How strong is your frame?

[Azonic]

My 1999 Trek 8900SL has done numerous nationals, enduros and even a downhill race. Going fine. Nothing stronger.

[HendrikS]

I rode a trek oclv in france during the 2002 season. Halfway thru i noticed that the dishing on my wheel was out. Further inspection lead me to the bottem chainstay lug that was busy pulling out due the carbon disintegrating were the chain blades are.Think i dropped my chain there a couple of times. It started getting so bad than i could fit my pinkie in the hole that was forming. The lug moved out about 3-4mm.

Long story short. Had to ride like that for 6 weeks before getting a new frame doing lots of racing and a couple of tours. That was one of a strong frame...

 

[MintSauce]

I still ride my early 90s Mongoose Iboc Team (steel frame)  but stay away from the Aluminum IBOC Teams with the triangular toptube. They have a tendency to break behind the headset. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

 

'A tendency' you say...? That's giving those frames too much credit!

 

Mine cracked on the headtube and seattube junction less than a year after I got it. My brother's as well. They use to break everywhere....seatstays, chainstays whatever!

 

I have never spoken to anyone who owned one that didn't crack/break one.

 

Are there still any of those things running without having been welded? I seriously doubt it....don't see how Mongoose could possibly have made money out of that frameset.

 

When my and my brothers frames cracked we phoned them in the States. They asked us to cut out the piece that was cracked and send it to them. It got lost in the mail but they still sent us each the Iboc Team Carbon frame that replaced that one.

My new frame pulled the downtube out the lug at the bb and when I phoned them they just asked for my address and sent me a new frame no questions asked.....makes you wonder how many of those things broke if they were just sending them out like that

 

 

 

[Ox_Wagon]

I was trying to be nice

[CaptainDura]

I still wanna know what happened to that ellsworth frame ?

 

You gonna tell us or what ?

[Oiltrash]

Looks like he went flying straight into something.. a wall?

[Ox_Wagon]

a Friend of mine wrote of a Diamondback Ascent frame in the same way, bend at the down tube and cracked the toptube, when he hit a hole hidden in long grass.  <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

[Prince]

my dad has an old mongoose IBOC frameany point in upgrading the parts on it?1990 model i think

 

Your dad or the mongoose? If your dad is getting on in years a hip or knee replacement might benefit him.

 

 

 

Brilliant!!

[dylankeyter]

 

my dad has an old mongoose IBOC frameany point in upgrading the parts on it?1990 model i think

 

Your dad or the mongoose? If your dad is getting on in years a hip or knee replacement might benefit him.

 

 

 

Brilliant!!

 

it says on the frame it is chromoly.... it is the iboc comp, what material is made from? It has some rust patches so im assuming its not alu?

 

[SeanMort]

I've heard from various people that it's not good to transport a carbon frame bike on a hanging type bike rack. This issue bugs me because often it happens I need to do this. Any truth in this ?

[Johan Bornman]

it says on the frame it is chromoly.... it is the iboc comp' date=' what material is made from? It has some rust patches so im assuming its not alu?
[/quote']

 

Dylan, Cromoly is short for Chromium, Molebdenum and Iron. It is thus a steel alloy.

 

Cromoly is an excellent frame material and the bit of rust you see is not serious. Because of the Chrome in the frame, it rusts far less than mild or carbon steel and any rust is usually self-arresting.

 

You asked whether the bike could/should be upgraded.

 

If there is nothing wrong with the frame, it will make a perfectly suitable bike for someone. It is probably fitted with cantilever brakes rather than V-brakes. The latter is better, but require both new brake arms and brake levers, as catilever levers are not compatible with V-brakes.

 

Further, it is probably still a six or perhaps seven-speed. Leave it like that, since going to 8 or 9 requires a new wheel and the rear fork has to be spread to accommodate the 15mm wider hub of 8/9/10 speed.

 

6-speed and 7-speed MTB clusters are readily available and very, very cheap. Those chains are also cheap, so this will make an honest-to-goodness utility bike for someone.