A customer's vintage steel frame cracked right at the seat tube lug last Tuesday

It was a 1980s Peugeot that came in for a simple tune-up. I was checking the frame alignment when I spotted a hairline crack in the paint. Cleaned the area and sure enough, the steel was split about an inch long. I told the owner the frame was done for safe riding. Has anyone else had a classic frame fail during a routine check, and what did you tell the customer?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.christopher16d ago

Seems like everything's just quietly falling apart these days.

jason_stone5916d ago

That's a tough spot to be in... finding a crack during a simple tune-up. It's always a bummer to give that kind of news on a classic bike. You definitely did the right thing telling them it wasn't safe.

lee1816d ago

Read an article about how stress cracks in old frames can hide under paint for years. Makes you wonder how many are out there riding on borrowed time.