That's not corrosion it's just dirt. Also I'm not ignoring advice I'm just trying to gather as much info as I can before I make a decision.
Sheldon posted this on another forum about a cracked aluminium head tube on a mountain bike:
*I'd say ride it. It was damaged not by any sort of road hazard or fatigue, but by (probably improper) headset cup installation.
The nature of this particular crack is that if it gets worse, the symptom will be a gradual loosening up of the headset, as the upper race may start to be able to wiggle in the frame. No way will this cause any kind of a crash unless you keep riding it way after it becomes noticeably loose, and probably not even then.
If you want to keep the frame, it might be a good idea to drill a "stopper" hole at the very bottom of the crack. This would be a small hole, maybe 1/16" or a bit larger, to keep there from being a sharp bottom to the crack. The place where the crack ends can act as a stress riser.
Think about tearing a cellphane bag...when you try to tear a straight, undamaged edge, it's almost impossible. Once a tear begins, however, it's unstoppable.
Sheldon "Might Still Have Some Serious Miles Left" Brown
P.S., another poster referred to an issue with a carbon steerer. That's not a good comparison. Steerer breakage is relatively common, and frequently causes grisly crashes. (Personally I don't trust even undamaged carbon steerers.)
Head tube failure, however, is just about unknown*
That's not corrosion it's just dirt. Also I'm not ignoring advice I'm just trying to gather as much info as I can before I make a decision.
Sheldon posted this on another forum about a cracked aluminium head tube on a mountain bike:
*I'd say ride it. It was damaged not by any sort of road hazard or fatigue, but by (probably improper) headset cup installation.
The nature of this particular crack is that if it gets worse, the symptom will be a gradual loosening up of the headset, as the upper race may start to be able to wiggle in the frame. No way will this cause any kind of a crash unless you keep riding it way after it becomes noticeably loose, and probably not even then.
If you want to keep the frame, it might be a good idea to drill a "stopper" hole at the very bottom of the crack. This would be a small hole, maybe 1/16" or a bit larger, to keep there from being a sharp bottom to the crack. The place where the crack ends can act as a stress riser.
Think about tearing a cellphane bag...when you try to tear a straight, undamaged edge, it's almost impossible. Once a tear begins, however, it's unstoppable.
Sheldon "Might Still Have Some Serious Miles Left" Brown
P.S., another poster referred to an issue with a carbon steerer. That's not a good comparison. Steerer breakage is relatively common, and frequently causes grisly crashes. (Personally I don't trust even undamaged carbon steerers.)
Head tube failure, however, is just about unknown*