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Doing a headset bearing swap for my boss.
Trek alpha Road bike. Lots of bubbling flaking paint at crown, looked like salt corrosion. Cleaned up a bit and found a couple of gaps/cracks between crown and steerer once the crown race was removed.
Also the alloy looks rather pitted.
Would you ride?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1kAhitaKs7h8GqkE7
The corrosion wouldn't bother me too much, if those are cracks under where the crown race would sit, I would definitely not ride them though.
Your boss you say, well in that case I'd probably want to do a bit of filing and hacksawing before declaring it perfectly safe to ride.
It's not about whether *you* would ride it.
It's about whether it's reasonable to give it to someone else to ride.
I'd return it (unrideable) saying he needs to get a Trek dealer to look at it. Given the corrosion it looks like it doesn't get a lot of love so he'll be tooling round on it for years with no further maintenance once you're done and if it fails any time soon he'll be coming towards you with his teeth in his hands asking what happened.
I wouldn't risk, gaps and cracks at that junction, it's pretty critical to function!
+1 what phil and www said ; don't risk it and Trek UK may help out with a replacement via a dealer; they always used to be a reasonable company when it came to things like that.
Be cautious getting an opinion from a Trek dealer - make sure the right guy is sorting you out (preferably get someone at Trek UK at least to look at it, not the idiot saturday lad in the LBS).
I have had suspected cracks looked at by suppliers before and had a satisfactory explanation and kept riding. I've also had bike shops suggest wholly unsuitable solutions to warranty issues.
A wise engineer once told me,
'You've only got to know enough to know you know **** all'
I think by recognising the problem you've passed that test. I'd not ride them, too safety critical. Unless there was a chance of a warrantee replacement I'd not even bother the bike shop because the only way they would know any more than you would be some kind of non-destructive test, which they won't have the skill or equipment to do.
It's very very well used and a good few years old too. Doesn't owe him anything.
I would never have seen the cracks if I hadn't removed the crown race. Only removed it as the rubber seal from the bottom of the headset had been mashed into it.
Thanks for your opinions. I'll take him the fork and let him see for himself. Can pick up a 2nd hand fork cheap enough if he thinks it'll be worth it.
Depends whether it's a shim that the crown race presses on to or not IMO - tough to tell but I think they usually are.
EDIT - also "makes you think" after that case where the US cyclist died when his aged Trek aluminium steerer broke.
That's what made me wonder. If it were only a shim and the steerer underneath is actually secured to the crown. Can't be sure though I suppose