Originally Posted by Red is Faster!
So here's the update as of 1/26/06
Let me start out by saying University Bicycle Center (UBC) in Tampa has been GREAT considering I bought the Litespeed bike through Competitive Cyclist. Don't flame me about LBS stuff becuase I bought a bike from these guys too in the past few months! They are a Litespeed dealer, so that's who Litespeed asked me to send the frame too. Back to the main story:
UBC called me this week and said Litespeed checked the frame and there was nothing wrong. They put wheels on it, and said the tollerence was just fine. I found out from UBC that Litespeed only had some Rubio (sp?) tires so they neglected to test with my current tire which is a Vredestein (sp?). Litespeed said with their tire it was OK. UBC made clear that was not the tire I had. That did not apparently matter to Litespeed. This is all per UBC.
Now is where the plot thickens. I paid my wrench friend to do the build up that we aborted. I am out $100 for his labor. UBC built my Caad8 back up. They now have to break down the Caad8 and build up the Ultimate. He said it looks like he needs to charge me for the build on the Ultimate. I understand, although I am not happy with the math. Furthermore, it sounds like he is concerend about what Litespeed is going to do on his end, since he was a big help (and he was) for a bike he did not sell. Sounds like Litespeed is going to give him a credit.
So now I need to take my Caad8 back to UBC, break it down, and have them build up the Ultimate, and I probabaly need to buy new tires so that they fit. Oh BTW the clearance is only 2mm unlike the 10mm (1 centimeter) the above guy mentioned according to UBC and Litespeed. Litespeed, according to my wrench friend, told him the spec was 4mm. Sounds like 2 is the new 4.
My gut says this is not looking good. So now I need to go after Litespeed about the $100 I paid my wrench, after they said the bike was wrong. Otherwise none of this would have started. And yes, it just doesn't look right.
Your thoughts, fellow BF members?
Let me understand this (and I am not defending Litespeed a I personally would not want that close of clearance for the type of riding I do. I am just trying to be realistic):
1. You purchased the frame from an out of state Litespeed dealer. You selected the components. Had a non-Litespeed dealer wrench assemble the bike. You ran into problems.
2. Litespeed looked @ the frame @ their expense, stated that the frame meets the 06 model specs & is proper when assembled with their factory standard components. Litespeed did not charge you.
3. The LBS Litespeed dealer didn't profit from the sale of the frame. They swapped components from frame to frame so you could ride while this was/is being sorted out. Presumably, they make some profit from the swap out? Did they?
4. Currently, you do not like the frames specs and are returning it to Litespeed through the LBS (who didn't sell it) and are getting a full credit?
5. Through all of this, you are losing approx. $100, the amount you paid for a non-involved, non-LBS, non-Litespeed dealer to assemble the bike?
6. And you are upset???
If I understand this correctly, you are coming out of this entire ordeal very clean. Most shops who didn't sell the frame, and some manufactures, I know would have told you to pound sand.
My suggestion is to suck it up & write the $100 off. When one is dealing with upper end bikes such as the Litespeed Ultimate, there is darn little one can do for $100.
Perhaps, Litespeed may throw you a bone, ie. a $100 discount towards a new Litespeed frame (assembled I would hope) as goodwill/
PR gesture. Hopefully, the LBS will not charge you additionally for their time.
I respectfully suggest to you that you:
1. Be polite and respectfull when you make your request to Litespeed &/or the selling vendor and
2. Give and send that LBS as much business as possible as I suspect that you are darn close to the end of everyone's good will.
On Edit: Perhaps you maybe able to swap the 06 frame for an 05. Certainly, there must be one somewhere in the Litespeed inentory.
Just my $02. & Good luck with it. Bob