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i am new to this group and this is my first post. My Japanese Miyata ladies bike had this problem for so long time. The down tube had come out for about 3mm from its connecter. It looks like there is no welding in it. The frame is made of stainless steel and the 3mm gap remains same (i often check it after every ride ) for years. Is is repairable ? or should i continue using ? Thank you. enter image description here

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In principle, this is likely repairable if you can find a competent framebuilder. They will know how the down tube was originally joined to the bottom bracket lug. However, we don't know if it will be cost effective.

Usually tubes are brazed to lugs using bronze or silver. You can verify that the tube is disconnected by trying to move it in and out of the socket. Anyway, a competent framebuilder could probably determine the brazing material, and determine how they would conduct the repair. The problen is that the labor to redo the bicycle would probably be more than the cost of a used replacement. Also, as far as I know you should be able to braze stainless steel, but if the bike is really that material, framebuilders probably won't be used to working with it - it's normally a premium material used for some custom steel bikes. There might be something about its material properties that doesn't play well with usual brazing equipment.

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  • I think you underestimate the value of the frame: a repair will likely always be cost effective if it's possible.
    – Noise
    Commented Aug 25, 2023 at 8:45
  • @noise Doesn't that very strongly depend on the country OP is in? It seems at the very least you need to disassemble the bike to get the frame out. A few hours of local labor cost more than an entire used bike in Western Europe or the US.
    – quarague
    Commented Aug 25, 2023 at 12:44
  • Plus framebuilders are a skilled service and they should charge accordingly, plus it depends on how you figure the replacement cost. Buying a cheap used bike might be as much as a repair.
    – Weiwen Ng
    Commented Aug 25, 2023 at 12:58
  • But it's a stainless steel frame on a bike with a belt drive. if you don't care for the bike, that's ok, but this one is unusual and has been chosen specially
    – Noise
    Commented Aug 25, 2023 at 16:21
  • Though to be realistic, this should be covered under warranty as it appears to be a current model
    – Noise
    Commented Aug 25, 2023 at 16:22

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