Cracked frame or cracked paint? Help please

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
Post Reply
avecReynolds531
Posts: 53
Joined: 22 Mar 2020, 6:12pm

Cracked frame or cracked paint? Help please

Post by avecReynolds531 »

I'd be grateful for any advice & knowledge shared regarding my road frame please.

In place of duplicating it all, and with apologies for the associated laziness, I'm attaching a link to the query which I posted earlier at another forum.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/crack ... se.264959/

Any and all advice & views are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Tom.
Brucey
Posts: 44521
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Cracked frame or cracked paint? Help please

Post by Brucey »

I'm guessing that the bike doesn't see a lot of (winter) weather; elsewhere where the paint is damaged there is little evidence of corrosion. If these were proper cracks and there was any kind of corrosive environment, the cracks would be rather obvious.

As it is the only signs that the cracks might extend deeper than the clear coat are that the crack in the BB appears to be holding dirt.

Someone who is skilled at using dye-penetrant might be able to tell how deep the cracks might be by how they 'hold dye'; if they are really serious they will penetrate the wall of the frame and be visible on the inside too, so look there. If you are still in doubt you will have to either

a) remove the clear coat, then the paint, until the cracks either disappear or are clearly seen in the metal or

b) repair the clear coat where the cracks are. If the cracks don't reappear through the new layer of clear coat this is a good sign that the cracks are not serious. However they still might reappear even if they are only within the clearcoat, so it isn't always an entirely conclusive test.

cheers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
avecReynolds531
Posts: 53
Joined: 22 Mar 2020, 6:12pm

Re: Cracked frame or cracked paint? Help please

Post by avecReynolds531 »

Brucey wrote:I'm guessing that the bike doesn't see a lot of (winter) weather; elsewhere where the paint is damaged there is little evidence of corrosion. If these were proper cracks and there was any kind of corrosive environment, the cracks would be rather obvious.

As it is the only signs that the cracks might extend deeper than the clear coat are that the crack in the BB appears to be holding dirt.

Someone who is skilled at using dye-penetrant might be able to tell how deep the cracks might be by how they 'hold dye'; if they are really serious they will penetrate the wall of the frame and be visible on the inside too, so look there. If you are still in doubt you will have to either

a) remove the clear coat, then the paint, until the cracks either disappear or are clearly seen in the metal or

b) repair the clear coat where the cracks are. If the cracks don't reappear through the new layer of clear coat this is a good sign that the cracks are not serious. However they still might reappear even if they are only within the clearcoat, so it isn't always an entirely conclusive test.

cheers


Thanks Brucey - this is much appreciated. Yes, it's been a summer bike that tried to avoid rain.
tim-b
Posts: 2091
Joined: 10 Oct 2009, 8:20am

Re: Cracked frame or cracked paint? Help please

Post by tim-b »

Hi
It seems strange that they've appeared at each joint. Paint can crack after a number of years if applied too thickly, but the BB cracking would concern me most
My money there is on a problem with the filler used to tidy the joints up before painting, but it's impossible to tell from photos
Don't ride the bike and have a proper look as Brucey suggests. If it's all okay refinish to keep the elements including UV out
Regards
tim-b
~~~~¯\(ツ)/¯~~~~
avecReynolds531
Posts: 53
Joined: 22 Mar 2020, 6:12pm

Re: Cracked frame or cracked paint? Help please

Post by avecReynolds531 »

Thanks for the advice & input.
The frame is being retired!
Post Reply