Would you be concerned

[willium38]

hello all

Today a was doing a few odd jobs on my Ridley Fenix changing cables and such.
and i noticed a small crack near seatpost. the carbon frame as a aluminium insert for seatpost that travels at least 6 inches in frame. So im thinking it nothing to worry about maybe keep an eye on it to see what happens. the picture posted are very close up. its hard to spot with just your eyes.

would you be concerned?

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

In my relatively uneducated opinion, I would worry. I would think that the carbon has cracked because the aluminium insert is moving slightly. It won't get any better.
Others may think differently.

 

[I like Skol]

Yes.

 

[PaulSB]

If I spotted a crack on any bike I would want an expert opinion in the real world. Members here have huge amounts of knowledge but it's surely impossible to tell anything for certain from a photograph?

 

[DCLane]

Looking at it, yes. Back to where you bought it from or a Ridley dealer.

 

[numbnuts]

As Darius_Jedburgh@ stated ^^^

 

[Milkfloat]

How deep is it? More than paint and I would be concerned.

 

[willium38]

im only just able to feel it with finger nail .
Thanks for all the reply's.
Think i will take it to my local shop when i finished shielding for his view on it.

 

[sleuthey]

I know I’m considerably outnumbered, but From looking at the photo, to me it looks like a surface scratch not a crack. If I noticed it on either my steel or aluminium bike I would not be concerned. However I have zero experience or knowledge with carbon so I would regard my opinion as less important than the others who probably do.

 

[Big John]

If, and that's a big if, this is a crack then it needs sorting. How it's sorted is down to personal choice. We're all different and some folks are OCD about how their bike looks. I'm easy going in that as long as a problem is fixed I'm not overly fussed how my bike looks. I broke a carbon frame, was forced to get a replacement frame and bugger me if I didn't come off again and spotted a crack where the seat post goes in the seat tube. It was easy to spot. It was crack shaped, like fork lightening lol. I bought a carbon fibre repair kit off the web. I joked to my friends that I'd 'invisibly' mended it - it stood out like a sore thumb. The alternative was a professional fix at a professional fix cost. I'd already forked out on a new frame so the professional fix for a 'crack' was out the question. I'm not sure how many years ago that was now but I bet it's ten at least and that frame is my summer bike still. So....if it really is a crack then it will get worse over time. It will need fixing and that's where the decision comes. Professional fix or DIY with the proper materials. If you can live with a war wound on your bike then DIY is the way to go, if you can't then a professional fix is what's needed.