manitou fragility

[topshifter]

ive always lusted after a nice small manitou hardtail frame but whenever you see them for sale the seller always says its about to self destruct due to various cracks & perhaps it would make a nice wall decoration instead! i know they wasnt built to hang on walls, so why is this :?

 

[taffy]

Tell me about it!

Several times i've had money ready (well Money i was going to liberate from the missus secret emergency money stash in the semi antique egg bowl shaped like a basket with a chicken nesting on it...) to find way way down the listing it has a crack in the frame usually head tube or chainstay/swing arm mount - but that these can be easily repaired....

 

[beagle]

They were probably just built from very thin tubing that wasn't fit for purpose, it happens.

 

[taffy]

Probably.

Mind Aluminium has a finite life cycle/fatigue life if it's used regularly.
And being rare peoplle are loath to junk them - hence evilbay.

 

[mikee]

more to do with heat treatment after welding
and more modern processes being applied to todays ali frames

powder paint processes use 190 ish degree heat to cure
an ideal temperature for modern alloys to be heat treated

i do think any non cracked early 90's frame that was weld repaired
would benefit from a heat bath
the big problem is determining what needs repaired
if you've a m8 with access to NDT processes then its game on
but if not your on a wing and a prayer

 

[FMJ]

Too bad you're vertically challenged and on the wrong side of the pond. My LBS has a NOS (L) hanging in the back (yes I gave him grief for mounting the RS on it)

bad light + iPhone = meh

 

[taffy]

Mikee - i couldn't remember correctly weather heat treated Aluminium could be welded (and heat treated?) and still maintain it's strength.

I assume the series used by Bardbury/Manitou was heat treated 9it's been so long sine the little grey cells had to think/remember about that kinda stuff!)

 

[pete_mcc]

Every time one cracks my rare, uncracked Bradbury gets a little rarer and more expensive!

 

[T'boo Ted]

do other frames with program tubing suffer from the same fate? also its the head tube mostly, is that tube program? mine also racked in the rear CNC machined crown (FS)... so maybe there jsut flimsy al round... still fabulous BID

 

[thesneaker]

I think the Manitou FS looks super cool, but would never buy one with how fragile they are, even if i found a crack free one i would always be waiting for it to crack