Loosing patience with Endura now

ddraver

Ok bit of a rant coming but I'm so dissapointed

I got a pair of the MT500 splash baggies in May - the seams on the crotch started to give way and the material started to delaminate - these are currently in their second week of the return to Endura under warranty (which one can no longer do direct with endura, i have to send them to a shop in Cornwall from N Wales so that they can send them back to Endura in Scotland (!!!)).

Today I discovered that the Venturi II waterproof trousers i bought last Xmas have come apart at exactly the same seams

WTF do i do now? I'm in the market for a new waterproof jacket too as my Altura Crosslight (1.5yrs old) now leaks like a sieve. (I have some of those Altura Attack 3/4's and they ve fallen apart too!. Do i accept that biking gear in general is shoddily made for what ever reaon and just buy something cheap knowing that it will only last 6 months?

I was in Cotswolds last weekend and noticed that a good quality set of winter waterproof trousers can set you back nearly £200!!! Do I need to spend that much? Are Endura/Altura buying the fabrics and cutting corners on manufacture to keep the price lower for the smaller MTB market?? So do I spend even more money on a Gore Jacket hoping that one company out there is capable of making durable clothing?

AARRRGGGHHH!!!

Broonster

Well, all I can say is that spending extra money on Gore Bike Wear is, IMO, a much better option. I have purchased a fair bit of Gore gear and have never had any quality issues at all with it. I used to buy Endura & Altura stuff (and still buy the odd bits & bobs), but I'm a recent convert to Gore and would happily pay the extra for piece of mind in their quality. There's just too many instances these days of Endura kit not living up to it's price tag.

robertpb

Your Crosslite will leak if you have been washing it in ordinary detergent and 1.5 years down the road.

It needs washing in Nikwax Tech Wash and then soaking in Nikwax TX Direct, then it will be as good as new.

Or you can use the Grangers equivalent, that is what Altura recommend.

ddraver

I ve tried Rob....really i ve tried - all my kit has been cared for to the best of my ability, not been washed in detergent and has been reproofed when it needed it

me and my mate have the same Altura kit and they ve both gone the same way...

robertpb

I'd have a go at Altura then that's not good enough.

I have a Montane velo which only cost me £30 and is made of Pertex it rolls up to the size of an apple it's over 2 years old and I carry it everywhere, still waterproof.

So your crosslite should be still waterproof, and I was thinking of buying a crosslite as they can be had for £49.49 at the moment.

Think I'll hold fire.

ddraver

i'd look elsewhere to be honest yes....trouble is i don't know where!

DCR00

Sometimes you do indeed get what you pay for

Im not having a go at Endura at all, as i have gloves and shorts from them that i wear a lot and im really happy with them, but IMO, when it comes to waterproof gear, its worth spending the extra money and getting something that does what it says on the tin

Personally, i am a big North Face fan. I have two of their jackets (not cyclng specific) that i use to cycle and and they are brilliant

They have just brought out some cycle specific gear, so maybe have a look and just write the Endura thing down to experience ?

Radioactiveman

Also bored of endura stitching dissolving, now I tend to buy only gore. Good quality and well designed,tad expensive but worth it imo.

neninja

My Endura MT500 baggies have gone back too

Crotch seam at the front came apart and the waterproof rear end delaminated - sounds like a common issue.

My Hummvee jersey is going back too as the grip shoulder stuff is all peeling off.

ddraver

DCR00 - True enough, but I would argue that £100 for a pair of waterproof trousers SHOULD be "paying for quality"

Anonymous

What's your saddle? Does it have kevlar corners to it?
The reason I ask is because with an old WTB SST-X saddle years ago, all my shorts, and jeans would wear out at the crotch, and I've never had the same problem with any other saddle.
Might be something to look into.

neninja

Sure it's not my saddles, just looks like poor quality stitching

newclearbomb

Well its not just me then as i was assured earlier on last week !

Ive had a pair of HUMVEES replaced as the stitching disintergrated on the seams under the crotch ! the material also wore thin and broke thro.
This after only about 12 rides, although day long epics you would expect a reputable branded pair of baggies to last far longer than this ?

I have recently purchased an MT500 jersy with pockets in the back, full length zip etc,
This has abrasian resistant material on the outside edge of the arms which has laddered like a pair of tights, the stitching on the seams that run along my sides to the back have also started to wear in the area where my camelback straps run and this has been worn 4 times !
It looks like its not gonna last out Autumn let alone winter.
WTF !
I have always regarded ENDURA to be "in my opinion" the best biking specific manufacturers !

I feel some degree of satisfaction knowing that others are experiencing poor quality materials and that its not just me !
SORRY if thats a bit harsh :evil:
Time to look at GORE Bike Wear then :idea:

stumpyjon

I too have had problems with Endura kit, in my experience it either falls apart quickly or seems OK. Still no good, had liners and gloves come apart on the stitching, seems like a very common Endura problem. It's not recent either been happening for a couple of years at least.

petejuk

I have also suffered problems with endura products. I bought a pair of overshoes that lasted less than a winter. The stitching failed and the zips broke on both overshoes in less than 3 months. I also have a jacket where the stitching failed in the shoulder. I fixed this myself and has been ok since. Both products weren't cheap and were based on good magazine reviews. I won't buy from them again.

ddraver

Saddle is an SDG Formula FX - no obvious kevlar corners....

hmm, stumpy, i was wondering if it was a recent problem as some of my stuff has been great

booo!

Northwind

There's been an awful lot of complaints about these lately. I heard a story on Singletrack about a guy who got a pair of Humvees replaced by the Endura stand at an enduro race, then went back at the end of the day and got the 8 hour old pair replaced again as the stitching had already failed :? And a mate of mine is on his 4th pair. Fair play to Endura though, they do usually stand behind their warranty.

Never had a problem with Altura kit- for shorts, 2 pairs of Mayhems and 2 pairs of Attacks going strong despite constant use and some decent crashes- but I know some people do, and I know their warranty support isn't good at all.

Fox maybe? Their stuff's usually not that much more expensive than those 2 and well made. Never tried their shorts though, the Altura stuff's been too good for me to try anything else but their gloves and jerseys are brilliant.

stubs

I have had lots of problems with shorts and tops from all the big manufacturers. Now its Wiggles own brand Dhb or Polaris or Aldi gear, usually half the price or less and it doesnt seem to wear out any faster.

Would love to try Gore clothes but cant bring myself to pay so much for something thats going to die on a bramble bush or gravel corner.

ddraver

UPDATE FYI - I'm now into the fourth week of the "returns procedure" with Endura with the MT500 baggies - if I ring them up they say I should talk to the shop...

(what is the shop going to do? Ring up Endura and ask them the same question no?)

RevellRider

ddraver wrote:

UPDATE FYI - I'm now into the fourth week of the "returns procedure" with Endura with the MT500 baggies - if I ring them up they say I should talk to the shop...

(what is the shop going to do? Ring up Endura and ask them the same question no?)

You would hope the shop would be chasing it up for you with Endura. Good customer service and all that :P

ddraver

Another Update - shorts received back today, took 29 days exactly

Spoke to the shop i'd returned them too and they gave the following advice FYI:-
-Endura Customer service just get the hump (his words) if you call them, it's best to just leave them to it
-Gore bike jackets may be twice the price but they re twice as good
-Endura are one of the biggest UK bike clothing manufacturers and hence the number of complaints are correspondingly higher - he reckons that they get no more returns per sales than other manufacturers...

I should have said earlier, in the interest of fairness and balance (and so not to be compared to Speed_King) that my non waterproof shorts from Endura have been faultless for years...)

Andy B

I deal with Endura on a weekly basis

They are very pleasant and efficient, I've certainly not got the impression that they get the hump when dealing with returns, I can't fault their customer service

Generally returns are sorted within 10 working days in my experience

I do know that quite a few items are out of stock at the mo, we have quite a bit on back order with them.

ashleymp777

I too had exactly the same problem with the same item. In the end I got a local clothes repair shop to repair them and they've been good as gold ever since.

BUT I wont be buying Endura again - all my previous items have perished in similar ways to what you guys have experienced.

Excitable1

I've too have had the same problems with my Endura gear but only over the last 12 months.

I ran the Venturi eVent jacket and 3/4's for about a 18 months and they fell apart simply through some hammered useage. I was impressed.

I replaced them earlier this year with the PTTFE Venturi II 3/4's and the MT500 jacket.

The 3/4's went in the bin this week end becuse the seat had torn round where the two materials join. This is clearly a stupid design flaw, who in the right mind would put a flimsy seam on the place that takes the most friction and wear. But coupled with that, all the tapes had come off the internal seams and that's the same problem I've been having with the jacket. I'm now on my third one. The last one I'd worn about 6 times and washed twice and almost every single tape had come off the seam. So far this one has been worn 4 times and washed once and I noticed the seam that forms the front map/mp3 pocket has come away. I know this is a common problem. Almost everyone I know who bought the same jacket or 3/4's has said the same thing. When I spoke to Endura about it they said I was on my own (bol***s).

In my opinion Endura products have really gone down hill. There is a distinct drop in quality in terms of design, materials and workmanship.... but no drops in prices to reflect this-£99 for the 3/4's and £140 for the jacket. I expect better. I'll keep you posted on the jacket.