Warning to Schwinn Point Beach riders!

[Pongo]

Greetings - I'm new to the forum. I built a bike using the Happy Time 2-stroke engine on a Schwinn Point Beach bike back in September. Other than minor hardware issues with the Chinese made bike, things have been going great - including a 150 mile ride from PA to the Chesepeake Bay & back.

Last Sunday, at exactly 455 miles on the odometer, while riding locally with a friend on a similar bike, I turned onto another road, and felt the back end getting squirrelly - like the wheel was coming loose. I was able to pull over & discovered that the frame tube in front of the rear hub had cracked completely through. Upon futher examination, I discovered that other cracks had occurred, or were forming, all adjacent to welds. One completely through at one of the smaller upper tubes near the seat, one forming on the other side, and one on the down tube near the rear brake.

I've not been abusing the bike off road, only riding on paved roads, and even avoiding pot holes & rough areas. I know that there are a lot of Point Beach conversions out there, so let this be a warning. Maybe the guy who built my bike was having a bad day, or maybe the Chinese aluminum frame Schwinns can't handle the added weight & vibration. If this would have happened a mile earlier when I was going down hill at 30mph - I would have had a bad day! In the mean time, I'm looking for a steel-frame bike to swap the components over to, and anxiously awaiting when I can get back in the saddle.
-Pongo

[TexasDav]

Thanks for the warning, I will keep a watch on those welds.

[Pongo]

T-Dav: the cracks aren't on the welds, but near weld points. I'm wondering if the frame wasn't heat-treated after welding - leaving the aluminum brittle. Be careful out there.

-Pongo

[wheelbender6]

Thanks for letting us know. It could have been disasterous in traffic.

[tyrslider]

Aluminum frames are a bad idea on these bikes! Aluminum is sensative to vibration causing fatigue!

[Motoschwinn]

Originally Posted by Pongo

T-Dav: the cracks aren't on the welds, but near weld points. I'm wondering if the frame wasn't heat-treated after welding - leaving the aluminum brittle. Be careful out there.

-Pongo

Can you send some pics?

[Pongo]

Had to take some newer pics at lower resolution to send...

[Motoschwinn]

THANKS FOR THE PICTURES! I'll add checking for this on my pre-ride and post ride check list. I've got 1000 miles on my Point Beach and I can't find even a scratch let alone anything that looks like a crack. BUT I will check before every ride. Thanks for the heads up!

[thatsdax]

Oh my gosh !!! That is really bad. Thanks for the update on that bike. I will not recommend it to anyone. Thanks...

[deacon]

I agree thanks for the info... I was considering a more lightweight bike for my next build. I guess I won't now. My bikes get less workout but still that is scary