I dropped my chain and logged it between my crank and my frame.The frame never had a metal protecter strip.The frame cracked all the way around the tube.Trek said no to fixing it and no to replacing it.Anybody else have this problem?

When the first Trek carbon fiber bikes came out a bunch of guys from my cycling group bought them. Eventually most all of them developed cracks on the bottom bracket. This was okay at first when Trek offered a life time warranty for their frames. Now, they only offer a 5 year warranty (even if you bought an original "lifetime" frame, Trek makes sure your replacement frame now carries a 5 year warranty). Sounds like they don't have too much faith in their products. Stay away from plastic bikes!

Steel is real!

http://www2.trekbikes.com/owners_manual/warranty.html

I thought it was lifetime; chain getting stuck would be deemed 'Damage or failure due to accident, misuse, abuse, or neglect'...the accident part.

I thought it was lifetime; chain getting stuck would be deemed 'Damage or failure due to accident, misuse, abuse, or neglect'...the accident part.

Are they offering a 'good will' price on a new frame or a price to repair it?

A lot of mfgs will offer a half price frame in situations like this. Half price covers their costs, probably makes them some profit, and usually keeps the customer pretty happy.

Good luck

your getting screwed.

I dropped my chain and logged it between my crank and my frame.The frame never had a metal protecter strip.The frame cracked all the way around the tube.Trek said no to fixing it and no to replacing it.Anybody else have this problem?

That is one reason I went with a Kestrel Talon over the Trek and Giant. Lifetime warranty plus a lifetime crash replacement warranty. Crash replacment will not get you a free frame but will get you one at a very nice discount. Good deal all around. Good bike by the way.

Mike

Also, and I understand that it's a little late now, but on the next frame...install a chain retention device, I've been using the Deda Dog Fang for 6 months and the one time the chain came of it was puched straight onto the 42 small and then away I went. They weigh pratically nothing ang do a great job protecting the frame.

Trek Bicycle Corporation warrants each new Trek frame, rigid fork, or original component part of the bicycle against defects in workmanship and materials:
For the lifetime of the original owner-

• The bicycle frame or rigid fork

For one year-

• Paint and decals

• All original parts, excluding suspension forks and rear shock absorbers

• Suspension forks and rear shock absorbers shall be covered by the stated warranty of the original manufacturer.

This warranty does not cover-

• Normal wear and tear

• Improper assembly

• Improper follow-up maintenance

• Installation of parts or accessories not originally intended for, or compatible with, the bicycle as sold

• Damage or failure due to accident, misuse, abuse, or neglect

• Labor charges for part replacement or changeover

This warranty is void in its entirety by any modification of the frame, fork, or components.

This warranty is expressly limited to the repair or replacement of a defective item and is the sole remedy of the warranty. This warranty extends from the date of purchase, applies only to the original owner, and is not transferable. Trek Bicycle Corporation is not responsible for incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.

Claims under this warranty must be made through an authorized Trek dealer. Proof of purchase is required. The subject item must be registered with Trek Bicycle Corporation, either through on-line registration or by the receipt of a warranty registration card by Trek, before a warranty claim may be processed.

This warranty gives the consumer specific legal rights, and those rights may vary from place to place. This warranty does not affect the statutory rights of the consumer.

Will Trek fix it for a fee? The problem really falls on your shoulders due to the bad adjustment of your front derailleur. Trek shouldn't have to fix this for free or offer any deal. It would cost them a bundle if they honored a freebee every time someone dropped their chain.

Trek Bicycle Corporation warrants each new Trek frame, rigid fork, or original component part of the bicycle against defects in workmanship and materials:
For the lifetime of the original owner-

• The bicycle frame or rigid fork

For one year-

• Paint and decals

• All original parts, excluding suspension forks and rear shock absorbers

• Suspension forks and rear shock absorbers shall be covered by the stated warranty of the original manufacturer.

This warranty does not cover-

• Normal wear and tear

• Improper assembly

• Improper follow-up maintenance

• Installation of parts or accessories not originally intended for, or compatible with, the bicycle as sold

• Damage or failure due to accident, misuse, abuse, or neglect

• Labor charges for part replacement or changeover

This warranty is void in its entirety by any modification of the frame, fork, or components.

This warranty is expressly limited to the repair or replacement of a defective item and is the sole remedy of the warranty. This warranty extends from the date of purchase, applies only to the original owner, and is not transferable. Trek Bicycle Corporation is not responsible for incidental or consequential damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.

Claims under this warranty must be made through an authorized Trek dealer. Proof of purchase is required. The subject item must be registered with Trek Bicycle Corporation, either through on-line registration or by the receipt of a warranty registration card by Trek, before a warranty claim may be processed.

This warranty gives the consumer specific legal rights, and those rights may vary from place to place. This warranty does not affect the statutory rights of the consumer.

What they say they will do it not at issue. What is at issue is that they (and many other companies) should do whatever it takes to please a previous, current or potential customer. Remember, the customer is ALWAYS right and is NEVER in the wrong. Trek and others should give away and/or replace any item, at anytime even if it means losing money. After-all, they are Corporate America and have gotten rich off the the sweat of the more deserving poor.

If they were as smart as some poster here and were aware of the great damage that will be done to their name by post like this they would hand deliver each and everyone of us a new bike free of charge. Upon doing so their profits would go through the roof.

That's why I would never buy a bike with carbon chainstays. That's just dumb.

Trek and others should give away and/or replace any item, at anytime even if it means losing money.


Are you for real?!?

With no offence to the OP, in no other industry would you hear people complain that the product wont be replaced for free because they broke it. Imagine your TV falling over because you made an unstable TV stand for it...would you expect Sony to replace your TV for free? Do you really think they would? "Hello, Sony? I dropped my TV and broke it and would like you to send me a new one for free..."

To the OP: are you able to claim on your house insurance? Might not be worth it, but you could look into it.

What they say they will do it not at issue. What is at issue is that they (and many other Remember, the customer is ALWAYS right and is NEVER in the wrong. Trek and others should give away and/or replace any item, at anytime even if it means losing money. After-all, they are Corporate America and have gotten rich off the the sweat of the more deserving poor.
This is why companies don't offer real lifetime warrantees any more. Every Joe who damages his frame due to their own negligence wants a new one...and they always think they are right. How is a company expected to make money in an environment like that. The response from Trek and others should be, "Yes you are right...but now you will pay twice as much to cover any potential loses".

I expect a company to replace a frame that is faulty due to design or manufacture. Just about anything else is my fault.

Are you for real?!?

I'm am my post is not. It was an attempt a sarcasm.

With no offence to the OP.

Don't be to concerned with people taking offense if you are giving an honest answer to their question.

Anybody else have this problem?

All my bikes are made of metal. ;)

I dropped my chain and logged it between my crank and my frame.The frame never had a metal protecter strip.The frame cracked all the way around the tube.Trek said no to fixing it and no to replacing it.Anybody else have this problem?

If you bought it new, I would pin this expressly on the dealer. The reason Trek refuses to cover it is that it is a known problem that they provide a solution to (a little metal disc that prevents the chain from reaching the BB shell area). If the frame doesn't have the protective disc installed, they view it as an assembly problem, not a defective frame. It's a consistent policy and it's your dealer's fault if they didn't include the metal disc.

I dropped my chain and logged it between my crank and my frame.The frame never had a metal protecter strip.The frame cracked all the way around the tube.Trek said no to fixing it and no to replacing it.Anybody else have this problem?

If you bought it new, I would pin this expressly on the dealer. The reason Trek refuses to cover it is that it is a known problem that they provide a solution to (a little metal disc that prevents the chain from reaching the BB shell area). If the frame doesn't have the protective disc installed, they view it as an assembly problem, not a defective frame. It's a consistent policy and it's your dealer's fault if they didn't include the metal disc.

If they can afford to let some people get a windfall, the cost will eventually be transferred to honest customers who do not misuse or crash their bikes. Crash replacement would be a good compromise.

By the way, what happened to the protective metal plate? This particular year model never had it? Or Trek forgot to put it on even though it should have? Or it fell off at some point? Also I believe a ring shoudl also be installed on the BB to guide the chain, is that there?

Trek has been great in warrantying my frame a couple years back, so I wouldn't rush to a conclusion just yet.



What they say they will do it not at issue. What is at issue is that they (and many other companies) should do whatever it takes to please a previous, current or potential customer. Remember, the customer is ALWAYS right and is NEVER in the wrong. Trek and others should give away and/or replace any item, at anytime even if it means losing money. After-all, they are Corporate America and have gotten rich off the the sweat of the more deserving poor.

If they were as smart as some poster here and were aware of the great damage that will be done to their name by post like this they would hand deliver each and everyone of us a new bike free of charge. Upon doing so their profits would go through the roof.

Haha, bikes made of all materials could be damaged due to some accident. You are going to stop riding and start running as a hobby, right?

That's why I would never buy a bike with carbon chainstays. That's just dumb.

Tell you a story. I once had this expensive ti bike built with Record and other Bling parts. The cranks were 172.5s and I wanted 170s. A local guy happened to have a set of 170s and agreed to trade with me. Since his chain rings were slightly newer, he insisted on switching the rings back so he would keep his rings. Well, fine by me. But he did such a poor job of tightening the bolts (on my set at least) that while riding, the fifth hidden ring bolt came out of the crank arm and dented the chainstay big time (heard a loud bang). So I sold the frame for about 1/4 of what I would have otherwise gotten, plus lots of free disclaimers.

The point is, metal bikes get damaged too.

All my bikes are made of metal. ;)

Whose fault is it and do you have any recourse?

Let's look at this in a different scenerio. You are driving your car (1 year old, 12,000 miles) and the engine locks up. Well it is under warranty you say, give me a new one. Not so fast says the manufacturer, there was no oil in the engine.

And either;

Ah ha! I had my oil changed here yesterday and the drain plug is missing. It is the dealers fault you say, they should provide me a new engine. I am so sorry says the dealer, come back tomorrow and you will have a new engine.

Or;

Well, I had my oil changed here two months ago and the drain plug is missing. It is the dealers fault you say, they should provide me a new engine. I am sorry sir say the dealer, but you have driven the car 2,500 miles since then and everything has been fine. We don't know that it was our fault.

My point it, it sounds like Trek has done the correct thing. What happened with your bike sounds like it was out of their control.

As for your LBS, what type of work have they done on your bicycle? Did they adjust your front deraileur or adjust your cranks / bottom bracket just before this happened? Or was the last time they touched your bicycle 2 months and 500 miles of smooth riding before this happened?

Had the EXACT same thing happen to me a few years back. It took time patience and a bit of shouting, but I received a new frame. (Trek had taken responsibilty and the store confirmed that the little piece of tin that was to protect my frame was never on there and that it was THEM not the customer that should have noticed its absence, ie it should have never made it out of the factory.)

I turned around and sold the new frame...immediately.

I say sue Shimano or Campy for making shitty FD's that let the chain fall off. It's not Treks fault it's the derauillers fault! :mad:

I say sue Shimano or Campy for making shitty FD's that let the chain fall off. It's not Treks fault it's the derauillers fault! :mad:

It's not the FD's fault, but it's the fault of whomever adjusted said front derailleur in the first place. If you adjust the FD right, your chain is not going to fall off.

Thats why I do all my own wrenching. If something happens, I have only myself to blame. The steel chainstay shield is a good idea for a carbon frame but I think Trek is the only one that offers it. I wish my Look had a plate on the right side chain stay when when the chainring bolt that holds the ring to the Record crankarm backed out and dug a small hole into the carbon just as another poster had happen to them. Calfee fixes any carbon and did the repairs to mine. Now I check the whole bike out every once in a while for loose stuff. Good Luck

I would sue the guy who get you into cycling!!!

It's not the FD's fault, but it's the fault of whomever adjusted said front derailleur in the first place. If you adjust the FD right, your chain is not going to fall off.

Therefore my saracsm. =)

I dropped my chain on my '04 5200 half-way thru an 80 mile ride. The protective metal disc bore the brunt and was scraped off the frame by the chain. The chain itself was wasted. Fortunately, the frame incurred only minor scratches. Scared the heck out me, though. That Deda Dog Fang sounds like a good idea and it looks like it comes in three sizes: 28.6mm, 31.8mm and 34.9mm. I need to find out my seatpost size.

Tell you a story. I once had this expensive ti bike built with Record and other Bling parts. The cranks were 172.5s and I wanted 170s. A local guy happened to have a set of 170s and agreed to trade with me. Since his chain rings were slightly newer, he insisted on switching the rings back so he would keep his rings. Well, fine by me. But he did such a poor job of tightening the bolts (on my set at least) that while riding, the fifth hidden ring bolt came out of the crank arm and dented the chainstay big time (heard a loud bang). So I sold the frame for about 1/4 of what I would have otherwise gotten, plus lots of free disclaimers.

The point is, metal bikes get damaged too.


But you have to admit, carbon is more suseptible to damage than metal. A given sharp blow to a carbon chainstay that results in a crack will probably not do the same relative damage to a typical steel chainstay.
Metal can sustain more damage than carbon. Steel can be bent back into shape, while carbon can't.
Chainstays in particular are places where it's common for rings and chains to cause severe damage to carbon. But like other posters have said, there are at least two ways of avoiding this damage in 99% of cases.
1. chain watcher
2. proper derailleur setup
But if you go into the purchase knowing the strengths and weakness of the material, and take responsibility for your purchase, nobody can fault you for your personal choice and taking advantage of the benefits nad possibilities carbon offers that metal can't.

I . That Deda Dog Fang sounds like a good idea and it looks like it comes in three sizes: 28.6mm, 31.8mm and 34.9mm. I need to find out my seatpost size.

You need to know the seat tube size as it is bigger than the seat post, but for a carbon trek I would think the 34.9 would be the right size off the cuff.

your getting screwed.

It's "YOU'RE" --

YOU'RE getting screwd.

Dropping a chain every once in a while is normal usage.It happenend here
and will always happen.Breaking a spoke is normal usage,but if something else broke because of that spoke.....should that part be covered? I will never buy a trek bicycle
again and hope that you all will tell everyone you know about this.It is fraud!!!!!
Lifetime frame warranty is lifetime,as long as abuse is not a factor.Never buy TREK!!!!

Dropping a chain every once in a while is normal usage.It happenend here
and will always happen.Breaking a spoke is normal usage,but if something else broke because of that spoke.....should that part be covered? I will never buy a trek bicycle
again and hope that you all will tell everyone you know about this.It is fraud!!!!!
Lifetime frame warranty is lifetime,as long as abuse is not a factor.Never buy TREK!!!!
You may just put them out of buisness. Why don't you get some big signs made up and place them in your front yard and all over your car.

Start a website, Call Lance, picket in front of thier factory, have Mike Moore make a movie on the subject, call 60 minutes.

Do not rest until you bring them to thier knees! And if they do offer to make it right later don't sell out. All of the cycling world is depending on you!

I watched a cat 4/5 race from the sidelines this past saturday. some newbie with an old steel lugged frame (paint flaking off) looked down while crossing the start line on lap 2...took himself out and about 8 other guys. bikes flying, skin scraping, grease smearing, nasty accident...no permanent/broken injuries but alot of shaken nerves...
with that...one of the unfortunates was riding a 5-6,000$ Fondriest...carbon everything...
bike was mangled...the guy who started it with a steel frame, not a scratch (that wasn't already there). who did i feel sorry for? the guy with the carbon frame and those without much skin left...

Lifetime frame warranty is lifetime,as long as abuse is not a factor.

Read that warranty carefully. I am sure you will find that the lifetime warranty covers failure due to manufacturers defects. The frame failing due to an outside force (a metal chain) is not within the scope of the warranty.

I do feel for you, but you need to be angry with whoever built or wrenched on your bicycle, either an LBS, or yourself.

I can tell you from experience that Trek is a very generous company. I have had their carbon fiber bikes for years and have been very well taken care of in my warranty issues. I have cracked many mtn bike frames which they have replaced, as well as a total Madone Project One.

My suggestion is to get with your LBS and talk to the area rep. they should at least offer you a crash replacement. They are also able to to fix some problems depending on there location.

Trek makes great bikes.

Good Luck

Dropping a chain every once in a while is normal usage.It happenend here
and will always happen.Breaking a spoke is normal usage,but if something else broke because of that spoke.....should that part be covered? I will never buy a trek bicycle
again and hope that you all will tell everyone you know about this.It is fraud!!!!!
Lifetime frame warranty is lifetime,as long as abuse is not a factor.Never buy TREK!!!!

Dropping a chain is not normal usage, it is a symptom of mal-adjustment. Trek certainly can't be held responsible for your inability to keep your bike tuned up.

Because Trek's warranty process needs to go through a dealer, the results sometimes are affected by which dealer. Some dealers do not pursue the problem with Trek or even make a judgement without contacting Trek.
Even though Trek's warranty only applies to the original purchaser, they will typically honor the warranty to subsequent owners. And it is a lifetime warranty on their frames. One year they opted for a 5 year warranty, but the next year, went back to lifetime
My experience has always been positive with Trek. But have only had two problems in 10+ years of riding their OCLV frames.

Dropping a chain is not normal usage, it is a symptom of mal-adjustment. .

Interestingly enough, that isn't completely true. I have a friend who did a doctoral thesis (in Engineering) on the statistical incidence of (can you believe) chain derailment on properly-adjusted derailleurs (some people have major issues, I know). To cut a long story short, while the bulk of it passed way over my head, what came out of his year of lab testing was that chains will derail whether you like it or not. Not often, not always, but it will happen in certain circumstances where the particular frequency of the sideways resonance in a chain will permit it to slip through the ring teeth and derail! Go figure. It is dependant on chainstay length, is worse with triples than doubles and is dependant (among a lot of other stuff) on pedal force. (Note that this resonant frequency is what Polar use to drive the Power measurement on their HRM's).

His paper was on the web a few years ago - I can't find it now.

Interesting. I didn't do a thesis on this, but that's what I would have guessed!

I think you could make a good argument that a chain coming off the crank ring is a normal and expected thing to happen, though with an expected low frequency -especially if you adequately maintain the bike (by the way, when does a front derailleur come out of adjustment? Perhaps while riding, so it would be reasonable to say that even with routine maintenance it could still occur?). Given that, I think it would be reasonable to conclude a manufacturer should offer a reasonable product -i.e. a product that doesn't self destruct when an expected "normal" event -such as the chain slipping off -occurs at reasonable frequency, taking into account its value and perceived lifespan.

It seems Trek did that by the little metal disc thing. Assuming Trek informed its distributors this thing was vital (and that it is attached adequately) and assuming it wasn't on the bike when you got it, I'll give my .02 cents worth and say the store is responsible for letting the bike out of the door. Though you could argue a consumer could be partially responsible by not letting the store know a metal disc was missing, I think that's a tough sell for me. You then have to assume a consumer is savvy enough to know about a relatively specialist non-generic piece of equipment -too big of a burden for me.

Of course if the OP didn't keep the front der in tune or neglected routine maintenance and the serious damage done cumulative in nature, I'd think these would be mitigating factors in favour for the LBS -but unless the chain is rusty, etc, I'm not sure how you could categorically prove that anyway. Short of the metal disc coming off under routine use or not performing as it should to protect the frame, or Trek not informing its distributors of its importance to double check for it being there, I don't think Trek is responsible.

Well, everybody else chimed in.


Interestingly enough, that isn't completely true. I have a friend who did a doctoral thesis (in Engineering) on the statistical incidence of (can you believe) chain derailment on properly-adjusted derailleurs (some people have major issues, I know). To cut a long story short, while the bulk of it passed way over my head, what came out of his year of lab testing was that chains will derail whether you like it or not. Not often, not always, but it will happen in certain circumstances where the particular frequency of the sideways resonance in a chain will permit it to slip through the ring teeth and derail! Go figure. It is dependant on chainstay length, is worse with triples than doubles and is dependant (among a lot of other stuff) on pedal force. (Note that this resonant frequency is what Polar use to drive the Power measurement on their HRM's).

His paper was on the web a few years ago - I can't find it now.

That's why I would never buy a bike with carbon chainstays. That's just dumb.

Well that is a truly retro gouch statement. Hell, I've seen same thing happen to steel and Al frames. Can be a real problem with MTB, chain suck, where I have seen many a chainstay get toasted.

The moral of the story here is to keep your equipment in tip top shape and make sure your derailleur adjustments are spot-on

That is one reason I went with a Kestrel Talon over the Trek and Giant. Lifetime warranty plus a lifetime crash replacement warranty. Crash replacment will not get you a free frame but will get you one at a very nice discount. Good deal all around. Good bike by the way.

Mike

A riding buddy of mine recently had his Kestrel break (downtube ot shifter bosses). Called Kestrel and they said they would not honor it. Granted, this was an older model, but it did have their famous (now infamous) lifetime warranty. Kestrel wouldn't even give the guy a break on a new frame. He ended up getting a small discount from an LBS and bought a Time swearing never to buy Kestrel again.