Last Tuesday was the worst day I've had in the shop all year

Had a customer bring in a 2015 Trek Domane with a creaking bottom bracket. Figured it was just a dirty press fit. Pulled the crank, cleaned everything, re-greased. Still creaked. Replaced the bearings. Still creaked. Turns out the frame had a hairline crack near the BB shell that I couldn't see till I took a magnet and found the paint was lifting. Had to tell the guy his frame was toast. Felt like a total ass. Ever had a creak that took you way too long to find?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_west7d ago

A magnet wouldn't help there, paint lifting from aluminum is pretty normal with cracks but you just need to look close or dye test it.

ramirez.caleb7d ago

Man I had a buddy who used a magnet on an old Ford van he thought was steel and then spent an hour trying to figure out why his paint job wouldn't stick. Turns out it was all bondo and aluminum panels. Felt real dumb standing there with a magnet in my hand like it was gonna solve everything. Dye test is smart but also makes you look like a detective from a bad crime show. I just tell people to look for spiderweb cracks near the edges and call it a day. But hey at least I wasn't the guy who tried welding aluminum with a steel rod that day.