Since starting cycling just under a year ago I have read a lot about aluminium frames and cracking
and so when I clean my bike I regularly check for cracks.
Perhaps I'm getting a bit paranoid about it, considering the huge number of ally bikes being sold
(some very expensive) it must be a sound material for frames. Anyway, I've seen a couple of pictures
on web sites showing cracks in ally frames which show as dark hairline. My problem is that after a
few thousand miles on gritty country roads with plenty of loose stone about my bike has plenty of
scratches and grazes on the frame which, once a bit of dirt of oil gets in them start to look like
these images of cracks. It's not helped by a large proportion of my frame being white.
Some of these marks disappear once a bit of frame cleaner or GT85 has been used on them whilst
others steadfastly refuse to shift. So, my question is, how do you tell whether something is a crack
in the frame or just a scratch on the paint/varnish? Non of them appear to be widening or
lengthening over time. Also, just how prone are aluminium frames to cracking (mine is a plain guage
7005 T6 one) am I getting a bit too concerned about the possibility?
Thanks for any thoughts, Paul.