Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - cracked frame on Trek Navigator

Had an interesting day yesterday. Started off by riding my bike to the doctor's office and found out I had lost more weight than I thought. Down to 325 from a little over 400 in 6 months. The ironic thing is that when I left the office, feeling great about my weight loss, I went only one block and heard and felt the frame crack on my Trek Navigator 2.0. :eek:

It cracked where the top tube meets the seat tube, right along the weld. Both tubes had a crack line through them. Good thing I was only going about 5 miles per hour. I suspect had I been going down a hill at 25 miles per hour and hit a bump the seat-post tube or top tube would have broken off completely and my day would not have been very good.

I estimate I've gone about 2,500 miles or so since buying this bike. Since I started riding I've replace the rear wheel after breaking spokes, replace the stock suspension seat-post after it bent, the stock seat after it cracked, and the pedals.

Not complaining though. I think this bike has served me quite well considering my starting weight of 400 pounds. I actually found it humorous that it waited for me to lose 80 pounds before it gave out, and then right after I left the Doc's office. By the way, I'm also 6' 5" tall.

The best part in my opinion has been my LBS's service throughout all this. They have continually repaired this bike without charge, or blamed me, and never once implied that it was my weight. I even asked them if I was "too fat to ride a bike", they replied "NO". They are even getting me a brand new bike! I have rarely ever seen customer service like this from any businesses, and Trek's warranty service is also phenomenal.

So now I'm looking forward to getting my new bike and getting back on the road towards another 80 pound loss. :)

Jake

Interesting. Someone else cracked a Trek frame recently. Fortunately, my 7200 frame stood up for 2 years.

How about giving us the name of the LBS so others can benefit from their great service!

Sounds like a good day all around. You get good health news and a new cycle, and avoided a bad crash. Great to here that there is still a company that stands by there product.

Yeah, the Trek / Gary Fisher aluminum frames are not very clyde resistant from what I can tell. About a year ago I saw a failed GF hybrid frame where a clyde had torn the bottom bracket away from the down tube.

I wouldn't attribute the shop's reaction to good will either. It's embarrassing when this happens because A.) they sold you the bike and B.) their products didn't hold up during their intended use.

My navigator's frame was ok, but I did manage to torque something in the rear cassette/derailleur area that a chain would not stay on. My LBS at the time fixed it no questions asked.

Had an interesting day yesterday. Started off by riding my bike to the doctor's office and found out I had lost more weight than I thought. Down to 325 from a little over 400 in 6 months. The ironic thing is that when I left the office, feeling great about my weight loss, I went only one block and heard and felt the frame crack on my Trek Navigator 2.0. :eek:

It cracked where the top tube meets the seat tube, right along the weld. Both tubes had a crack line through them. Good thing I was only going about 5 miles per hour. I suspect had I been going down a hill at 25 miles per hour and hit a bump the seat-post tube or top tube would have broken off completely and my day would not have been very good.

I estimate I've gone about 2,500 miles or so since buying this bike. Since I started riding I've replace the rear wheel after breaking spokes, replace the stock suspension seat-post after it bent, the stock seat after it cracked, and the pedals.

Not complaining though. I think this bike has served me quite well considering my starting weight of 400 pounds. I actually found it humorous that it waited for me to lose 80 pounds before it gave out, and then right after I left the Doc's office. By the way, I'm also 6' 5" tall.

The best part in my opinion has been my LBS's service throughout all this. They have continually repaired this bike without charge, or blamed me, and never once implied that it was my weight. I even asked them if I was "too fat to ride a bike", they replied "NO". They are even getting me a brand new bike! I have rarely ever seen customer service like this from any businesses, and Trek's warranty service is also phenomenal.

So now I'm looking forward to getting my new bike and getting back on the road towards another 80 pound loss. :)

Jake

I've dealt with Trek over a modification on my Navigator, special ordering a new spring for the suspension fork. They have a wonderful warranty program. While my problem wasn't a warranty issue, Trek sent a new, stronger spring free of charge, which the shop installed gratis as well.

When this was happening I asked about weight limits on Trek bikes. According to the shop, Trek and Botrager do not have a rider weight limit on their products.

I put 1800 miles on my Navigator without any major problems, but I was only 275.

Yeah, the Trek / Gary Fisher aluminum frames are not very clyde resistant from what I can tell. About a year ago I saw a failed GF hybrid frame where a clyde had torn the bottom bracket away from the down tube.

I wouldn't attribute the shop's reaction to good will either. It's embarrassing when this happens because A.) they sold you the bike and B.) their products didn't hold up during their intended use.

I'll probably get a nasty PM for this, but I'm going to take the moderator to task here.

I don't think the motivation of the LBS matters in this case. WARNING: MIXED METAPHOR They stepped up to the plate, threw a leg over the saddle and did what needed to be done. The OP is satisfied, and the shop probably has a loyal customer for life. Also, they, unlike some LBS I've heard of, reached out to a guy who didn't fit the mold. They wanted him to get the bike and have helped him through the problems of physics created by his Clyde status. I say that's a good shop, even if they are only thinking of their bottom line. Let's face it, LBS survive by considering the customer their lifeblood. If not, BD sells solid bikes for a lot less.

And to the OP congrats on a good day, glad the weight loss is going well, and that your doctor confirms you're in good shape.

(Just got back from the doc today myself. Good health, but over the last 18 mons, I've put on nearly 20 lbs. :( Guess I need more miles and less chocolate!!! :o)

I recently cracked my Lemond Tourmalet frame (Trek Product). I had 11,000 miles on it and 2 1/2 years of riding. I wrote Trek Lemond an email asking about the weight limits on my current bike as I was worried that next time it cracked in such a manner, I might be seriously injured. They sent a response stating they had no problems with heavy riders.

Soon after I was notified by my shop that Trek was upgrading the frame to a far better one. But I did somehow mention that I loved Trek products and owned $600, $1000, $3,000 Trek roadies and $250 and $1100 Trek mtb's.:D

I'll for sure stay with Trek!:D

It would be interesting to track manufacturers that stand behind their products the best, particularly in a Clydesdale application, where lesser manufacturers could pull the excuse lever. Speaks well of Trek, and this is not the first time.

I recently cracked my Lemond Tourmalet frame (Trek Product). I had 11,000 miles on it and 2 1/2 years of riding. I wrote Trek Lemond an email asking about the weight limits on my current bike as I was worried that next time it cracked in such a manner, I might be seriously injured. They sent a response stating they had no problems with heavy riders.

Soon after I was notified by my shop that Trek was upgrading the frame to a far better one. But I did somehow mention that I loved Trek products and owned $600, $1000, $3,000 Trek roadies and $250 and $1100 Trek mtb's.:D

I'll for sure stay with Trek!:D

Hi Mr. Beanz,

I did specifically ask my LBS before I purchased my bike if it would hold my weight. I asked about the wheels, suspension seat post, frame, etc. The salesperson said I would have no problems, and I in turn ended up needing to replace all. Of course they stood by their statement by fixing everything so I'm not unhappy by any means. I suspect they think the bike would probably sit in the garage like most exercise equipment people buy, or be ridden once in a while for very leisurely rides around the neighborhood. I think most sub $400 bikes are actually not made with serious riders in mind (500 miles per month). I will be saving money while I continue to lose weight towards higher end touring bike, such as the Surely LHT or Trek 520 touring bike.

Again, I am still incredibly impressed by the service I have received from this LSB, regardless of their actual motivations or goodwill. It's simply good business, and I will probably buy the Trek 520 touring bike simply because they don't sell other brands and I want to give them my business while still getting a good product.

I also just want to mention that I did try to be very easy on this bike, and still wasn't surprised about the rim and other components that needed replacement, but I was VERY surprised that the frame cracked.

Jake

I'll probably get a nasty PM for this, but I'm going to take the moderator to task here.

I don't think the motivation of the LBS matters in this case. WARNING: MIXED METAPHOR They stepped up to the plate, threw a leg over the saddle and did what needed to be done. The OP is satisfied, and the shop probably has a loyal customer for life. Also, they, unlike some LBS I've heard of, reached out to a guy who didn't fit the mold. They wanted him to get the bike and have helped him through the problems of physics created by his Clyde status. I say that's a good shop, even if they are only thinking of their bottom line. Let's face it, LBS survive by considering the customer their lifeblood. If not, BD sells solid bikes for a lot less.

And to the OP congrats on a good day, glad the weight loss is going well, and that your doctor confirms you're in good shape.

(Just got back from the doc today myself. Good health, but over the last 18 mons, I've put on nearly 20 lbs. :( Guess I need more miles and less chocolate!!! :o)

Oh, I don't have any problems with this at all. All I was trying to point out is that it is an embarassing situation for the LBS when you sell something like that and it fails. Speaking as a former bike shop manager, you want to do everything you can to contain the damage.

What irks me is that the industry has moved to what are essentially mass-produced, disposable aluminum frames, wheels, etc. Design is increasingly driven by marketing. Durability is no longer valued as your standard bicycle is engineered for a 180 lb rider, no matter what size you buy.

Trek does a great job of following up on warranties, but I don't think that this means that we should be celebrating them. Specialized does just as good of a job--the point being that, in my experience, their products hold up better to begin with, so you hear about them less.

Keep in mind I ride a Lemond that I am happy with. I just don't expect it to last more than 6 or 7 years.

Oh, I don't have any problems with this at all. All I was trying to point out is that it is an embarassing situation for the LBS when you sell something like that and it fails. Speaking as a former bike shop manager, you want to do everything you can to contain the damage.

What irks me is that the industry has moved to what are essentially mass-produced, disposable aluminum frames, wheels, etc. Design is increasingly driven by marketing. Durability is no longer valued as your standard bicycle is engineered for a 180 lb rider, no matter what size you buy.

Trek does a great job of following up on warranties, but I don't think that this means that we should be celebrating them. Specialized does just as good of a job--the point being that, in my experience, their products hold up better to begin with, so you hear about them less.

Keep in mind I ride a Lemond that I am happy with. I just don't expect it to last more than 6 or 7 years.

It makes sense though, if a bicycle company uses a disposable aluminum frame, they know that 90% of bicycles sold in the US will be tossed away in 20 years with less then 25 miles on them, so if you design a frame to work for a couple of years, with a reasonable weight rider, say a 180lb, then the few frames that do fail, can be replaced under warranty. If you think the rider is serious, or a little heavier, then you can sneak in a better quality frame, to keep the customer happy.

There are some bikes designed for heavier loads, mostly the chromoly touring bikes, but even then, a 180lb rider and 50lb load is still only 230lbs, One option is an MTB frame, the smaller wheels are stronger, and don't forget a bike designed for a 150lb rider taking 3' drops, is going to put up with anything a 250lb rider, doing regular road riding is going to dish out. Also, MTB frames will have more clearance for tires and fenders.

Again, I am still incredibly impressed by the service I have received from this LSB, regardless of their actual motivations or goodwill. It's simply good business, and I will probably buy the Trek 520 touring bike simply because they don't sell other brands and I want to give them my business while still getting a good product.


Is their a reason why you are unwilling to name the LBS?

Any one know if Trek will cover a bike for a person that isn't the original buyer? Or if any companies will do that?

Any one know if Trek will cover a bike for a person that isn't the original buyer? Or if any companies will do that?

I have been there, and I would say that they might-it may depend on the LBS, and the schmoozing skills of the service mgr. I had an '80's vintage 830 MTB, which I picked up along the way, which developed a crack in the frame. You may have seen pics around this site. Anyway, the mgr. of my LBS (Bike Tech in Olympia, WA, BTW!) talked Trek into a whole new bike for me, because none of the old components would be compatible with a new frame. So it is possible.

Is their a reason why you are unwilling to name the LBS?


Uh, did I miss something here? I don't remember saying I was unwilling to name the LSB.

Uh, did I miss something here? I don't remember saying I was unwilling to name the LSB.

Post #3 maybe? :o

Post #3 maybe? :o


3rd party says it'snot the he's unwilling. Prolly didn't see your post.:o.......Hey you stay outta this!:D