Boardman FS 2009 snapped chainstay

nasha48

Bollox. Out this morning when, for no obvious reason, chainstay sheared on my Boardman FS Comp 2009. It snapped on the drive side just near the weld at the BB. Guess it may have been weakening for some time.

Pissed right off now as cant really afford a new frame and i know the chances of getting an alternative frame and all my existing components slotting straight on are slim. What i know i can do of course is replace the chainstay section and potentially get riding again. Any advice/opinions much appreciated. My frame is a large - would a medium frame model still have the same dimensioned chainstay? Is there another model bike that has an identical part? Has anyone got an old Boardman Comp FS frame they want to sell me for a tenner?!!! Cant see anything suitable on ebay at present. Alternatively, my father-in-law is a welder and says he can weld it this week but is certain it wont last any time at all. And i've sent an email to Halfords asking for advice (not expecting much of a response).

Cheers guys
Leigh

Bishbosh10

No reason why a good repair won't last. Welding aluminium is a bit of an art though. If your father in law is an experienced ali welder then it can't hurt to give it a go (assuming you get the brush off from Halfords)

I wouldn't suggest simply butting up the two broken ends and welding them together, you should look at internal and possibly external sleeving too which may be tricky but a good fabricator could do it.

See if you can find a local business that fabricates in aluminium and see if they are interested in having a go for beer money.

rockmonkeysc

Welded repairs on frames never last. When they are built they are heat treated after welding to remove some of the brittleness in the welded areas. New welds will be brittle and it will last no time.
Unfortunately this failure is fairly common on the boardman fs frames so you're unlikely to find a used rear end and it's extremely unlikely that the rear triangle of any other bike will fit.
if the warranty has expired the cheapest solution will be to find another frame which will take all the parts off your boardman.
Not sure what the warranty was back in 2009 but its 2 years on new bikes.

Twelly

Blessing in disguise... new frame time! Always fun.

nasha48

Cheers for comments guys, appreciated. Father in law will give weld a shot though I don't think he's got the time to gaff with it too much to get the best strength in the joint (TIG weld?). Was surprised this ago to get a response from Halfords suggesting that a) chainstay lengths are often the same on different model sizes in a range and b) I should call my local Halfords as they should be able to order me in the necessary chainstay linkages to fit. To be honest, I don't believe it at all - why would anywhere be holding new frame parts for a 5 year old bike?

New frame defo sounds great in principle but feel its a bit of a minefield ensuring my existing components fit it. And then there's the cost of course. Really love(d) my Boardman for the 4 yrs I've had it, truly gutted right now, boo hoo bloody me! Even more annoying is the fact that I can't even flog it on now for a decent return. Anyway, gonn call Halfords in Christchurch tomorrow I expect, probably to face further disappointment.

rockmonkeysc

Itd a common fault so they probably stocked spares and the frame only changed frame design a couple years ago.

nasha48

Hope you're right Rockmonkey. Actually, I was wondering if a Boardman Team FS or even a Pro FS frame from 09/10/11 may be potentially suitable for most of my existing components and you've increased my confidence by suggesting that. What would be your best guess at a price Halfords may charge for the chainstay linkage new IF they were to be able to get hold of it? In my head I have circa £200?

rockmonkeysc

The pro and team frames are identical, they just have different bits bolted to them.

nasha48

Ok, pro and team the same, but my broken comp frame the same also?

DanDax1990

But, There's still the fact that this is a common problem.

Get yourself a better quality second hand frame?

nasha48

Yeh I do agree Dan but it really is a cost issue right now. No way I'm gonna be forking out circa £500+ for a decent used frame, though I'd love to of course. Would be quite different if I was selling my existing frame in usable condition and putting that towards the cost. Oh well, these things can happen i suppose...

rockmonkeysc

You could get a nice frame for around £300.
I just sold a 2011 Giant Anthem frame on ebay in nice condition and it went for £285.

nicklouse

Nasha48 wrote:

Was surprised this ago to get a response from Halfords suggesting that a) chainstay lengths are often the same on different model sizes in a range and b) I should call my local Halfords as they should be able to order me in the necessary chainstay linkages to fit. To be honest, I don't believe it at all - why would anywhere be holding new frame parts for a 5 year old bike?

the back end of many fullys are the same and the size differences are made up in the front triangle.

so yes you might find a new rear somewhere in the Halfords matrix.

nasha48

Yeh new frame for sub £300 does sound interesting I must admit, but then there are bound to be additional costs with things like new headsets, BB's, axles, disc brake mounts etc as it's unlikely much I've currently got will fit a different frame. I know I just need to accept this really and move on but I just can't justify a few hundred quid on biking right now.

Cheers nicklouse, having looked online last night I can see that the back ends often stay the same so this is handy to have learn't. Gonna call Halfords later today about straight replacement (which I still think will be an effective "no") just to see what costs are involved.

Thanks guys, really do appreciate your input. Flat tyres, new chains, new cassettes, rings, headsets, bars, brakes etc etc I can deal with fine, but never have I broken a bloody frame (as I'm sure you can tell!).

Nick Cod

I appreciate the frame is most likely out of warranty but have you approached Halfords? If as others have said this seems to be a common fault with the Boardman they may be able to do something

The worst they can say is no

heez29

Can't say that I've ever seen the chainstay go pop on these. The pivot has came off from the Seattube but that's it. However the Banshee has snapped at the point you're describing multiple times.

You won't find anything from Halfords though. They sold all stock of pre-11 stuff last summer. Frames for £30 etc.

However, just send an email to their customer services asking if there's anything kicking around. You never know, they may offer a contribution.

nasha48

Jesus ain't that typical to hear - frames sold on for £30!!! So if mine had bust this time last year I could have been laughing!! Spoke to Halfords today - the chap wasn't hopeful at all but said he'd look into it and call me back tomorrow.

It's all a bit ironic in a way. I bought the bike used 4 yrs ago off eBay. The reason for the guy selling it was because around 8 months after purchased new the frame snapped across a weld near the bottom bracket, hence he took it back to Halfords under warranty. No quibbling they gave him a brand new frame, fitted it all up and away he went again. Instead of getting back out on it he decided to invest in a higher quality Spesh FS bike and decided to get the best return on the Boardman which was, in the most part, a new bike again.

Might do some scratch cards this weekend...

Kowalski675

Nasha48 wrote:

It's all a bit ironic in a way. I bought the bike used 4 yrs ago off eBay. The reason for the guy selling it was because around 8 months after purchased new the frame snapped across a weld near the bottom bracket, hence he took it back to Halfords under warranty. No quibbling they gave him a brand new frame, fitted it all up and away he went again. Instead of getting back out on it he decided to invest in a higher quality Spesh FS bike and decided to get the best return on the Boardman which was, in the most part, a new bike again.

That's the same position I'm in currently, can't decide whether to sell it (while it's still effectively an unused new bike) or not. :?

nasha48

What is it Kowalski? Sell it quick to me!!

Kowalski675

Nasha48 wrote:

What is it Kowalski? Sell it quick to me!!

nasha48

Ha!!!!! Superb.
Wish I had the cash to take it off your hands! What you gonna get for it you reckon - £650 ish?

Kowalski675

No way I'd let it go for that. I've seen well used ones sell for that kind of money. I'd be looking for about £900.

nasha48

Fair enough, guess its all pretty new and shiny then. It's exactly the bike my mate who I was out with this weekend has got (he liked mine and bought his own new).

Kowalski675

Nasha48 wrote:

Fair enough, guess its all pretty new and shiny then. It's exactly the bike my mate who I was out with this weekend has got (he liked mine and bought his own new).

Frame (freshly lavished with quality invisible helicopter tape) and cranks are brand new warranty items (not ridden it since I built it onto the new frame), and if I was selling I'd refit the brand new, unused bars, stem, spacers, grips, saddle (both of those still in their original plastic wrappers), seatpost clamp, tyres, tubes and pedals. The other parts have only been ridden a few times, so it would basically be a new bike. I could sell it as a new bike and nobody would query it. It's better specced than the new model, which retails at a grand, so I think it would fetch a good price. I wouldn't sell it for less - if I couldn't get that then I'd keep it and ride it for this year and see what bargains there are around at the end of the 2014 season. I've enjoyed riding it and it's plenty good enough for me, I only started thinking about selling it since I got the new frame and cranks.

nasha48

So it broke and you got a new frame under warranty yeh?

rockmonkeysc

Kowalski675 wrote:

No way I'd let it go for that. I've seen well used ones sell for that kind of money. I'd be looking for about £900.

You can get a new Anthem or Trance for that price, with a 5 year warranty.

Kowalski675

Nasha48 wrote:

So it broke and you got a new frame under warranty yeh?

No, it didn't break. It had a small dent on the downtube that I noticed before I'd ever ridden it. They had no boxed new ones left, and I didn't want ex display, so they ordered a warranty frame (which when it turned up was a newer, redesigned version).

Kowalski675

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Kowalski675 wrote:

No way I'd let it go for that. I've seen well used ones sell for that kind of money. I'd be looking for about £900.

You can get a new Anthem or Trance for that price, with a 5 year warranty.

And a lower spec. Or you could pay £100 more for the new, lower spec Team FS. Like I said, it's a new bike, it's good enough for my riding (and far beyond that) and I have no need to sell it, so I can afford to be choosy - either it sells at my price, or I keep it.

nasha48

Would you accept £899.99?

Kowalski675

Nasha48 wrote:

Would you accept £899.99?

Smarta**e Yeah, I could cope without the extra penny, i reckon.

nasha48

I'm taking my poor broken bike to A & E now out of desperation. Surely a good doctor can fix up a broken arm.....please.....pleeeeeease......someone just turn back time so I've got my frickin beloved bike sitting in the garage waiting for me to ride and tend to it once mooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrr....