Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - The Pista that replaced my older cracked Pista, is cracked. Boo Bianchi.

My '06 Bianchi Pista with about 12,000 miles cracked at the drive side seat cluster earlier this year. I went through the warranty exchange and they sent me an '08. I have had this guy for about 3 months, got 1800 miles on it. Yesterday I found a crack in the, guess what? drive side seat cluster. When they sent me this guy I was told it was the last one they had with the old geometry (I don't want the '09 geo). I don't want a new '09 pista as another warranty replacement. I am hoping they'll let me pay a small charge to upgrade to the Super Pista frameset. Otherwise I'll be bumming. This will probably be the last Bianchi I ever buy, btw.

Are you kidding? I've never heard of a warranty that was that good.
They are offering to give you another new bicycle, 4 years after you purchased the original one (and not even a high-end one, but pretty much the cheapest one on the entire line-up) and you are still complaining?

Yes, it sucks when things break, but seriously, that sounds like amazing customer service by Bianchi.

I have a crack in the same place.

Bianchi won't honor the warranty in my case because I powder coated the frame.

However, Bianchi offered me a "smokin" deal on an '09 (I wouldn't ride an 09 unless I absolutely had no other choice).

My buddy's pista cracked just like yours, but on the NDS.

I'd go for a super pista man, I like em despite everyone's hating on the graphics. Or post it on ebay and get yourself something Japanese.

Are you kidding? I've never heard of a warranty that was that good.
They are offering to give you another new bicycle, 4 years after you purchased the original one (and not even a high-end one, but pretty much the cheapest one on the entire line-up) and you are still complaining?

Yes, it sucks when things break, but seriously, that sounds like amazing customer service by Bianchi.

Well, since I discovered this yesterday and I haven't talked to anyone yet, I don't know if they'll offer me another new bicycle, or anything at all.. I'm not complaining about the warranty or customer service. I think they've been great. I'm complaining about the shoddy quality of the bikes I've bought.


My buddy's pista cracked just like yours, but on the NDS.

I'd go for a super pista man, I like em despite everyone's hating on the graphics. Or post it on ebay and get yourself something Japanese.

I dig the Super Pista too. I would still have to buy a new stem, but whatever.

I assume you were brakeless, but did you whip skid at all or skid in general? That will give any frame a short lifespan.

I've known people who skid all day, every day, for every reason conceivable in all traffic conditions at all speeds and their frames don't crap out in 3 months.

Where's the thread from that guy that wants to get rid of his Pista?

I was lookin' around for pricing info on the Super Pista and came across this $2000 gem of a dented Pista Concept:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330388523472&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=M*S%3F&GUID=711dec6d11a0a09c1835cd25fffe451f&itemid=330388523472&ff4=263602_263622#ht_742wt_1167
:crash:

I was lookin' around for pricing info on the Super Pista and came across this $2000 gem of a dented Pista Concept:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330388523472&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=M*S%3F&GUID=711dec6d11a0a09c1835cd25fffe451f&itemid=330388523472&ff4=263602_263622#ht_742wt_1167
:crash:

how did that happen in the first 15 mi!?

Guess he wasn't using a top-tube pad when he used his Kryptonite lock once.

I assume you were brakeless, but did you whip skid at all or skid in general? That will give any frame a short lifespan.

What? Skidding is probably last on the list of things people do on fixed gears that will shorten their frame's lifespan...

What? Skidding is probably last on the list of things people do on fixed gears that will shorten their frame's lifespan...
I have heard and known many people who have cracked frames in the rear triangle from skids, especially whip skids. I am just saying that under "normal" riding conditions as in actually riding, not jumping off curbs/speedbumps, skidding or tarcking your frame will not crack for your average rider...

^^
Besides, wasn't the Pista originally designed to be ridden on the track where there are hardly any bumps at all?...

I have heard and known many people who have cracked frames in the rear triangle from skids, especially whip skids. I am just saying that under "normal" riding conditions as in actually riding, not jumping off curbs/speedbumps, skidding or tarcking your frame will not crack for your average rider...

Well, not withstanding a discussion about whether skids are that much worse for a frame, you're wrong. I'm not a skidder. I just ride. A lot. Think about it, I'm not going to ride over 1800 miles in less than three months if I'm skidding around all day. Most of the dudes I know who do the tircks can't ride more than 5 miles without crying about how bad it hurts. I just ride, and the frame failed.

methinks its time you afforded yourself a break from the desert.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?611957-AN-ISLAND-RIDE-support-vehicle-included-JANUARY-16-2010

I am organizing this ride, it is right up your alley of distance riding. in hot sticky island weather.

I have heard and known many people who have cracked frames in the rear triangle from skids, especially whip skids. I am just saying that under "normal" riding conditions as in actually riding, not jumping off curbs/speedbumps, skidding or tarcking your frame will not crack for your average rider...

Unless you're weak as hell, the average person is going to put way more stress on their frame climbing up a hill than they will doing skids

dude seriously what and how are you riding? I've had my Pista for about 8 months and it's fine. However, I do intend on upgrading to a Torelli in the near future.

Unless you're weak as hell, the average person is going to put way more stress on their frame climbing up a hill than they will doing skids

Skids, yes, but whip skids, maybe not. Whip skids put a lot more lateral stress on a frame from what I can tell.

everything on this page is hearsay till someone shows a scientific break down of the forces put on a bike when skidding/climbing respectively.

you could just have it repaired,you know instead of my whining "my old ****ty bike broke and the company will honor a warranty(most companies dont have waranties period) and give me a freee new bike but I dont want it." it would be less than $50 to have it rewelded if its at the seam. how come now days if something breaks people just dont fix it and reuse it?

you could just have it repaired,you know instead of my whining "my old ****ty bike broke and the company will honor a warranty(most companies dont have waranties period) and give me a freee new bike but I dont want it." it would be less than $50 to have it rewelded if its at the seam. how come now days if something breaks people just dont fix it and reuse it?

First off, it's not an old ****ty bike. It's a 3 month old bike from a company that's been around for 100 years or so, with a reputation for quality. Second, I don't think I am unreasonable to not want a replacement bike that wasn't the same bike that I bought. Third, rewelding the seat cluster would weaken the whole area. Thanks for chiming in though.

how fat are you? how far up the seat tube is your seatpost? i'm not sure you should ride a superpista if you can't take care of a steel bike.

I'm not as fat as your mom. I'm 6' and I weigh 160. My seatpost is below the minimum insertion point. The problem of cracks on the seat cluster on Pistas is not extraordinary. There have been threads posted before about this problem. I hardly think that me riding a bike would constitute not taking care of it. I don't do tricks, I don't do skids, I don't do bunny hops or ****. I just ride, and maintain, my bike. That's it.

Got any pics of the cracks?

I don't have pics, and I doubt I could get the crack to show up in a picture using my 4 year old camera phone.

everything on this page is hearsay till someone shows a scientific break down of the forces put on a bike when skidding/climbing respectively.

True, but I feel fairly confident that I can guarantee the fact that huge ****ing potholes, etc do a lot more to put bad stresses on my frame than whip skids. Any frame that breaks through any kind of skidding alone should be a red flag. That is, something else was wrong in the first place.

I don't skid and I avoid potholes, and my frame cracked, anyway.

I love the Pista frame and I continue to ride it on occasion (crack and all), and, I had my new custom frame built to the Pista's geometry (except for a sloping top tube and taller head tube).

If I owned Bianchi, I would go back to pre-2009 Pista geometry, and I would fix the cracking problem.

Too many riders have had a crack in this exact location.

I am also one of those guys who had a '07 crack in the same place. Pictures are out there in a thread somewhere.

Bianchi did replace it with an '09 which - to date - has not had further cracking. I keep a good eye on it. No skidding for me, but it serves as my cheap training bike which gets a lot of riding very - very hard.

If it cracks again it'll just be a good excuse to do the custom fixed gear as Ken Cox points to above.

where is your car now?? hater!!!
really I'm sorry that sucks but kinda funny after the little face book comment

in Jason's defense he is a smooth rider and is as skinny as Jesus with legs, beard and all. not a trick guy. I guess bianchi just sucks!
my grampa use to say buy cheap buy twice.
I told you to buy a sparkley NJS frame but NOOOOOOOOO.

i take back the Bianchi sucks thing I still miss my pista concept to this day.

maybe since you did your research and new these frames had a problem you shouldnt have boughten one. but you just went with the insta-street cred chrome bike. Have fun with that slack 09 geo!

maybe since you did your research and new these frames had a problem you shouldnt have boughten one. but you just went with the insta-street cred chrome bike. Have fun with that slack 09 geo!

"Boughten"?

boughten

purchased.

buff-ten

Aside from a permanently stuck seatpost, my 05 pista is holding up fine, and I'm not the smallest of guys either.

maybe since you did your research and new these frames had a problem you shouldnt have boughten one. but you just went with the insta-street cred chrome bike. Have fun with that slack 09 geo!
he bought a green one and cares nothing about street creds fool! he just want to ride his bike and will ride circles around you " mister boughten"

I forgot how many a$$h0les are on here!

No ****, right? I come in here, tell people what's up and almost half of these posts are attacking me, as though I did something wrong. It's like all these fools who've been riding bikes for 6 months think they know absolutely everything, so once something happens that they haven't experienced they immediately blame it on the the person so that they can feel cool, or something. I don't know about this place sometimes. Thanks for the respect, G.

Dude the exact same thing happened to me when I posted ab a stripped SG75 arm here in SSFG.

there, there.

No ****, right? I come in here, tell people what's up and almost half of these posts are attacking me, as though I did something wrong. It's like all these fools who've been riding bikes for 6 months think they know absolutely everything, so once something happens that they haven't experienced they immediately blame it on the the person so that they can feel cool, or something. I don't know about this place sometimes. Thanks for the respect, G.

I don't think you know what "attacking" is.

Touché.

Touché.

In all fairness, I really don't give a crap about the past. Seems like it worked out well for everyone.

I agree.

http://lawyersusaonline.com/dcdicta/files/2007/12/crack.jpg

http://www.markhoustonrecovery.com/images/upload/crack-15.jpg

http://www.justice.gov/dea/photos/cocaine/crack_cocaine6.jpg

(pictures of dem crackz)

9__ 9

Are these cracks appearing in more recently manufactured Pistas? I've had from the end of '01 with plenty of wear and tear riding it nearly every day, and there are no cracks.

Yeah, from what I've gathered here and from other sites this is a problem with the newer model Pistas, from 06 on up I believe.