Hi All,

So my trusty commuting stead has recently not felt quite right, and today my suspicions that the frame is cracked has been confirmed... (it has done 30-40k miles as a conservative estimate).
Ideally I'd like to just get hold of a frame to replace it, but quickest and easiest, but it appears er it's now an outgoing model....

Anyone know of a source of a 54cm crosslight pro6 frameset? Colours preferable blue or black..


262 (19-09-2017) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

Spose I'm glad it didn't happen whilst I was bashing out my festive 500.

Me! It's green, but I have one I need to sell!

Ps. The green one is the best colour

I have a Croix de Fer frame in that size going cheap

So I've bought some time and I stripped the bike down yesterday evening and getting it welded up today!
In the meantime I'll explore these various options that have been presented as I will need a new frame....
Cheers all.

getting it welded up today!

I'm a bit disappointed that you're not using Fibre-fix tape.

Do you still want that wheel? Got somebody else asking but you've got 1st dibs and can bring this weekend

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

getting it welded up today!

I'm a bit disappointed that you're not using Fibre-fix tape.

That's more appropriate for a carbon frame, ply it in some resin - job done!

Matt wrote:Do you still want that wheel? Got somebody else asking but you've got 1st dibs and can bring this weekend

You're ok - I might have accidental ended up on ebay and got a Chris King hubbed jobby


So it's been welded, I'll go and see if the BB tube hasn't shrunk in the process in a bit... - then work out what I want to do longer term.

So let’s follow up on this story…

I had my original frame welded up (didn’t even lose a day commuting really!)…this was a short term measure but it kept me on the road for another month. Then it catastrophically failed riding into work around the bottom bracket area - work hardening I guess…fortunately I’d purchased a replacement crosslight pro6 v2 frame in blue and I had intended to change to it at spring time once the winter grime was out of the way….but I had a replacement frame and got that into action. (That original frame now sits on the wall of my house in the living room!)


041 (10-02-2018) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

All was fine and within a month I was riding it through the snow!


060 (01-03-2018) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

Then about a year (and 6,063 miles) after building it, this happened…..


043 (12-02-2019) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

NRG cycles who I bought the frame from were top notch and I had a warranty replacement sorted very quickly.


049 (19-02-2019) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr


Now, riding into work this morning, the rear starts going a bit wobbly, a clunk and the rear wheel suddenly starts rubbing on the frame. Turns out this warranty replacement frame has cracked at the driveside yolk by the axle…. I’ve done 3,991 miles on this frame…!

I’ll see where I stand with warranty and hopefully get another frame, but I think it’s time to move on! What frames should I be considering to replace it? I like my flatbar cx setup, with lugs for mudguards. What’s on the market – suggestions please?

Flat bar croix de fer? I've got abot 3000 mile on my drop bar one commuting and can't fault it

Hmm, yeah, steel is real! I have a MIG welder too if it cracks

Cotic Roadrat? Despite the name it's setup/promoted with flat bars, the Escapade is their drop bar version. Just looked on their site and only small left @ £350

Something from Surly? Disc trucker maybe?

hmm - steel is half a kilo heavier than the crosslight - add in the forks and I'm adding a kilo which is not insignificant! (Although, I suspect they're a bit tougher, and I'd rather have a bit more weight as it's not like I race this bike...!)

Keep the suggestions coming - I'm checking them all out.

I've actually got a Kinesis Crosslight Pro 6 that I've just finished servicing and is ready to sell.

Think its a 58cm though.

Given you've been using a drop-bar frame with flat bars, it would seem the Escapade is an option too?

Whatever the flat bar version of the Arkose is, lithium maybe?

My mileage isn't as high as yours, perhaps around 12k? But it's out in all weathers and doesn't get any love - I don't think it's ever been washed, apart from my the rain maybe. I picked it up in April 2015

Has so far been bullet proof, every now and then I look at something fancy like a Ti bike but in practice my arkose does everything just fine!

Has rack and mudguard mounts

Really liking the cotic and the genesis at the moment. Genesis has an integrated mech hanger though - that puts me off slightly...

Anyway, here you go, more snappy photos!

Zippy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:12 pm Genesis has an integrated mech hanger though - that puts me off slightly...

Reducing the amount of materiel to make room for a replaceable mech hanger worked out well for Kinesis

Although mine was an mtb I was impressed with my Genesis frame, a steel Latitude, it was well made and took a beating.

Edit, is that a cast ally part that's failed?

sean_iow wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:23 pm

Zippy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:12 pm Genesis has an integrated mech hanger though - that puts me off slightly...

Reducing the amount of materiel to make room for a replaceable mech hanger worked out well for Kinesis

Touché

sean_iow wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:23 pm Edit, is that a cast ally part that's failed?

Looks like it. This frame has only been in action since the 19th of February this year...

I do have a soft spot for Cotic, and I know you're a fan too

Roadrat/escapade is a pretty good shout, in some ways there were slightly ahead of their time with a bike like that. They became fashionable after they released it

Surly straggler as its totally bombproof. But I was eyeing up escapades the other day and they do look very nice plus these days will be cheaper than a surly frame!

Both funny places to crack - a circumferential crack on a tube mid span is very odd, even witht he cable hole to act as a stress concentrator..... And the rear drop out crack suggests the chain and seat stays are trying to bend apart - is the seat tube bust as well??

htrider wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 6:49 pm And the rear drop out crack suggests the chain and seat stays are trying to bend apart - is the seat tube bust as well??

No seat tube failure this time round (well at first glance, I'll take another look later). Setup is well proven from the first crosslight - that failed at the bottom bracket which given the materiel and the mileage wasn't unreasonable.

The Second crosslight and the failure across the downtube also had a small crack across the seat-tube, starting at a di2 cable hole that exists in the v2 frame and not the v1.

This third frame that has cracked across the drop out, just shows not much material and a stress fracture. I'll take some better photos when I take it all apart.

Whilst these bikes are subjected to relatively high mileage, they're not ridden particularly hard, and this most recent one hasn't even really seen a winter which gives components a beating.

I've got a warranty replacement frame winging it's way out to me - that should keep me mobile quite quickly as a swap across of components should be quite quick, in the meantime I shall be organising my replacement (which I think will be made of steel!).

Perhaps was should rename you from Zippy to Snappy as you go through so many frames!!