This Just A Scratch On The Frame?

paul_75

after reading about boardman frame cracking problems( i know everything has a % that goes wrong) i found a 2cm scratch on my mtb comp frame, today was the first time i had been out on it, after getting home and giving it a wash i noticed this scratch, its deep enough to stop you nail when you rub it over the scratch, nothing has hit the frame and i never noticed this before i had it out today (although the mark was darked before i run my finger over it a couple of times) im realy just wanting to make sure its only a scratch and not a problem with the frame as im sure there is a weld around that area that could start off small like this?
it realy does just look like a scratch and i probably know the answer but these days i dont bounce if i fall, i lie and wait on the ambulance
thanks

bennett_346

Looks like a scratch to me, granted its in a place where you dont want it to fail but i'd expect it to be much more likely to fail under or above the meeting of those tubes, not at the side.

It also looks very erratic where fails tend to be smoother.

But don't take my opinion in any way serious, i'm not an engineer.

unixnerd

Better safe than sorry, if it's still under warranty take it back and have it inspected. As you reported the crack within the warranty period even if it breaks later on you might still be OK. If they tell you it's fine get that in writing and dated.

bennett_346

Yep i should of said, it'd be daft not to get it checked by a professional, that way even if they diagnose it wrong you can claim you took it to a professional

The Rookie

Looks like a scratch, besides that part of the frame is only usually put in mild tension (due to the head angle), it sees much more comprssive force (front wheel hits a bump) so its not a place a crack is likely to start IMO.

Simon

paul_75

thanks for the replys, im 99% sure it was a scratch but just wondered if this was a part of the bike that is prone to cracking and you guys know more about them than me, bike is less than 4 weeks old, quite anoyed about a big dirty scratch on my new toy though

thanks again

02gf74

so you have rifdden it once? and not notcied the scratch before?

have to say it is most unusual to scratch a frame like that , cenrtainlyu could happen when riding - did you lug it in the back of a car and could have caught it on something?

is it justlaquer deep or scratch /fracture go into the carbon weave?

if it is under warranty, worth getting it checked out,

Jack 123

Its a carbon frame correct ? You need to get frame protection all of the places the cables rub so they don't rub through the carbon. I was reading on another forum about a guy that had the cables groove the carbon Plus if sand gets on the cables it will gouge your frame. You know what paper we use to sand paint?? Yup sand paper lol keep the sand off the carbon. You would'nt think it would hurt but after a few thousand miles it hurts the frame. I had a aluminum frame getting gouged by cables so carbon even worse.

Dirtydog11

Jack 123 wrote:

Its a carbon frame correct ? You need to get frame protection all of the places the cables rub so they don't rub through the carbon. I was reading on another forum about a guy that had the cables groove the carbon Plus if sand gets on the cables it will gouge your frame. You know what paper we use to sand paint?? Yup sand paper lol keep the sand off the carbon. You would'nt think it would hurt but after a few thousand miles it hurts the frame. I had a aluminum frame getting gouged by cables so carbon even worse.

Its not made from sand , sorry but I had to tell you.

paul_75

02GF74 wrote:

so you have rifdden it once? and not notcied the scratch before?

have to say it is most unusual to scratch a frame like that , cenrtainlyu could happen when riding - did you lug it in the back of a car and could have caught it on something?

is it justlaquer deep or scratch /fracture go into the carbon weave?

if it is under warranty, worth getting it checked out,

yes i have ridden the bike once and never noticed the scratch before, i had built the bike in my home and checked it over in my home, first time i had a good look at the bike outside was when i was washing the bike after taking it out for a 2 hour ride, the scratch was dark and then turned white after i rubbed my finger up and down on it a few times, it is fairly deep, can stop my finger if i run my nail over it, infact it feels like i could rip the paint off if i pick at it (dont want to do that though) the bike wasnt put in the car, i hang it on some large hooks in my shed to make sure nothing hits against it, the hooks have an old towel wrapped round them to make sure they cant scratch the bike either, paying all that money and finding a scratch like that is anoying me, if i had found it before i took the bike out for the first time i would have returned the bike to halfords for a swap

just going to order some of those carbon frame protector stickers to put on the bike

Patterdale

Hi,

I believe the Boardman frames have a two year warranty on them.

If you concerned take it back to Halfords for the Bikehut lads to look at.

though it just looks like a scratch to me.

i have two Boardman bikes a hardtail pro and a team f/s.

Excellent bikes in my opinion, but i dont worry about scratches really, that
why we mountain bike, scratches happen a fact of life.

Cheers Doug

paul_75

Patterdale wrote:

Hi,

I believe the Boardman frames have a two year warranty on them.

If you concerned take it back to Halfords for the Bikehut lads to look at.

though it just looks like a scratch to me.

i have two Boardman bikes a hardtail pro and a team f/s.

Excellent bikes in my opinion, but i dont worry about scratches really, that
why we mountain bike, scratches happen a fact of life.

Cheers Doug

thats true, the main reason i posted was to find out if this was an area on the bike that was prone to cracking (looking online it looks more to be at the seat area)

Jack 123

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Jack 123 wrote:

Its a carbon frame correct ? You need to get frame protection all of the places the cables rub so they don't rub through the carbon. I was reading on another forum about a guy that had the cables groove the carbon Plus if sand gets on the cables it will gouge your frame. You know what paper we use to sand paint?? Yup sand paper lol keep the sand off the carbon. You would'nt think it would hurt but after a few thousand miles it hurts the frame. I had a aluminum frame getting gouged by cables so carbon even worse.

Its not made from sand , sorry but I had to tell you.

Sorry if you read I said if sand gets on the cable it will act like sand paper we have lots of wet sand here from all of the snow.

Andy!

Looks like a strange and suspicious place for a 'scratch' tbh. Tap a coin either side of the 'scratch' and then on the other side and listen for differences.

mattv

That is an aluminium frame right? They weld the frame, then cosmetically fill over the joins with weld and blend it all smooth. If it is cracking the paint over the cosmetic welds it could potentially signify movement in the structural welds underneath. Probably will be fine, but worth getting a good Halfords store to look at it. Also, mark either end of the mark with a dot of tippex or something so you can see if it grows.

thel33ter

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Jack 123 wrote:

Its a carbon frame correct ? You need to get frame protection all of the places the cables rub so they don't rub through the carbon. I was reading on another forum about a guy that had the cables groove the carbon Plus if sand gets on the cables it will gouge your frame. You know what paper we use to sand paint?? Yup sand paper lol keep the sand off the carbon. You would'nt think it would hurt but after a few thousand miles it hurts the frame. I had a aluminum frame getting gouged by cables so carbon even worse.

Its not made from sand , sorry but I had to tell you.

I've had that happen on an alloy fork crown, two 2mm deep gouges just from cable rub. And carbon is even softer if that respect.

mattv

That frame is definately alloy, not carbon. Boardman have not launched carbon mtbs yet.

konadawg

The truth is that no-one here can tell you what that is.

You (not us) should be able to determine by looking very closely whether it is a scratch due to damaging contact (paintwork will be missing - so your frame is in the clear) or whether there is no paint actually missing and hence it is a crack.

Now if it is a crack, the question is - is it just in the paintwork, or is the crack in the paintwork a result of a crack in the metal?

The location is perfect for a crack in the metal to form, as there is a weld and there are great stresses there - your bodyweight trying to push the front wheel away from you, and braking forces doing the opposite.

However, again since there is a weld there, it is also possible for it to be a defect in the paintwork, sometimes welded areas can be tricky to paint, a defect that may have been there from new and you did not notice it, else has developed due to the stresses and strains of being ridden.

Unfortunately if the damage is a crack, the only real way to determine whether it is in the paint (only) else in the paint as a result of damage in the metal, is to remove all the paint in the area of the crack so you can inspect the metal. I don't think you'd want to do that especially not if there is a valid warranty on the frame.