Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
I'm getting a little annoyed about how major details (like the age of the bike!) creep into the story as it goes along. Really, 8 freaking years? I get that Cannondale put themselves on the hook with the "lifetime" warranty but, come on, who wouldn't think there would be a mile of fine print behind that. You can't even get a carbon fork in 2015 without signing away every right you have as a human being. An eight year old carbon frame... ... 20% off of a 2015 seems pretty generous, just saying. People with money are their own worst enemy sometimes. Cannondale has little to worry about from the o.p. and their little crusade to crush their business. I would take the offer and call it good. I would also encourage the o.p. if they want to keep riding expensive bicycles to learn a lot more about maintaining them. A curious dynamic operates in the bike shops I am familiar with. The customers that bring them the least cash because they do so much for themselves get their respect and even friendship. The customers that bring every flat tire and mis-adjusted brakeset in for service, leave lots of money in the cash register, but they get rolled eyes and snarky comments from shop mechanics once they are out the door.
If the frame had cracked at a joint without unusual circumstances or other sources of damage, then Cannondale likely would have accepted the warranty claim. But since the bike was (presumably) assembled by them almost a decade ago, and the shop performed a tune-up not too long after that, then it will be exceedingly difficult to say who is at fault on a failure likely caused by an improperly adjusted derailleur.
Bike companies often pay very very little for the frames sold in their bikes - the Chinese carbon blank that became the 2007 Synapse was probably $100 or less, plus maybe a couple hundred dollars worth of finishing went on top of that before the bike was assembled.
Most bike companies will honour warranty claims that are 'on the fence' as it is easier to throw a piece of Chinese plastic at an angry customer than deal with their outrage. However, they likely have pretty clear guidelines as to what is definitely not considered a warranty defect, and rear end torn apart by derailleur caught in spokes is probably number one on the list.