elquesifilma

Fuji Transonic 2.8 (2015) broken frame non crash (Chain got stuck in derailleur, hanger took a piece of frame with it)

Hi all, I wanted to share my experience and get your thoughts on whether this should be covered under warranty by Fuji. I have searched various forums with similar if not identical issues and after multiple communications they have gotten new frames from TREK and Cannondale.

What Happened:While riding the bike, I felt the chain break and get caught with the rear derailleur which caused my bike to stop, this happened while riding at low speed. When I got off the bike I noticed the rear derailleur had snapped off the frame and caught on the rear wheel spokes. The hanger of the derailleur broke off, and it seems that the hanger also broke off a bit of the frame where the bolt of the hanger attaches to the frame. The hanger is designed to break, to save the frame; the frame shouldn’t be broken at all. Derailleurs ending up in spokes is not all that uncommon, a frame should be designed to withstand that in my humble opinion

My bike shop called and said Fuji would not cover this under warranty, they would not forward me the explanation via email, therefore I have called them directly and am waiting to hear from them. I expect Fuji to cover this under the warranty; it seems to me this is a design fault if the hanger is taking the frame with it. The bicycle has never been in a crash, I inspect and maintain frequently.

Thanks to all in advance, I want to make sure that this process is fair for all.

Steve B.

A typical warranty is going to be for defects in design or materials.

Even if Fuji assembled and installed the parts, the maintenance of the parts is up to the owner and they can claim a poorly maintained chain caused the damage, not a defect in the frame. Yes the bolt on derailer hanger can sometimes save a frame from damage, but not always under many circumstances. I near totaled a steel frame getting a stick caught in the derailer with the aluminum bolt mounting the derailer not sheering off as intended.

So I'm not seeing Fuji covering this. They might offer a reduced price on a replacement frame and I'd take that.

gsa103

Bad luck, but I would not expect that to qualify for a warranty replacement. The purpose of a replaceable hanger is that a rear derailleur malfunction doesn't automatically trash the frame. Hopefully there's a generous or other crash replacement policy.

Hopefully a few bike shop people will chime in, as to what common practice is at their shops. This definitely isn't the first time it's happened.

noodle soup

My framebuilder has one in for the exact same reason. Fuji didn't warranty the frame. The builder is doubtful that he can repair the frame without a dropout replacement.

Bikeracer123

I believe Fuji will sell you one at a much reduced price. That's to bad, nearly bought a transonic 2.8.

PepeM

Avoid crabon at all costs!

That is a real shame, I would be really pissed. I, too, am guessing that if you push hard enough they'll offer a new frame at a discounted price.

garysol1 

Do you feel the frame manufacturer is more at fault or the chain manufacturer? Its not Fuji's fault that the chain snapped and I would not expect them to want to be the ones left holding the bag.

elquesifilma

Hi, I contacted a carbon frame repair shop and they said they could not fix it, although they mentioned the frame may still work, below is their response

"Not much one can do for that but the good news is if you get a new hanger you can install it using the one good
screw and the wheel/ skewer should hold it in place. Structurally it looks like it will still carry the load, just ripped off the hanger screw support material."

I am a bit nervous of whether this is a good idea, I usually ride my bike fast and would be worried going on a fast downhill, knowing the bike is not quite perfect... Allthough if not at least i am thinking of adding the hanger and using the frame as a bike trainer setup for ZWIFT/TrainerRoad, so its not a total loss.

noodle soup - could you please give me the contact of your frame builder to get another opinion? Thanks

elquesifilma

Hi All, thanks for all your replies, I have still not heard from Fuji, but will post as soon as they communicate with me. I went to the bicycle shop (Performance Bike) yesterday to pick up my frame and asked them for a copy of what Fuji replied to them regarding why it was not covered under warranty.. multiple times the sales guy met with the manager in private and then told me they could not share the email from Fuji. They said it was private??? which seems crazy and fishy to me.. It has a me worried.. they want me to contact Fuji myself which i intend to do...

I have purchased 2 bikes from Performance and spent money on lots of bicycle related stuff since they have great discounts, but i am not entirely happy with how they are treating this situation.

noodle soup

I'll see how the repair comes out, and get back to you.

Who claimed they could fix it?

elquesifilma

my bad... i meant to say they could not fix it.

noodle soup

How long ago did you purchase the bike from Performance?

The still have a lifetime guarantee.

elquesifilma

July 2015, its been a little over a year. do you think this would be covered under lifetime guarantee?, i can claim that the product did not meet my expectation and return it?

Lifetime Guarantee Buy With Confidence

We stand behind every product we sell. If an item does not meet your expectations, simply return it. We guarantee your money back for a full year. After one year, we'll provide an exchange, repair, or store credit to ensure you have the product that meets your needs. If you've lost your receipt, we'll provide a store credit at our current price.

rmfnla

Worth a try...

rpenmanparker 

Please say more about this chain. What brand was it? Had you taken it off and put it back on? Is it a new replacement that you made or that a shop did for you? Was it never taken off and just broke?

noodle soup

+1. If Performance recently replaced the chain, and it broke at the joining pin(Shimano chains), this might give you a little leverage to have Performance replace the frame under their satisfaction guarantee.

Performance is pretty good about this sort of issue, and now that they are owned by ASI( which also owns Fuji) they might be willing to replace the frame if you force the issue.

What state are you in? I know a few Performance DMs if you need to contact them.

redlude97

isn't that section of the frame aluminum? I'd get a new hanger, attach with the single good screw, and use a screw, 2 washers on each side, and nut on the backside of the broken hole. Fill in the gap with JB weld if necessary. Sure its permanent but the RD doesn't experience extreme torque unless something bad happens first with the RD.

softreset

Absolutely not uncommon. At the shop I work at our service writers are told that warranty claim specifics from the manufacturer are not to be shared with a customer. It's either a "yes, it's covered" or "no, it's not covered."

Definitely not fishy.

Got

What a funny thread. If you can't afford no carbon frame then don't buy one. Enjoy your broken plastic fiber molded bike.

Bikeracer123

One of main reasons I went aluminum.

Steve B.

One of the first times I ever saw a replaceable dropout hanger was on aluminum mt. bikes about 25 years ago. My Kleins didn't have them so you used an aluminum bolt on the rear derailer and hoped it sheared in a hit. Aluminum cannot be bent back.

Both my Kleins ended up as warranty problems and they were great bikes otherwise. One had sweat corrosion on the brake cable stops on the top tube, the other had the seat post binder bolt crack. The sweat corrosion wouldn't have happened on carbon and my cheap carbon lasted 9 years, longer then my Kleins, as thought.

The Lemond titanium had 2 major paint issues then the frame developed a crack on the down tube. So much for titanium longevity. And again, my carbon has lasted longer.

My steel Miyata from '98 might be developing some rust under the paint on the TT. Hope not, it's a great touring bike, but I'd get a Soma steel if it died.

Nothing's perfect, every material has its issues.

Gweedo1

But the frame isn't broken, the drop out is, because of a defective chain, not a defect in materials or workmanship of the frame. The replaceable hanger is meant to protect the frame from permanent damage if the bike is dropped on the drive side, not if the derailleur is ripped out of it by a jammed, broken chain. I'm sure that drop out can be made to work again with some clever use of washers and epoxy and dremmels and fasteners. Maybe to be even more robust than the original design.

That's a beautiful bike. Hope you can sort it out.

Gweedo1

Wow, not very supportive of your fellow cyclist. Who pissed in your corn flakes?

The guy's feeling down over some serious damage to his bike, and you want to pile on over frame material choice you don't agree with? Not cool.

Sy Reene

Your "service writers are told" by who, that this is the appropriate policy?

Sy Reene

You do know, right, that Performance and Fuji are owned by the same parent company (ASI)? So in theory maybe Performance themselves makes rulings on warranty repairs on behalf of Fuji. Could be that there is no email.
You could try contacting ASI though I doubt will get you much.