Found a cracked dropout on a 2009 frame that looked perfect

Last week I had a carbon road bike come in for a simple wheel true, and I noticed the rear dropout seemed slightly off when I spun the wheel. I wiped it down with some degreaser and found a hairline crack running right under the paint, barely visible at 2 inches away. Turns out the owner had raced it for three years without a single issue, and my magnet trick during a routine check caught it. Has anyone else seen a crack hide under thick paint like that, or was this just a fluke with this era of frame?

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2 Comments

jamie8041mo ago

Magnet trick is the way. Seen the same thing on a 2010 frame once, paint hides everything until it doesn't.

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grantt391mo ago

Dude the magnet trick has saved my ass so many times. I had a Look frame come in once, owner swore it was mint, and I found the exact same thing. Crack was hiding under this super thick layer of clear coat, you could only see it if you caught the light at the right angle. I ran a magnet over the seat stay and it just caught on this tiny little lip of paint that was lifting up. Turns out the whole dropout was basically holding on by a thread. Scary part is the guy said he'd done like 20 crits on it that season alone. Paint really does hide everything until it suddenly doesnt, as jamie said. That 2009 era stuff especially, they were laying on paint so thick back then it was like armor. But once that crack starts, its not a fluke, its just waiting for the right pothole to finish the job. Good catch on your end honestly.

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