Boardman CX Comp Paint Crack Issue

[jp2fast4u]

Sad to report the new Boardman CX Comp I purchased today and was in the process of building myself was returned due to a crack on the left hand seat post junction in the smooth weld - same place as the reported new CX Team problem.

I love the bike's appearance and got a great deal. Halfords in Plymouth have been great so far. New bike due to arrive tomorrow and will update on progress as soon as I can inspect new bike, as many others have posed the same question about the 2014 CX Comp modeI.

I previously held off the 2014 models for this reason, but a great deal swayed my decision today.

Anyone else experienced this problem? I owned the Hybrid Comp before this model and had no paint problems and it was a great bike.

I am a newbie so be kind!

 

[Cycleops]

Sorry about your problem. Halfords have a duty to sort it out so I am sure it will all be resolved amicably.

 

[JayMac]

Before I purchased my cube cross disc, I was looking round at cyclocross bikes, and read a little about that reported problem.

From what I've seen it's a tiny crack of the filler that the manufacturers use to make it look like a smooth weld but keep costs down.

So it's not actually the metal or weld cracking, it's just the filler!

 

[Globalti]

It's called a witness crack and bikes with very thick, hard brittle paint get them in places where the frame flexes. I've had this one for 5000 miles and it hasn't changed at all:

 

[JayMac]

Such a shiny cassette! Oooooooooo

 

[jp2fast4u]

To be fair Halfords in Plymouth responded brilliantly to my problem, despite the bad reviews about the service sometimes provided in Halfords stores, they replaced the bike no questions asked and with the good discount I got for the bike, I am very happy with the value for money on this purchase.

I still have my doubts about the quality of the finish against the previous Boardman models, apparently the 2014 bikes are now built in a different factory to previous years and there have been problems with the finish, which have read about, and from my experience I don't think it's limited to just any particular smooth finish model.
So I have purchased frame protection patches to cover suspect areas on the frame and still have the 2 year warranty in the unlikely event the problems are more sinister.