kirk precision

simpo1961
simpo1961 Posts: 16
edited September 2010 in Workshop
Anyone know anyone in the london area who can weld up a crack in one of these?
A good tig welder is needed!

Ps anyone with a damaged frame may be interested a discount for quantity maybe?

Comments

  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    The frame is cast magnesium - go at it with an ordinary welder and it'll likely catch fire! Defo one for a specialist - non-ferrous welding fabricator
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • pete.whelan
    pete.whelan Posts: 788
    They are known to crack in places, particularly the headtube to the rest of the frame.

    What version do you have Road or MTB.

    (I've got a MTB frame I retired some years ago, mainly due to the weight of the frame)
    Recipe: shave legs sparingly, rub in embrocation and drizzle with freshly squeezed baby oil.
  • simpo1961
    simpo1961 Posts: 16
    its the road version, its got a 1.5 inch crack in the front of the head tube. I suspect the previous owner had let the bearings get loose in the head and the shuddering caused the crack. it hadn't been looked after v well. But thats why I got it for £30 at a car boot sale :) Couldn't work out why the chain kept coming off in the intermediate gears, on investigation the smallest ring was a biopace, this covered up some of the bolts holding on the intermediate which had been allowed to get loose and stripped the threads. so When you changed onto that ring it wobbled and threw the chain off. looked alright to the eye though.
    What brakes did these have as standard got some nasty pressed ones on at the moment.

    Also anyone needing fancy welding magnesium, aluminium etc could try.

    Hi David
    Yes I can do this for you. My address is 88 Hungerdown Lane, Lawford, Manningtree, Essex CO 11 2LY. OK for small jobs.
    Tel: 01206 230964
    www.richardkimberleyservices.co.uk
    kind regards
    Richard
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Notorious for cracking. The safest place for them is on the wall.
    My Fleet.
  • ynyswen24
    ynyswen24 Posts: 703
    pete.whelan wrote:
    What version do you have Road or MTB.

    they were all the same, road, mtb, hybrid... they only did the one frame :)

    nice to look at but if it's cracked, I'd retire it gracefully.
  • pete.whelan
    pete.whelan Posts: 788
    ynyswen24 wrote:
    pete.whelan wrote:
    What version do you have Road or MTB.

    they were all the same, road, mtb, hybrid... they only did the one frame :)

    nice to look at but if it's cracked, I'd retire it gracefully.

    No they didn't. It was two different frames. Different dropout spacing on the rear as well for road/mtb. Chainstays totally different, etc

    http://www.haydn-automation.co.uk/Image ... 00443b.jpg

    http://www.kirk-bicycles.co.uk/Images/K ... s_008b.jpg
    Recipe: shave legs sparingly, rub in embrocation and drizzle with freshly squeezed baby oil.
  • ynyswen24
    ynyswen24 Posts: 703
    I am willing to be corrected and stand thus.
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    pete.whelan wrote:
    ynyswen24 wrote:
    pete.whelan wrote:
    What version do you have Road or MTB.

    they were all the same, road, mtb, hybrid... they only did the one frame :)

    nice to look at but if it's cracked, I'd retire it gracefully.

    No they didn't. It was two different frames. Different dropout spacing on the rear as well for road/mtb. Chainstays totally different, etc

    http://www.haydn-automation.co.uk/Image ... 00443b.jpg

    http://www.kirk-bicycles.co.uk/Images/K ... s_008b.jpg

    If somebody rebuilt this frame in a more durable alloy, I'd buy one in a shot. Bloody lovely.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • ynyswen24
    ynyswen24 Posts: 703
    I think that one of the production problems was to do with the durability and cost of the moulds for the casting. I'm guessing but perhaps the difficulties of welding magnesium was the reason for casting the frame as a single piece, using a different alloy such as aluminium for the same design would be an ineffective and inefficient use of that material.

    Maybe an idea that was ahead of the times.

    You just can't win really, carbon fibre bikes melt in the rain and Kirk's catch fire in it.

    Bamboo, thats what we all need.
  • simpo1961
    simpo1961 Posts: 16
    drilled a small hole to stop the crack spreading, and am avoiding large potholes which is difficult at the moment :x
    its a nice ride smoother than my steel frame its currently getting about a 100 miles a week
    without any problems so far
  • simpo1961
    simpo1961 Posts: 16
    Had it stolen and recovered in 30 minutes,
    mileage now up to 1500,

    its never quiet.....
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    simpo1961 wrote:
    drilled a small hole to stop the crack spreading,

    still riding it with a cracked headtube - brave man. Presumably you already have false teeth..?
  • synchronicity
    synchronicity Posts: 1,415
    Have a look at these restored ones:

    Kirk09.jpg

    http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... p?id=27507

    Uncannily similar to empire cycles' cast alloy frame; both with I beam cross sections:

    empire_built.jpg
    vertebr.ae | precision braking & shifting
  • simpo1961
    simpo1961 Posts: 16
    Had the crack welded up............. though I did ride it for several hundred miles with one eye on the road for potholes and the other on the headtube area Not restful :)

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