Front Tube Flex!?!

[PassatBoy101]

I have had my stumpjumper for a few years now and the head set began creaking and so i tightened it. It stopped but then I noticed a diferent sound. I play around with it and my entire front tube flexs a considerable amount. It was bad enough to have the people I was riding with to want to turn back to the parking lot. I just said screw it and continued. So we finish the ride and the front is still the same. Here is the question:
Does the frames wear out after an amount of time/use to cause more flex? I have been looking into the Niner R.I.P. frame to put parts from my 9er single speed and the stumpjumper onto it, but dont have the $$$ now.
Is it safe to keep riding on it or will it likely Snap on me and impale me on a downhill?

[guero]

i'd take it to a shop and get a professionals opinion on it. catastrophic top tube/frame failure could suck really bad.

[ArrrKelly]

Is it cracked someplace? That could explain the loud noise.

[richie_rich]

Fatigue is something that all occurs in all materials. Most metals and alloys (from what I have heard) get stiffer and more brittle over time from the constant vibrations. Certainly check all the weld points/gussets for cracks in the welds (usually on one side of the bead, sometimes tough to see). Chipping paint or clear coat is usually a dead give away of a problem beneath.

[PassatBoy101]

I examined it for a little bit and it is not cracked, the noise is not loud, just like a low creak. Like if you move your knee slowly, that feeling/noise(barley noticable.

Paint is perfect and no chipping/cracking. It is the 99 model so i bet it has several thousand miles on it. I alone put 1500+ on it in the 2 years I have had it. 9 years old so probably getting worn out.

[Onemoreloop]

Metal frames do not get "flexier" as they get older. If they crack, that is a different story. Sometimes cracks can be very subtle and you need to look hard to find them. You need to isolate where the sound is coming from. Sometimes you can do that by just pushing and pulling it different directions to find the noise.

[Pain Freak]

Dave Turner ( I love name dropping) once told me a mountain bike used regular about 2 to 3 times a week has about a 7 year life span. As aluminum flexs it becomes weaker and eventually will fail. On the other hand not the same for steel (cromoly), it doesn't build stress like aluminum and will last for many years. Carbon fiber is suseptible to degradation from U.V. exposure, but this would take many years before it would get to a failure.
Well, not the carbon fiber but the bonding agent used to keep it together, ie; epoxy

[PassatBoy101]

I am pretty sure that the stumpy frame is aluminum. I will go into the garage later to check to check for cracks and see the material. SO it is probably past its life span and ready to get a place on the wall.

[Onemoreloop]

Originally Posted by Pain Freak

Dave Turner ( I love name dropping) once told me a mountain bike used regular about 2 to 3 times a week has about a 7 year life span. As aluminum flexs it becomes weaker and eventually will fail.

While it is true that metal frames have a finite fatigue life, they do not get "flexier" until they actually crack. In fact they don't even get weaker, they just have fewer fatigue cycles left in them before they fail.

[PassatBoy101]

I jsut checked and it does not say material it is made of but I think it is Aluminum. I asked my brother to come take a look at it and he thinks there is a crack under the paint where the stand over tube is welded to the front tube. There are no flaws in the paint that show it but it definetly feels different. I will try to take it in tomorrow to have it looked at by a Pro.

[PassatBoy101]

I popped the fork out and the plastic thing that goes on the headset bearing is cracked. I have a feeling this is the cause of the "flex". I have decided to bite the bullet and get a Niner R.I.P.. I am picking it up in June when I drive out to Colorado. So hopefully this lasts me until then w/o replacing the headset.

[L8 APEKS]

Originally Posted by PassatBoy101

I have had my stumpjumper for a few years now and the head set began creaking and so i tightened it. It stopped but then I noticed a diferent sound. I play around with it and my entire front tube flexs a considerable amount. It was bad enough to have the people I was riding with to want to turn back to the parking lot. I just said screw it and continued. So we finish the ride and the front is still the same. Here is the question:
Does the frames wear out after an amount of time/use to cause more flex? I have been looking into the Niner R.I.P. frame to put parts from my 9er single speed and the stumpjumper onto it, but dont have the $$$ now.
Is it safe to keep riding on it or will it likely Snap on me and impale me on a downhill?

A constant creak and "flex" in a joint are typical symptoms of a CRACKED FRAME running on borrowed time.

A solid piece of metal will not have play in it that will cause it to creak unless it's fractured. A frame also will not "stretch" or "flex" with age. Especially not a ceramic composite Stumpjumper frame...they are very stiff frames.

The noise and play could be coming from something else (fork legs will flex if you apply the front brake and push the bike forward, and maybe the creak is in the headset?), but if you honestly suspect the frame I'd start saving money for another one and STOP riding this one until you know for sure.