Muchachos y Muchachas: I recently obtained a lovely on-topic Italian roadie with some ugly damage to the seat tube. Not sure if she can be salvaged, if she'll ever be safe to ride or if all I have to do is pull out a drill and some files. I am hoping some of you can chime in and give me some ideas as to how I might proceed. Please bear in mind that that this bike will hopefully be built as an NYC rider/beater and I do NOT plan on a restoration. Just a (safe) and reliable lock-up work horse. There is a 1/2" crack down the back of the seat lug...extending well below the seat pin "ears" and down past the clamp slot. The ears themselves are bent pretty badly. Looks like someone tried a number of combinations of seatposts that where either too big or too small. The ears are bent in...but the crack implies some sort of spreading. I have heard of people drilling a hole at the bottom of such cracks in order to stop them, but have never tried this myself. I am hoping this'll get the job done. Or should I have the crack welded? Reinforced with some sort of cuff? Filled with brass or silver? Tigged? Am I setting myself up for catastrophic failure if I don't replace the seat tube and repair the lug? Did I just buy a new piece of wall decor for my shop or what? Any thoughts appreciated.
Matthew Bowne
Brooklyn, New York