Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 84 total)
  • Is my frame about to die?
  • undapressure
    Free Member

    [img]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422805_10151342014540436_565590435_23275056_1215090387_n.jpg[/img]

    Been for a ride today and was cleaning my bike and found these marks. Im not sure what they are, there are some frame stickers in that area so could be mud under the stickers although there are no signs of this anywhere else. Only got the bike before christmas brand new cube stereo pro 2011. Hoping its not a crack but wondered if there were any better trained eyes than mine out there able to offer advice

    thanks

    foxyrider
    Free Member

    Really not good IMO – both sides as well – Warranty? Also a very odd place to put a frame sticker?

    titusrider
    Free Member

    Id go with yes its going to die, if it goes with you on it its going to hurt!

    Get it back to where it came from

    wwaswas
    Full Member

    odd the way it goes through the weld like that.

    I’d get the headset out and look inside, personally.

    foxyrider
    Free Member

    If its under warranty then don’t touch it – if its out of warranty (after ringing them) / second hand then hope – If you take the headset out it may make it worse and they may tell you to push off? Sorry WW – not trying to contradict you 🙂

    Konastoner
    Free Member

    I’d say that an incorrect headset installation has caused it.

    timmys
    Full Member

    Looks like the edge of stickers to me, but I’m not in a position to feel with a fingernail if that’s where the edge of the stickers actually are (unlike you).

    dufresneorama
    Free Member

    Try to peel it off.
    If it’s a sticker it will come off. If it’s a crack…you might get a flake of paint under your finger nail, it’ll hurt like buggery and be there for ages 🙂

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    Konastoner are you psychic?

    gsp1984
    Free Member

    Seems very odd, you should be able to tell fairly convincingly from looking at it if that is done by a sticker.

    To me it looks like a crack though.

    I managed to bend a Cube frame… the replacement frame was sent under warranty very quick, and everything was swapped over within a week.

    madhouse
    Full Member

    If you ask me that’s the edge of your helitape.

    As mentioned, try and peel it off.

    timmys
    Full Member

    *CSI mode*
    Enhance, enhance, enhance…

    Surely that continuing curve is the edge of a sticker that goes under the down tube and then has the same shape edge on the other side – hence the “crack” being the exactly the same curving shape on both sides? But it that was the case I would have though it would be totally bloody obvious if the bike was in front of you so perhaps not.

    gsp1984
    Free Member

    *CSI mode*

    That photo makes it look even worse lol

    Konastoner
    Free Member

    Al, nope but I installed a headset that caused a similar (though not as bad) to a Kona HT frame along time ago.

    I rode it back and for work for 5 years before the bottom cup became loose.

    eyerideit
    Free Member

    Drop the forks, stick your finger in for a feel and look inside if the crack is on the inner wall as well. You might be able to see something as it extends above the lower bb cup.

    It’s very radial/curved do frames crack in a circular fashion?

    Digger90
    Free Member

    That’s a crack for sure.

    Don’t ride it anymore. Take it back to the dealer, or contact the manufacturer/distributor.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    Looking like a sticker to me.

    o96192083
    Free Member

    The paint ‘inside’ the crack (which is convieniently symmetrical) is whiter than outside the crack. It’s a a non-stickered area I think.

    Look at the furthest left the crack goes, second picture. The two textures either side are totally different; one matte, one shiny, one white, one off-white…

    Wibble89
    Free Member

    I’m going to vote for the lack of sticker (edit> as above). Is the rest of the frame covered with helitape type stuff except for that bit which allows it to be fitted without making a mess? Time to run your fingernail over it.

    cheers_drive
    Full Member

    By the shape of it I’d say sticker but why the OP can’t figure out one way or another for himself I don’t know.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    the curve of the “crack” is curved in the opposite way to the ribs on the welds.

    But there is not visible edge to the patch at the edge of the head tube.

    Still think it’s tape.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    +1 for OP cluelessness…

    ChunkyMTB
    Free Member

    Looks some tape was there. And almost like it’s taken off the lacquer

    flow
    Free Member

    If he bought the bike new, surely he would know if he or the shop helitaped it?!

    ChunkyMTB
    Free Member

    Looks like lacquer to me, you can see the different shades of white

    Trimix
    Free Member

    Ride it; if you die its a crack, if your still here a year later its a sticker.

    Just think how exciting riding will be while you wait to find out.

    MarkN
    Free Member

    The shading variance suggest that there is protective tape on all but the par where the head tube joins the frame. My money is the line you can see is a dirt line at the edge of the protective tape. As has been said you should be easily be able to feel this with a finger nail.

    As with anything like this if you have any doubts take it back to where you got it and ask then to check it.

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    Tis a crack.

    bigsi
    Free Member

    Don’t take any chances.

    Drop the forks out & stick a hose clip round it to hold it together….. just in case like 😆

    andyl
    Free Member

    Looks like a crack to me. The crack would go through the weld like that.

    You could push the front wheel gently against a wall and see if it opens up but I would +1 for incorrect headset installation.

    druidh
    Free Member

    Looks like the edge of the frame protection tape.

    Kevevs
    Free Member

    poor bloke’s probably now really embarassed he thought a sticker was a crack on his brand new bike.

    muppetWrangler
    Free Member

    I reckon it looks like a sticker. Too symmetrical and too smooth, especially where it passes over the weld.

    haggis1978
    Full Member

    id drop the forks out and spray some GT85/TF2 externally on it and eyeball the inside. if its a crack, which it looks like to me then your finger will be wet when it comes out the headtube. If it was the sticker then surely it would run parallel to the black decal whereas that tends to curve away from the decal

    4ndyB
    Free Member

    Cube don’t place stickers there, all the decals are paint on Cube’s

    There is a downtube protection sticker on all Cube’s, but it starts much lower down the frame

    If it is a sticker it’s been put on by the shop or the owner

    If it’s a crack it’s warranty time & back to the shop you got it from

    Digger90
    Free Member

    So, which is it then OP… crack or sticker?

    Mantastic
    Free Member

    It’s a write off, I can come round to pick it up and dispose of it responsibly

    OCB
    Free Member

    It looks like the edge of a sticker / decal.

    There is a clear difference in finish ‘twixt the two sides and the line appears to follow the black coloured section rather consistently on both sides.

    Poke about with a fingernail before taking anything apart / going back to the shop.

    foxyrider
    Free Member

    If you look at the high-res images there is a feint curved line extending backwards – But I agree if you pick at it or give it a quick clean then its easy to tell IME.

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    It’s the sticker. The frame is a different colour where the sticker finishes.

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