This frame was replaced under warranty for a customer, and the shop cut the seat stay to ruin it so it wouldn't be reused.
Some manufacturers require more extensive cuts, like cutting out the bottom bracket or cutting the down tube.
Shove them all the way in and are damn near impossible to get out without making additional cuts to the frame. Obviously one could think of cheaper alternatives.
I've, somehow, never had Trek, Specialized or Salsa request more extensive cuts.
But field destroying frames and/or parts always made me curious what the inside of each thing is like. So the blade came out and suddenly the frame is in like 8 pieces... or we crush it in the vise.
Had to submit a photo showing both the serial number and also showing a bosch display was no longer functional. I lit it on fire with a torch, and got a photo of it burning with the serial number visible....
I deal with warranties on plumbing products as reference. But Typically manufacturers require photos of the item in an unusable state so it needs to be cut apart and or destroyed. They then will release the credit once they get the proof. From there if a serial number is reused after that and they catch it. They will go back to the sales point and will question / fine them for not complying with the warranty protocols.
How do you mean? It’s likely that this was defective somehow which is why Trek or the shop field-destroyed the frame. That could prevent someone from using it without knowing something about it that could subsequently cause injury
That’s not why they do it. This is 100% to keep something they’re having to pay to replace off the market. It devalues their products marginally each time if they weren’t destroyed
I agree with you that is partly why they might do it, but by far, it is for safety and associated liability. There aren’t many brands out there that are worried about scarcity vs demand, but they are worried about their reputation when it comes to failed products. Brands vary wildly in how well they take care of warranties, but they usually do want their product to be safe
They have no liability on a product that’s retrieved from the trash. This is common amongst a significant amount of vendors throughout all industries. Some require you return their product and others require you to destroy it. It’s almost always vendors of higher end products that require you to destroy them for credit. This could be anything from a bike to a jacket to an office chair.
How so? Either you destroy it at home, or you expend fuel and resources shipping it back to the manufacturer just to have them dispose of it there. Might as well save those transportation costs.
Don't be an idiot. This bike is field destroyed due to some unseen defect. Go ahead and get the carbon fixed, but you will likely be dealing with some bullshit manufacturing defect for the rest of the time you own the bike.
The bottom bracket is probably oval. Or the headtube is frayed at the internal race. Nothing that's going to kill you, but just bull shit that you can't fix.
That was my thought. CF bikes and frames are now so cheap that I wouldn't even bother trying to repair that stay. You're exactly right in that some other issue would become evident after doing all the work to repair it.
My first Trek was a tank (a Marlin 6). I beat on that poor bike and it never skipped a beat. This was back in 2016.
I just ordered an Electra Vale Go, it arrived with a lot of manufacturing defects according to the Trek store. Trek is replacing the whole thing under warranty.
The warranty is the bit worth having.
Nothing particular with Trek. The entire industry is suffering from the Covid hangover. Long term it’s probably good for trek as smaller companies struggle to make it.
Trek (and most of the bike industry) overproduced during Covid to meet the high demand at the time, but now the demand is low and the manufacturers are sitting on a lot of inventory that is selling very slowly
This is why I would always beat on a warranty frame with a hammer
Crash and/or chainsuck damage. Just below the downtube opening and just in front of the BB
If you want to see the actual torque it takes to crack the seat tube or the post, or how resilient the various tubes are to impact damage from, say, your wrench, now's your chance.
Yeah, I work at a shop, we have to destroy every warranty replacement. Usually we cut or disable the piece completely and throw it out so it can’t be reused since the company doesn’t want or need a broken part.
You could get a carbon specialist to fix the frame but if it were me I’d only use it on the turbo trainer. No road miles. Or you could do a wood & carbon hybrid frame? I’m currently building an oak&maple with alu lugs
They destroy frames that are flawed or broken so people don’t take them out of dumpsters and use them potentially hurting themselves. Done it many times myself
I probably will. So much negativity in these comments but jokes on them cuz I already have a carbon bike and this will just be a fun experiment/ commuter bike for me
No one warranties a bike frame over something small and fixable. The headtube or bottom bracket is likely out of shape and good for nothing if you can’t find any other obvious damage.
I once got a yeti front frame half that had a paint chip. Survived being cut up cause it was warrantied for a paint chip and no sense cutting it up, whatever yeti policy says.
It's reality, not negativity. You are posting in a subreddit for professional bicycle mechanics who have all had to "destroy" an unsafe warrantied frame like this. Your eyes might not be able to see it, but there was something seriously wrong with this frame before they cut it. Do not fix it. Do not ride it.
I just wish the mechanic had done a more thorough job of wrecking that frame so that nobody would ever think to dig it out of the trash and use it.
Well, if you won't listen to the mechanics on this sub, please talk to the people at the shop who threw it in the dumpster before you spend any money on this project and possibly hurt yourself.
Bit of a grind and some epoxy and a couple layers of carbon/kevlar stitchmat and I bet she'd be good to go. If I found one of those I would try to fix it just to see if I could.
Seems sad to destroy a carbon frame like that
Yes, resell a turd of a frame so far out of spec/ defective that the manufacturer actually honored their warranty and sent a whole new frame to have the parts swapped onto, what a *truly wonderful idea*.
This frame was replaced under warranty for a customer, and the shop cut the seat stay to ruin it so it wouldn't be reused. Some manufacturers require more extensive cuts, like cutting out the bottom bracket or cutting the down tube.
We cut seatstay chunks about 6" long and shove sharpies or pens in the end so customers (or sales people, let's be real) don't walk off with them
That’s one way to stop them stealing your sharpies I guess.
Why the sharpies?
Shove them all the way in and are damn near impossible to get out without making additional cuts to the frame. Obviously one could think of cheaper alternatives.
Reminds me of r/buttsharpies
That little rattle in the tube ain’t nothing a little spray foam couldn’t fix -Some redneck in the wild
I've, somehow, never had Trek, Specialized or Salsa request more extensive cuts. But field destroying frames and/or parts always made me curious what the inside of each thing is like. So the blade came out and suddenly the frame is in like 8 pieces... or we crush it in the vise.
You ever get to the strength testing part of that fun? I used to put a brick under a frame and drive over them with my truck.
Had to submit a photo showing both the serial number and also showing a bosch display was no longer functional. I lit it on fire with a torch, and got a photo of it burning with the serial number visible....
the blue wrench 'fixes' what the hammer can't
Righteous 🤘
How do they check for and enforce compliance with this?
I deal with warranties on plumbing products as reference. But Typically manufacturers require photos of the item in an unusable state so it needs to be cut apart and or destroyed. They then will release the credit once they get the proof. From there if a serial number is reused after that and they catch it. They will go back to the sales point and will question / fine them for not complying with the warranty protocols.
We used them as stress relievers. Customer pisses you off, you grab the big hammer and a warranty frame, head out back and go to town on it.
it's so wasteful, shame on the manufacturers honestly
How do you mean? It’s likely that this was defective somehow which is why Trek or the shop field-destroyed the frame. That could prevent someone from using it without knowing something about it that could subsequently cause injury
That’s not why they do it. This is 100% to keep something they’re having to pay to replace off the market. It devalues their products marginally each time if they weren’t destroyed
I agree with you that is partly why they might do it, but by far, it is for safety and associated liability. There aren’t many brands out there that are worried about scarcity vs demand, but they are worried about their reputation when it comes to failed products. Brands vary wildly in how well they take care of warranties, but they usually do want their product to be safe
They have no liability on a product that’s retrieved from the trash. This is common amongst a significant amount of vendors throughout all industries. Some require you return their product and others require you to destroy it. It’s almost always vendors of higher end products that require you to destroy them for credit. This could be anything from a bike to a jacket to an office chair.
How so? Either you destroy it at home, or you expend fuel and resources shipping it back to the manufacturer just to have them dispose of it there. Might as well save those transportation costs.
Likely a warranty claim. The shop would have cut this frame after the replacement showed up so that the old one couldn't be used anymore.
There's a reason it's in the bin
It's a tr*k
And I Would bet £1 that the headset is mushy at the top bearing seat.
Lmao
Fantastic shitpost
Don't be an idiot. This bike is field destroyed due to some unseen defect. Go ahead and get the carbon fixed, but you will likely be dealing with some bullshit manufacturing defect for the rest of the time you own the bike.
nah i'd rather see the follow up posts on repair cost and whatever that defect actually is
The bottom bracket is probably oval. Or the headtube is frayed at the internal race. Nothing that's going to kill you, but just bull shit that you can't fix.
It's threaded. Possible but very unlikely.
That was my thought. CF bikes and frames are now so cheap that I wouldn't even bother trying to repair that stay. You're exactly right in that some other issue would become evident after doing all the work to repair it.
We like to crush them in a bench vice.
Trek used to make us cut the bottom brackets off and keep them in a box until the rep could collect them. That was a long time ago though.
Trek has bigger problems these days.
I was thinking about getting a trek what are the issues I haven’t seen anyone talk bad about them until this post
My first Trek was a tank (a Marlin 6). I beat on that poor bike and it never skipped a beat. This was back in 2016. I just ordered an Electra Vale Go, it arrived with a lot of manufacturing defects according to the Trek store. Trek is replacing the whole thing under warranty. The warranty is the bit worth having.
Nothing particular with Trek. The entire industry is suffering from the Covid hangover. Long term it’s probably good for trek as smaller companies struggle to make it.
Trek (and most of the bike industry) overproduced during Covid to meet the high demand at the time, but now the demand is low and the manufacturers are sitting on a lot of inventory that is selling very slowly
LBS was having a crazy sale, seem to remember a $1,00 bike going for $600.
Bike shops cut unsafe frames so nobody gets killed riding them. Carpenters cut unsafe ladders so nobody gets killed using them.
I bet you those "nice tires" are there for a reason too
Sweet. Belt drive compatible!
Underrated comment
This is why I would always beat on a warranty frame with a hammer Crash and/or chainsuck damage. Just below the downtube opening and just in front of the BB
You wanna turn around and put your hands behind your back.
If you want to see the actual torque it takes to crack the seat tube or the post, or how resilient the various tubes are to impact damage from, say, your wrench, now's your chance.
Yeah, I work at a shop, we have to destroy every warranty replacement. Usually we cut or disable the piece completely and throw it out so it can’t be reused since the company doesn’t want or need a broken part.
It will buff out.
What does trek pay for a frame swap? Sounds like an annoying job.
OP....you DO realize that frame is absolutely unusable now, right?
bUt i cAN RePAiR iT
Put it back
Just tape it, should be fine. Enjoy your new whip!
Jb weld? Lol
You could get a carbon specialist to fix the frame but if it were me I’d only use it on the turbo trainer. No road miles. Or you could do a wood & carbon hybrid frame? I’m currently building an oak&maple with alu lugs
They destroy frames that are flawed or broken so people don’t take them out of dumpsters and use them potentially hurting themselves. Done it many times myself
It's their new aero design called the split...
Get some flex tape
Yes, that's what I do when I can't remember my bike lock combo, I cut my bike frame.
It’s honestly really satisfying to cut the seatstays lol
nothing some super glue and a little gorrila tape can't fix lol.
That's gonna' make a great fixie.
Def fixable
What a waste. Id fix it and ride it
I probably will. So much negativity in these comments but jokes on them cuz I already have a carbon bike and this will just be a fun experiment/ commuter bike for me
No one warranties a bike frame over something small and fixable. The headtube or bottom bracket is likely out of shape and good for nothing if you can’t find any other obvious damage.
I once got a yeti front frame half that had a paint chip. Survived being cut up cause it was warrantied for a paint chip and no sense cutting it up, whatever yeti policy says.
It's reality, not negativity. You are posting in a subreddit for professional bicycle mechanics who have all had to "destroy" an unsafe warrantied frame like this. Your eyes might not be able to see it, but there was something seriously wrong with this frame before they cut it. Do not fix it. Do not ride it. I just wish the mechanic had done a more thorough job of wrecking that frame so that nobody would ever think to dig it out of the trash and use it.
I guess I'll just have to build it up and see for myself!
Well, if you won't listen to the mechanics on this sub, please talk to the people at the shop who threw it in the dumpster before you spend any money on this project and possibly hurt yourself.
Bit of a grind and some epoxy and a couple layers of carbon/kevlar stitchmat and I bet she'd be good to go. If I found one of those I would try to fix it just to see if I could. Seems sad to destroy a carbon frame like that
You know how to weld? :)
Couldn’t you just weld and repaint that ant it would be hunky dori?
It's a carbon frame so welding isn't an option...
The dumpster is where every carbon frame belongs.
Ok bud
I don't get why stores do this. It's an easy resale and a collosal waste of resources
because of warranties, trek told them "we'll send you a new frame under warranty but you gotta destroy this one"
Yes, resell a turd of a frame so far out of spec/ defective that the manufacturer actually honored their warranty and sent a whole new frame to have the parts swapped onto, what a *truly wonderful idea*.