Soul Wheels - Warranty Experiences?
09-13-11, 12:13 PM
#1
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Soul Wheels - Warranty Experiences?
A spoke recently flew off of my Soul S3.0 rear wheel after the nipple broke. I took the wheel to my LBS to repair, and they reported that another nipple broke while they were repairing it, and that the wheel was out of true. Given that is has less than 1k miles and is only 5 months old, they recommended that I send it back under a warranty claim.
According to the Soul website, international orders receive warranty work after the customer ships the wheel back to Soul (Singapore) at the owner’s expense. If the damage is found to be covered under the warranty, then Soul will reimburse the customer for shipping (somehow).
This leads me to two questions: First, have any of you who own this wheel experienced this broken nipple issue? If so, what was the cause and how successful was the repair? In my case, the wheel has not been crashed or even had any real hard jolts that I can recall.
Second, have any of you had similar repair work done by a local (U.S. – preferably near Maryland) shop? If so, what was the cost and can you provide me with contact details?
Thanks.
According to the Soul website, international orders receive warranty work after the customer ships the wheel back to Soul (Singapore) at the owner’s expense. If the damage is found to be covered under the warranty, then Soul will reimburse the customer for shipping (somehow).
This leads me to two questions: First, have any of you who own this wheel experienced this broken nipple issue? If so, what was the cause and how successful was the repair? In my case, the wheel has not been crashed or even had any real hard jolts that I can recall.
Second, have any of you had similar repair work done by a local (U.S. – preferably near Maryland) shop? If so, what was the cost and can you provide me with contact details?
Thanks.
09-13-11, 12:17 PM
#2
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replacing spokes isn't hard. neither is re-truing the wheel.
09-13-11, 12:18 PM
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No broken nipples here on my S4.0. Put on about 1300 km since I got them. Here's hoping your issue is an isolated incident (which I think it is). Which side did the nipples break? Was it rear drive side?
09-13-11, 01:24 PM
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i broke a nipple on the drive side on my 4.o's that have 3.5k on them. (granted sean put alloy nipples on the drive side which isn't normally done) but put a new nipple in and retrued. when a nipple/spoke breaks it puts stess on other spokes and nipples, how far did you ride it with a spoke missing?
09-13-11, 02:03 PM
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I did not have the same issue, but i did have a warranty experience.
i had the pawl spring break, which essentially froze my rear hub. i emailed Sean about it. he immediately sent out a new spring and gave me details on how to take care of it.
this was probably 2 months after i got the wheels.
so, positive experience
i had the pawl spring break, which essentially froze my rear hub. i emailed Sean about it. he immediately sent out a new spring and gave me details on how to take care of it.
this was probably 2 months after i got the wheels.
so, positive experience
09-13-11, 02:38 PM
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Yes. My C 4.0s sheared three brass nipples at the head shortly after they arrived.
At the time, Sean said that they'd only seen this on a wheel that was laced improperly.
This was not the case with my wheels.
I felt the problem was bad nipples exacerbated by a poor design decision in using the same
spoke length all around. The NDS spokes did not run the full length of the nipple leaving the
head unsupported. Sean did not agree with that assessment but didn't offer a better theory.
I had him send me replacement spokes that were a bit longer and I relaced the wheel with them
and some alloy nipples from my supply. The wheels haven't sheared another nipple since.
(You read that right, I replaced brass nipples with alloy and they've been more durable.)
So, I can say that Sean was very responsive and very helpful in resolving the issue. I have
no complaints about the service.
However, when I bought these I did so with full knowledge of what warranty service would entail
and considered them to be an affordable "box of parts" rather than a complete wheelset.
This made sense for me because I'm a competent amateur wheel builder and
they were cheaper than what I could source on my own as parts.
Soul wheels are (or at least were at the time) a bargain. Part of that bargain is understanding
that to get them serviced you either have to pay a local wheelwright or you have to ship them
around the world and back.
Note, I'm not a clyde either. I was maybe 170 pounds two years ago when I bought the wheels.
At the time, Sean said that they'd only seen this on a wheel that was laced improperly.
This was not the case with my wheels.
I felt the problem was bad nipples exacerbated by a poor design decision in using the same
spoke length all around. The NDS spokes did not run the full length of the nipple leaving the
head unsupported. Sean did not agree with that assessment but didn't offer a better theory.
I had him send me replacement spokes that were a bit longer and I relaced the wheel with them
and some alloy nipples from my supply. The wheels haven't sheared another nipple since.
(You read that right, I replaced brass nipples with alloy and they've been more durable.)
So, I can say that Sean was very responsive and very helpful in resolving the issue. I have
no complaints about the service.
However, when I bought these I did so with full knowledge of what warranty service would entail
and considered them to be an affordable "box of parts" rather than a complete wheelset.
This made sense for me because I'm a competent amateur wheel builder and
they were cheaper than what I could source on my own as parts.
Soul wheels are (or at least were at the time) a bargain. Part of that bargain is understanding
that to get them serviced you either have to pay a local wheelwright or you have to ship them
around the world and back.
Note, I'm not a clyde either. I was maybe 170 pounds two years ago when I bought the wheels.
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09-13-11, 03:01 PM
#7
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Thanks Halfspeed, et al. Very helpful. I spoke again w/my LBS to get a better picture of the problem. They are concerned that, if they de-lace and re-lace the wheel (adding new nipples), the rim shape will be compromised. They said that I should ask for a new wheel, since this never should have happened to begin with and indicates a fundamental problem. I'm not in a position to know one way or another. I expect that Sean at Soul will have a different opinion.
I did (and still do) appreciate the risks that come with buying from a small company on the opposite side of the globe when warranty issues pop up (although larger, local companies do not always make warranty issues easy, either). I am disappointed that this happened to a relatively new wheel, and a little disappointed that I have not heard back from Soul after two emails, but it's only been three business days. I'll see how this plays out and report back. I'm optimistic, given Sean's reputation.
I did (and still do) appreciate the risks that come with buying from a small company on the opposite side of the globe when warranty issues pop up (although larger, local companies do not always make warranty issues easy, either). I am disappointed that this happened to a relatively new wheel, and a little disappointed that I have not heard back from Soul after two emails, but it's only been three business days. I'll see how this plays out and report back. I'm optimistic, given Sean's reputation.
09-13-11, 03:09 PM
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I know Sean is at Interbike......might be slow to return your email. Regardless, I will be watching this thread as I have my 3.0SL's in route right now. Just cleared customs yesterday.
09-13-11, 03:09 PM
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I can't imagine why a competent wheel builder would tell you this.
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09-13-11, 03:15 PM
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I was concerned with that response, too, although the shop generally has a good reputation (not sure about wheels, speciifcally, though). But my inclination is still to find a good local wheel builder rather than ship it out to Singapore.
09-13-11, 03:56 PM
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I have broken spokes and nipples on my 3.0SL wheel set. Sean told me he had never had that happen, that was about 6 weeks ago. To this day, he has never offered to warranty his wheel set. I just purchased a set of Ksyrium Elites because I was going broke keeping the Soul wheel set going. The 3.0SL wheel set now hangs in my garage.
09-13-11, 06:15 PM
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Dear OP, please contact us directly via e-mail and we will resolve this issue. Sad to say it seems that you have brought it in to your LBS and had the spoke/ nipple fixed which means we are unable to examine the failure and determine the cause of it. Thus it will be a little tricky to warranty but we will try our best.
In regards to warranty issues, we are working hard to resolve this issue for our US customers and have set up an address for wheels to be shipped to in CA to have them examined and diagnosed/ serviced. It's early days and we have yet to stock parts there but will do so in the next few months. That will make things alot easier for everyone in the US.
In regards to Halfspeed, if memory serves me correctly, you had spokes/ nipples break on your C4.0. These were first generation wheels, we had discussions about spoke lengths and nipple type/ material. Ultimately we have taken your suggestion into consideration, increased spoke length for the C4 by 1mm, and we also changed the hole angle for our rims. So far so good, I thank you very much for your feedback and it's these types of feedback that help us create a better product. Thank you again.
To dead_eye, our offer still stands, show us a picture of those broken spokes you claimed magically happened when the bike was at the stop sign, and we will go from there.
As you can tell, we received numerous claims for warranty in the 6 years of our brand (time flies). Some genuine, some that claim our wheels magically explode, not so. We try our best to deal with these while the business grows, having sold very well thanks in big part to this forum and it's members takes time to adjust to but again, we'll give it our best shot. So OP, please contact us via e-mail and we will resolve this matter.
In regards to warranty issues, we are working hard to resolve this issue for our US customers and have set up an address for wheels to be shipped to in CA to have them examined and diagnosed/ serviced. It's early days and we have yet to stock parts there but will do so in the next few months. That will make things alot easier for everyone in the US.
In regards to Halfspeed, if memory serves me correctly, you had spokes/ nipples break on your C4.0. These were first generation wheels, we had discussions about spoke lengths and nipple type/ material. Ultimately we have taken your suggestion into consideration, increased spoke length for the C4 by 1mm, and we also changed the hole angle for our rims. So far so good, I thank you very much for your feedback and it's these types of feedback that help us create a better product. Thank you again.
To dead_eye, our offer still stands, show us a picture of those broken spokes you claimed magically happened when the bike was at the stop sign, and we will go from there.
As you can tell, we received numerous claims for warranty in the 6 years of our brand (time flies). Some genuine, some that claim our wheels magically explode, not so. We try our best to deal with these while the business grows, having sold very well thanks in big part to this forum and it's members takes time to adjust to but again, we'll give it our best shot. So OP, please contact us via e-mail and we will resolve this matter.
09-13-11, 07:31 PM
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To Sean, I never said the spoke broke sitting at a stop sign. They broke during normal use. I didn't think it would require a picture and I wasn't going to ship them back to you to have a spoke replaced. I have no less than 20 witnesses to the failures I have had. Funny thing is the nipples or spokes broke continuously, the mavics haven't given a bit. Sean, you know you screwed this deal up from the start then you didn't stand behind your product when I notified you about the issues. I have ridden close to 300 miles total this year on a broken wheel because of the numerous failures. Also, you never asked for a picture, besides I'm more worried about riding than taking pictures, so while you made excuses I was having the wheels fixed so I could keep riding. I will gladly sell the wheels if I ever find a buyer because they won't be on any of my bikes again.
09-13-11, 07:34 PM
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09-13-11, 08:20 PM
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Well, attached below was our last e-mail to you. And attached are the few e-mails that preceded it. Sorry I misquoted you on all 3 spokes breaking at the same stop sign, it was my inaccurate representation of what occurred.
and
and
All warranties are handled as best we can and being as fair and equal to everyone as possible. I don't enjoy doing this, calling people out and everyday I wish I do not have to defend myself on a forum for no apparent reason other than hate and I much rather be building wheels and designing new products for customers, but sometimes the world requires a Mel Gibson moment.
Please send me pictures of said broken spokes on rear wheel. I find it highly suspicious that someone magically breaks 3 spokes on a rear wheel that is built with bigger spokes than usual just by riding along, especially after countless people have been riding theirs for years without breaking any.
On 6/1/2011 7:43 PM, X wrote:
> I guess you don't stand behind your wheels either? I'll make this hard on you now since all you are out to doves screw your customer.
> I guess you don't stand behind your wheels either? I'll make this hard on you now since all you are out to doves screw your customer.
I read your lame ass reply on Bike Forum. Guess what, I tried to help you out of your mistake and all I get is a big screw you. Thanks Sean, you are a real class act.
By the way, 3 spokes broke on the back wheel tonight. So glad I have to work on them now. I have never broken a spoke before, much less 3!
I really couldn't be less satisfied with a purchase.
By the way, 3 spokes broke on the back wheel tonight. So glad I have to work on them now. I have never broken a spoke before, much less 3!
I really couldn't be less satisfied with a purchase.
Once again, Sean must be right and the customer wrong. I don't know why I even mentioned it to you, I know you are not going to fix it. You will just blame me like you have for your other screw ups. Magical as it might seem to you, the first one broke as I was leaving a light and the next two broke 2 miles later at the next light.
To Sean, I never said the spoke broke sitting at a stop sign. They broke during normal use. I didn't think it would require a picture and I wasn't going to ship them back to you to have a spoke replaced. I have no less than 20 witnesses to the failures I have had. Funny thing is the nipples or spokes broke continuously, the mavics haven't given a bit. Sean, you know you screwed this deal up from the start then you didn't stand behind your product when I notified you about the issues. I have ridden close to 300 miles total this year on a broken wheel because of the numerous failures. Also, you never asked for a picture, besides I'm more worried about riding than taking pictures, so while you made excuses I was having the wheels fixed so I could keep riding. I will gladly sell the wheels if I ever find a buyer because they won't be on any of my bikes again.
09-13-11, 09:58 PM
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checkmate!
09-14-11, 12:09 AM
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Aloha Guys!
I have been riding my 3.0SL's for over 500 miles now and they are rock solid! Keep in mind guys the roads here in Hawaii can really suck and I smash through them with the SOULS! Sean has also responded to all my emails in a very timely manner and I can get pretty demanding
but Sean has remained very professional. I ordered wheels from Sean because of the great reputation he has built in the Weightweenies forum and I decided to take a chance. Keep in mind I live in Hawaii so its extra hard to do anything and limited if a spoke breaks on me. All I can say is I'm glad I ordered SOUL wheels!
Mahalo, Brandon G.
I have been riding my 3.0SL's for over 500 miles now and they are rock solid! Keep in mind guys the roads here in Hawaii can really suck and I smash through them with the SOULS! Sean has also responded to all my emails in a very timely manner and I can get pretty demanding
but Sean has remained very professional. I ordered wheels from Sean because of the great reputation he has built in the Weightweenies forum and I decided to take a chance. Keep in mind I live in Hawaii so its extra hard to do anything and limited if a spoke breaks on me. All I can say is I'm glad I ordered SOUL wheels! Mahalo, Brandon G.
09-14-11, 04:41 AM
#22
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I had broken nipples on my rear wheel. Non drive side if I remember right. Mailed Sean the pics, and he said that it was because I had allowed the wheels to get wet, and not taken adequate care. His reply:
I had NOT ridden the wheels in the rain. Maybe a few splattered spots of water from isolated puddles/wet roads after a rain but that was it.
The wheels had 700km on them and were in the first month of use, and all on good roads.
Later spoke to a friend who had the Soul 3s with no issues, and he mentioned that at the time of ordering Sean had suggested brass nipples. I had not given this thought, and my wheels came with the stock alloy nipples.
Later Sean sent some spokes and nipples as well and I got the wheel rebuilt at a LBS. The wheelset is fine, though I now have Psimets PT rear and hence do not use the Soul rear.
Having said all that, I have still recommended the wheels to friends, but suggested that they get brass nipples.
I was not happy with the argument that the wheels should not be able to take wet conditions. Even if true, 1 month and 700km? I got the spares, and Souls are still a good deal I guess.
The thread in our local forum:
https://www.bikeszone.com/forum/viewt...it=soul+nipple
Hi Deepak,
I can send you some nipples but you should be able to get those easily at a LBS? Nipples on the NDS are alloy, and from the look of things they have corroded because of probably riding the wheels in the rain. You have to take care of the wheels better, wipe them and drain them if they are ridden in rain or if you wash your bike regularly.
I can send you some nipples but you should be able to get those easily at a LBS? Nipples on the NDS are alloy, and from the look of things they have corroded because of probably riding the wheels in the rain. You have to take care of the wheels better, wipe them and drain them if they are ridden in rain or if you wash your bike regularly.
The wheels had 700km on them and were in the first month of use, and all on good roads.
Later spoke to a friend who had the Soul 3s with no issues, and he mentioned that at the time of ordering Sean had suggested brass nipples. I had not given this thought, and my wheels came with the stock alloy nipples.
Later Sean sent some spokes and nipples as well and I got the wheel rebuilt at a LBS. The wheelset is fine, though I now have Psimets PT rear and hence do not use the Soul rear.
Having said all that, I have still recommended the wheels to friends, but suggested that they get brass nipples.
I was not happy with the argument that the wheels should not be able to take wet conditions. Even if true, 1 month and 700km? I got the spares, and Souls are still a good deal I guess.
The thread in our local forum:
https://www.bikeszone.com/forum/viewt...it=soul+nipple
Last edited by deepakvrao; 09-14-11 at 04:47 AM.
09-14-11, 07:43 AM
#25
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I'm shopping for wheels for my wife's new bike and it appears that several folks have had failures yet most/all have been told that it is either the first time, or a fault in their usage.
That is not good.
That is not good.