Colnago C50: cracked lug or not?

[Jesper]

C50 head lug: crack in finish, crack in lug, or just a scratch? Trying to help another determine if this is merely an aesthetic issue or more serious. The present owner (not the original owner) says that it has not been in an accident while in his hands, and he was told by the individual he purchased it from that it had not been in any accident. The frame is not beat up and appears fine otherwise. Would this require an x-ray to determine if it is structural or aesthetic? Does anyone else have a frame that has had the same issue and knows the frame's history?
Thanks, Jesper

 

[trailwright]

Are the forks original? If that's a crack then it would take a fair amount of force to create, which would certainly have done greater damage to the forks. Hence a red flag if not original.

 

[Jesper]

Are the forks original? If that's a crack then it would take a fair amount of force to create, which would certainly have done greater damage to the forks. Hence a red flag if not original.

Fork (and paint) is original by all accounts. I agree, but I know nothing about these new CF bikes and what issues plague them. I am not buying it (I do not ride that type of bike), but I would defer if I was thinking about buying it just based on that image.
If I had it to look at in person it might be more obvious, but I cannot make an educated judgement from that photo and I tend to err on the side of caution.If I had it to look at in person it might be more obvious, but I cannot make an educated judgement from that photo and I tend to err on the side of caution. If I had it to look at in person it might be more obvious, but I cannot make an educated judgement from that photo and I tend to err on the side of caution. I would never buy any used CF frame.

 

[bobotea]

fwiw, i cracked an argon 18 AL track frame exactly like that, it was also white. I sanded down where i through the crack was to see if it had penetrated the weld and i couldnt see any crack. So it could be that it was just a crack in the paint but i stopped riding it because losing all your teeth isnt worth it in an event of a catastrophic headtube failure. I know AL and CF are different but why risk it...

 

[Zullo]

I've seen dozens of carbon frames with 'stress cracks' in the paint work especially round the joints or high stress areas like the BB shell. 99% if the time that's all it is. I'd be much more worried if this was a Ti or aluminium frame. I really wouldn't worry about that at all

 

[Zullo]

Take it apart and have a look at the internal tube with a bright torch. If there's nothing there but smooth carbon, forget about it

 

[Zullo]

FWIW I find used carbon frames a lot more durable (and repairable) than titanium, which, once a joint is crammed

 

[Zullo]

I used to have a Bianchi carbon (one of their first editions) and I had the same type of 'crack ' on either side of the chainstay where it met the BB. I was petrified! I managed to get it NDTd for free at my mates College and there was nothing visible. Paint stress, it's very common in older carbon frames like this one. Buy it, but haggle!

 

[Canuk]

Colnago Spiderman edition?!