Yes, this looks to be one of the recurring nightmares for any soul who rides the salted streets of winter-time Chicago, especially those of us who do a daily commute no matter the weather (Oh, save my dear Bob Jackson - 20 years used this way and still rolling). The 2 pics of the 'bad brazing job' "frame crack" are blurry (or could it be my aging eyes?) but I have seen the like before. Best guess is that this irregular "crack" is more of an salt-induced internal-by-origin fissure where road melt (from snow and ice mixed with salt on the streets) gets into the seat tube (take a look at those little screw holes for the water bottle cages facing into the splash path of the front wheel) and drips down on its way to the bb area. Once in there, it sits and, as it oxidizes the steel, eats its way through the thinnest-lowest point on the tube [the tube-leg interface] out to the outside world, mix in a bit of heavy cranking and - day light - hence the jagged appearance of the "crack". Then again, maybe not?
Tom ... 45 degrees and 100% humidity and fog on the north leg of Lake Shore bike path, low visability but still beautiful on the last full day of winter . . . hoo-ray for the vernal equinox. . . James
Chicago
> I have seen a lot of damaged bikes in my time. Some
> I could explain while
> others I could not. This one falls into the latter
> category. Guess it was
> just a bad brazing job. Look at the photo that says
> "Frame Crack"
>
http://photos.yahoo.com/
>
> Ray Homiski
> Elizabeth, NJ
>
>
>
>
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