GreggVA

(Edit 21Sep2018 - pictures added below)

So I washed my bike (Scott S30) after my ride over the weekend and noticed some lines in the head tube. They definitely appear to be cracks. Not sure how long they have been there as my close up eyesight is not the best and I likely should have been more attentive.

I am not reading good things about trying to repair aluminum frames and am concerned about potential failure.

Is this the sort of thing that will fail all at once or over time? I have sidelined the bike for now.

I will try and post some pictures but need to get my posts past 10 apparently....and I am limited to 5 a day.

dsbrantjr

Get yourself some magnification to help see what is going on. Make certain that you are not seeing the edge of a piece of tape, similar to a chainstay protector, which is sometimes applied to keep cables from damaging the paint on the head tube. These protectors have sometimes been mistaken for cracks by posters to this forum

Crankycrank

Photos would be good.

JohnDThompson 

Pull out the fork and see if the "cracks" are visible on the inside of the head tube.

andrewclaus

After removing the fork, see if you can manually remove the headset cup at the crack. If it's loose, the frame is shot.

GreggVA

Thanks for all the replies and appreciate a second review with the pictures posted below.


Scott S30 head tube crack lines


Scott S30 head tube crack lines

GreggVA

Thanks for the thought and I have looked under magnification and this is more than the protective clear coat.

Thanks and they have been added below. Couldn't edit the original post to add them for some reason.

Thanks will keep that as an option.

Appreciate the reply and will keep that in mind if I pull the fork.

Colnago Mixte

Hose clamp and JB weld might fix it, but would look awful.

I would be looking to the manufacturer to fix this, otherwise, yes, your frame is trashed, and no, I would not ride it in that condition. Did you run over / hit something? One more impact like whatever happened originally could shatter that frame.

Crankycrank

+1^^^^. That is definitely trash with those cracks. Do Not Ride.

GreggVA

No that's not a muffler clamp, it's a custom bracket for my.....


No accidents or drops with the bike. I did buy it second hand but the person had never really ridden it before and there were no scratches or nicks on it so think it has happened during my ownership. I ride all paved and fairly smooth roads. I weigh about 180 lbs so don't think I am overly heavy for the bike.



Appreciate the feedback.

mrv 

dang! somebody go with that frame? - it's cracked in the lower front and upper rear like somebody tried to do the splits.
Sorry, man, that just stinks.....

sch

Agree with the posters who say frame is trash. If the cracks propagate and allow the front fork to come free of the frame
it will be catastrophic for the rider at any speed with major facial and/or upper extremity trauma to be expected. Start with
a full facial helmet if you have to keep riding that bike.

fietsbob

Does Scrap buying price rise with the new import tariff jump %?

phughes

Wow, did someone go crazy while installing the headset? Either that or it was run loose and the resulting impacts caused the damage.

jimc101

It's a 2008 model, and Scott have a 5 year warranty, so all it is now is scrap.

The ammount of corrosion on the brakes is also interesting, on the basis they are stock, they are Scott branded, which probably means made by Tektro, but would not expect to see corrosion like there is unless your living in a salty air/costal environment

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/sear....aspx?id=24797

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=24797

https://help.scott-sports.com/hc/en-...r-SCOTT-bikes-

raria

Ride with one of those sumo wrestler outfits on! Seriously the frame is toast and you're out of luck since you're the second owner. But don't feel too bad because even if you were the first owner they may have denied the claim.

CliffordK

I noticed that, although the side view doesn't look as bad as the front view.

I'd be curious if there is any corrosion in the headtube/headset interface. I don't see any on the headset, but it could be hidden.

02Giant 

A couple of summers back I stripped, painted and rebuilt a 2005 S-Works Tarmac for a coworker. The bike had lived most of it's life latched into a trainer. The corrosion was so bad the headset was seized and a significant amount of the paint was trash. One of these; https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/Sear....aspx?id=10561


BTW, that frame is toast.

TiHabanero

Calfee can repair it. Contact them before you trash it.

02Giant 

Calfee repairs aluminum?

SJX426 

What is with the cracks on the fork above the brake? Looks like a break out from under the paint.

fietsbob

you can turn the seatpost/seat tube and rear triangle into a Bar Stool,

Or replace the fork with a support post and leave it on a trainer-stand..

Get one that has a cassette on the resistance device,
and you don't need the back wheel either..

... takes up less room in the house, that way..




...

Orkun KnighTR34

You can get rid off them with buffing

CliffordK

I doubt Calfee would touch it. There may be some machine shops that could weld it up, but that bike has at least a half dozen cracks around the head tube. I wouldn't weld it.

An option like the hose clamp idea is to take carbon fiber or fiberglass and wrap and epoxy it. I'd do it in rings, so you could monitor progression. Perhaps pre-drill holes in the ends of all the cracks you can find as progression stops.

Leave a good portion of the head tube visible so you can monitor it for progression.

However, if you hunt, you should be able to find a good used frame for $100 to $200. If you like Scott, you might even be able to find a cheap Scott CR1 carbon fiber frame for an upgrade.

If you need to eek out a few weeks of riding before you find a replacement, then try reinforcing. Then start hunting for your replacement.

PDLandis