Binaural
Eats Squid
So, I've discovered that my titanium bike has a large crack in the seatpost area, large enough to allow a little antiseize oil to leak through under pressure (the source of a heisencreak I've sought for months). Given the location, the chances of a successful repair would be pretty slim without wrecking the tolerances on the seatpost bore, and there is a faint line on the front that makes me think this might be a sheet join or similar, and hence prone to further issues.
If budget permitted I'd happily replace like for like as I love this frame dearly, but since I bought my last frame prices have risen for the same frame up to $5k. This has forced me to look further afield for options that might fit into my budget. This is complicated by the fact I have a 7ft wingspan, weigh over 110kg, and am hence heavy and tall enough that I usually have to check load ratings for things like wheels and seatposts before I buy them.
One of my friends got a custom titanium frame made by a Chinese manufacturer Waltly, which cost him about 1k landed. The downside was that he basically had to design the frame himself. Now, I am a mechatronics engineer by background and have access to the necessary CAD applications to design this, but unlike my friend I am much more likely to test the strength and flex properties of the frame to the max. I can copy the geometry of my current bike, so that much I am not too worried about.
Has anyone gone this route successfully? What kind of loads do frame designers use to model the necessary frame strength for a road bike? Does anyone else have some tips for making this work?
If budget permitted I'd happily replace like for like as I love this frame dearly, but since I bought my last frame prices have risen for the same frame up to $5k. This has forced me to look further afield for options that might fit into my budget. This is complicated by the fact I have a 7ft wingspan, weigh over 110kg, and am hence heavy and tall enough that I usually have to check load ratings for things like wheels and seatposts before I buy them.
One of my friends got a custom titanium frame made by a Chinese manufacturer Waltly, which cost him about 1k landed. The downside was that he basically had to design the frame himself. Now, I am a mechatronics engineer by background and have access to the necessary CAD applications to design this, but unlike my friend I am much more likely to test the strength and flex properties of the frame to the max. I can copy the geometry of my current bike, so that much I am not too worried about.
Has anyone gone this route successfully? What kind of loads do frame designers use to model the necessary frame strength for a road bike? Does anyone else have some tips for making this work?
