[Closed] Warranty issue with DEVINCI/FREEBORN

Not really Freeborn's problem if you bought it in Spain though

Sorry, I am spanish and I bought it to Freeborn

Why did you use a shim ?

Hold up, if you bought the bike in Spain what does this have to do with Freeborn?

I also think they are fair to refuse warranty, they don't list every single thing you shouldn't do to the bike.

I disagree with your wording of the thread, but how exactly do they know that you used a shim?

Got to agree with Matthewh though, it's not Freeborn's problem if you bought it elsewhere.

I used a shim because my GD was 27'2mm and because the owners manual do not avoid that.

Did you mean you are from Spain but bought the bike from Freeborn?

Did the owners manual say "do not ride into a wall"? Exagerated example but, as I said above, they don't list everything that will invalidate your warranty

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/seatpost-shims-and-warranties

They know that I used a shim because first they said that it was because I did not insert the seatpost 3". So I sent them photos proving that it was not true.

Normal Man: correct

you basically bodged a bit of your bike to make it fit. It sucks but you're stuffed

Most (if not all) manufacturers will not warranty when a seatpost shim is used even if it may not be explicitly obviously written (same thing everyone said to you a day or two ago in your only other thread you have contributed to on STW).

Again, if you are still upset or feel this is not made clear then the original shop (even if Freeborn) are the ones to be asking the questions to. Don't drag Freeborn in to an inflammatory titled thread one day into trying to get a decent explanation/ decent resolution to your problem 😉

Personally, if I buy a new bike which had a seattube spec of 31.6mm then I'll buy a 31.6mm seatpost rather than try and shim up a small diam post.

You're on dodgy ground here and your provocative thread title does you no favours.

Only made sure that you will not use a shim in a Devinci despite the owners manuel do not say anything about that 😉

If I have read a post like this I would not buy a Devinci or may be I woud buy another GD

TBF, folk have been using 27.2 Gravity Droppers in larger sized tubes for years and I'm not aware of a whole lot of problems doing so.

Many frame tubes come with a built-in shim too.

I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you, but I have to say I wouldn't personally use a seatpost shim as I'd be concerned about tolerances etc. I'm afraid I can understand why they wouldn't warranty it, but also don't see what it has to do with Freeborn.

mokl, you are right, the problem is basically with Devinci

but i can not edit the title, sorry

why would a shim cause damage ? (assuming long enough to allow contact down to minimum insertion point)

Devinci's owner manual do not say anything about shims, like Scott for example, and other brands permit the use of it.

Is this a Dixon? [img] [/img]

If so I'm afraid that I agree with them refusing a warranty. The extended seat tube mast design means that you really need much more post in the frame than the length of a shim - I'd say at least 1cm below the bottom of the top tube.

Now, any decent mechanic would know that and I'm sure they'll tell you that the frame needed to be built up by a qualified mechanic which I'm guessing you aren't.

Given that, I suggest you play nicely, don't act as you have so far and they may well provide you with a reduced price replacement front triangle. Breaking a frame is crap but sometimes it's not someone else's fault.

The warranty does not apply if:

*The damages were caused by a fortuitous event;
*The bicycle was purchased from a retailer other than those authorized
by devinci;
*The bicycle was not entirely assembled by an authorized devinci
retailer;
*The bicycle was repaired by a person other than an authorized devinci
retailer;
*You are not the original owner of the bicycle;
*The instructions contained in the user’s manual for all frames and the
technical manual for frames with double suspension were not respected;
*The periodic inspection recommended in the user’s manual for all
frames and in the technical manual for the frames with double
suspension was not carried out;
* Parts not supplied by devinci with the bicycle or not indicated in
the user’s manual for all frames or the technical manual for the
frames with double suspension were used;
*The bicycle was used for an activity other than those for which it was
conceived;
*The bicycle and/or its components were subject to abusive use,
negligence, abnormal and/or excessive use or was implicated in an
accident;
[b]*The frame is too small for you;[/b]
[b]*You used an other seat than the one sold with your bike;[/b]
*The frame and/or its components were modified (ex: polishing,
structural or mechanical modification or addition, stripping, sanding,
strain hardening, shot peening);
*You continued to use your bicycle while it was damaged.

They stipulate that the frame being too small or using the wrong seat voids the warranty.

What would the wrong seat be all about? 😕

I can see the one about the frame being too small and maybe not leaving enough post in the frame. They're website however doesn't give any indication of how much post to leave in the frame.

I've always gone for at least 2 inches below the bottom weld on the seat tube / top tube junction.

What would the wrong seat be all about?

Wrong diameter I expect.

Hi Clubber

Before they know that I used a shim, they said that it was because I did not insert 3" the seatpost. The lenght of the shim is 4" and the seatpost even more.

Maybe I am not a decent mechanic, but they are not too

clubber - Member
What would the wrong seat be all about?
Wrong diameter I expect.

That's what I wondered, so 'seat' could be a poor interpretation of seatpost.

Hi amplebrew

When I was buying the bike I asked about my correct size frame. Freeborn told me M knowing my numbers.

About the seat... how can avoid to use an other seat than the one sold with your bike if I only bought the frame?????

Yesterday's thread you started on the subject was worded better, saying cheated by x in capitals on the front page is a bit harsh, might have been worth checking the warranty with regards to shimming the frame first.
I run a 30.9 to 31.6 shim which on one are fine with as long as its 100mm, but i think running 27.2 to 31.6 sounds like too much IMO. Not that I know anything about it, but I can see having 2mm each side of the post causing excess play and stress unless it extended well down below the top tube join and bottom of seatpost.

Obviously we can't comment on what they have actually said unless you have emails but are you sure there's not something lost in translation? For example of they said that it was only inserted 3 inches rather than 3 inches was the minimum.

clubber, the diameter was correct and I told them that I can prove that because I bought it to chainreaction or wiggje, i cannot remember

@mcgowan

why slag Freeborn bikes off on an open forum when they did not sell the bike to you?

take it up with the original retailer you bought the bike from in Spain.

First port of call always resides with the original retailer, not the distributor of the brand of a new country you were not in, when you purchased the bike

this does not just apply to smaller brands like Devinci, even the big brands like Specialized have removed "Global warranty" because distributors for each country build a "cost" of an expected warranty claims into their margins

-did your original retailer in Spain supply the shimmed seatpost?

-or is this something you fitted yourself?

-did you use fibre grip (carbon paste) whilst fitting the seatpost?

-did you use a torque wrench (5nm) on the seatclamp when fitting the seatpost?

I ran my Dixon with a 31.6mm Reverb with zero issues, sold the bike 2 years ago and new owner is still enjoying the ride with zero issues!

[img] [/img]

something to understand about using a shimmed "dropper post" is that they introduce a stress/strain load to the seat tube that the frame was never designed for

it was designed for native 31.6mm and that is what you should have used, rather than cheaping out and bodging the fitment using a plastic shim to fit a smaller seat post into a larger seat tube

clubber:

"The issue you are having in most cases is due to less than 3" of seatpost being in the frame"

esher shore, read every posts please 😉

mcgowan - Member
Hi amplebrew

When I was buying the bike I asked about my correct size frame. Freeborn told me M knowing my numbers.

About the seat... how can avoid to use an other seat than the one sold with your bike if I only bought the frame?????

All the ready built ones on their [url= http://www.devinci.com/bikes/scategory_83 ]website[/url] come with 31.6 posts.

Here's the pic of the damage

[img] [/img]

So it does look like it's cracked at a point where the shim was.

From freeborn's view I can see that the problem is that they don't know how far the post was inserted in the shim, whether the shim is stiff enough to support the frame, not to mention above that unless you bought it from them I don't see why they would warranty it unless they have a European arrangement.

amplebrew: thats not true, you can buy a reverb in a "reduced" Price if you want

There is a lot of confusion on this thread.

As I understand it the OP is in Spain, however he purchased the frame online from freeborn - hence the confusing line "I bought a De Vinci Dixon from Spain"

@mcgowan

I have read every post and am still confused about what you expect from Freeborn?

your first comment [b]"Last year I bought a Devinci Dixon from Spain."[/b]

what does this have to do with Freeborn / Haven Distribution in the UK?

you claim your bought a Dixon from Spain (from the Spanish distributor?)

the bike industry is not Apple, we do not have "global warranty"? Surely, make your claim against the Spanish retailer / distributor rather than dragging Freeborn into this mess, especially in public on a forum?

mcgowan - Member
amplebrew: thats not true, you can buy a reverb in a "reduced" Price if you want

Sorry, I've got a bit lost on that one.

The Dixons on their site seem to use 31.6 Reverbs.

"The issue you are having in most cases is due to
less than 3" of seatpost being in the frame"

As I said this may be a translation issue. They said only that usually 3" or less is the issue, NOT that 3" is the minimum required.

clubber:

1) I sent photos of me on the bike where they can see the gravity dropper, I can send many more photos

2) I told them that I can show the invoice and photos of the gravity dropper to know the lenght of it

3) Same with the shim

Just out of interest, what is the measurement from the top of the seat tube to the bottom weld of the support junction?

esher shore : english is not my native language, sorry, i will explain you better

- I am spanish
- I bought the frame to Freeborn using internet

Ok well that clears up the freeborn question 🙂

Can you post pics of the bike?

Either way I can certainly understand their issue with this happening with a shim, particularly if they know that this happens when the seat tube isn't properly supported.