Titanium Trauma - are Frames this Fragile?

 

A crack too far!

Preparing my titanium frame Enigma Etape for summer riding I was alarmed to discover this crack in the seat tube! Located between the bottom bracket and front derailleur clamp it measures 55mm in length with razor-sharp edges. Obviously I've no idea when it happened or whether it developed over time, but clearly not something you'd wish to ride with. And I thought titanium frames - unlike carbon, were virtually indestructible!

What little I know about bike frames is that it's not a weld crack, and in this position, unlikely to be a stress crack, but it could be a seam crack, i.e where sheet titanium joins together to make a tube. I'd put it down to a manufacturing defect rather than a construction fault. Would you agree?

My Etape is 8 years old with less than 15,000 miles on the clock. I'm waiting to hear back from Enigma if this defect falls within their 10year Warranty or Lifetime Loyalty Scheme. Until then it's back on the bike hanger and continuing with my winter steel steed.

So, if you ride a titanium bike, have a close look now and again - you don't want a nasty surprise whilst out on the road!