I had a major argument with the Motobecane importer in the mid-80's in that they wanted to "correct" a badly misaligned rear triangle on a Motobecane Prolight (rebadged Vitus) aluminum frame by coldsetting. Based on my own knowledge of aluminum fatigue and stress risers from college engineering courses, and on the opinions of the shop owner, a retired airframe engineer, from whom I had bought my first two aluminum frames, both ALANs, I absolutely refused. The shop owner I bought the Motobecane from (a different shop than the one where I got the ALANs) supported me amd Motobecane eventually took back the frame and issued a credit for the price. I've since been told that some coldsetting of aluminum frames by shops was not all that uncommon, but I wouldn't want anything to do with such a frame.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
I recently had my Campy dropout hanger aligned in minutes by a top Miami wrench. It turns out that I was suffering from poorish shifting as a result of the misalignment. He used a special long tool that both gave him leverage and a visual check to the rim. This was done on a traditional steel dropout on a traditional steel lugged frame. Can modern aluminum frames have the dropout aligned as painlessly? Carbon fiber? Titanium? Is this an example of steel superiority? Garth Libre in Surfside Fl.