At long last, I have brought the Castafiore home in order to strip her for parts. Pedals, tires, rims, seat and assorted accessories are being removed. This is also the first time I have had a chance to photograph the crack that has spelt her downfall. If you look at the photo below, you will see a rusty line running across the flattened end of the narrow down tube. This crack extends all the way through it, so that the tube is no longer doing its job of transmitting forces. For those of you needing orientation, the chrome structure at the top left of the frame is the bottom of the seat post.
I don't know for certain what caused the crack. I doubt it was any one event, but rather a combination of innumerable bumps, bangs, wear, corrosion and metal fatigue did in the Castafiore.
To be honest, in the weeks leading up the discovery, I had noticed that the Castafiore seemed to be handling at little skittishly, but I had put it down to non-structural factors. As well, I didn't really bother to inspect her carefully.
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