Welded disc mount advice

[dandy1]

I picked up a lock down project, a 97 litespeed ocoee.

At some point in its life its had a disc mount welded onto the rear stays. It looks like a reasonable job (will grab a pic at some point)

I've just ordered new decals from litespeed and I've asked about the mount, and they have advised not to use it due to the forces of the discs and the frame not being originally intended for discs.

So do I just run with v brakes and forget about it... Run discs as my riding tends to be canal paths / road etc... Or look for another project

Thanks

 

[ti_pin_man]

did they supply any evidence or are they just stating the warranty line? I havent heard of any frame failures for added disk tabs and have one on one of my ti ibis.

 

[dandy1]

did they supply any evidence or are they just stating the warranty line? I havent heard of any frame failures for added disk tabs and have one on one of my ti ibis.

No I'm sure it's them covering themselves. I've noticed a lot of ti welders weld a brace between the stays.. This doesn't have that

 

[dandy1]

Re:

Pics

 

[madjh]

If you like it, built and use it. But I don´t understand why people do this. There are some very good V brakes that in combination with very good rims (SD7 or XT with mavic 217 or 220 for example) works as good as disck brake in dry contions, or even better. They are quite powerfull and some looks quite nice.

Ideas: 1-Try to remove and give annother finish in that area to hide any trace of the welds.
2 Use with small disc, this will reduce the force. 140mm diameter disc could help to reduce forces. And for brake calippers use CX or Road disc brakes like Avid BB7 road rear and bb7 mtb in the front, they have different actuation arm, the road one is more short and applies less force.

 

[dandy1]

Re:

No, it wouldn't have been my choice. I agree a v brake set up properly with a decent pad does the job just fine.

I hadn't thought about getting it removed, but I'd imagine the cost involved would be as much as the frames worth

 

[Bullpup]

I would ask danson67 for his advice... It may be that welding in a suitable brace could be a cost effective option.

 

[RicoMack]

Wow! Nice frame. But I'm a Litespeed fan so what do I know. :^) In any event when I got my OwlHollow frame a couple of months back I looked around to find someone reputable to weld disc tabs on my frame. The reason for wanting disc tabs was because the fork I planned on using was disc only and I had a good set to disc brakes to use. I found a place in Oregon that has been doing this modification for a while and after talking to them I saw no reason not to do it based on structural integrity . It was the money, 400USD plus shipping both ways that put up the stop sign. Litespeed back in the day made an adapter that could be mounted on frames like Ocoee, OwlHollow and others, but they were bolted on not welded. Not sure how one would put more stress on the frame than the other. But I'm not a structural eng.

Bottom line if my OwlHollow came with a disc adapter like yours, my bike would have disc brakes for stopping power. But it didn't come with the adapter and so the stopping power is supplied by Avid ArchRival V-brakes. Am I happy about that? You bet, like you said V-brakes are great. Maybe not so much in wet weather, but I live in the desert so wet weather isn't much of an issue. How about the Fox fork is it both V-brake and disc brake compatible? Perhaps that's the decision maker.

Anyway I agree with one of the other response. " Build it the way you want", I don't think you can go wrong. But whatever you do keep us posted on the progress. Can't wait to see the finished result.

 

[Prodigal Son]

Don´t disc brakes need thru axle drop outs for solid, stiff, no rubbing, alignment?

 

[dandy1]

Re:

Thanks Rico... The frame actually came with the fox forks (v brake and disc) plus some xt discs and wheels. So the bike has obviously been run with discs before. I'm happy to build it with discs, but having had the conversation with litespeed am now doubting whether discs is a viable or safe option.

I also can't see the difference between a welded mount or bolt on

Run it with v brakes would mean changing the wheels, however if that means I'm not going to damage / crack the frame then that's the best option.

I think what I wanted was opinions on whether running discs was a safe and OK option

Thanks all :smile: