Re: [CR]Death bike AND 753 frames

(Example: Production Builders:Tonard)

From: <gpvb1@comcast.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR]Death bike AND 753 frames
Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 13:59:46 +0000


Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2004 15:11:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Tom Dalton <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com> To: gpvb1@comcast.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Death bike AND 753 frames

Tom wrote:

<snip>

Regarding 753R frames. A very close friend and riding buddy had a 753R Raleigh from the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (or whatever) custom built. It looked just like the Panasonic team bikes, except that it had cable housing guides, not the housing stops on the top tube. VERY, VERY sweet. It broke, got repaired, broke again, got repaired, and broke again before being retired. It would develop cracks in the seat and down tubes near the BB. He was a very strong lad, now a strong 40 year old. He did then and still does break a lot of frames. He crashes very rarely, but logs decent miles. Maybe 10-15 k per year these days. He has broken lots of other brands and other Raleighs with different tubing. I don't think 753 is any worse than other lightweight steel tubes, but it can and does fail due to fatigue.

Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA

Hi Tom:

Thanks - I think you just helped prove my point that folks that break frames (or crankarms, or, or , or....) tend to be high-mileage riders that break many things!

As I said off-list, of course anything made by man can break! Bridges, buildings, airplanes, cars, bikes, toasters.... You need to look at the items' usage histories, failure mode(s), failure frequency related to the population of the part(s), and other statistical data, to see what is significant and what isn't.

Regards,

Greg Parker Dexter, Michigan

(Where I'm still accepting all of those dangerous mint-condition 753 & 753R framesets, preferably in a 60 cm c-t / 58 c-c TT size +/- 1 cm, as well as all of those horrible 175 mm vintage Record Strada crank arms and cranksets, preferably NIB, for proper disposal)...!