HillRider

Maybe, but I don't think a 5-arm spider would have faired any better with one chainring bolt missing.

FBinNY 

I agree there, but think that this crankset is another example of style trumping function.

There's no reason to raise the cost of outer chainrings by having them threaded for blind holes. Consider the effect of a stripped bolt, either a few dollars for a new nut and bolt, vs. a new ring at a cost of over $100.

Also, I tend to blame the owner if a chainring bolt is loose or missing as happened here. But missing bolts have always been somewhat obvious. OTOH with this crank the missing bolt is not obvious at all, and easy to miss looking from the left.

One thing I am curious about is whether the backed off bolt would have hit the the chainstay before getting loose enough to fall out.

scarleton

i'm the OP, interesting that you find it the uglies think you've ever seen. I actually find it to be amazingly attractive. Just goes to show that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder

FBinNY 

Whether you like it or not, it's a triumph of form over function.

scarleton

Well, considering I am 290b, anything beyond Shimano 105 is purely form over function. But if I was a pro racer and those extra grams that where shaved off meant the difference in me coming in 3 inches ahead of the #2 guy, then... maybe it has a function, don't know, not a racer

FBinNY 

No, it has zero benefit for pros. Just about every high end frame/wheel/component combination comes in below the UCI minimum weight limit and has to carry ballast. Any weight saved simply means an increase in ballast carried.

It's puely a marketing decision aimed at winning the weight war, with your component coming in a few grams under your competitors. The industry has shifted from producing durable competition quality bikes that can and will be ridden for a few seasons, to making change for the sake of change. It's marketing driven, aimed at convincing weekend warriors to spend every year in an effort to buy more speed and shave seconds off their Strava times. Serviceability no longer matters (to the makers) because the real goal is to tip the fix/replace scale to the replace side.

The irony is that the riders who actually ride and put in the most miles are saddled with bicycles that cost too much to maintain, and many are avoiding top end models and opting for the B level where they get the most miles for their buck.

fietsbob

Asked at my local Watering hole about what My Brompton, partially folded up in side weighed , I reply IDK Lift it and Guess ..

What a bike weighs is a popular Question , at the Shop we figured out the new Madone, one fellow there got, was something like $3500 a pound.

HillRider

I assume this is an exaggeration for effect. The Madone weighs, at the least, 13 pounds so by your calculation it cost about $45,000.

achoo

A bunch of hypercompetitive athletes who illicitly use PEDs at the risk of lengthy suspension are going to worry about bike weight when the only penalty has been to make them add the weight to the bike?

CliffordK

At 2500 miles, it may not be a bad idea to start looking at chain wear too.

It would seem like the chain would pull fairly evenly on half the chainring, unless it was already experiencing significant wear.

FBinNY 

Regardless of condition, chains only pull on the first few teeth. The newer the chain and sprocket, the fewer teeth the load is spread out over.

This isn't to say that it isn't smart to check the chain for wear. Just that chain wear wasn't a factor in what happened to the OP.

fietsbob

Any how Its pricier than smoked Spring Salmon per Pound..

tarwheel 

If the OP bought the bike new 6 months ago and has ridden 2,500 miles since then, I would think that most reputable bike shops would warranty the damage or at least fix the problem at reduced cost. Bolts should not be coming loosing from a crankset after that little time and mileage. In all probability, the crank bolts were never tightened or adjusted properly. If that happened to me and my LBS wouldn't fix the problem under warranty or little cost, I would find a new bike shop.

For comparison, I bought a Gios with Campy Chorus group about 10 years ago from Excel Sports in Colorado. I ordered the bike over the phone and had it shipped to NC. A few weeks after I got it, the crankset/BB came loose during a long ride, causing it to shift poorly and get scratched up. Excel shipped me a new crankset at no cost, and my local bike shop fixed the problem. It didn't cost me a cent. About 3 years later, one of the hubs cracked and Excel replaced the entire wheel, again at no cost to me.

scarleton

I am the OP, I have been conversing with the LBS via email that build the bike and they are going to be looking at warranty the damage. They open tomorrow, so I will know more once I take the bike in to them. But I have great faith all will be worked out at no cost to me.

Andrew R Stewart 

I think we should all learn something from this thread. That warranties are no substitute for periodic maintenance and inspection. Independent of who we are or aren't, how much we do or don't weigh and how we get our bikes. Andy.

scarleton

Andy, I totally agree! It a true blessing that my LBS is looking to take care of this via warranty, but the bike is still out of commission!

The 100km ride I am going to partake in on Thursday will be ridden on a mountain bike, the only saving grace is that is that it does have drop bars and road tires.

There is no substitute for periodic maintenance and inspection. I am new to this whole thing, so I am learning as I go!

I, too, hope others are learning from this thread all that I am learning. Thank you to all those that have help enlighten me!