[crkt]

I have a decent sized crakc on the chainstay of my kink whip, I am hoping that kink will replace the frame since I have owned the bike about six months, however they still have not responded to my emails, I dont have proof of original ownership, and the bike is pretty beat as it is so no guarentees they will replace it at all.

my dilemma is that im taking a trip to santa cruz later in the week to ride some sick trails but its bad enough that there's no way I would jump on it. so my question is whether or not it is worth it to have a good machine shop weld the frame so that I can ride it for a week or so? im looking at buying a new frame anyway and I realize the warrenty is probably void after welding.

your thoughts? is welding a frame going to weaken it?

 

[JustMtnB44]

The frame is made of chromoly steel, right? Is the crack right near a weld, bend, or just in the middle of the tube?

Chromoly steel can be TIG welded and it will hold up just fine. Technically, there is a heat-affected zone next to the weld that may be a weak spot, and heat treatment can fix that, but I'm not sure if the frames are post weld heat treated or not to begin with. Either way, if you cannot get it covered under warranty, then getting it welded by a good shop with a TIG welder should allow it to hold up just fine.

Welding aluminum frames is a different story. The metal will be weakened in the weld area without a post weld heat treatment to bring it back up to strength, and will most likely break again.

 

[crkt]

yes its a full chromoly frame, the break is not on the weld but its less than a 1/4 of an inch away. I managed to get my hands on another frame fortunately, but its good to know I could get my current one reasonably fixed. thanks for the help

 

[SCABRIDER]

take it to adrian cortina on mountain ave on the westside, right by la cumbre junior high. or you could take it to my dad at hendrix mfg (967-3050). 5770 thornwood drive suite c in goleta. take hollister, left on pine, it turns into thornwood. it would need to be heat treated to last but if you want it welded up nicely he'll set you up...
-henry

 

[Sonic Reducer]

i threw some mig weld over cracks on my headtube gussets so i could ride. didnt do full prep or stress relieving. kind of questionable when it comes to actual welding theory and practice but... knock on wood. its been hanging tough for the past few months with some monster trucking and throwing the bike.
as far as welding a frame you hope to warrantee that is between you and kink and I seriously doubt they would take it back after more weld out of there control. have a talk with them and see what they think.

 

[JGill]

I thought the Kink Whip had hi-ten stays and a chromoly main frame...

 

[crkt]

does it? either way kink has some very good customer service and are sending me a new transition frame, thanks for the offer anyway Henry