RoadBikeUSA1

Hi guys. Bought a brand new Allez Sport Comp. rear hub has been all messed up, clacking, popping ect. Now trying to get warrantied. Anyone else having problems with these hubs? Also did you know Specialized charges you 40 bucks to "submit" a warranty claim?! Gezzz.... Thanks.

Iride01 

Well any new bike can have issues. Just like used bikes can have issues. Are you certain it's not the shop charging you the $40 for the troubles they've already go to to solve the issue?

Perhaps some shops might charge you for their time, but it does seem a little much. Unless this is another shop that didn't sell you the bike.

AFAIK, Specialized itself does not own any bike shops. The bikes shops that sell Specialized are just authorized dealers. Much like a franchise, but not quite.

veganbikes

Curious what the actual problem is with no video or real info about what is going on and how new or old the bike is it is impossible to tell. I do know Specialized doesn't charge a fee for warranty. However many shops these days will charge a fee for warranty stuff that wasn't bought from them because in the end warranty work is expensive with little reward. We have had warranty issues that we get little to nothing from and the customer gets mad at us because the company we are working on warranty with is slow or won't help or whatever the case might be.

Your local shop might be able to give you a credit for that $40 if the warranty case is covered and the labor is all covered as well but $40 for potentially hours of work when a general shop rate is going to be around $100 an hour (or more) is a pretty good deal. I would let the professionals handle it and see what Specialized says.

Right now they (Specialized) are about 2-3 weeks out on warranty stuff and make that clear on their website. Eventually that number will probably go down a little more once it gets slower and further away from summer, Otherwise

Specialized actually does own some shops. I think they might say "brand experience centers" a lot of companies are doing that but Specialized has had shops for a little while. Maybe not as prolific as Trek in buying out every local shop they can but they are trying.

RoadBikeUSA1

why did you respond? to give your opinion and be wrong? your wrong about both things, a brand new bike should not break, specailzied owns bike shops dude like othe major brands, i dont have time to chat with someone in mississippi about mundane bike hubs and wrong opinions bye

RoadBikeUSA1

you must work for specialized lol

wheelreason

To be fair, your post and question sounds more like venting than a seach for answers. We are a Specialized dealer,, but the following applies to any brand really.
You say that the hub is broken, we don't really know that. What you describe can be several things (alone or in combination) that may indeed be broken or only misadjusted or misbehaving.
How long have you owned the bike? Has the issue just come up suddenly, or was it there all along, and got progressively worse? First step should be to diagnose the problem. If you bought it from an LBS go there, if not look for an authorized shop near you, and have them look at it, and go from there. The answer may very well be a new wheel if it's indeed the hub, or a quick adjustment or repair if it isn't.

ps: I replied (uncharacteristically) in an attempt to be helpful.

badger1

Iride01 gave you a reasonable, nuanced response, as did veganbikes. Your immediate replies to both were at once impertinent and sarcastic. Grow up.

veganbikes

No I don't work for Specialized. I do own a shop that sells Specialized and also worked in the past for a shop that sold Specialized where I was the warranty manager for a number of years and had a lot of dealings with Specialized in that time being a fairly large dealer, I have also worked in the industry for about 13 years and have done nearly every role in it and have seen a ton of bikes come through my various shops from so many different manufacturers some new some old.

Yes it is uncommon that there are problems on new bikes but it does happen every once and while. However with no real info or videos we cannot really know what has happened hence why I said what I said. I have seen new bikes get absolutely trashed by someone riding it hard with no care and also just someone with a new bike not knowing how to ride it and use it properly or maybe not bringing it back for the initial check up. So there is a lot that can happen. If the bike happens to be well cared for then it could be a manufacturing defect like I said it does happen every once and a while.

wheelreason gave an excellent answer as well about steps to take to determine the problem and try and get it solved. If you really just want to vent fine but know the truth or at least be willing to accept it when it becomes available and be honest with folks. I have heard so many JRA stories it is not funny. Things rarely just happen without something else going on. Sometimes that is a defect from the manufacturer but in many cases it is just a human based error we as humans make frequently (not in a bad way we just are imperfect beings who can make mistakes) but we have to own them when needed.