Specialized recall
#2
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Everyone who has an SL7 that is registered with Specialized received notice via email and should also have been contacted by the retailer that sold them the bike. Having already gotten mine corrected here is what I discovered.
Somewhere in the middle of the 2021 production, Specialized changed the design of the compression ring to the 2-piece design. For owners of those bikes only the expander plug must be replaced. For those who had a bike produced before the change to the 2-piece design, the fix is a bit more involved. I fell into the latter category and my bike was in the shop for 2 days, as opposed to a few hours.
Assuming your bike has not suffered a "harsh frontal impact" resulting in damage to the steerer tube, it's a relatively straightforward. If your bikes steerer is damaged, they will also replace the fork.
Somewhere in the middle of the 2021 production, Specialized changed the design of the compression ring to the 2-piece design. For owners of those bikes only the expander plug must be replaced. For those who had a bike produced before the change to the 2-piece design, the fix is a bit more involved. I fell into the latter category and my bike was in the shop for 2 days, as opposed to a few hours.
Assuming your bike has not suffered a "harsh frontal impact" resulting in damage to the steerer tube, it's a relatively straightforward. If your bikes steerer is damaged, they will also replace the fork.
#3
Senior Member
So, the solution is to use a longer expansion plug, and put an aluminum sleeve to protect the carbon steerer from the compression ring.
Question: Why wasn't this thought out? I mean, a company like Specialized should have multiple design engineers and QA engineers who are supposed to catch all this before production.
Looking at the solution and simple it is, one has to wonder why this issue was not caught during prototyping and QA'ing.
Question: Why wasn't this thought out? I mean, a company like Specialized should have multiple design engineers and QA engineers who are supposed to catch all this before production.
Looking at the solution and simple it is, one has to wonder why this issue was not caught during prototyping and QA'ing.
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#5
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I am pretty sure that engineers at bike companies are, on the whole, the bottom of the class. They are still smarter than me, but good lord.
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#7
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My guess is that Specialized has minimal involvement with actual engineering duties. That is likely left to the manufacturer of the component, ie frame and fork because that is their area of expertise. When I visited Specialized some 12 years ago, their engineering facility was off limits due to product development being kept secret which had me realize they don't "engineer" stuff themselves, but come up with ideas and designs, then have it built by a company under contract. That company provides the "engineering" such as material specs, design specs for durability and safety, etc.
Of course I could be full of it since I really don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Or it could be that Specialized employs incompetent engineers. Regardless this kind of stuff happens all the time in industry.
Of course I could be full of it since I really don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Or it could be that Specialized employs incompetent engineers. Regardless this kind of stuff happens all the time in industry.
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My guess is that Specialized has minimal involvement with actual engineering duties. That is likely left to the manufacturer of the component, ie frame and fork because that is their area of expertise. When I visited Specialized some 12 years ago, their engineering facility was off limits due to product development being kept secret which had me realize they don't "engineer" stuff themselves, but come up with ideas and designs, then have it built by a company under contract. That company provides the "engineering" such as material specs, design specs for durability and safety, etc.
Of course I could be full of it since I really don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Or it could be that Specialized employs incompetent engineers. Regardless this kind of stuff happens all the time in industry.
Of course I could be full of it since I really don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Or it could be that Specialized employs incompetent engineers. Regardless this kind of stuff happens all the time in industry.
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I'm not so sure about that. Bikes are fairly interesting compared to say engineering washing machines, flat-pack furniture, domestic hardware etc. I would imagine there are some pretty good engineers in the high-end bike industry and the products tend to suggest this is in fact the case. For example an ex-colleague of mine moved from F1 aerodynamic engineering to working on bike aerodynamics simply because he was a very keen amateur TT rider. He finished up working with the likes of ENVE on their aero wheels. I'm not saying the very best engineers in the world are going to be working in the bike industry, but I think it's fairly professional these days at the top end.
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Uh-oh. This isn't going to affect my digital Tarmac SL7 in Zwift is it?
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I shouldn't have to "make myself more visible;" Drivers should just stop running people over.
Car dependency is a tax.
I shouldn't have to "make myself more visible;" Drivers should just stop running people over.
Car dependency is a tax.
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Or non-engineers can get involved in the design process and with fierce market competition, the company may arrive with requirements that is at odds with engineering reality.
Happens very often in the engineering world. You have to be extremely fortunate to have only rarely encountered such things.
Happens very often in the engineering world. You have to be extremely fortunate to have only rarely encountered such things.
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I bet they trust their engineers with their lives!
Sadly not with other product development where multiple conflicting disciplines are involved, usually with big companies. It may be the same problem with big name bike brands. The engineers are making calculated risks under pressure.
Sadly not with other product development where multiple conflicting disciplines are involved, usually with big companies. It may be the same problem with big name bike brands. The engineers are making calculated risks under pressure.
As for F1 drivers trusting their lives with the engineering, they certainly do. But they are also fully aware that there is often pressure to achieve ultimate performance at the expense of safety margins etc. Maybe there is a little bit of that in race bike design too, but probably a lot more conservative.
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#13
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Seems like another example of the safety and inspection process working correctly. Specialized certainly didn't ignore this an hope it went away quietly.
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#14
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#15
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Perhaps, but the liability issues are a strong incentive against what you describe. Go read what the fix constitutes. Hint: it's a simple matter of a part that turned out to be under engineered for it's intended use. As I said, the real world is a very different place than a test bench.
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I was reluctant to comment. I started in Quality Control in the 70's and have worked in development, manufactucturing, quality assurance with increasing levels of responsibility, finishing out as a consultant where I have done many failure investigations for really large companies. I guess was an an overpaid expert. Also an engineer. I first encountered outsourcing to China in the middle 90's and other Asian rim countries slightly before that time. There are a lot of challenges doing so and I disagree with those who say the quality from China is the same as what you would get with a product made domestically. The beancounters make sure it is cheaper, that is a given. That is not to say Spesh cuts corners, the fact is......none of us have any idea of their approach to design assurance. We have no idea. In this day and age, I do find it really odd that I cannot find any material on their website concerning their approach, strategy, or policy for quality. Even dinky firms tout their bought and paid for ISO cert. I have looked in the past because I find the topic interesting. How do they manage quality?
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