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Waiting for replacement wheel (warranty)

Old 06-12-19, 10:35 AM
  #1  
CoogansBluff
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Waiting for replacement wheel (warranty)

Posted in a previous thread about a wheel with small cracks. It's under warranty (Specialized Roubaix). Took it to local shop where I bought it. They are a Specialized dealer. They sent in photo to Specialized. Now waiting for Specialized to respond. It's been 12 days. No response. Bike shop says give it a few more days. They'd predicted 14 days. They previously had a warranty rep who quit, so now must deal directly with the national office, I guess.

Is this normal? Would you be doing anything else?

Warranty is nice, but if I can't ride the bike for a month in peak season because of a bad wheel, then is the wheel warranty all it's cracked up to be (no pun intended).

Last edited by CoogansBluff; 06-13-19 at 07:07 AM.
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Old 06-12-19, 06:22 PM
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Specialized? As someone who’s dealt with more than a few wheel warranty issues - rim cracks and spoke pull throughs - they will test your patience. And honestly, the replacement you receive won’t be any better than what you started with. I’m not sure where Specialized is sourcing their rims these days but they’re terrible.

I recommend you play the waiting game because they will eventually make it right, but for the long run I strongly suggest a locally built quality wheelset. You can keep the pressure on your LBS, but they’re at the mercy of Specialized and there’s little to no sense of urgency there.


-Kedosto
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Old 06-12-19, 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Kedosto
... I strongly suggest a locally built quality wheelset.
Thanks, Kedosto. ... Yes, I should be saying Specialized, not Roubaix. Still new to this road biking. Do you have any locally built quality wheelsets you might recommend? Guess that depends on budget, but maybe I could ask it this way -- What's the cost of a wheelset that's consistent with an $1900 road bike?
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Old 06-12-19, 10:49 PM
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If you have a recentish Roubaix then you probably have DT Swiss rims, which I thought are considered solid if mediocre. Did you ride them under any harsh conditions?

You can pay however much you want for wheels and it would be fine, b/c a lot of cheaper bikes (cheap in this case just comparing to the Roubaix lineup) are cheap because the wheels are nothing special. Specialized doesn't put good wheels on until the Expert or Pro levels.

$600 would be ballpark of where you start to have options better (significantly lighter or significantly more aero or a compromise between the two) than what you had, hand-built alloy from sites like ProWheelBuilder and Hunt, or even Chinese carbon rims with cheaper hubs like Light Bicycle or the more well-known vendors selling on eBay and Amazon.

$1,000 would be significantly better (lighter and more aero) from Light Bicycle and the like. $2000 and up gets you arguably only a small upgrade over those other than bling factor.

$300ish would get you something more reliable but not faster (maybe even heavier), from any of the big Internet bike store sites. People seem to vouch for wheels from Shimano, Fulcrum, and the like. Nothing wrong with a mostly lateral purchase other than redundancy when you get your warranty replacement. When it comes to wheels, if you're financially comfortable with spending more, I think you should.
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Old 06-13-19, 05:42 AM
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You seem fairly new to bikes, so I'll make a couple easy suggestions if you'relooking to buy a wheel or wheelset:

ProWheelBuilder.com signature wheel sets - relatively constrained choices to make, heard good things (haven't used them myself)

BikeHubStore.com - I bought a build kit from them, they will build the wheel for you as well. ($100 added to the 'build kit' prices) Variety of good options - if you're not too heavy, they have an odd deal on 20 spoke front & rear sets with a 55mm Gigantex carbon rim. I'd suggest you start at their 'complete build kits' and get them to build.

LBS - the store should have some sort of upgrade wheel to sell you. I don't know how it would play with the original store, but it sounds like they're trying to help you out, or if you have another store. Might be wheels they build (fewer shops do this anymore) or something like Mavic.
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Old 06-13-19, 06:12 AM
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Your LBS can probably get wheels from the QBP Wheelhouse at reasonable prices. As long as the shop double-checks the spoke tension, they should be okay.

These would be decent wheels - say, Shimano 105 hubs (or something from Novatech), name-brand rims (e.g., Velocity or Mavic), and double-butted spokes. Probably around $400 and pretty bombproof.
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Old 06-13-19, 07:15 AM
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Originally Posted by surak
Did you ride them under any harsh conditions?
.
Thanks for the replies. Good advice from all.

As for harsh conditions, nothing unusual except perhaps that I've ridden on a greenway that has a gravel portion. But of the estimated 4,000 miles that I have on the bike, probably no more than 200 miles (if that) have been on gravel. And it's not bumpy gravel.
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Old 06-18-19, 11:28 AM
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So it's been 18 days since I took the wheel to the LBS, and since LBS supposedly contacted Specialized about getting a replacement. No word yet.

Pretty disappointed at the predicament.
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Old 06-18-19, 11:42 AM
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Did you buy the bike with a credit card?

If so your card might offer warranty features that will replace the wheel for you.

You can buy the replacement wheel and have the bike back on the road today, then get reimbursed through your credit card (call the card company to see how exactly this works and what protections you have. They may want to pre authorize the warranty before you buy the new one)

You may also buy the replacement wheel from the shop and then keep pressuring Specialized to reimburse via warranty. Specialized would send a new wheel to the shop, which they could then keep and refund your your purchase price. Though this obviously has risks since Specialized may not end up honoring it.

You can upgrade the wheels to something better. But this is 100% out of pocket. No warranty will pay you a single dollar if you are replacing with different parts.

My LBS told me that Specialized's warranty service took a wrong turn last year and were suddenly miserable to deal with.
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Old 06-18-19, 12:08 PM
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I have a spare wheelset that I keep around for times like these. It is always good to have something to throw on if needed.
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Old 06-18-19, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Skipjacks
Did you buy the bike with a credit card?

If so your card might offer warranty features that will replace the wheel for you.

You can buy the replacement wheel and have the bike back on the road today, then get reimbursed through your credit card (call the card company to see how exactly this works and what protections you have. They may want to pre authorize the warranty before you buy the new one)

You may also buy the replacement wheel from the shop and then keep pressuring Specialized to reimburse via warranty. Specialized would send a new wheel to the shop, which they could then keep and refund your your purchase price. Though this obviously has risks since Specialized may not end up honoring it.

You can upgrade the wheels to something better. But this is 100% out of pocket. No warranty will pay you a single dollar if you are replacing with different parts.

My LBS told me that Specialized's warranty service took a wrong turn last year and were suddenly miserable to deal with.
Thanks for reply, Skipjacks.

Just got a text from LBS saying wheel should arrive later this week or early next. Actually said the 'wheelset,' so perhaps they're replacing both wheels. Only one is damaged. But just happy to know the end is near. I've actually un-parked the roadbike and resumed riding it while monitoring the cracks very closely and avoiding stressful or long rides. Also riding the hybrid to keep me in shape. Will definitely consider upgrading the wheels to then have a backup plan in case it happens again. Maybe the hybrid will wind up with some hand-me-downs.
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Old 06-18-19, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by bakerjw
I have a spare wheelset that I keep around for times like these. It is always good to have something to throw on if needed.
Yep, not a bad idea. Didn't realize as many people had backups. Apparently not uncommon.
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Old 06-18-19, 12:18 PM
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Originally Posted by CoogansBluff
Yep, not a bad idea. Didn't realize as many people had backups. Apparently not uncommon.
Keep riding regularly for a few years and you'll find you have an entire replacement bike worth of miscellaneous spare parts you've accumulated.
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Old 06-18-19, 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by CoogansBluff
Yep, not a bad idea. Didn't realize as many people had backups. Apparently not uncommon.
You should always have a spare rear wheel ready to install so you don't miss a bike ride. Don't worry about front wheels, if you ride often they will accumulate until you have two or three fronts for each rear.

A fair number of bicyclists have spare bicycles, too - some have way too many.

QBP has their own line of wheels, available for order at most bike shops:

https://www.modernbike.com/quality-w...0c-rear-wheels
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Old 06-27-19, 12:24 PM
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Good ending to all this. Specialized replaced entire wheelset with Roval SLX 24 ... I'm finding those online for as high as $800.

Wouldn't that be an upgrade over the failed original ones that came w/ the Specialized Roubaix? They were Axis Sport Disc, I believe.

Anyway, happy to have it behind me. Looking forward to trying out the new wheels.
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Old 06-28-19, 10:44 AM
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Yes, that’s a very nice upgrade you got. Hopefully that takes some of the pain and frustration out of the experience for you!
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Old 06-28-19, 11:25 AM
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Good result, if slow. In addition to a 2nd (gravel) bike with two wheelsets, I have a backup rear wheel for my road bike too. And always have a couple of new tires in inventory too, along with a chain, derailleur cable, tubes, brake pads and a few other bits. I don't like to miss a ride due to a broken bike!
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Old 07-19-19, 12:11 PM
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Coogan, Just dropped my '18 Roubaix (owned new, 6 months) off at the LBS, same issue (Axis Sport wheel) cracked in multiple locations against spokes. Sending it in for a warranty claim. LBS is giving me a loaner rim to get through my ride this weekend.

Skipjack... You have brought me back to my childhood! I haven't seen that logo in years! My Dad and I used to go to the old Civic Center to watch the Clippers (North Stars farm team), then Skipjacks.... and for a short while, I took my children to see the B'more Bandits. I miss having ice hockey in B'more
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