Author Topic: I now know what the creaking noise was II: The Crack O' Doom. (Read 12770 times)

clarion · « **Reply #25 on:** 07 September, 2012, 02:18:00 pm »

Good result, and great for Enigma's image.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #26 on:** 07 September, 2012, 02:21:20 pm »

Well done to all you lardarses who keep breaking Ti frames and then getting new replacements under warranty!

It makes me wonder, with all these expensive bits of kit which break and need replacing (Ti frames, Rohloff hubs) what the mark-up on them is that the companies concerned are still solvent.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #27 on:** 12 September, 2012, 08:22:57 pm »

Those rich MAMILs don't actually ride much; pretty much anything can survive a couple of hundred miles before being sold in favour of the latest thing.

Canardly · « **Reply #28 on:** 15 September, 2012, 10:43:42 am »

Andrew Br · « **Reply #29 on:** 15 September, 2012, 09:26:34 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 12 September, 2012, 08:22:57 pm

Those rich MAMILs don't actually ride much; pretty much anything can survive a couple of hundred miles before being sold in favour of the latest thing.

Hhhmmm. Not sure what to make of this.
I know that Jurek isn't a born again MAMIL despite him being both middle-aged and a frequenter of lycra.
As for me, the 6200+ miles on the broken frame were done in 14 months. And I have two other bikes. Neither of them is a Pinarello.
FWIW, I am also middle-aged and a frequenter of lycra.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #30 on:** 18 September, 2012, 09:25:34 pm »

You are the exceptions. You're using the frames for something they were never intended for, viz. being ridden rather than posed with.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #31 on:** 19 September, 2012, 01:50:34 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 18 September, 2012, 09:25:34 pm

You are the exceptions. You're using the frames for something they were never intended for, viz. being ridden rather than posed with.

trufax

Andrew Br · « **Reply #32 on:** 20 September, 2013, 01:01:04 pm »

The new frame arrived this week:-

13-09-20 Replacement Engima by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

Chris N · « **Reply #33 on:** 20 September, 2013, 01:02:03 pm »

12 MONTHS!!1!!

vorsprung · « **Reply #34 on:** 20 September, 2013, 03:48:12 pm »

Did it *really* take 12 months?

??

If so that is terrible customer service and a sound reason to avoid Enigma

Andrew Br · « **Reply #35 on:** 20 September, 2013, 04:36:52 pm »

Yes, it really took 12 months.
I hate to say it but I wasn't surprised.

Regulator · « **Reply #36 on:** 22 September, 2013, 08:35:15 am »

When I was considering buying a Ti bike, everyone I spoke to said avoid Enigma - and this is the perfect example of why.

Jurek · « **Reply #37 on:** 22 September, 2013, 08:59:15 am »

Gobsmacked!
I thought I was getting a rough deal with a 3 month wait from VN.
I'd be interested to hear how customer care is with VN, since they've been taken over by Kona and Jan St.Nikolas' involvement is minimal.
Nice looking frame thobut.

StuAff · « **Reply #38 on:** 22 September, 2013, 05:10:24 pm »

A year? Appalling. When the (carbon) Viner's BB separated from the frame, it took about three months to get it sorted, but that was mostly down to UK repair options being investigated and falling through before it got sent back to be done at the factory in Tuscany. Despite not being a warranty job as I was the bike's second owner, both the factory and UK importer were very helpful. When the repair failed after a few months, as a goodwill gesture they covered the costs of shipping the bike and of making good the repair. Viner went into administration last year, hope the new owners (preparing for a relaunch now) treat customers the same way. Certainly not like Enigma treated you!

Adam · « **Reply #39 on:** 22 September, 2013, 06:42:22 pm »

Quote from: Andrew Br on 20 September, 2013, 04:36:52 pm

Yes, it really took 12 months.
I hate to say it but I wasn't surprised.

Why did they take so long?

hatler · « **Reply #40 on:** 22 September, 2013, 08:59:05 pm »

The rack lug on my Sabbath September parted company from the frame and Sabbath despatched me a new frame without any questions asked within about a week of my letting them know. This was a stock size mind.

Veloman · « **Reply #41 on:** 22 September, 2013, 10:14:09 pm »

My carbon Dolan was replaced in 3 days. Visit to bike shop to ask "what do I do?" and after a quick phone call the new frame duly arrived. Well impressed.

DrMekon · « **Reply #42 on:** 23 September, 2013, 12:02:14 am »

Without explicitly naming the four letter American bike company, some manufacturers are generous to the point of inviting abuse. I know a chap who was rear ended by a car, and continued to use the bike until a seat stay cracked on cobbles 6 months later. 3 day turn around, with an upgrade thrown in.

Currently taking advantage of same company's loyalty programme where handing back a crashed frame gets you discount on the replacement. It felt like a brilliant deal until I heard what this chap had done. Still, thrashing around on carbon that's almost certainly damaged for six months - brave - maybe he's earned it.

T42 · « **Reply #43 on:** 23 September, 2013, 09:00:59 am »

10+ years ago Decathlon had a Ti bike offer here, and the mechanic at my LBS bought one. It cracked. As a replacement they sent him a Lapierre Ti frame. He was fed up with the deal by then - maybe it had taken a long time, I don't know - so he didn't build a new bike. I bought the frame and I've been running it ever since. It's beautiful.

Andrew Br · « **Reply #44 on:** 14 December, 2013, 10:33:19 pm »

The bike looks fantastic and is ready to go.
Except that TRP have just recalled the Spyre disc brakes.
Phrases beginning with "Arse", "Fuck" and "Bugger" have been heard around these parts.

I'm not getting a new bike for Christmas

GraemeMcC · « **Reply #45 on:** 18 December, 2013, 12:59:26 pm »

Quote from: Adam on 22 September, 2013, 06:42:22 pm

Why did they take so long?

From personal experience with enigma, I'm not surprised. Let's say he's a perfectionist with details and new business, but not best at processing repairs or clearing backlogs. He took several months to rebuild and paint a set of steel forks for a custom disk-brake build with my customised Etape Ti frame. But during the delay, he did point me in the direction of PZ Carbon blade forks with ISO disk tabs which have stood me well ever since (and the corrected steel fork is now on the commute bike

).

Nice rear drop-outs on AB's replacement frame and tidy disk mount position. Though I guess that means cable/hose routing down the downtube.

GraemeMcC · « **Reply #46 on:** 18 December, 2013, 01:15:05 pm »

Going back to the matter of the crack on the OP, did that frame have straight or curved seat stays?

My Etape has slightly curved/bowed stays: it is the most comfortable frame I've ever ridden over any distances (LEL / PBP / etc). It also has a carbon seat post. My Brooks has Ti rails. Fellow riders have commented that it appears that my saddle weaves about - obviously noticeably to them - but not to me as I ride. But my query is that perhaps a Ti frame flexes a lot and that the junction of the seatpost is where this flexing is meeting resistance most (or, conversely, where flexing from leg action is being resisted by the frame). In which case, the local fatigue loading will be high.

I'm going home to have a close look at my frame tonight!

But it might be worth others thinking about Ti frames to also consider the benefits of carbon seatposts - they may be taking away some of the fatigue load effects as well as being less susceptible to welding themselves into the tube (from differential metal corrosion effects...)

Andrew Br · « **Reply #47 on:** 18 December, 2013, 06:47:24 pm »

Quote from: GraemeMcC on 18 December, 2013, 12:59:26 pm

Nice rear drop-outs on AB's replacement frame and tidy disk mount position. Though I guess that means cable/hose routing down the downtube.

Beautiful aren't they ? I had the same on the "broken" bike and I was very impressed with their looks and functionality.

Quote from: GraemeMcC on 18 December, 2013, 01:15:05 pm

Going back to the matter of the crack on the OP, did that frame have straight or curved seat stays?

It had straight seat stays. I think the crack started because the frame had been re-welded at the top of the seatpost and I guess (hope) that they weren't quite scrupulous enough in putting an inert atmosphere around it.
My stolen/recovered Enigma has curved seat-stays. I couldn't detect any difference in the ride between the two frames.

Andrew Br · « **Reply #48 on:** 18 January, 2014, 05:05:20 pm »

Finally, finally the new bike is here:-

14-01-18 New Enigma LHS by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

14-01-18 New Enigma RHS by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

On the basis of a 1 mile ride back from the bike shop it's very smooth but I think I might have picked bars that are too wide.

Since the weather looks like it's going to be lovely tomorrow, guess what I'll be doing

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #49 on:** 18 January, 2014, 05:07:11 pm »

Ooh - shiny!

Author Topic: I now know what the creaking noise was II: The Crack O' Doom. (Read 12770 times)

Chris N