another lapierre zesty bites the dust.
Comments
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rear swing arm has cracked again, but this time around the seat for the rear pivot bearing,
french people must just ride like little girls.
its been out about 16 hours in total and cracked in 3 diffrent places.
think its money back time and buy somthing that can be ridden on more than tarmac.0 -
Holy sweet Mary mother of Satan that's freaking terrible.
Bin it, INSIST on a full refund - it frankly doesn't seem fit for it's intended purpose - and get something else instead.
If they refuse a refund, get a consumer rights or somebody similar on the case, this is taking the freaking pi**
As it stands, this is just an annoying case of bad luck, but had he come a cropper whilst riding, and ended up injured, then it could have been much more serious - especially when you consider that these things are meant to be ridden in places much rougher than Cannock Chase.0 -
jeez thats bad luck rode a zesty again last weekend, also rode an ibis mojo, after all the issues with the zesty and the fact i actually prefer the ride, finish and look of the mojo, im gonna go for one of those instead, and i suggest your friend does the same 0 -
id deffo go for the mojo, even thinking of swapping my 575 for one.
these lapierres really are shite.
1st crack
2nd crack, poss just a paint crack but still piss poor and should not flex enough at this point to crack paint.
3rd crack, another couple of hours and the brearing would have pulled straight through the rear swing arm bearing seat
.
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Build quality on a par with the tin can autos France punts out then lol0
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And yet most don't crack.Uncompromising extremist0
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Strange things out here, really. Out of words. Think that bike shop should look hard onto themselve nevermind Lapierre's should take this case and give it a closer look. Seems extraordinary case to ignore for Lapierre's. Someone in this case seems utterly useless!What could have been (Video)
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though0 -
there are a lot more cracked than most people relise, apparently lapierre have a back order of warranty replacement parts thats why it takes weeks to get any warranty parts sorted.0
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Think if it was my case, I would contact LBS+Hotlines+Lapierre with either e-mail or written letter pointing to this case. Written letters can't be ignored in most cases, and thats the only way how to make a constructive conversation and have a back up in case of -consumer dispute- etc*.Verbal promises mean nothing, and fairly been lost out in times. All of them have to be alerted of this case, think that's when things will move at faster rates. Many times I have seen how problems similar to that being lost in places due to useless management or paper moving monkeys. Hope this helps, and good luck ...
Btw, seen from previous posts ... I ride 2010 model, albeit its a Zesty 314(poor man's version).What could have been (Video)
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though0 -
ok got a result, the bike shop has stated that the turd is unfit for purpose and gave him a full credit.
hes now got his eye on a orange 5, looks like aids but think it will last a damn sight longer than the zesty.0 -
Nah, Get a Marin
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Orange 5 is a good choice, Marin's are good ... only if they are heavily discounted. Wolfridge 6.9 is seriously a good bike ... very sharp steering due to maxle's at both ends, shame I don't have them. Otherwise for better pedalling platform test ride Trek Remedy ...What could have been (Video)
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though0 -
If there'd been wolfridges at the prices they are now a while back, I'd have nabbed one of those for sure, fearsome bits of kit...Uncompromising extremist0
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mmmmm shame Looks like the 514's going down the broken Commencal Meta 5
path, and I suppose that makes the Orange 5 the real trail bike of the year.
But would have liked to have tried the Lapierre but not now0 -
I was talking with an engineer friend of mine yesterday about metal failure (as you do) and he mentioned that they've been struggling to get good aluminium stock in for quite some time. All their regular suppliers have been having troubles. He says a common problem is for the aluminium to be really soft in the centre. They do a lot of manufacturing with the same alloys, and even the same suppliers in some cases, as are commonly used in mountain bikes.
It might be linked to why we're seeing more than the usual amount of frame failures recently I guess.0 -
I dont see that Yeehaamcgee has I have used an Aluminium smelt and its
down to the user to put the correct grade of metal into the smelt and some how
the manufacturer has used a poor grade of metal and thats why they are cracking
Pretty simple really.
I know i get suppliers trying to sell me a cheaper grade of veneers and timber
for my bespoke furniture business BUT you cant cut corners and if you know it wont work then you simply have to wait for the correct materials to do the job or a
correct alternative is used, especially for a part that is under strong stresses
Lapierre simply need to go and take control of there product.
Maybe its about time to keep it in house and keep an eye on what is going on
instead of profit profit profit.0 -
true, keeping things in house gives you quality control up to a point, but my engineer friend's dilemma was that aluminium stock, including billets for machining and tubing was not up to scratch. They had to return several orders because it was simply not safe to use.
If they were smelting their own Alloys then yes, they could have fine control, but they don't. They manufacture using alloy stock.
I can see how this same problem could be affecting bike manufacture. Maybe a large, well renown facility such as Giant's test the stock, but others might not.0 -
Think it's better people avoid Lapierre's as such. Surprisingly I got annoyed by seeing many of them on my rides. Think it's a good weather sign, as people ditch their HT donkeys to shed and favour a fine steed. Oh well.What could have been (Video)
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though0 -
True points Yeehaamcgee But has long as they stick to what they ordered
it leaves the supplier of materials open for prosecution for supplying low grade ore
and the loss of future business.
I believe there is around 3 to 4 countrys supply Aluminium ore and
each country purduces a different grade of Aluminium ore to the other
and then you have the different mixes of alloys/metals mixed into the Aluminium ore
to give its strengths and silicone to give its elacsticity.
And maybe this is where the hole thing as gone wrong for the manufacturer
for Lapierre bikes..
They have simply listened to there supplier saying I can get the same Aluminium ore
made in the same mix from another country, or they thought they could save some money which as gone badly wrong for them.0 -
popstar wrote:I got annoyed by seeing many of them on my rides
TBH, there you have it- they're very popular bikes, they sold every one they could make last year. Yet most are still out there, working fine and riding about.
Nobody'd deny they've had some bad breaks (ho ho) but talking as though all Zestys break or are going to break makes no sense. The more bikes you sell, the more likely you are to run into problems, and you don't hear from happy customers the way you do unhappy ones.
Take this frame here. Obviously, it's fubarred and it shouldn't have happened. But it's broken 3 times in such a short time, if they were all like that there'd hardly be a lapierre still out in the wild, so obviously it's not universal. So you ask, why does this one frame keep breaking? Maybe it's been abused, who knows, people who hammer bikes then break them rarely admit it. But probably not, it looks too tidy, and these things are made for abuse anyway (there are loads out there getting absolutely hammered and still in one piece)
Maybe some of the other damage comes out of the first break, parts being overstressed as a result. Again, doesn't look like it to me but I guess it's possible. Or maybe, what you have is bad QC and a limited number of very bad bikes. And that's how it looks to me, because they just don't seem to have the volume or rather the percentage of failures to show a major design or production error. Especially when you've got what looks very much like a bathtub curve fail rate in the making (ie it fails fast or it doesn't- most Zesty failures seem to be when they're pretty new)
One thing's for sure, they're not all like this frame. Still don't think I'd buy one But a bit of perspective's in order.
Anyway. What do I know, I have a Hemlock, all my mates are waiting for it to snap in half Uncompromising extremist0 -
I will say it once more in case anyone missed it in the past.
There is no problem with Lapierre frames.
We sell quite a few for a small ish shop and seriously, if they weren't up to scratch then we wouldn't be selling them. We wouldn't be able to afford to. You can't keep people in work in a shop if all the bikes you sell come bouncing back to you in bits.
Our rate of manufacturing fault on this brand is less than 1%... way less. (And the sample size is pretty big.)
Less of the armchair engineering would be useful as well.
As for getting annoyed about seeing as many out there on your rides... why on earth would this be a problem. They are great, great bikes - and as a percentage of all the bikes out there they barely scratch the big boys arses like Trek and Specialized for number of bikes sold and ridden around this country. You aren't the only one with good taste javascript:emoticon('8)')0 -
People didn't miss it, they just chose to ignore it as that kind of rational, informed comment has no place on a thread built on rampant speculation, a complete lack of relevant statistics and circular reporting..0
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thebikechain wrote:I will say it once more in case anyone missed it in the past.
There is no problem with Lapierre frames.
We sell quite a few for a small ish shop and seriously, if they weren't up to scratch then we wouldn't be selling them. We wouldn't be able to afford to. You can't keep people in work in a shop if all the bikes you sell come bouncing back to you in bits.
Our rate of manufacturing fault on this brand is less than 1%... way less. (And the sample size is pretty big.)
I had shop owners of Commencal bikes saying exactly the same thing to me when my Meta 5 cracked. As time has gone on they've stopped trying to deny that 2009 was a bad year. We're just at the start of the reports coming in for Lapierre, so give it a 12 months and then tell me that 2010 still wasn't a dud year.
It just all sounds too familiar to me. I'll be avoiding Commencal and Lapierre from now on.0 -
Nice to see some perspective from thebikechain and jam1e!
I've one of the first few Zesty 314's in the country (2008 model), I spent the first year I owned it telling everyone that it was the best bike i've ever owned (and I've had a few over the past 20 odd years riding) and it's still going strong. It's seen everything from Fort Bill Dh, enduro races, Ben Nevis descents and trail centres up and down the land. No cracks, no failures, just a great riding bike. My Mates are riding Spicys and have the same story - no issues, no problems. So maybe a little less speculation and a bit more riding your bikes might not be a bad plan! Sounds to me like it's a problem one or two guys have had thats just been blown out of proportion by folks on web forums! 0 -
+1. Zesty is the bestest.What could have been (Video)
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though0 -
thebikechain wrote:I will say it once more in case anyone missed it in the past.
There is no problem with Lapierre frames.
We sell quite a few for a small ish shop and seriously, if they weren't up to scratch then we wouldn't be selling them. We wouldn't be able to afford to. You can't keep people in work in a shop if all the bikes you sell come bouncing back to you in bits.
Our rate of manufacturing fault on this brand is less than 1%... way less. (And the sample size is pretty big.)
Less of the armchair engineering would be useful as well.
As for getting annoyed about seeing as many out there on your rides... why on earth would this be a problem. They are great, great bikes - and as a percentage of all the bikes out there they barely scratch the big boys arses like Trek and Specialized for number of bikes sold and ridden around this country. You aren't the only one with good taste javascript:emoticon('8)')
What are your figures for sales vs returns?0 -
I still maintain that the failures have to be far more common than other brands. There really are manufacturers from which I've never heard of a failure.0
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Yeehaamcgee, you are so fierce at pointing fingers at Lapierres. There must be something personal going on ? I like Wolfridge of my riding buddie but wouldn't pick negatives about it in order to defend my bike . God bless. What could have been (Video)
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though0 -
I'm not fiercely pointing the finger at Lappierres at all. I'm just being reasonable. If I hear several reports from several sources about frames breaking, I'll take the cautious approash and go to a manufacturer that has no major failure issues. Why is that so fierce?
I even have a rational suggestion as to why frame failures are becoming more frequent recently.
I seem to have inadvertently offended you based on your and my choice of bikes.
And where in this thread have I defended my bike exactly?
Grow up.0
This discussion has been closed.
