Specialized have always had a well justified reputation for being superb. Trek are good, but they do things very much by the book. They will warranty a 20 year old frame (I’ve seen it), but only if it’s a very clear cut warranty job. They won’t make concessions for frames bought second hand etc. Spesh traditionally were much more keen to just replace anything that broke! Spesh have moved to Trek’s way of working now, it’s a shame, but perhaps inevitable.

But then I broke a Titus (pre Planet-X) and it came back from them more damaged than when it went, and they didn’t actually accept the warranty claim. Buying from a bespoke brand was definitely not better service!

Trek are just as bad, IMO, even on much newer frames.

They were faultless when my Top Fuel (swingarm) cracked last year.

+1 on calling them rather than email.

I’ve no direct experience but a mate had some wheels replaced 2 or 3 times under warranty, in the end I think they gave him a brand new upgraded set.

When I worked in a Spesh dealer they were very, very good almost to the point of being too helpful (one chap with a second hand frame got a great deal on a replacement).

I’m guessing that the wheelsize change is going to have an impact – its not longer just a frame. Older forks and wheels will no longer work so, if a nre frame were offered with bigger wheels I can imagine people kicking off.

Buying from a bespoke brand was definitely not better service!

I wouldn’t expect it to be, especialy not a struggling outfit like Titus.

They were faultless when my Top Fuel (swingarm) cracked last year.

Glad you had a good experience. They were shocking when a cable rubbed most of the way through my carbon Fuel EX within months.

Even though it said in their internal literature that customers should be warned by dealers of the risk of such… and I wasn’t!

njee- have you dealt with them since April or May? The shop I was dealing with were really struggling with them and said the difference since they changed staff was marked. They showed me a Hardrock frame sent to replace a Rockhopper, my Stumpjumper was completely wrong and things were taking months rather than days to sort.

Chapaking, you got screwed by the shop in that case, not Trek

Seesm I was wrong about Trek – they’re back to 5 years on wingarms,.

They did go to one year a while back – after a spate fo cracks on Remedy frames too. Good to see they’ve improved it.

Chapaking, you got screwed by the shop in that case, not Trek

Both to be honest, Wheelies were a shower of **** too and I have done my best to warn others against getting involved with the weasels.

honourablegeorge – Member

Seesm I was wrong about Trek – they’re back to 5 years on wingarms,.

They did go to one year a while back – after a spate fo cracks on Remedy frames too. Good to see they’ve improved it.

You were right when you said some were less than 5 years. Trek only warranty the swing arms on aluminium Session, Scratch, Slash and Ticket model frames and swing arms for 3 years and 2 years on the carbon Session frames and swing arms.

Wheelies were a shower of **** too and I have done my best to warn others against getting involved with the weasels.

Hijack. Wheelies are Tredz, right?

Im more surprised it took you 5 years to crack a chainstay. lol.

I done a seat stay and chainstay on my 2013 stumpy evo within 12 months.

They obviously honoured warranty but on the second one they replaced the seatstay with a generic seatstay that was used on other models as it has a boss welded in to take a brain shock, probably off a camber or something as they didnt hold stock of my specific frame part. Shame really.

Hijack. Wheelies are Tredz, right?

Yep

Glad you had a good experience. They were shocking when a cable rubbed most of the way through my carbon Fuel EX within months.

Surely thats fair wear and tear isnt it?

Well an update on my progress with Specialized, but to answer a couple of questions first, Yes I am the original purchaser/owner, no it hasn’t been hit by a rock or abused in any way, I bought the bike late July 2009 and noticed the crack at the end of August 2014 so yes although a matter of days it is outside of the 5 year window.
Gutted as I don’t ride my bike hard and look after it to an outstanding condition.
I emailed Specialized last night with a more than polite and humble approach and got a reply today saying that they would sell me a chainstay for £200 or give me 20% off of a new bike if they took my bike as part of the deal, this doesn’t fill me with glee as lets say my Stumpjumper is worth £900 (it is in MINT Condition and looks almost new) with a new chainstay so equivalent value before replacement £700, if I were to buy the new 2015 Specialized Enduro 650b (that I have my eye on) which cost £2,600 with their offer of 20% it would take £520 off of the price meaning in real terms my bike gets £520 !!

Still really annoyed and not finished yet (I fear Specialized are though)

Thanks to everyone with positive comments

I bought the bike late July 2009 and noticed the crack at the end of August 2014 so yes although a matter of days it is outside of the 5 year window.

You originally said you’d bought it late in 2009, when in fact it was in mid 2009 and consequently outside of warranty… 🙄

The conditions are set and you’re outside of them unfortunately. £200 for a new swing arm doesn’t sound too bad, nor does 20% off a new bike. Doubt a 5 year old stumpy is worth £900, irrespective of condition. At the end of the day your bike is worth x to you but nothing at all to specialized.

So the ‘fiasco’ involves you not getting a free warranty replacement because your bike isn’t under warranty – but you did get offered a £500 discount on a new bike?

I’m struggling to hold back the tears on your behalf TBH.

Looks like specialized have gone above and beyond with that offer.

Surely thats fair wear and tear isnt it?

Ha, even they didn’t dare try that one.

OP – They’re being quite helpful under the circumstances I think. From your earlier post I thought you were still in warranty. £200 is not unreasonable. I know Orange charge £400-plus.

Still really annoyed and not finished yet

I think you are, youre outside of an already very generous warrenty, and already posted on the forum bashing them, so Id not be expecting further goodwill or a christmas card either.

Agreed, TINAS.

OPs attitude is unbelievable…

Can i put the pitchfork away now?

Still really annoyed and not finished yet

You haven’t got a leg to stand on as far as taking it further to be honest.

They are offering you £520 for a bike that’s broken and outside of warranty.

If you can get more than that for it in the classifieds i’d be well impressed.

Or.

If you can find a brand new rear triangle for less than £200 I’d also be impressed.

Pick an option, and take them up on it.
They are both generous, and both far better than any option you have.

You haven’t got a leg to stand on as far as taking it further to be honest.

Tomorrow morning, somewhere near to Chessington World of Adventures, a phone rings….
Some moments later….
“Yeah, it’s him. Again! I’ll leave him on hold for a while to calm down. I mean, we’ve offered him something above and beyond his warranty, but he’s still frothing away. Oh yeah, and have you seen his rant on STW? Full of words like shame and fiasco when we’re more than honouring our side of the deal!”

Etc.

Last January SBC UK had big changes. All that generosity they were famous for in the UK, was a result of lax control as ‘goodwill’. Their ‘crash replacement’ scheme was ditched for ‘assisted purchase’ (I.e. a new bike at discount, rather than frame set) all in an effort to draw down warranty dept.costs

Since then, things got tightened up very quickly.Things have changed, which have perhaps left the bikes looking overpriced, despite the fantastic frame sets.

nealglover has it nailed.

Good offer from Specialized.

5 year old stumpy worth £900 ???? I dont think so?

Although £200 is a bit steep for a chainstay? Im pretty sure spesh sold me one for my old 06 enduro for £90

Pretty sure I paid £200 for a chain stay for my 2002 big hit fsr when I snapped the drive side weld 7 months into ownership after a ‘funky’ landing off the top at Woburn Sands

Thank you for all the positive comments and to all those with stupid unhelpful comments I hope your chain stays snap many miles from home.
As for talk of above and beyond nonsense, 20% discount is the Specialized sop on “Crash replacement discount” as in if you bend your Specialized round a tree they will give you a 20% discount on a new bike.
£200 for a poorly designed chainstay is still not above and beyond, and if you know the offending part you will know exactly what I mean.
Once again thanks to all who have contributed.

don’t let the door hit you on the way out

Bikes break sometimes.

Get over it.

I think 20% off a new bike as a crash replacement is pretty good to be honest, I wish everything else I owned had the same backup.

I’m still failing to understand your side of it. They’ve offered you deals yet you still feel in the right even outside of the warranty period.

It lasted you half a decade yet it was poorly designed? If any of their workers clock this thread.. if they had the attitude of some of the other company owners,they’d go out of their way to give to you naff all for posting this.

……and to all those with stupid unhelpful comments I hope your chain stays snap many miles from home.

Are those the ones that are telling you that you are outside the warranty so they don’t have to give you anything. ?

That’s not “stupid or unhelpful”

It’s real life. Get used to it.

……and to all those with stupid unhelpful comments I hope your chain stays snap many miles from home.

They did, it was a Specialized, they do that, it was also OUT OF WARRANTY, we had a chat no more chain stays left in existence. No offer of a cheap bike. I got over it I suggest you do the same.

An expurgated version of this thread:

“My bike has broken, it’s out of warranty so it’s going to cost me 200 quid to fix it. Otherwise the manufacturer has been good enough to offer me 20% off a new one”

“That’s a good offer!”

“Hmmmmm – I’m not that impressed”

“whatevs”

I don’t work in the bike industry. I do work in an industry where warranty counts for a lot. Our service department used to be very “helpful” to anyone with faulty/broken products. Financially this was expensive. One bad year and they were all made redundant. The remaining team took on their work load with no extra reward. The end result is that we are very tight now on warranty conditions and if the customer is out of warranty they pay. Customers who complain about this and expect freebies are not looked on very favourably as what they are asking potentially less to colleagues being out of work, losses and pay freezes.

Financially times are tough for everyone. A company that is right on warranty terms and conditions is probably worth dealing with as there is a good chance that they will still be around for the length of thewarranty they are offering.

OP I’d take stock and move on. In this instance what did spesh do wrong?

to all those with stupid unhelpful comments I hope your chain stays snap many miles from home.

Well yours has, so I suppose Karma is currently switched on.