Just been cleaning and lubing the bike up, ready for a longer ride into work tomorrow and spotted this:

Can feel it with my finger nail, what’s the thoughts cracked paint or cracked frame 😕

Doesn’t look great… I think you’ll need to sand the paint back won’t you, to be sure? 😕

Or, maybe remove the fork and see if you can tell if the crack (if it is) is all the way through?

Duct tape

I think I’d be taking that to my lbs for a strip down in preparation to send back to wiggle.

Tough question to give accurate answer, but I would certainly have it checked out before giving the bike some work!
Let’s hope it is the paint, but my first thoughts are unfortunately, it’s the frame cracking! 😥
Good luck!

Bugger…

Guess I better prep the mtb for tomorrow’s ride in and get up a little earlier

I wouldnt ride it.
get it checked out

But I wouldnt post pics of it on here either until I had spoken to the Manufacturer or supplier out of decency

[Rolf Harris voice]

Will it make it through the night?

[/Rolf Harris voice]

Doesn’t look good…

Thanks for the advice all, have taken down pics for now and will contact the retailer to see what they have to say.

……..no you haven’t……. 😆

hmmm… well I removed them from the host site, guess that they get embedded somehow???

Anyway email fired off, just got to wait and see what happens now.

It’s a witness crack, thick brittle paint can’t comply with the movements of the carbon. My Spesh has two and neither has progressed at all in over a year. Ride but keep an eye on it.

Here’s one of mine:

Holy crap – do not ride that thing!

All the best and keep us informed.

Go with psychle and drop the fork and feel inside/ get the torch out. You are not doing any damage and can counter any “thats OK” with a “er no”. Be ready for the lower crown race to drop out – or even fall out with a wiggle.
A carbon/alloy interface like a drop out is a very different thing to a headtube that is clearly opening up. I assume you never installed headset with a hammer or had any front impact. “witness crack” – that’s a new one, besides your frame is alloy and should not be moving at all there. Good luck – for my money, it’s not good news.

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and a perfect example of why lightweight frames should be white, or at least not black…

No its totally stock, only covered c.500 miles.

No crashes or big impacts, its the Mares CX and has been used on light singletrack, firetracks, canal towpaths and road.

Oh shit yes, it’s an alloy frame. Bad news then.

*Wanders off blushing*

Don’t sand it down, just check for a matching mark on the inside of the headtube.

I recon that is a crack, however I would do 2 things:

1) Drop the forks out and double check severity inside the frame

2) Contact Wiggle about getting it resolved, sending them pictures showing as much details as possible and organising a suitable resolvement.

However, I would also continue riding the bike until point 2 has been resolved, just checking regulary. This could have been like this since the last time you cleaned it and you’ve been happily riding it. It isn’t going to explode causing impending doom. It might split and make the lower bearing a bit loose. Also you are not putting more than everyday use / strain on the bike so its not like it will suddenly fail when you land heavily after a back flip superman seat grab.

Well Wiggle have come back with a “no we can’t help”. For the record I brought it secondhand “as new” it’d been used just a couple of times, came with receipt, delivery record card thingy, knobbley bits on the tyres etc…

Lesson learned that saving a few hundred quid on a “as new” bike doesn’t always pay. I can understand Wiggle’s stance as I’m not the original owner and they have no obligation to sort it out other than goodwill.

I’m going to contact Focus direct to see what they have to say but not holding out too much hope.

Next question is what to replace the frame with as all the componants have only seen c.4-500 miles.

Update no2:

Have spoken directly with Focus in Germany, who say its a shame my frame is broken, but as I’m not the original owner they won’t honor the manufacturers warranty. 😥

I had a Cannondale that was 2nd hand, but I had the original invoice. In the name of Mr L Thomas. I took it to a Dale dealer, who replaced the frame under warranty even though when they said “What’s the L for, I replied, umm…err…umm…Leeds?

Any chance of getting the original owner to let you send it back under his name?

I would certainly contact the person you bought it from and ask them to make the claim on your behalf. Most decent folks would go out of their way to help you out.