Road Cycling - Bianchi Road Bikes

To all those who own the high-end Bianchi road bikes,
(XL EV4, XL EV3, XL Carbon, or XL Baron), has anyone
cracked their frame?

I hear so many cases of these frames cracking, that
I'm wondering if I sould just avoid the manufacturer
completely, even if it's covered by warranty?

I currently have a 95' Campione D'Italia and it's treated
me great for 8 years, but now I'm looking to take it to
the next level.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Yea, the EV2 and EV4 have a tendency to break around the chainstay areas, but Bianchi has beefed up that area and it seems like they will be stronger this year. We had a few EV2s come in and Bianchi warrantied them fully, so I wouldnt worry too much.

To all those who own the high-end Bianchi road bikes,
(XL EV4, XL EV3, XL Carbon, or XL Baron), has anyone
cracked their frame?

I hear so many cases of these frames cracking, that
I'm wondering if I sould just avoid the manufacturer
completely, even if it's covered by warranty?

I currently have a 95' Campione D'Italia and it's treated
me great for 8 years, but now I'm looking to take it to
the next level.

Any comments would be appreciated.

The older EV2s and XL Boron frames were known for cracking at the rear dropouts. I'm one of the few EV2 owners remaining in my club who hasn't cracked their EV2 but it's also not my daily bike and I'm not a heavyweight.

I've heard nothing about the EV3/4 or carbons cracking but that doesn't mean much. Most of the guys still riding Bianchi are on the San Lorenzo now with me and maybe a half dozen others still riding the EV2s.

I'm riding a 98 Mega Pro XL not a single problem. Also I
only weight 145lbs. There are two guys I talk to on the
Bianchi forum that have had nothing but problems on just
about every Bianchi thy have owned. Every year they bought
the latest frame that came out. All were warrented, but it
took a while. They finaly switched to Orbea.

My LBS is no longer carrying Bianchi because they have dropped the lifetime guarantee on the bikes and didn't even bother to tell the dealer. As a result, a customer brought a defective bike to the shop two years after purchase and Bianchi said it was out of warranty. The bike shop had to "eat the deal" and replace the bike.

Bianchi's warranty is 3 years from date of purchase, so something doesn't sound correct.

This information was just emailed to me from a Bianchi sales rep.

Perhaps I didn't get the time period correct. But three year guarantee? I would have expected much more from Bianchi

I totally agree!

Seems like Bianchi is not the same company as in the past. There are many LBS that no longer carry this brand of bikes, because there is now more competition (equal or better) at better prices.

Colnago: You get a four-year warranty from manufacturing defect.

Pinarello, Pegoretti, Eddy Merckx, and Opera Bike: Two year coverage from manufacturing defect, and one year coverage on the finish.

De Rosa: Two year coverage from manufacturing defects.

Look: Five year coverage

If you are talking high end bikes, why not a company like Seven that offers lifetime warrantee. Let's face it, with the prices of high-end bikes and the competition, why shouldn't a company offer these with enough confidence to guarantee them?