This thread was inspired by my current bike shopping and it got me thinking...what manufacturers are not only the easiest to deal with for warranties, who offers the best terms, and who offers the best pricing for crash replacements?
I have had to do two crash replacements on carbon frames. Both for things that I don't think should have cracked a frame through, but they would not warranty it, only do a crash replacement. Which I suppose is better than nothing, but was still painful since they were both relatively new bikes.
The first was a Salsa Beargrease (5 year warranty). Had the metal part of a shovel handle fall onto the top tube and totally crack it through. Blew my mind that it cracked and don't see how the frame was not defective for that to happen, but they billed it as a crash replacement. I can't actually remember what this replacement was because the LBS handled it. I want to say around $1000.
The second was a Santa Cruz Blur (lifetime warranty) swing arm. I was riding at a quarry and was snaking through two "V" shaped rocks and the swing arm glanced off of one of those.....10 seconds of pedaling later hear a very audible "CRACK" and it had almost snapped in two. Again, considering the impact was so benign I was pretty shocked it got annihilated like that, but was again a crash replacement. $350 was the crash replacement cost for the swingarm ("C" carbon), just glad it wasn't the main frame!
Luckily, we have not had to warranty any of our other bikes. However, my family tends to hold onto bikes for awhile (well, the kids and I do...my husband seems to be a revolving door of bikes haha) so I think moving forward I'd be hard-pressed to not go with a company that offers a lifetime warranty.
I have had to do two crash replacements on carbon frames. Both for things that I don't think should have cracked a frame through, but they would not warranty it, only do a crash replacement. Which I suppose is better than nothing, but was still painful since they were both relatively new bikes.
The first was a Salsa Beargrease (5 year warranty). Had the metal part of a shovel handle fall onto the top tube and totally crack it through. Blew my mind that it cracked and don't see how the frame was not defective for that to happen, but they billed it as a crash replacement. I can't actually remember what this replacement was because the LBS handled it. I want to say around $1000.
The second was a Santa Cruz Blur (lifetime warranty) swing arm. I was riding at a quarry and was snaking through two "V" shaped rocks and the swing arm glanced off of one of those.....10 seconds of pedaling later hear a very audible "CRACK" and it had almost snapped in two. Again, considering the impact was so benign I was pretty shocked it got annihilated like that, but was again a crash replacement. $350 was the crash replacement cost for the swingarm ("C" carbon), just glad it wasn't the main frame!
Luckily, we have not had to warranty any of our other bikes. However, my family tends to hold onto bikes for awhile (well, the kids and I do...my husband seems to be a revolving door of bikes haha) so I think moving forward I'd be hard-pressed to not go with a company that offers a lifetime warranty.
