Originally Posted by
matt52
Yan contributes to this forum pretty regularly - I'd be surprised if he hasn't been alerted to this thread. Has he been in contact with you on this? Have you emailed him? If so, what response? This is one DT problem I'd have expected him to be all over (to the extent of getting the bike mailed back to him to inspect). Having been made aware of this pretty serious failure, if he hasn't checked out whether its a more widespread design or manufacturing problem (as opposed to just an unlucky one-off) he could find himself on the end of some pretty toxic lawsuits if any other DT bikes break in the same way and someone gets hurt.
Matt,
I would like to address a couple points. First I want to address this failure issue. Everyone seems interested in trying to determine the cause of this failure. I too am interested in the question, however there seems minimal information given. Rider weight/height has not been defined, exactly how it happened, was there an incident along the line of breakage previously? Ever have a shearing force at that point. Without more information I do not think anyone can make any claims about the bike. However I will agree that calling it defective from the pics and limited information would most likely be the proper judgment.
Now let me ask another question.....How likely is it that a manufacturer has no frames break? I would think it to be impossible for no frames to ever break by a manufacturer. I have broken two frames, one a Marin, and the other an off brand I can't remember. Does this information imply anything bad about the bikes? Maybe maybe not. It is the beginning point to asking the right questions and understanding.
Question #1 What is the defect rate of Downtube frames.....assuming this one is defective?
Answer: Well less than 1 out of a 1000.
Question #2 Are the frames tested?
Answer: Yes both by stress testing machines and by real life riding.
Question #3 Have the frames passed all tests?
Answer: Yes we have only broken one prototype frame during stress testing, and that frame was changed before production.
Question #4 are the current frames the same?
Answer: No there were some changes in 2008 to accommodate taller riders.
Question #5 Will the frames stay the same?
Answer: We have plans to change most of our lineup every year. As we have in the past.
Again I think the claims of our bikes being compared to Walmart bikes are a little premature.
This is the first I have heard about this problem, and I do not think it is proper for me to deal with it in a public forum. We handle many warranty claims every year, all are discussed privately. Hence I would prefer to do the same here.
I think we have a quality product with minimal defects and we have many customers that feel the same. FYI if our defect rate was high we could not sell our bikes for the prices we do. Our low problem rate make our business model feasible.
Several writers have mentioned that they were surprised I have addressed this issue before. I have stopped coming to the forums as frequently and will probably not attend as much in the future. In 2005/2006 I had a great time here....lots of fun & friends. Many of the old friends have moved on & several other members have used the forum to attack me. In short it is not as much fun as it was and I do not think I will be as active for a while. Hopefully it becomes fun again for everyone....why else would we all be here???
Thanks,
Yan