Cracked frame

I had bought a new replacement fork for the ebike and i was just measuring the headtube when I found what appears to be a big crack.

Type of thing I can catch with a fingernail, and tbh as I’ve never used it offroad, nor taken off the fork or done anything to it but I dont see how it can be anything else.

I also dont think this is going to be covered by standard warranty because as far as im aware its not been registered.

I’ve health issues and its 100% of the time used to travel short distances, usually no more than a few miles, with the occasional 10-15 every couple of months. Its basically for picking up shopping.

Bikes done 1100 miles in just under 2 years.

Im pretty down heartened about this. I doubt its covered and I dont think i can afford a replacement, even if one were available and ebikes frames arent easy to get(as in a Scott Genuis replacement)

Just sent an email to the shop I got it fr5om. Thats going to be a baited breath wait and i can only hope they get back to me soonish.

I cannot see how something like this can have happened given i potter about the roads to the shops and back. It’s never had any sort of accident, im a safe rider.

Anyway, here’s a pic. Tell me the bad news 🙁

With the line that extends to the pressed in alloy headset cup, based on that image it looks like a scratch.

How old?

Any manufacturer worth their salt is going to be replacing that FOC as far as I’m concerned, particularly if it’s less than 12 mths old but still likely if longer.

This bit?

Agree with Brant. You can see where the paint is scuffed by something external.

Agree looks like a scratch. What material is the frame?

Alloy frame. And I did take note of that nick in the alloy of the headset. I wondered at first if it was possible that that part of the headset could crack through too. Crazy thought I know, but Im really careful with the bike and cannot see how anything could have caused such a scratch and obviously deep at that.

Im in deep worry mode 🙁

The paint has flaked and piled round the edge like it’s been scraped away – I also think it’s just a scratch.

Try turning the handlebars 90 degrees, hold the front brake on and rock the bike backwards and forwards – does the scratch/crack appear to open up under load?

😆 forensic examination

Uplifting. Im such a worrier

Its just I cannot see how such a thing could have happened. Its not an easy area to scratch, and as said im really careful. But im just being negative on here. Need to think positive.

I’m hoping to get it booked into the shop i got it from, hopefully they’ll get back to me and there they can at least remove fork and maybe lower cut and know for sure.

Thanks for all the input thus far. I was having kittens over the last 1/2 hour

Try turning the handlebars 90 degrees, hold the front brake on and rock the bike backwards and forwards – does the scratch/crack appear to open up under load?

I’ll give that a go. Its got one of those block lock headsets. But currently im in need of a big coffee and cigarettes.

Whip the bottom headset cup out and see if extends round the head tube. Or get it into a shop to do it, for warranty reasons.

If you can’t get it booked in then a fork is normally very easy to remove and then you can just feel inside and check.  If you want to try then just post up a picture of the complète headtube including the stem and we can point out which bolts to loosen in which order

First glance and it looks like a massive Grand Canyon size crack. The fact for need to ask if it’s a crack means it’s a scratch.

Definitely a scratch. The chip on the headset cup is a dead giveaway

If it was a crack, I’d expect the headset cup to be loose and moving if you try what @dawson suggested. If you can pull the fork out and inspect the inside of the headtube, you should be able to see if it’s actually a crack.

Once the fork is off I can use my exposure light shone in, cover thew top(or bottom) and if the light shines through the mark(lets just call it a mark 😆 ) then it is a crack.

Given im not using it for its intended purpose – ie hurtling down hills in a class 4 usage, does anyone think it would be safe to ride if it indeed turns out to be said crack ?.

No, it’s definitely not safe to ride if it’s a crack.

But I’m willing to bet that it isn’t a crack, not least of which is because it’s in a relatively low stress, high strength area of the steerer tube.

I’d say that’s a scratch, zooming in you can see where something has slipped from the lower cup and travelled up the frame.

Do you have children that’s being playing fix daddy’s bike?

If it was a crack I think I’d expect it to be wider at the bottom – the mark/scratch/crack seems to get wider in the middle, also it’s got a curly tail bit which looks more scratch like. I definitely wouldn’t ride it until it’s been examined though. Suggest that’s fine by the retailer for warranty purposes…

If that’s as big as it looks and a crack you should be able to slide a bit of tin foil or the like into it (and if it really is as big as it looks, out through the bottom bracket).

+1 scratch, at the opposite end from the headset, you can see where it gets shallower, then deeper again for the last 3mm or so.

it is entirely possible that has been there the whole time you’ve owned the bike.

Why does everyone call it a “scratch”. You sound like the black knight.

Looks like a bloody big gouge to me. A crack that big you’d have a (massively) loose lower cup.

You could probably even get a feeler gauge in that if it was a crack.

I dropped out the fork today and thankfully can feel nothing at the back of that area other than smooth alloy. So that pretty much says its a score/scratch. I also covered the top and shone my exposure light in and no glimmer of light was seen coming from it. Its a powerful light and if it was cracked through, Im pretty sure it would shine through.

Emergency over.

I’ll keep an eye on it all the same, periodically drop the fork and check, but im quite sure its just been panic mode.

Darn, I just bought a high end carbon frame I probably dont need. Odd and maybe telling that I didn’t actually check inside the headtube before ordering the frame 😆

But all well and good now. worries off.

First glance I thought “that’s obviously a massive crack”.

But it wouldn’t crack through the stuck on(?) head tube badge, so nasty scratch it is then.

Hopefully.

If it is a scratch it has been caused by something gouging from the face of the headtube downwards and nicking the edge of the cup. Something to do with a bike stand or rack or similar. I can’t think of a well-intended maintenance hack* that would result in that.

*We’ve all been there and done that with stupid stuff. I chipped a piece of paint from the top edge of a brand new frame’s head tube because I was so busy admiring it out of the box I allowed it to to spin on my fingers in the BB. It was a smidge too close to the tiled kitchen floor. Idiot.

If you want to be extra sure, just sand a patch of the paint back, and cover it with sticker after!

lay it as flat as possible drop some wd40 onto it, if it “wicks” away then it’s crack if just sits there then it’s a scratch.

Thanks for the suggestions, but Im just going to leave it as is and just keep an eye on see if it moves upward.

Its following all the routes for a scratch. Not through, headset still tight etc. So head in the sand, and hope for the best 🙂

Why are you just going to just keep an eye on it?

If you suspect it’s a crack, visit a Scott dealer and have them asses it for you.

There are warranties in place if it is. Doesn’t matter if you registered it or not.

I’m going with it’s an upsetting scratch and forget about it.

That’s not a crack it’s a scratch ……I’d put money on it that that bike goes on a bike rack and it’s another bikes pedal pins have done that ….

That really, really looks like a scratch. The simple test is to sand the paint back. If it disappears, it’s a scratch. If it stays visible all the way down to the bare metal, it’s a crack.