a new kind of bike failure

i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

since i have not yet contacted the manufacturer of the frame to
discuss the warranty or anything else, i'll withold the identity of
the makes involved except to say that the frame and parts were
relatively new and had been used for only a few hundred miles, and
that I trusted them pretty well until the time of the failure.

it was a touring frame with a single crown suspension fork [steel
steerer] and a disc front brake.

i have never seen a failure of this sort before. the downtube is
creased perpendicularly to the tube's length maybe 25cm back from the
lower headset race, and arched upwards.

chalo

(Chalo) writes:

i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

since i have not yet contacted the manufacturer of the frame to
discuss the warranty or anything else, i'll withold the identity of
the makes involved except to say that the frame and parts were
relatively new and had been used for only a few hundred miles, and
that I trusted them pretty well until the time of the failure.

it was a touring frame with a single crown suspension fork [steel
steerer] and a disc front brake.

i have never seen a failure of this sort before. the downtube is
creased perpendicularly to the tube's length maybe 25cm back from the
lower headset race, and arched upwards.

I suspect a vast right-wing conspiracy.

In article ,
says...
i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

since i have not yet contacted the manufacturer of the frame to
discuss the warranty or anything else, i'll withold the identity of
the makes involved except to say that the frame and parts were
relatively new and had been used for only a few hundred miles, and
that I trusted them pretty well until the time of the failure.

it was a touring frame with a single crown suspension fork [steel
steerer] and a disc front brake.

i have never seen a failure of this sort before. the downtube is
creased perpendicularly to the tube's length maybe 25cm back from the
lower headset race, and arched upwards.

chalo

I'm very sorry to hear this Chalo. You have mentioned that you are a
very large man so I am wondering if the initial problem was the fork
which is under extra stress with a disk brake. Is the fork bent
backwards below the steerer? If that failed first, the tire would hit
the downtube somewhere in the middle of the downtube and buckle it. This
is only an uninformed question, not claiming to be an explanation.

Bruce Graham

In article ,
(Chalo) wrote:

i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

Ouch! I wish you a speedy and full recovery. damn. i never would
have though of that one...

..max

--
the part of
was played by maxwell monningh 8-p

In article ,
(Chalo) writes:
i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

Bummer! Sorry about your injuries, and I wish you
a speedy recovery.

What a strange frame failure. Who'd have seen that coming?
It must have been quite a shock for you. Stuff going wrong
on a bike can sure happen fast.


better days ahead,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

(Chalo) wrote:

i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

since i have not yet contacted the manufacturer of the frame to
discuss the warranty or anything else, i'll withold the identity of
the makes involved except to say that the frame and parts were
relatively new and had been used for only a few hundred miles, and
that I trusted them pretty well until the time of the failure.

it was a touring frame with a single crown suspension fork [steel
steerer] and a disc front brake.

i have never seen a failure of this sort before. the downtube is
creased perpendicularly to the tube's length maybe 25cm back from the
lower headset race, and arched upwards.

Ouch - hope you have a speedy recovery.

Was the down tube butted? 25mm back from the head tube junction
sounds like where the butt would normally occur (forming a bit of a
stress riser).

I've seen failures like that, but only when something solid was hit.

Now I understand one of the reasons tandems have a lateral tube (runs
between the top and down tubes, back to the rear bottom bracket).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

"Chalo" wrote in message
om...
both my arms were broken,

Nasty! I hope you have a quick recovery. There's some herbal remedies for
the quick healing of broken bones, you should look into them. Time for you
to take the bus down to Tensing Momo's.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 01:19:20 -0700, Chalo wrote:

i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube buckled
with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was tossed over
the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my abbreviated
typing method.

Sorry to hear that you're injured. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | You will say Christ saith this and the apostles say this; but
_`\(,_ | what canst thou say? -- George Fox.
(_)/ (_) |

On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 01:19:20 -0700, Chalo wrote:

it was a touring frame with a single crown suspension fork [steel steerer]
and a disc front brake.

i have never seen a failure of this sort before. the downtube is creased
perpendicularly to the tube's length maybe 25cm back from the lower
headset race, and arched upwards.

I*broke a frame like this once, when I was a stupid kid and jumped too
many curbs. But I've never heard of such a break except after a front-end
impact. The location, as Mark mentions, is classic for a butted tube, and
is one of the places where frames also suffer fatigue failures.

Did the front brake tend to chatter a lot? Had you had some impact
earlier on?

--

David L. Johnson

__o | If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a
_`\(,_ | conclusion. -- George Bernard Shaw
(_)/ (_) |

Chalo wrote:
i was applying heavy braking to my bike today, when the downtube
buckled with a distinct 'crack'. the tire met the downtube, and i was
tossed over the bars. both my arms were broken, so please forgive my
abbreviated typing method.

since i have not yet contacted the manufacturer of the frame to
discuss the warranty or anything else, i'll withold the identity of
the makes involved except to say that the frame and parts were
relatively new and had been used for only a few hundred miles, and
that I trusted them pretty well until the time of the failure.

it was a touring frame with a single crown suspension fork [steel
steerer] and a disc front brake.

i have never seen a failure of this sort before. the downtube is
creased perpendicularly to the tube's length maybe 25cm back from the
lower headset race, and arched upwards.

chalo

Is it a steel or alloy bike?

Can you get some photos up?