I bought my first real bike two weeks ago. It's a dead-sexy Cannondale Quick 3 that had somehow evaded the lustful eyes of shoppers for long enough to be shamed with the title "last year's model".
Seconds after I bought it, credit card still on the counter (not sure if I even signed the receipt yet), the associate helping me is adjusting the seat for me, just a tad up after the test drive. Well, this is a weird seat post clamp, and when he tried to tighten the quick release down he had to put all his weight into it and then bent it.
I looked at it and said "I'm pretty sure it fit better than that a minute ago", "yeah, I think it's bent", "did you just do that now?" "yeah, I think so". Here's what the "integrated seat post clamp" looks like (bent- it's supposed to fit tightly together along the length
):
Now, the clamp has been on backorder from Cannondale for these two weeks, the LBS told me today it's because it's "such an old model" (2010...old!?). The seat is still a little too low for me, and just using a wrench to tighten the other side makes the whole clamp ride up the post, making it very difficult to tighten properly. I think that being stuck slightly open is making it more difficult as well, but I don't want to risk breaking the damned thing by trying to bend it right.
Why did Cannondale do this? A seat post is so simple, so easy, so reliable...and then they made it none of those things for one year.
Has anyone had to deal with this crumby "innovation"? Is there a way around it? Maybe a replacement or hard-to-find-parts dealer that will have it in the back?