Pressed fittings?

[spikebender]

Hello Group, have any of you had this problem in the passed. On my 855 the mount on the piece that is the rear of the triangle (up to the shock) has loosened. It seems to be pressed in Im not sure. I have no idea what the yellow stuff is around the joint maybe a sealant. It has been on there for 12 years I know of. SOOOOO can it be repaired. re welded, re pressed, epoxy, couple of rivets? Any input would be great.  Thanks, Tracy

[kiwi]

that strut has been broken at some point and someone has tried to fix it with an epoxy.A good aluminium welder should be able to fix it.

[Spokes]

It's my understanding that those joints were not welded from new. The top and bottom joints on the strut were a press fit and secured with an epoxy type resin. You always see a line where they join on all struts. I'm sure when Shovelon welded his strut to convert it to a modern shock fitting the heat melted the epoxy and loosens the top joints. From memory he welded them but I don't think there's any reason why you couldn't just re-epoxy it.

Chris

[spikebender]

Right on. Thanks guys, epoxy it is. That I have, a Tig welder I dont.
                                                                  Thanks, Tracy

[kiwi]

well i didnt know that,still learning about these bikes after all this time!

[Colin]

Yes, epoxy or similar from new was my understanding, and heating the strut would cause the tubes to fire off like torpedoes from the internal air pressure apparently!

I'm actually considering doing this on an x57 (aiming at something soft and not living!) and replacing the tubes with very slightly longer ones to ensure adequate clearance for a 700c cyclocross wheel, tire and mudguard. So if anyone knows what gauge and type of Aluminium they're made from that would be great info!

Col.

[timber 2114]

hi you could try aluminium brazing rods, the 300c see ones on ebay ,all you need is a blow torch heat it up than add the rod no flux needed (you can watch how to do it an you tube )cheers dave.

[kiwi]

well you could heat it gently and take the existing ones off and see what they are.May be a hot air gun would do the trick(for paint removal)

[spikebender]

The one side should come off easy once i remove the bolt it has a little play I might mess with it this weekend. When I do remove it I'll check what gauge the tubing is and post it

                                                                             Tracy

[spikebender]

 Well I finally got around to repairing my 855. Once I removed the bolts and pulled the strut away the one piece almost fell off in my hand the other side had worked loose also, but it was a pain removing the other piece while not trying to booger it up. With that being said I found a crack in my chain stay (swing arm) right above the pivot bushing. It almost looks like an imperfection in the cast but after cleaning the grime off I can see a hairline crack    On the bright side I went for a ride and my epoxy repair seems to be OK. I had left my tools at work over the Holidays and was not able to check what gauge the tubing is, Sorry Colin   

[Spokes]

Yes the 855 swing arm were prone to cracking at that point so on the 856 they added a fillet to strengthen it. 856 swing arms don't crack.

Chris

[spikebender]

Will the swing arm off 856 fit an 855?

[Spokes]

Yes as far as I know. The 856 was basically a 855 with all the faults sorted. Only the strut top is different, everything else is interchangeable.

Chris