Hi - I have an S3 Olympic model, purchased in March 2009 from an approved shop. Bike is well maintained, ridden moderately on the road and indoor using a Tacx Fortius.

 Recently I noticed two hairline cracks - one quite straight and along the centre of the top tube running lengthwise and a second under the downtube also lengthwise but more jagged. Pics of both are in Flickr on the links below.

 Does anyone have an opinion as to whether these are paint cracks or something more serious and whether they are likely to be covered by the frame warranty.

Thanks

 

 

 

cervelo manual states that any crack can and will compromise the frame these look like cracks

 Get this sorted ASAP

Sorry to hear it my friend...get it sorted ASAP, I agree with previous comment. It's def a crack.

 agree with the remarks.

you should contact Cervelo's after sales service.

The locations in which the 'cracks' have appeared are very strange.

- Has the bike been clamped by the top tube in a stand?

- While riding do you recall hearing a stone or other road debris being sucked up by front wheel and hitting the downtube.

I wonder why bike companies use white paint on frames as it must mean more recalls. Small cracks like this would be difficult to notice on a black or dark frame livery. These could simply be surface cracks in the paint that are now only noticeable as dirt has gotten trapped in the crack.

Having said all that it is undoubtedly worth while to get the frame checked by your local dealer, for future warranty claim purposes if nothing else.

 

Try checking how deep these "cracks" are and tapping on and around crack with a fingernail or coin and compare the sound to adjacent, intact areas. Top looks more like a scratch, while the bottom may or may not be cracked paint. I've started a similar thread re: my S2 with a similar issue at the top tube; mine looks like it's just poor quality of the white paint causing it to be less elastic than the underlying CF and chipping away.