

Yikes-:eek:

[Clancy]

It’s always after the fall that I question the logic I was using before the fall.

[unterhausen]

The seat lug wouldn't scare me much, but that head lug is cracked halfway around. I couldn't make myself ride that bike. Enough teeth problems as it is.

I fixed a frame where the head tube was almost fully cracked out of the bottom head lug. It looked a little funny from the outside, but it was really hard to tell how far the crack had gone until the fork came out and you could see the outline of the lug. It was all cracked except for about 1/8".

[fmradio516]

The seat lug wouldn't scare me much, but that head lug is cracked halfway around. I couldn't make myself ride that bike. Enough teeth problems as it is.

I fixed a frame where the head tube was almost fully cracked out of the bottom head lug. It looked a little funny from the outside, but it was really hard to tell how far the crack had gone until the fork came out and you could see the outline of the lug. It was all cracked except for about 1/8".

Yeah... that scares me a bit. Ill pull out the fork and take a looksy. I guess ill be on the lookout for another one of these frames..

[andrew+]

This calls for a bit of sanding and closer inspection. My bet is that the frame is safely ridable.

[Black Dog]

Yeah... that scares me a bit. Ill pull out the fork and take a looksy. I guess ill be on the lookout for another one of these frames..

Not sure that is a crack in the head lug or some corrosion under the paint. Scrape the bubbling paint off to confirm what is going on. I would keep the bike and ride it as is if there was no crack in the head lug.

[fmradio516]

Not sure that is a crack in the head lug or some corrosion under the paint. Scrape the bubbling paint off to confirm what is going on. I would keep the bike and ride it as is if there was no crack in the head lug.

Yep thats what ive been doing the past 10 years :)

[fmradio516]

Heres a more accurate picture of the setup which i took today.

Is it possible to enjoy riding a bike more because you know it looks so nice? I love the look of this bike and i dont enjoy riding any other bike more.

https://i.imgur.com/dsU0mYI.jpg?1

[Hindmost]

Chrome, who needs chrome?

You never outgrow your need for chrome.

[oldpotatoe]

Heres a more accurate picture of the setup which i took today.

Is it possible to enjoy riding a bike more because you know it looks so nice? I love the look of this bike and i dont enjoy riding any other bike more.

https://i.imgur.com/dsU0mYI.jpg?1

Is that a Campagnolo seatpost? WAY above limit line if it is...:)

[fmradio516]

Is that a Campagnolo seatpost? WAY above limit line if it is...:)



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[Spaghetti Legs]

I would chip/sand away the paint around those defects to see what is truly under there. The head tube bit looks like it might just be rust. The red paint is easy to touch up.

[d.ram23]

Yeah, I'd definitely hang it up as a momento. Seat clamp is one thing you could fix, but the other issue is not worth the money/risk.