Broken Skid plate welds......

[Rodtheviking]

I was looking at the welds too and, I agree, they are so-so. I would thing some frame prep spray would be useful.

https://www.amazon.com/Weigles-Bicyc.../dp/B0012GO58Y

I use to use this stuff on all my bike frames, steel is real.

[Lee R]

It's probably wise to keep an eye on all the welds for now. This skid plates broken on a few other bikes at that mounting point as well. It's probably not a bad idea to reinforce it with some radiator hose clamps or carry large zip ties for when it breaks.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Rodtheviking

I was looking at the welds too and, I agree, they are so-so. I would thing some frame prep spray would be useful.

https://www.amazon.com/Weigles-Bicyc.../dp/B0012GO58Y

I use to use this stuff on all my frames, steel is real.

So, you are saying that rust is such a common problem on ALL BIKES , their are products made to combat this common rust issue that occurs on ALL BIKES. interesting...

[pyoungbl]

I do not think the welds are a problem, they are still intact. The problem is most likely due to impact causing a crack, which becomes rust and finally failure. The aluminum skid plate is much more secure. Most OEM skid plates are just barely adequate for real off road use so this is not unique to Zong. I'm very happy with the optional aluminum plate offered by CSC.

[RX3James]

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

I do not think the welds are a problem, they are still intact. The problem is most likely due to impact causing a crack, which becomes rust and finally failure. The aluminum skid plate is much more secure. Most OEM skid plates are just barely adequate for real off road use so this is not unique to Zong. I'm very happy with the optional aluminum plate offered by CSC.

As far as I know the skid plate has never been impacted by anything. This bike has never even been off road. The bike is pretty buzzy so I do believe that vibration played a large part in the welds failing. I don't think the metal was primered before painting, and after some moisture exposure corrosion was able to develop and eat its way into the welds allowing the vibration to break it down over time. I'm going to take a few more pictures to show a little more detail. I do have some pretty thick zip ties in my tool kit that I always carry with me but I think the metal hose clamps will be what I use to "repair" it.

[SeerAtlas]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

So, you are saying that rust is such a common problem on ALL BIKES , their are products made to combat this common rust issue that occurs on ALL BIKES. interesting...

VERY interesting,,I'm with Black on this one!
I almost NEVER sell a bike I've bought unless it turns out to be NOTHING like what i was expecting after a very in depth research, examination, test ride etc. -which i do before a purchase. consequently I have several garages of bikes,including several bikes purchased over 30 years ago, from a number of different manufacturers. I have NEVER had a welded piece rust off, that's NEVER! I've had some cheap ass oem screws and bolts go bad, but stainless replacements were easy to come by.

On this board, almost ten years ago, is the long THREAD of my first china bike, "WALDO" along with a bunch of high def photos of running him thru rivers, mountain mudholes etc.He's the cheapest "pos" bike I ever bought.
Waldo is still alive, runs great, NO rusted frame parts. I think i paid something around 7 or 800$ for him, and abit more for shipping. He is NOT a Zong....and the welds look like something a five year old did, but they haven't rusted.....and he's spent his life in the dirt, the mud, and crossing water..
In short, rust on "ALL BIKES" my azz.....

[pyoungbl]

Originally Posted by SeerAtlas

I have NEVER had a welded piece rust off, that's NEVER! I've had some cheap ass oem screws and bolts go bad, but stainless replacements were easy to come by.

In short, rust on "ALL BIKES" my azz.....

OK, your azz. I do welding. From the photos the weld is still 100% intact. There was decent penetration. The part did not "rust off". Just look at the edges of the weld where the metal is broken off. That's a sharp edge. The sharp edge is due to a crack and the rust you see is just normal surface rust that you get from bare metal exposed to the atmosphere. The rust is also fairly recent, otherwise it would be crusted over and expanded. No, this is a crack that was either caused by impact or vibration. I'm now of the opinion that vibration is the culprit since others have had exactly the same problem.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

OK, your azz. I do welding. From the photos the weld is still 100% intact. There was decent penetration. The part did not "rust off". Just look at the edges of the weld where the metal is broken off. That's a sharp edge. The sharp edge is due to a crack and the rust you see is just normal surface rust that you get from bare metal exposed to the atmosphere. The rust is also fairly recent, otherwise it would be crusted over and expanded. No, this is a crack that was either caused by impact or vibration. I'm now of the opinion that vibration is the culprit since others have had exactly the same problem.

Awesome answer!...and I am not a welder, nor do I play one on TV.
Do you think this problem could be fixed if they would have welded all the edges of the "feet" that attach it to the frame or would that just move the vulnerable "possible crack area" further up the chain?

[RX3James]

Originally Posted by pyoungbl

OK, your azz. I do welding. From the photos the weld is still 100% intact. There was decent penetration. The part did not "rust off". Just look at the edges of the weld where the metal is broken off. That's a sharp edge. The sharp edge is due to a crack and the rust you see is just normal surface rust that you get from bare metal exposed to the atmosphere. The rust is also fairly recent, otherwise it would be crusted over and expanded. No, this is a crack that was either caused by impact or vibration. I'm now of the opinion that vibration is the culprit since others have had exactly the same problem.

This seems like a very reasonable answer. I'm not a mechanic or welder so I can only go off what my inexperienced eyes see. That's why I posted here. This community has been extremely helpful getting me through almost all the maintenance I've done on the bike. So I knew one of you Zong experts would more than likely have a better answer than me..