Saving to buy a better bike. Setting some goals

[chainstay]

So, you get a crack in your frame: see how far you get arguing the difference between a manufacturing defect and a fatgue failure. Do a Google, I'm sure there're lots of people whinging about this distiction on Cannondales and the other manufacturers that similarly use fancy words.

I purchased a Specialized M2 S Works hard tail mountain bike in 1991, cracked the top tube 8 years later in 1999, and the LBS/Specialized made good on the lifetime warranty, albeit with a small twist, which I was perfectly happy with. Since the M2s were out of production, they gave me the original purchase price of the M2, $1,200 or $1,300 in credit I believe, towards any other Specialized mountain bike the dealer had in stock, with no restrictions on whether it was a bike on sale or not. So I then purchased , in 1999, a top of the line S Works Full Suspension M4 mountain bike with a 5 year warranty, which later was retroactively changed to a lifetime warranty when Specialized went back to lifetime warranties.

I then cracked a chainstay tube on this M4 FSR bike in 2003, and the dealer/Specialized replaced both chainstay tubes free of charge with the new improved, stronger chainstays. In 2005, six years after I purchased the M4, I busted a flange on one of the hubs. Again, the LBS/Specialized gave me a better replacement hub for free. I purchased new spokes to fit the new hub. Total cost for the new hub (free), new spokes and labor to lace them to original Mavic 517 rim was $63.00.

Just about one month ago, I busted a flange on the rear hub of a Bontrager Race Lite that came on a road bike I purchased in spring of 2004. Bontrager has gone back to 5 year warranties, retroactively, and the LBS/Bontrager/Trek gave me the choice of a brand new Race Lite rear wheel for free, or upgrading to a Race X Lite wheel for the difference in retail cost between the two rear wheels---$150.00. I chose the latter option, and now have a newly designed 2008 Bontrager rear Race X Lite wheel that starts over with a new 5 year warranty.

I think you are absolutely right that warranties can be tricky to collect on, but with certain manufacturers, combined with you personally having a good relationship with a LBS where you initially purchased the bike, which said bike shop also has a good, solid relationship with the manufacturer, you can indeed sometimes collect on these warranties as I have done above.

 

[weedvspeed]

Hmm, possibly a better one than you... it gets springier, but at the same time the limits of elasticity become narrower. i.e. over time it will deform under a lesser load, and at the same time will break under a lesser load. Get a alu spoon and try it.

WTF ! bend a steel spoon back and forth and see what happens. Metal fatigue is metal fatigue no matter what the material. The frame/spoon is designed to withstand stresses in normal useage. Go beyond the limits often enough and failure will occur in ANY material.
spoons !

 

[rparedes]

Tp the OP: ignore the comments from threaded. They are wrong on so many levels that it's not worth discussing.

Since you're just getting back into things, I would NOT go the eBay route because it'll prolly be best to be able to test ride bikes to find what feels best, what fits best. Fit changes over time--hell, it often changes from the beginning of a season to the next--so what worked back then may not work now.

I wouldn't worry about choosing a particular material, either. Material properties matter very little in ride quality. I would also not focus too much on components....

Your best bet is to go testride a bunch of bikes at several or many LBSs and then form a short list of favorites. Then you can come back here for help with refining your choices.

Actually, I'm pretty sure I want a lighter frame or "lighter bike" overall so I guess that means looking at Carbon? (hopefully it will last more than 1 year) or staying with alum. and going for a lighter wheelset? (BTW, my OCR1 weighs about 21 lbs, I think). The frame is comfy but I don't think it's worth the money to upgrade... say a new wheelset? the drivetrain and shifters are OK but it could be smoother...I was just trying to be systematic about how i approach the purchase of my next bike; there are sooo many choices...
Thanks for the comments
regards,

 

[alienator]

Actually, I'm pretty sure I want a lighter frame or "lighter bike" overall so I guess that means looking at Carbon? (hopefully it will last more than 1 year) or staying with alum. and going for a lighter wheelset? (BTW, my OCR1 weighs about 21 lbs, I think). The frame is comfy but I don't think it's worth the money to upgrade... say a new wheelset? the drivetrain and shifters are OK but it could be smoother...I was just trying to be systematic about how i approach the purchase of my next bike; there are sooo many choices...
Thanks for the comments
regards,

Don't worry about CF failing in a year, two years, or three years. If that were the fact of the matter, newspapers and magazines would be rife with stories of CF frame failures, manufacturers would be tied up in courts defending their shoddy products, and we'd see a huge number of wounded cyclists walking about. Well, none of that's happenin'.

Did you give a spec for your current bike build?

 

[Powerful Pete]

Doesn't it seem as though the overall IQ of the forum has severely plummeted as of late? It's like I've entered some warped and twisted Twilight Zone episode, where nothing makes any sense at all. It's simply a wasted effort trying to explain your point, however logical it may be, to those who absolutely refuse to listen.

LOL. Amen to that.

 

[janiejones]

I sure am glad I found this thread. Here I have been riding everyday, and racing my 10 year old Redline aluminum cyclocross bike with no idea it was about to catastrophically fail at any minute. What's even worse is the forged aluminum wheels on my 6 year old BMW, not to mention the aluminum cyclinder head, aluminum control arms... could go at any minute! They are three years past the expiration date, that cars a death trap! I better send it to the crusher, too dangerous to sell! I'm going to stay off the freeways from now on, way too many people driving around 3 year old junkers with aluminum wheels that are about to disentigrate.
Damn, my aluminum frame motocross bike just passed the the aluminum expiration date! I'm going to have to buy all new new bikes and vehicles!

Yes, and now that Boeing are using a lot of carbon fibre, I guess we'll see a lot of 747s at the rubbish dump in about twelve months.

 

[rparedes]

Yes, and now that Boeing are using a lot of carbon fibre, I guess we'll see a lot of 747s at the rubbish dump in about twelve months.

Don't forget to mention the stealth bombers, F-18's, F-21's, cobras, etc, they will probably end up at the dump too!