Just wondered what the denizens of STW reckoned on this one. I’ve just emailed Canyon head office in Germany, I’ve kind of lost my patience with Canyon and lost my faith in the direct sales model.

I bought my Nerve AM last autumn and loved it, I’ve posted on here a few times recommending the Canyon – its a great bike. Sadly in the spring I had a major creak which turned out to be a cracked frame. After a bit of arguing Canyon agreed to replace the frame on warranty. So I sent off my bike and waited, and waited. After nigh on 2 months, I got it back, shiny and new, then discovered they had broken the rear mech. After a bit of arguing (it was initially my fault as i hadn’t sent the wheels) they agreed to replace it. Another couple of weeks non-riding goes by, and Canyon tell me SRAM have no X7 rear mechs in stock. A week later it arrives, albeit with an apology and an upgrade. I say thanks and move on.

Now it emerges the front mech has been fitted incorrectly, and the threads crossed. As it bolts directly onto the frame, it can’t be tightened up, and I’ve been told by the LBS that its a warranty job – they won’t touch it.

So I contacted Canyon UK on Saturday. No answer to email and no answer on the phone, literally phoned every 15 minutes on Monday, voicemail, voicemail, voicemail. I’ve now emailed Canyon Germany direct and been told they will have a look at my bike – but I’ve got to get it to them out of my own pocket, and obviously accept that I won’t have a bike for x amount of weeks again.

I’ve said I don’t want a warranty replacement – I want a refund. I bought the bike on the basis that there was a UK contact, which doesn’t really seem to be the case. I understand the bike is now 10 months old, but I’ve only been able to ride it for 7 months of that, through no fault of my own!

So, I know some will say I’m reaping going for the direct model, and I accept that, but well, I needed a vent! What’s your thoughts? Just suck it up and wait for the replacement, or push for refund?

Think i’d suck it up and helicoil/tap the hole out to a bigger diameter. Not ideal but its gonna cost a fortune to send over etc. Great bikes at a great price til there are issues…

They should fix it.

If it was mine, I’d maybe be chalking it up to experience now, make sure I badmouth them at all possible opportunities and get the mech mount helicoiled or similar.

Great bikes at a great price til there are issues…

This, issues of buying abroad.

Refund!
Good luck.

I think I would just buy a new front mech.

What’s more important riding time of £20 or £30?

I always find it interesting when people buy a cheaper bike from a company like Canyon and end up like this. Their bikes are cheaper because their is no middle man and in this case you kinda needed the middle man.

Cut your loses and get it fixed, next time buy from a bike shop you can walk into.

thanks for the quick replies guys, most echoing my opinions, if not my hopes!

@Teamslug – thats what I had originally thought to do, but LBS have said they don’t want to touch it as its not a frame they ‘support’ ie a cube, orange or cannondale, and they’re afraid will void warranty.

@Clubber – I think that may be all I can do. They’ve just replied to my second email saying that its not possible to refund under any circumstances as the bike is too old.

@Shortcut – the mech itself is fine, but i can’t mount it to the frame!

Reasonable to be disgruntled certainly, but I can see why they are reluctant to refund you.

Is this a new unridden frame with the front mech mounts cross-threaded as they fitted it?

If so they should pay your return postage 100%.

@Chakaping, yeah i know, i was contacting them more out of hope than belief! I had a new frame built up by them and sent back. I’ve since ridden it a fair bit, but not taken anything apart, so there’s no other way the mount has gotten threaded than by their mechanic.

Go 1 x 10? It’s the future anyway, apparently…

Refund, or they pay postage and fix. Stick to your guns, don’t accept less.

Not having a dig, but if you are sending a frame back for a warranty replacement, why leave all the mechs etc on it? I would have stripped it down.

They should fix it but the sake of a few quid for a helicoil I’d just fix it and get back to riding.

@Scott – that’s how they told me to send it, so i did. I asked if i needed to strip it down, they said “no, we’ll strip it and rebuild it for you as part of warranty”

@nick – that’s what i’m leaning towards. I mean, I like the bike, it rides really well (and yes, its a huge skill compensator before anyone asks!!) and I can see a lengthy email battle with me unable to ride the bike and ultimately ending up with a repair.

Aaaaah, so. They built up the bike, you’ve since ridden it a ‘fair bit’ and now you’ve discovered the front mech anchor point is cross threaded. Is that right?

What’s the length of time between build and discovery and how many miles? Might be less certain of them taking responsibility if a considerable amount of cycling water has passed under the bridge…..

yeah i agree, it’d be more cut and dried if it was instantly discovered, but if its been ridden carefully, and cared for, then what difference does it make to the cross thread? Surely its cross threaded or its not, riding it won’t make any difference?

It makes a difference if it’s months/years not weeks and 1000’s of miles. There’s more opportunity (and likely hood) of the buyer buggering it up the more time they have. Not everyone is as honest as you in there dealings …..

ah, ok, no its literally about 6-8 weeks i think i’ve had the frame back, and limited miles as i only get out once, maybe twice a week. (i know, pathetic!)

nickjb – Member
… but the sake of a few quid for a helicoil I’d just fix it and get back to riding

Oh yeah, great idea – completely invalidate the warranty! On such advice STW thrives!

@Dezb is that true? Will it invalidate my warranty?

Frame modifications? I’m pretty certain it will. Check the smallprint.

Oh yeah, great idea

It’s what I’d do, so it’s what I’d advise. Sounds like you have a lot more faith in their warranty department, I’d rather have a working bike and less agro. I doubt helicoiling a damaged, non load bearing thread would make any difference anyway.

Why not ask canyon ffs!

Why not ask canyon ffs!

So I contacted Canyon UK on Saturday. No answer to email and no answer on the phone, literally phoned every 15 minutes on Monday, voicemail, voicemail, voicemail. I’ve now emailed Canyon Germany direct and been told they will have a look at my bike – but I’ve got to get it to them out of my own pocket, and obviously accept that I won’t have a bike for x amount of weeks again.

about whether helicoiling would invalidate the warranty!

with it being bught from Germany Sale of goods act does not apply IMO. You have little legal recourse and no right to a refund as a result.

Scream and shout all you like – but you are relying on goodwill

why on earth are folk buying those craters of bikes is anyone’s guess.

Go YT for vgvfm with a wicked spec!

Sounds like a warranty job. I’d just send it back and be prepared to wait, that way you are covering yourself. Not ideal. It’s good that you are sharing your experience, the bikes always get good write ups but part of buying a product is the support that goes with it.
I wonder if other direct sales companies such as Rose have as bad customer support.
With regards to any comeback it may be worth contacting your local trading standards/citizen advice to see what their take on sale of goods act will be.
Either way good luck in getting it sorted. I don’t suppose a standard front mech will bodge on somewhere?

doubt helicoiling a damaged, non load bearing thread would make any difference anyway.

I had a frame yers back, that the bottle cage boss came loose in. My dad fixed it with a bigger sized boss and it invalidated the warranty. Load bearing isn’t an issue.

If that happened to me I would get a refund and never buy any of there products again.

Sell it on here, and buy a Specialized, their warranty is amazing.

Thanks for the replies guys. I think probably the best course of action is going to be to suck it up, get a German repair or new frame and then sell it on or deal with it and carry on riding!

I would love to push for a refund but after 10 months I can’t see it happening, as much as I’d love to!

I think it could be repaired by my lbs, but I also think it would invalidate my warranty, Which isn’t worth a couple of weeks non riding.

So, a warning to all that consider the canyon direct sales model!

Don’t think you’re being unreasonable, waiting months for repairs is never acceptable. Sure buying direct from Germany you should expect to be a bit more patient when sorting warranty issues but sounds like they’re taking the piss a bit. I can see your dilemma with the mech issue to (although can also understand Canyon’s reluctance to replace the frame again given they could just think you were ham-fisted rather than them delivering it back that way). I think, as someone posted, it’s worth checking the helicoil situation with them or whether an e-type mech would work, if helicoiling does negate the warranty then I think I’d get it done and keep riding – not really worth the hit you’ll take selling it on and just hope it doesn’t break again (they don’t seem to have a reputation for it…).
Threads like these do make me think twice about it though (I was sure my next bike would be a direct sales one and you always think you won’t be the one having warranty problems but the more of these threads I read the more of a concern it is :p ).

Refund?…….good luck with that! Having said that i don’t believe you’re being unreasonable, i’d be well hacked off too. I had a similar situation with an LBS and a Scott Genius, the difference was i could look the guy in the eye and although begrudgingly the service and warranty was fine, until the 3rd warranty job in 7 months or so when he recommended i ‘don’t do jumps’ on the new frame, i never did!!!! Stripped it down and sold it immediately taking the loss on the chin……BASTARD! 😯

Not sure in this case it’d be much different if you’d got it from an LBS. Obviously turnaround would be quicker and no expensive postage, but if you’ve been riding around on it for 10 months I’d imagine many shops wouldn’t exactly be falling over themselves to warranty stuff like that.

Bit of an update to close this off.

Spoke to a different lbs as a last resort before packing bike off to Germany post my reentry at canyon. They seemed utterly confident they could fix it, no mention of warranty issues etc, but a couple of weeks lead as they’re super busy. So I wait with baited breath.

They phoned me today….and…..fixed! Just like that! So mildly embarrassing post my rant at canyon, but so relieved to get it sorted! Turns out the bolt was loose but not due to the threads being destroyed, just due to it not being tightened up! I don’t know how to do an embarrassed emoticon, but if I did, it’d be here.

In my defence, you can’t access the bolt without removing the cranks, so I could only take the word of my lbs on the damaged thread.

So anyway, the upshot is my bike is fixed so I’m back out riding again!

Lollage !

– so, this LBS of yours, … ??

Change LBS.

Already done! All my business is going there from new on. Longer lead times, but obviously because they’re good!