Broken Frame ? Poll..Survey

[diceman2004]

Just out of interest , I was curious as to where and why peoples frames have been breaking .
If you have the time ... please describe your frame brake here .
It may turn out to be usefull info for us all .

1:
Be exact as to the location of the break ( don.t just say ... the down tube ) .
Did it break an inch away from the neck ? an inch above or bellow the front mount ?
on a weld where the ... and the ... join ?
the exact location .

2:
And then your thoughts as to why it broke .
engine vibration fatigue ? sudden shock ( like going over a big jump ) ?
constant riding down rough roads ? loose wheel , part fell off ? crash ?
Poor engine mounts or mounting ? I drilled a hole neer there ?

3:
What kind of frame , and the type of material its made of .
Steel , Aluminum , Chromolly ?
Brand ? The store i got it from ? Old ... New ? Rusted out fixer-upper ?

 

[Al.Fisherman]

Enlarged hole where water bottle attaches to tube. Photobucket down, will attach picture later

OK here is a picture. The tube was cracked all the way through, as you can see a check separating the tube.


This is one of the bikes I had stored in my garage for the past 10 years. The frame is made out of steel (thin at that).

 

[bairdco]

my first build was on a 1960's Rollfast frame i picked up for 40 bucks. it had two top tubes, using 1/2" tubing, and brazed to the headtube.

both tubes cracked right behind the brazing.

it was a crappy frame to begin with, but like i said, it was my first build, and i wasn't sure if this whole "motorized bike thing" was gonna be any fun.

3 years later and 10 or so builds, i'm hooked, with no more broken frames.

mostly, i've built bikes from the '40s, when quality meant something, and the bikes were built to last. all of them are still going strong.