Re: [CR] cracked steerer: safe to ignore?

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2004)

From: <Carb7008@cs.com>
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 22:39:32 EDT
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR] cracked steerer: safe to ignore?


Hmm, several issues at work here. If one were to drill holes at crack terminus', how can one be assured where cracks end using only observation? If one assumes that just pass the visible crack-ends, the metal has already been stressed and "work-hardened", then I would drill holes a few mm past crack and file/grind a little groove to guide future crack expansions, if any, into relief holes.

I'm perhaps over-analyzing this but this possible remedy is easy enough to do. I'm also not the one who's gonna be ridin' it so easy for me to say. Also, how many of our aging bikes have cracks that we aren't even aware of? Sudden and catastrophic failure of bicycle steel is pretty rare...'cept maybe for chains.

Jack Romans
Sacramento, California