Cracked frame(?)

[OakLeaf]

Wow, that s*cks. That's so different from the experience my friend had just last year. IIRC Trek also paid the difference to replace any components that weren't compatible with his new frame (seatpost I believe, I think both FDs were clamp-on, but I could be totally wrong about both). Sorry to hear what happened to you.

[Seajay]

Perhaps someone should direct them to this thread...

I'm certainly going to inquire about this "cut and check" thing with our Trek rep to be able to help our clientele better if it happens here. Sorry NY that you had a bad experience. It sounds like your local shop tried to take care of you as best they could though...that's good.
I think the Calfee idea "pre cut" is a good idea. If its cut, I would imagine that CC would have to 12:1 bevel the entire section then assure it's alignment during reassembly. Sounds much more complex.

[aicabsolut]

My boyfriend cracked the top tube of his Specialized this summer. Or rather, all the dudes falling down in front and on top of him in a race cracked the top tube. It was just a tiny crushed area, not a through and through crack. Tube was intact. He sent it to Calfee, who is going to repair the carbon for $250. Single color paint is $150 for him. Redoing some of the stripe designs with paint would be really expensive.

I had substantial damage to a carbon frame some years ago, when Calfee's prices were cheaper. My bike was involved in a rear impact while on the car bike rack incident. The downtube was connected but cracked through (highest level repair). Turns out the seat tube was also cracked due to some overtorquing (low level repair) (which I suspect was the LBS because I didn't do much tinkering with my bike at that time). I also killed the fork, which Calfee doesn't fix. I was looking at something like 600 for the repair including shipping, plus buying a new fork. Calfee's repair and paint prices have gone up a good big since then. For a low level frame, I decided it wasn't worth it. I just did crash replacement through the manufacturer, which cost me $1100 but allowed me to get a much higher level frame.

Anyway, I've seen some of Calfee's work (my boyfriend's is still out there getting worked on). They do a good job. You can tell the weave/layup is different, but I wouldn't hesitate to ride a bike after they repaired it.

[pll]

I have been following this thread with curiosity to find out the outcome. I dislike the Trek strategy. Could they not accomplish the same with x-rays or some other non-destructive technique? It just seems like a strategy to push customers away from claiming the warranty. Of course, now I wonder what Cannondale does (given I have one). And good for Specialized!

NY_biker: I hope you get the frame repainted... without any Trek logos!

[zoom-zoom]

Of course, now I wonder what Cannondale does (given I have one).

It sounds like Cannondale is pretty fair about things, at least from what a friend of mine is experiencing. He had an old guy pull out in front of him while he was coming down a hill (he's lucky to be alive). The bike he was on was destroyed. So while he waits for the man's insurance to divvy-out damages he decided to fix up an old Cannondale languishing in his garage. He discovered some stress damage in the aluminum, so he brought it to his LBS. Cannondale is replacing the frame (even 1 size smaller, since the existing bike was always bigger than he felt comfortable with), he is purchasing a new fork and seat post and keeping his existing components.

[ny biker]

Thanks everyone for your support. I'm really not happy about the situation, but working with a helpful LBS manager is helping to keep me calm.

I'm going to ask him to let me know when the bike arrives from Trek so I can scoot over there and take some "before" photos. I think they've actually removed the paint around the crack, so it won't be a true "before," but I would still like something to compare the end product to.

The frame is mostly gray, and the crack is in an area covered by a white stripe (which is not centered correctly on the tube -- it makes centering the saddle really hard because it never looks right). So I don't think repainting (or decal-ing) "Trek" is an issue, but I will check.

Oh, also, Trek Madone cracked carbon frame Trek carbon frame crack Trek carbon warranty Trek carbon replacement. (I'm trying to add phrases to get this thread to show up in google searches, in case it's helpful to anyone else out there dealing with a similar problem. )

[Blueberry]

Oh, also, Trek Madone cracked carbon frame Trek carbon frame crack Trek carbon warranty Trek carbon replacement. (I'm trying to add phrases to get this thread to show up in google searches, in case it's helpful to anyone else out there dealing with a similar problem. )

To sum it up: Trek customer service for cracked carbon madone frame sucks. Trek's replacement policy for a cracked carbon madone frame also sucks.

Here's hoping Calfee will do what you're hoping for and more!

[ny biker]

So, this is taking a long time.

Three weeks ago, the frame arrived back at the LBS from Trek. I went and took a few photos of the cracked tube. I don't know how long it took to ship the frame out to Calfee after that. I called the LBS last week for an update, and they had not yet gotten an estimate from Calfee. Then the service manager at the LBS who is handling this for me was out sick. He was finally able to get the estimate today.

The actual repair will cost $180. For painting, I have two choices. The original paint job was silver with a white stripe running along the top of the tube, and the Trek logo on either side. My choices are: repaint the whole top tube silver for $150, or repaint to keep the original stripe and logos for $225. Since the stripe was actually not properly centered, and I'm not feeling the love for Trek right now, I told them to go ahead and paint the whole tube silver.

The Calfee website says it generally takes 3 weeks for a repair, so I guess there's still a chance I will see my bike again before 2012. But at this point I'm just assuming there's a backlog, and I'm not holding my breath.

Meanwhile, some things I've realized in the past few weeks:

- It's really easy to clip in and out with the SPD pedals on my mountain bike.
- My mountain bike is really heavy to carry up a flight of stairs.
- On a paved trail, I'm faster on my mountain bike now than I was before I got the road bike in 2003.
- I don't even know what components are on it, but they shift really smoothly.

[ny biker]

FINALLY!!!!!! Finally finally finally finally finally. My bike has arrived back at the LBS and they're building it up now.

I was starting to think Calfee had shipped it back here by boat via the Panama Canal, since the LBS manager told me almost 2 weeks ago that they had received notification that it had been shipped at the end of December. But apparently there was a paperwork mixup that delayed things.

If all goes well, I will be riding my bike this weekend on my new indoor trainer, since we're having actual cold winter weather this weekend.

[indysteel]

Thank goodness. What an ordeal, but I'm happy that you and your bike are finally being reunited.

[hid558]

Thank God! I know what it is waiting for a bike. Pictures Please

[redrhodie]

Yay! I hope it's as good as new. Can't wait to see pics.

[jusdooit]

So gald you finally got it back. Please poast bike porn!!!

[Brandi]

I've been following this thread out of curiosity and I agree, I'd love to have people know about this, and I'd like Trek to know that people know.

Calfee will do a fabulous job, though.

I am just ticked! There should be no question! Someone should send trek a link to this thread so they can see what their business model is getting them! I won't buy from them knowing now this is how they handle their customer's after less then a year! Not cool at all!

[pll]

ny_biker: did you ever post before and after pictures? I know Calfee does great work (a friend had his repaired there after a crash during a race).