poll: to drill or not to drill

[MikeyNYC]

Would it be possible to drain it into the bottom bracket area like most frames do ?

Theoretically the only tube that can get water into it would be the seat tube since all of the Fat City bikes (at least the ones from the late 80's on?) are supposed to have each tube sealed off from each other and I've even heard that the water bottle braze-ons are little threaded tubes that will allow no moisture to enter into the frame-can anyone confirm this one?

So, I guess if water were to settle anywhere in your frame it would be at the bottom bracket shell, but if you suspect that water somehow got in there, just take out your seat flip the bike over pour out the water and let it dry...no? Therefore there also shouldn't be any need for a drainage hole anwhere but perhaps the bottom bracket shell...a lot of old road bikes have cut outs and holes all over their frames but I guess they don't go through muck like an MTB would...

Michael-NYC

 

[MikeyNYC]

That is the question.........
Finally getting around to ship the old Yo frame off for the re-spray. I am trying to decide if I should drill the drain hole in or not. I do not want to hurt the value of the frame in any way what so ever. WWFCD (what would fatcogs do)?

I just realized that my Titanium Fat Chance has an unthreaded hole in the BB shell, would that be a drainage hole? Ti won't rot out from moisture now would it?

Michael-NYC

 

[fatf**knchance]

but, if you could somehow drill a hole in the top of the bb shell (inside the seat tube - no visible hole)
water should not collect in the bottom. also would be very hard to enter. on most bikes if you take out the bottom bracket you can usually see a hole coming down from the seat tube. does this make sense?

yes, all of the waterbottle holes are sealed. look in the threads with a flashlight.

 

[MikeyNYC]

but, if you could somehow drill a hole in the top of the bb shell (inside the seat tube - no visible hole)
water should not collect in the bottom. also would be very hard to enter. on most bikes if you take out the bottom bracket you can usually see a hole coming down from the seat tube. does this make sense?

yes, all of the waterbottle holes are sealed. look in the threads with a flashlight.

I'm pretty sure that there already is a hole leading from the bottom of seat tube into to the BB shell on most Fat City frames, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Yo Eddy!]

My '95 Yo is open from seattube to BB, but a friends '92 Yo wasn't.

 

[fatf**knchance]

most of the ones i have seen have a solid bb shell. it would probably be a real pain to have a hole drilled there. but it seems like a realistic idea because then the water would disapate from that area. did they start drilling them when they went to NY ? maybe the NY frames dont have the same rust issue ?

 

[MikeyNYC]

I just checked my 1990 Wicked Fat Chance (the one with the goofy "drain hole" in that strange spot on the lower down tube) and it actually does have a hole leading from the seat tube into the BB shell...so go figure on what the drainage hole on the down tube is for??

I can't (or won't) check my 1988 Fat Chance or my 2000 Titanium Fat Chance, basically because I don't feel like removing the seat posts or BBs to check inside those frames...

FYI-I don't really ever ride in anything deep enough to submerge the BB of any frame that would get it filled with water to require draining, but I have been known to keep riding in order to get back home, if I get caught riding while it begins to rain really hard, soaking the bike from the seat post down or I've certainly hosed off a bike if it's really muddy or if I ride through Dog Crap hidden in leaves and don't want my wife complaining that I've brought a filthy stinky mess into our apartment! ;(

Michael-NYC

 

[fat-tony]

My '95 Yo is open from seattube to BB, but a friends '92 Yo wasn't.

My 1993 Yo is not open from seat tube to bottom bracket. There also seems to be some type of filler in the bottom of the seattube so that you can not actually see the bottom bracket shell from inside looking down into the seattube. The filler is approximately 1 1/2" (4 cm) or so.

 

[Kirk Pacenti]

It's a "breather hole".

My Yellow Wicked Frame which I think is a 1989, has a hole on the underside of the downtube and I took a photo of it and asked Wendyll if it was a drainage hole and she confirmed that it was a factory done drainage hole, not sure if it was standard or an option...See Pic:

If you have an original facatory paint job, perhaps they just forgot to fill the breather hole before paint.

If I recall correctly, all the frames have a "breather hole" there, which is filled after welding with a dab of braze rod. I think IF still does it this way; check their web site (step #60) http://www.ifbikes.com/building2/morefinishing.shtml

This seems strange to me because with as much air volume as there is in a tube, you could simply weld it up without any hot air trying to escape from through the weld bead.