Welding sliders?

I work with a guy who does these sorts of repairs all day. In the 25 years that I have worked with him I don't remember anyone coming back with a repair of this sort that failed. He is, however, very skilled and experienced. This is not a job for the weekend welder.....

Mike

Hi Andrew, you are going to get a mixed opinion on this one I feel. All but one of my F/bed pinch bolt sliders have been welded. Unfortunately this is a weak spot and unskilled riders don't understand the purpose of a pinch bolt. Tighten it too much and it will go pop. Not necessary!

I check the welds a couple of times a year and never tighten any more than necessary. Many years and thousands of miles later all are well but I would recommend keeping an eye on the welded area.

For the set of forks I built for a Dommie Racer, for sometime in the future, I bought new Commando sliders, not cheap at about 90 quid each at the time but Commando sliders are beefed up in the pinch bolt area and for racing purposes it is one less thing to worry about.

Nothing to stop you using a pair of Commando sliders but a skilled alloy welder should make the leg usable again. There must be hundreds out there welded and giving good service. Would be interesting to hear from anyone who had a good weld fail in normal road use.