Broken frame :(

spasypaddy

So my planet x died over the weekend. Relatively big crack in the seat stay. Now the frame is 3.5 years old. Surely a frame should last longer than 3.5 years?

its been 'raced' twice one triathlon last year, one TT this year. No mass starts, no accidents, no nothing.

It just cracked when i was riding to work, not even going through a pot hole.

The more i think about it, the more pissed off i get. What if i hadnt found the crack? The crack occured on friday morning, i know when it happened but couldnt see anything on the wheel looking for a broken spoke. I only discovered the crack Sunday lunchtime when i was cleaning my frame, having done a training session friday evening, a club run saturday morning and rode to work on sunday.

If the frame had failed and i'd been riding it and id ended up with my face in the road id probably have sought legal advice, thank god this didnt happen.

PX have said they will offer me a new frame for £299.99 as its out of warranty. I feel this isnt good enough.

Any suggestions people?

Keith1983

You can try and claim that the frame wasn't suitable for the purpose for which it was intended, but then it's going to be impossible to prove that you haven't had a crash or anything similar? Whilst I can appreciate you're pretty miffed with this I don't see what you can do to be honest.

t4tomo

How much is the new frame rrp. i.e are they offering decent discount with £299.99?

iPete

I guess thats one of the risks you take with a carbon fibre, if you want long lasting go steel.

Whats the RRP of the frame, sounds a perfectly reasonable offer to me depending in the discount.

dhope

3.5 years would be less than you would reasonably expect a frame to last IMHO.
Sale of goods and all that.

Similar thread
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16552933

spasypaddy

the frame is available on their website ranging in price from £299.99 - £399.99 depending on colour/stock levels.

well if you look at the damage youd see it hasnt been crashed as its a crack and its not the whole seat stay its just across the seat stay and underneath not the side so it would be pretty difficult to say it was crashed from the damage. also there is no other damage to the frame.

i used to recommend loads of people to them, will never recommend anyone to them again.

kelsen

dhope wrote:

3.5 years would be less than you would reasonably expect a frame to last IMHO.
Sale of goods and all that.

If it were purely down to wear and tear maybe, but as Keith1983 mentioned, it'd be impossible to prove it wasn't down to a crash.

Mr Plum

How is it stored once at work? The reason I won't ride a carbon bike to work is because I have to lock it up in a shared bike shelter - I'd be putting too much faith in other people to not knock the sh*t out of it. IMO, a carbon frame is too fragile to leave in a public bike shelter, so it could be a factor if its been stored that way.

spasypaddy

my planet x has never been left out side, it has never been locked up. in all my jobs since i commuted by bike:
1st office - basement training area
2nd office - basement with 3 other bikes with separate access
3rd job - in a bicycle workshop
4th office - next to my desk (Where my cx bike is currently sitting)

dhope

Wouldn't be so hasty to dismiss them forever more just yet. If memory serves the PX frames are off the the same line as a few other makes and eBay Carbonzone type frames, so its likely just unfortunate.

If it's clear that there's been no impact then 3.5 years for fatigue seems too short.
Offering the replacement at normal cost doesn't sound like any offer at all though. How much correspondence have you had with them - is the £299 a final offer?

HebdenBiker

I thought this thread was going to be about Depeche Mode.

tgotb

If the break is localised, should be able to get it fixed for a lot less than you're bring quoted for a new frame...

spasypaddy

dhope wrote:

Wouldn't be so hasty to dismiss them forever more just yet. If memory serves the PX frames are off the the same line as a few other makes and eBay Carbonzone type frames, so its likely just unfortunate.

If it's clear that there's been no impact then 3.5 years for fatigue seems too short.
Offering the replacement at normal cost doesn't sound like any offer at all though. How much correspondence have you had with them - is the £299 a final offer?

well i hold grudges against awful service. and products that fail on me prematurely come under that description. i will never buy from them again and wont recommend anyone to them either.

ive spoken to them twice and they wont budge. £299.99 was the final offer.

im currently on the phone to consumer direct for some free advice.

TGOTB wrote:

If the break is localised, should be able to get it fixed for a lot less than you're bring quoted for a new frame...

carbonology havent called me back yet but that is something im considering.

dhope

spasypaddy wrote:

dhope wrote:

Wouldn't be so hasty to dismiss them forever more just yet. If memory serves the PX frames are off the the same line as a few other makes and eBay Carbonzone type frames, so its likely just unfortunate.

If it's clear that there's been no impact then 3.5 years for fatigue seems too short.
Offering the replacement at normal cost doesn't sound like any offer at all though. How much correspondence have you had with them - is the £299 a final offer?

well i hold grudges against awful service. and products that fail on me prematurely come under that description. i will never buy from them again and wont recommend anyone to them either.

ive spoken to them twice and they wont budge. £299.99 was the final offer.

im currently on the phone to consumer direct for some free advice.

TGOTB wrote:

If the break is localised, should be able to get it fixed for a lot less than you're bring quoted for a new frame...

carbonology havent called me back yet but that is something im considering.

Next step may be a claim for £299 through small claims then?
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/info ... /index.htm

IANAL

gtvlusso

Sorry to hear about the knackered frame - I guess it cannot be repaired?

Which PX frame is it? The SL carbon?

PX are usually pretty good about this kind of thing - 3.5 years is a fair old while. Have you been using the PX daily? Any upgrades or mods from standard build? Do PX have a rider weight limit on their frames (not saying you are fat or anything, but worth considering).

Yes, I would try for a better deal - like £150 or something, fair price. Or a considerable discount off a nanolight frame.

pastey_boy

or you could spend a bit more on a frame that comes with a lifetime warranty perhaps. px frames are the cheaper end of the scale and with that comes short warranties, like anything in life you usually get what you pay for. your a little out of order ,slagging them off on a public forum for sticking to their clear guidelines and policies.

unixnerd

I thought this thread was going to be about Depeche Mode.

:-)

meanredspider

What about looking at a repair? I believe there are folk out there that will do it.

spasypaddy

pastey_boy wrote:

or you could spend a bit more on a frame that comes with a lifetime warranty perhaps. px frames are the cheaper end of the scale and with that comes short warranties, like anything in life you usually get what you pay for. your a little out of order ,slagging them off on a public forum for sticking to their clear guidelines and policies.

ive ordered a new frame and fork for best, my PX was a week away from winter retirement.

ive just fired off an email to halfords as it was bought through halfords. lets see what happens

Cleat Eastwood

re carbonology, if you email them with a pic of the damage they'll send you a quote almost immediately.

If you do go down that route you may have to chase them up as they are busy but they do deliver on time.

Mr Plum

spasypaddy wrote:

ive spoken to them twice and they wont budge. £299.99 was the final offer.

See if they'll do the full bike build for you @ £299.99 - that may be a fair compromise if it's a full pro build with new cables etc... depends what you feel comfortable with given your usage of the bike vs ware and tare and the life expectancy of a carbon frame.

rolf_f

I don't think 3.5 years is an acceptable lifespan. That's almost new to me. I have a Dawes that is 21 years old and a Raleigh that is 31 years old. The former is in daily commuting use depending on weather and my mood! And I've never even owned a car that post dates the 1980s so I don't agree with anyone who thinks that a bike frame should last as short a time as 3.5 years. In my book, even half £299 is a bit stingy (would depend on aesthetic condition of frame though - my bikes tend to look near new no matter how many miles I put on them so a new frame wouldn't be a great perk for me)..

EKE_38BPM

gtvlusso wrote:

...3.5 years is a fair old while...

You think 3.5 years is a long time for a bike frame to last?!? (And for the first time ever) :shock: (I don't use emoticons)

I know Colin Chapman said:
[paraphrasing]"The perfect race car would cross the finish line in first place and then fall to bits."[/paraphrasing],
but I really don't think that 42 months is a reasonable lifespan for a bike frame that is sold to the public, no matter what material it is made from.

If it was a frame for a pro rider doing pro races, fair enough, but that just seems way too short in my opinion. Five years is the minimum I would expect it to last and even then I would be highly miffed if it died on its fifth birthday.

Spassy, how long is the Planet X warranty?

dhope

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Spassy, how long is the Planet X warranty?

Doesn't matter
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/ac ... =RESOURCES

Remember that as a supplier, any warranty you offer is in addition to your statutory responsibilities under the Sale of Goods Act. A supplier cannot, for instance, refuse to deal with a customer's complaint about a faulty product simply on the grounds that the warranty on the product has expired.

In law, a supplier is still liable for any breach of contract - for example, if the goods are not fit for their purpose, or of satisfactory quality - for a period of up to six years (five years from the date the problem arises, in Scotland). For more information see our guide to the Sale of Goods Act.

EKE_38BPM

dhope wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Spassy, how long is the Planet X warranty?

Doesn't matter

I just meant that 3.5 years seems very short for a bike frame warranty. I don't think I've ever seen a warranty less than 5 years. I think Giant now have 10 year warranties, but I don't know if that includes carbon frames.

sketchley

@Spassdaddy - you are not going to like this. Sorry.

You stated the PX bike was purchased from Halfords. The only good reason for this is that it was brought via Cycle 2 Work Scheme.

As a C2W bike you did not buy the bike your company did and business to business transactions have different rules under the sales of goods act. Whilst there may be a claim your company would need to take this up with Halfords not you. You certainly cannot take halfords or PX to the small claims court. A big problem here is that it could be argued that as a C2W bike it was only expected to last for the period of the rental e.g. one year. Speak to your employer about this.

Your rights under the sale of goods act would extend to repair, replacement or refund from your company as you brought the bike from them. This most you would get would be the FMV you paid. As a £1000 c2w bike 3.5 years old this would have been 5% or £50. Sorry to bring bad news.

Now you could argue that having paid £50 for a one year old bike 2.5 years ago you would expect it to last longer than 2.5 years there you require your company to pay for the repair. Good luck with that in the small claims court, expect £50 and a pissed off employer if you try.

If your company is prepared to play ball they could try and claim off Halfords. Stating that it should of lasted longer but as they sold the bike to you this maybe hard.

If not a C2W bike then contract is with Halfords not PX. PX has no responsibility to you other than their standard warranty. So the £299 offer is fair considering they don't have to do anything. Furthermore if you can negotiate a pro bike build then this is a good job.

On a side note, this does raise interesting question re C2W about lifetime warranties on frames or bikes. You should all check they transferable to a new owner as some warranties are not.

sketchley

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/help/warranty

"Planet-X branded products carry a 2 year warranty for the original owner"

As a C2W bike you are not the original owner. You would have no claim even if under 2 years old.

dhope

Sketchley wrote:

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/help/warranty

"Planet-X branded products carry a 2 year warranty for the original owner"

As a C2W bike you are not the original owner. You would have no claim even if under 2 years old.

Curious, I had a rear brake replaced under warranty... it's a Halfords C2W bike

Edit: Though I did only have to deal with the part time kids instore

EKE_38BPM

Sketchley is not the good news fairy!

sketchley

Looks like a pattern.

http://cdn.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/pdf ... nty_r1.pdf

"Specialized warrants to the original owner for the lifetime of the original owner of each new Specialized bicycle or frameset that the bicycle frame or frameset when new is free of defective materials and workmanship."

So Specialized lifetime warranty on my bike frame is not valid as I am not hte original owner, my company is.

A good reason to avoid C2W I think....

sketchley

dhope wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/help/warranty

"Planet-X branded products carry a 2 year warranty for the original owner"

As a C2W bike you are not the original owner. You would have no claim even if under 2 years old.

Curious, I had a rear brake replaced under warranty... it's a Halfords C2W bike

Warranty is different to the Sale of Goods Act.