So…. is this a crack in the seat tube / seat stay weld, or just dodgy paint work? I happen to have some photos of the same area from a year ago when I got the bike, and there is a dark grey line in the correct area, but as I'm using a shallow depth of field and focusing on something else it's hard to be conclusive.

I tried covering the 'crack' with tipex today (on the basis if it was a crack it'd reopen) and did my best to rag the crap out of my bike, the results were…. inconclusive. There were very small cracks in the tipex in roughly the correct area, but tipex does that anyway.

So here are some photos. I think the reason for the crack looking worse in the later photos is because I rubbed the area quite hard to clean it (or perhaps because it is a crack and I narrowly avoided a self administrated prostate exam).

Either way, i'm about to go to wales for 6 days riding (Coed etc). I'd prefer to take this bike (Marin Rocky Ridge) as I love the thing, but i'm now tempted to take my heavy bike (Santa Cruz Nomad) so I don't die on a descent. No time to take it to the bike shop prior to the holiday unfortunately. Thoughts?

(Note these photos are the underside of the seat tube / seat stays)

Anyone had experience of Marin's warranty? I've not done anything unusual to the bike, and I weigh naff all…

More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewanpanter/sets/72157623597930097/ (including exciting photos of tipex)

Could be a crack. Marin's warranty is excellent, really helpful people at ATB. Know of bikes way out of warranty that have been replaced with a new model.

Marin warrenty is indeed excellent.

I took my XC100 frame into my local dealer and said 'is that a very scratch or have I cracked it?' He said 'I'll ring you back.'
2 hours later I got a call 'I've just taken it to the RAF base and put it through the X-ray machine and it is cracked.'
3 weeks later a new Mt Vis Pro frame arrived, dealer lent me the obsure tools, headset press etc, and I built it up on the premises.
I then proceeded to destroy the dropouts on the new frame, more than 3 years (the warrenty period) after the initial purchase, took less than a week to get a new swingarm free of charge, fitted and with a full set of new bearings too.

Also have had two sets of bearings in my now 11yr old Attack Trail, I'm about to go and ask them if their lifetime warenty on bearings extends to the whole pivot assembly, getting some alarming side to side motion of the rear wheel.

If you are freindly with RAF technichian ask them to X-ray it for you, they have huge machines for spotting stress fractures in wings. Mine was done at RAF Leuchars in Fife, is that near you?

Pace warrenty people could learn a lot from Marin, I praise Marin at every oppertunity, and will take any chance to be rude about Pace, and Chain Reaction as well. I hope word-of-mouth is as effective as people say it is.

Unfortunately not! I'm in Woking in Surrey. The bikes just under a year old, so hopefully warranty won't be a problem.

So… do I take the Marin or the Nomad on holiday?

looks like a crack to me (materials engineer), aren't white bikes great?!

are you sure this is the only crack? – it's probably worth having a look underneath the headtube/downtube joint, around/behind the BB…

i'd suggest not riding it. – you've got a spare bike, use that.

Marin excellent warranty seconded. I don't know why they do it, but they do. Good work fellas. The chaps at Bikeshak in Altrincham were very kind and built it all up for me.

Ride the other bike, it'll properly hack you off you're in the back end of nowhere and it does 'go' properly. No one likes walking poorly bikes back to the car.

hi Ewan,

si here you sorted that wedding out yet?

looks like a crack to me…. best best is to rub it down a bit to explore i.e. sand the paint down with a scotch bright pad etc (little one on a dremmel is ideal) then spray a bit of crack spray onto it and see.. could jus be the coating.

been out with the trolls of late? i keep missing the rides ;-(

Si

best best is to rub it down a bit to explore i.e. sand the paint down with a scotch bright pad etc (little one on a dremmel is ideal) then spray a bit of crack spray onto it and see

…wouldn't that void the warranty?

cold lapping on the weld maybe. warranty job fersure

Cheers for the replies chaps – I will take the Nomad and return the marin to shop once i'm back from Wales. Guess I better just man up and suck up the extra weight. There aren't any other cracks (looks like there might be another forming on the other side of the welds) that I can find.

Anyone know if the Rocky Ridge frame has changed this year? I love that bike…

Si – that was my inital idea as well, but figured it'd probably make the warranty more tricky so I'll just take it back. Been out most weeks (bar a two month absence due to breaking myself boarding) you?

hillsplease – Member
Marin excellent warranty seconded. I don't know why they do it, but they do. Good work fellas

Because then you and me and people like us come on places like this an tell everyone how good they are. Word of mouth advertising.