It's the long-awaited weekend. Finally there is time for a men's weekend with the grown-up sons. For two days, not separated by hundreds of kilometres, but very close together at the campsite. To make the family reunion perfect, a day trip is planned - for old times' sake, for the fun of it, as a shared experience. Nothing wild, just a father and his two children travelling together on their bikes. The fact that a frame broke before they set off could easily have put the priceless time together into an emotional tailspin. Fortunately, even a bike with a broken frame can be made provisionally rideable again.
The break goes through the seat tube and through the heart
For a camping weekend with the family, the old Endorfin VP-4-R SL ideal. A good 15 years old and, from the point of view of the time, in the absolute state of the art design: 26-inch wheels, Rohloff gear hub, bar ends. It has already been used to conquer numerous mountain passes, rock alpine trails and go on bikepacking trips at a time when "bikepacking" was not even a term. Now it is designed to transport its pilot to the nearest supermarket and back again with a rucksack full of tinned beer for the weekend. Around 100 kilos sit in the saddle. The jittery shock absorber is locked on the straight gravel track through the pine forest so as not to get seasick. Halfway back, disaster strikes. A soft crack as the aluminium seat tube tears, a loud whirring as its upper part suddenly grinds against the rear tyre. Just a fright for the rider, but the death blow for the endorfin - or is it?
The feeling of loss is great. So many formative memories are attached to the bike. The old treasure is finished. The dream of the father-son tour has been shattered. It's not just the frame that breaks at this moment, it's also the lover's heart. Such a total loss is hard to accept. "If only we could still ride the bike at least for this weekend!" The bike-crazy family can't let go of this wish and together they start looking for a solution. The technical resources at the campsite are limited. Welding is out of the question. External reinforcement of the breakage was not possible due to the lack of material. Nor can the front frame triangle be bent open far enough to press a thick branch into the frame as an internal stiffener. So cable ties, wire and armour tape have to be used.
If MacGyver had a broken frame
As with the most famous TV tinkerer of the 80s, the situation at the campsite is difficult and the materials are mundane. The bolts of the upper shock mount are twisted round and can no longer be loosened with the tools available. By removing the lower shock bolt, the shock can be rotated by 90 degrees. The rotation of the large rocker arm is no longer limited by the stroke of the shock absorber. Instead, the distance between the mounting points for the shock absorber can be minimised. One of the rocker's cross braces attaches to the seat tube before it comes into contact with the rear tyre. In this position, the two ends of the break point lie flat on top of each other.
If the linkage could be fixed in this position, the geometry of the bike would be severely compromised, but it would remain rideable in principle. Firstly, the rocker is pulled all the way down with cable ties. The fixation is reinforced with two wires from the boot of the campervan. The breaking point is now compressed. Several layers of tightly wound armour tape help to give it some additional temporary lateral stability. To prevent the loose shock from hitting the down tube, it is also fixed in place with a cable tie. Some cardboard from an apple packaging serves as protection for the frame.
Speaking of frame protection: as the rocker in this position touches the frame with a cross strut, there is a risk of further damage to the frame. For this reason, another piece of cardboard is wedged into the gap and secured with two cable ties. A short interim test shows: The emergency repair may not be pretty but it is functional. The bike with the broken frame looks stable again. However, the maximum compression of the rear triangle has flattened the seat angle extremely. The effect can be minimised by pushing the saddle all the way forwards.
Mobile despite frame breakage
A first cautious ride, a first turn of the pedals, a new-found grin - the broken frame is still rideable. Of course, the mutated geometry makes it sit like the proverbial monkey on the grindstone. In addition, the bottom bracket is now so low that there is hardly any ground clearance in the lowest pedalling position. Either way, caution is required to avoid overloading the Frankenstein construction and getting stuck on the ground. A real mountain bike tour is no longer possible. Even an imitation does not seem advisable. The frame is permanently broken.
But the father-son weekend is saved. The fully, which has been downgraded to a hardtail, runs the 17 kilometres to the nearest mini golf course and back without any problems on asphalt, gravel and easy forest paths. Even if the broken frame still hurts, the emergency repair was not only an exciting family event in itself, it also gave hope for a second life for the bike. Wasn't there still that old 26-inch frame in the garage at home? Many of the parts should be transferable. For others, there are affordable alternatives. The bike is dead - long live the bike!
Jan Timmermann
Editor
