On my 2nd Boardman frame. Should I be worried?

Matt Square
Matt Square Posts: 54
edited December 2010 in MTB general
My 8 month old Boardman Pro HT developed a crack between the top of the top tube and downtube. It was replaced under warranty.


I did 2x70k of bumpy riverbank and fast towpath riding a week during Spring/Summer .Next year I will be doing 2x100k a week on the same terrain. I have the seat quite high (had to replace the 350mm with a 400mm as I needed it just over the max) as I am 5'10" meaning I was between frame sizes and went for the medium, the Large didnt give enough standover height. The vast majority of my riding is seated, placing 13.5 stones of me on the bike. The bike had never been jumped etc

I thought that a bike of this price would be able to cope with this kind of use. My 12yr old Rigid Kona Lava Dome Managed it for the previous 2 yrs without issue!

By remaining seated and having the seat high am I asking too much, or did I just get a duff frame?


Cheers

Matt

Comments

  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    if you had the original seatpost over the max for a period of time it wouldn't have helped things!
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    if you had the original seatpost over the max for a period of time it wouldn't have helped things!

    I changed it as soon as I had decided on the seat height. It was about 5mm over the max on the 350mm.
  • davewalsh
    davewalsh Posts: 587
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    if you had the original seatpost over the max for a period of time it wouldn't have helped things!

    What he said.

    Sounds like you've bought too small a frame. If you need to fit a 400mm seatpost on a medium frame, I can't imagine you'd have a problem with standover on a large frame that is only 50mm bigger.
    Blue Pig
    Inbred
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    davewalsh wrote:
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    if you had the original seatpost over the max for a period of time it wouldn't have helped things!

    What he said.

    Sounds like you've bought too small a frame. If you need to fit a 400mm seatpost on a medium frame, I can't imagine you'd have a problem with standover on a large frame that is only 50mm bigger.

    My scrote was resting on the top tube of the large and I was advised that this could be very bad in an off.

    So am I just asking too much of this frame?

    Cheers
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    Possibly... stand over height is a thing of the past!
    http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12692834
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    Thanks.

    guess I am best to carry on as usual with this one and if it cracks again I will have to buy an alternative.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I'm glad you didn't tell Halfords it was over the max, you could have voided the warrantly lol. I like to have even more in the frame, usually 100mm at least if I can, though I appreciate that is a problem for you. Quite unusual though to need full extension on a XC HT frame and run out of standover.

    It could be the Boardman has geo that simply doesn't suit your needs.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    That could have been a bit sticky. I didn't realise that changing to a longer post could possibly void the warranty. I just took it in as it was.

    Your idea about frame geo sounds about right. Saying that i do have even more exposed tube on my lava dome so I do seem to have a history of this sort of thing. At least that has lasted 12 yrs though.
  • heez29
    heez29 Posts: 612
    Woah woah woah woah.

    Am I the only one thinking that the seatpost height would have nothing to do with the frame cracking?

    Between top tube and down tube is not top tube a seat tube?
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    heez29 wrote:
    Woah woah woah woah.

    Am I the only one thinking that the seatpost height would have nothing to do with the frame cracking?

    Between top tube and down tube is not top tube a seat tube?

    Sorry my bad. Its all new to me and I think I got the nomenclature wrong. It was indeed the weld on top between the seat tube and top tube.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I may have took that to mean the seat tube, as quite a few call it this :wink:

    Of course it may well be the down tube, since that is what he said haha.

    You can void warranties if you use a seatpost over the limit inscribed on it.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • heez29
    heez29 Posts: 612
    Matt Square wrote:
    heez29 wrote:
    Woah woah woah woah.

    Am I the only one thinking that the seatpost height would have nothing to do with the frame cracking?

    Between top tube and down tube is not top tube a seat tube?

    Sorry my bad. Its all new to me and I think I got the nomenclature wrong. It was indeed the weld on top between the seat tube and top tube.

    Thought so i just wanted it cleared up haha.

    You should be fine as long as there is enough post in the tube. Sounds like you had the 350mm one in a little to long.

    You can only void the warranty if the post was over the inscribed limit, not if you change it. You done the frame something nice by changing it haha
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    edited December 2010
    Edit: I started typing this before the above post was submitted :)

    Well it's between where the seatpost goes in and the tubey type thing goes towards the bit that turn the wheels side to side bit . Hope I have cleared that up ;)

    Would the fact that I fitted a 400mm post within it's limits but higher than the supplied 350mm have voided the warranty?

    I don't know weather it's relevant or not but I do alot of road miles and setup the seat height of my MTB's so that they feel like the same leg position as the road bike. I can't get the power down or get comfortable with it any lower.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Would the fact that I fitted a 400mm post within it's limits but higher than the supplied 350mm have voided the warranty?

    No, shouldn't do unless they have specifically said not to. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • NatoED
    NatoED Posts: 480
    fitting a longer seat post won't void the warranty . f it was forks / cranks / brakes or the like then they will unless you got halfords to fit them but seat posts are fine . to be honest i've seen more cannondales fail than boardmans and on a lot less rigorous trails . seen the new rush 10 crack after a 10minute ride with a mate. he's now on his 4th frame (he's not happy at all)

    I have the same problem in some ways i run a 18 inch frame but i have long legs and short body so a 20inch is to much of a stretch to reach the bars so my saddle is sky high but i made sure i got a super long post .
  • GHill
    GHill Posts: 2,402
    Probably just unlucky with the first frame, bad weld or similar.
  • dan shard
    dan shard Posts: 722
    Seems to me like you are average height, average weight doing light cycling. Not good enough imho regardless of having a slightly longer seat tube, the frame should be good enough to cope with it. if it cant cope with toe path riding @ 5mm over the post length, how could it manage trail centre stuff 5mm lower down? As Ive said many times before a mate of mine went through the same thing over - and - over again with boardman.
  • .blitz
    .blitz Posts: 6,197
    Matt Square wrote:
    On my 2nd Boardman frame. Should I be worried?
    No need to be worried there are plenty more in a big skip on the docks in Taiwan marked 'Halfords - do not use' :twisted:
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    .blitz wrote:
    Matt Square wrote:
    On my 2nd Boardman frame. Should I be worried?
    No need to be worried there are plenty more in a big skip on the docks in Taiwan marked 'Halfords - do not use' :twisted:

    Alright you, get back on your Crack'n'fail!


    OP: No, don't worry I don't think I've seen any evidence of another boardman HT cracking, it's certainly not a well known thing. Put it down to bad luck, it sounds like it was replaced without any hassle, and I doubt it'll need it again. I've thrashed my HT Pro (with the seatpost sticking out a fair way) on much harder riding than what you described with no problems whatsoever.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • Bar Shaker
    Bar Shaker Posts: 2,313
    There isn't a single bike brand that doesn't have frame failures. Some have a lot more than others.

    Boardman seem to be one of the better ones. Apart from them being strong, I have never heard of a warranty being rejected when things have gone wrong.

    In comparison, some well known brands would appear to make their frames from dried spaghetti. And then they tell you to sling your hook when you break it, as it wasn't a manufacturing defect.

    I think the OP was unlucky to have the breakage but lucky to be riding a Boardman and have it sorted with minimal hassle.
    Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
    Boardman FS Pro
  • Mccraque
    Mccraque Posts: 819
    Am 5'11" and 13.5 stone and ride the same bike in the same size, moderately hard. No such problems from me....and my post is about on the limit. I think you have just been unlucky.
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    If the crack developed between the top tube and down tube, they only meet at the front of the bike, so it can't be the seat post at all.

    did it crack on a weld or a tube for instance as one of the most common failures is a dodgy weld that cracks.
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Thewaylander wrote:
    If the crack developed between the top tube and down tube, they only meet at the front of the bike, so it can't be the seat post at all.

    no, it was between the seat tube and top tube.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    ah the original post said top tube and down tube. didn't see any change to that so fair does.
  • Matt Square
    Matt Square Posts: 54
    It was a mistake on my part. I thought that the part where the seat went in was called the down tube and the part where the headset goes was called the head tube.
    The crack was in the tube junction below the nose of the seat.

    I didn't have any problem with the warranty replacement.

    Thanks for the input chaps.

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