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May 24, 2012, 03:28:02 AM

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Total Voters: 287

[davew255]

Trek cant seem to make aluminion bikes either. The internet wouldnt be able to cope if there was a "Trek owners club".

Maybe so, but after cracking my 6 month old '06 Meta 5 front triangle at the headtube (the original owner had broken 2 '05 front ends & sold to me with a new warrantied front end), I had a big burly Patriot for a year and have just bought a Trek Remedy.  OK it may be pushing the weight envelope with very thin tubing, but its backed up by a LIFETIME frame warranty.  It was the warranty that made me ultimately buy the bike.  I loved the ride of my Meta and still have a soft spot for the brand and didn't like buying a Ford Mondeo of bikes (as my mate christened the Trek), but it was a head over heart decision.

I trust Steve's word on warranty levels but I wonder how many of the frames that have been ridden hard have cracked.  My very limited experience of mine and my mates Metas (he has cracked an '06, '08 and '09) is of 2 frames originally purchased 6 cracked welds.  If Commencal are really serious about having solved their QC issues (which are not just '09 issues in my experience) and do want to restore faith in the brand I think they need to be offering longer warranties on their frames.

[chrissturch]

OK it may be pushing the weight envelope with very thin tubing, but its backed up by a LIFETIME frame warranty.  It was the warranty that made me ultimately buy the bike. 

In theory. I read of a person on the internet (possibly on southerndownhill) with a session that crumpled as he was riding it, causing him to crash. Trek wouldn't honour the warranty as they called it crash damage. He had only had it a few months. After a few years there is nothing to stop Trek saying its just general wear and tear and not a warranty issue. Just a few important bits from the warranty:

Trek Bicycle Corporation warrants each new Trek frame, rigid fork, or original component part of the bicycle against defects in workmanship and materials

This warranty does not cover-

    * Normal wear and tear
    * Improper assembly
    * Improper follow-up maintenance
    * Installation of parts or accessories not originally intended for, or compatible with, the bicycle as sold
    * Damage or failure due to accident, misuse, abuse, or neglect
    * Labor charges for part replacement or changeover

I'm not knocking your purchase, its just I think that these lifetime warranties have so much wiggle room that they are essentially just a marketing ploy. If your bike breaks after 5 years, its clearly not due to a manufacturing issue or material or it wouldn't have lasted that long. They can just class it as wear and tear, meaning the lifetime warranty is just a gimmick. I may be wrong, they might be really good with warranties, time will tell.

[iain1775]

agree with you mate, the exclusions make it pretty much worthless
Ive heard several stories of people having warranties turned down by the bigger manufacturers including Trek, Scott Gaint and Spesh
Never heard anything similar about Commie

[Snakes]

chrissturch just check Commencal warranty, it is almost the same!

This warranty does not cover:
- Normal upkeep: cleaning, lubrifying, and inspection.
- Transport or shipment costs incurred in carrying out the warranty.
- Labour costs inherent in the maintenance, assembly or disassembly, repairs and replacement parts.
- Damage due to normal wear and tear (on tires, inner tubes, brakes, brake and gear cables, brake

The warranty is void if:
- The damage has been caused by a natural phenomenon.
- The bicycle has been purchased from a non-authorized retailer.
- The bicycle has not been entirely assembled by an authorized COMMENCAL retailer.
- A non-authorized retailer has repaired the bicycle.
- Its original purchaser no longer owns the bicycle.
- The instructions contained in the user’s manual have not been respected.
- There is damage caused by an accident, misuse or abuse.
- The product has suffered damage for which a third party is liable or as a result of an intentional
fault.
- The regular inspections recommended in the user’s manual have not been done.
- Parts not supplied with the bicycle by COMMENCAL, or not provided for in the user’s manual, have
been used.
- The bicycle has been used for purposes other than those for which it has been conceived.
- The bicycle or the assembled components have been subjected to abuse, neglect, and abnormal and/or
excessive use or have suffered an accident.
- The frame or the components of the bicycle have been altered (e.g. polished, scoured, sandpapered,
cold hammered, shot blasted, pumiced, ground, metal brushed, filed, soldered, brazed, pierced, anodized
or chromed, structurally or mechanically altered or added to, etc). Please note that internal corrosion
of chromo-steel frames is not covered by the warranty.
- The original seatpost has been replaced.
- The frame is too big or too small for the customer.
- The bicycle has continued to be used while damaged.
- The bicycle has been used for competitions (i.e. races) or for any other commercial activity, eg bicycle
rental, messenger service, or surveillance (including police surveillance) etc.
- The bicycle has undergone alterations of components or the replacement of parts by parts other than
those initially installed or recommended by COMMENCAL Bicycles.
- The bicycle has been used on «extreme» trails, such as those in MTB videos, trial circuits, ramps, per-

[chrissturch]

Didn't say it wasn't. The terms of almost all warranties are the same. Their warranty is for 2 years, which is a realistic cut off between wear and tear and manufacturing defects which is why a lot of manufacturers and the EU use 2 years as a cut off. To give a lifetime warranty they are saying you could come back in 10, 15, 25 years and it would technically still be under warranty. There's no way you could claim on it though, as they would call it wear and tear. My point is that the 'lifetime' part of the warranty is marketing BS not a realistic timeframe to deal with problems.

[davew255]

And maybe all academic as I've never yet had a frame for more than 2 years!

But as I promised my wife, this time its a frame for life

BTW a friend of mine had a Cannondale hardtail warranted after about 9 years!

[Droppin-Neutron]

Oh crap I came on here as i found a crack in my 09 Meta 55 VIP frame today (at the shock mount/down tube junction).  Its only little but its either side of the mount.  Im a living example that people only go on forums to complain but Ijust wanted to find out what the returns process for Commencals was like, not to moan about it cracking (anything can be broken - apart from my bullit, that things indestructable).

Anyway its going back to them tomorrow so Im probably looking at a long while off this particular bike - also, I purchased a maxle back end for it and I understand that the new ones have revised dropout design will I have to buy a new one (expensive) or will they do me a new set of maxle dropouts???

Anyone got any ideas??

[Affe]

I'd say don't take it back yet but ride it and wait until they get the new dropouts to stores. The replacement frames come with QR dropouts and there's no chance of anything else yet. My mate got a replacement frame and he is forced to ride QR for time being as there is no sign of other dropouts yet.

[Droppin-Neutron]

That is a good tip but unfortunately before I read it I took my frame into the shop and they are sending it back!

I took my Maxle kit off it though and I still have the kit for QR andhub conversion so I will just have to wait and see.

The bloke in the shop said they might have 09 ones on stock and I might get one of those though???