This summer I had my front derailler replaced. My bike had a top pull derailler on it, but for some reason my bike shop decided to put a bottem pull derailler on it and run the cable down around the bottem bracket. I did not notice it until I got back up to school, but the cable has worn a groove in my frame on the weld around the bottem bracket. I can't get it to a shop until I go home for Thanksgiving. I am no doubt going to have him replace the derailler witht the correct one, but my question is, is my frame ruined? How thick are the tubes on a typical aluminum frame? The groove is not very deep, but does any kind of groove severly compromise the strength of the frame?

If it's on the weld or any stress point (corners) it can hurt. That would probably count as abuse by shop, which means you could get the frame replaced if it fails if it's still in warranty. How deep is the groove? 1mm, 2mm?

It's probably 1mm, but maybe more, I have it covered with duct tape right now to try and stop the abrasion. I'm thinking the frame has a lifetime warranty, but the problem is it's a Schwinn. I got the last model year before they went bankrupt and I do not know if the company that bought them are honoring their warranties or if Schwinn still produces comperable frames to replace it with.