Originally Posted by
splithub
If you allow it, i would like to express that a flexy stem is the smallest stem problem a birdy owner can have, since he is obligated to replace the stem latest after three years for the price of a mid range folding bike, otherwise R&M refuses any responsibility, no matter what happens, agreed upon purchase. The fork has a similar exchange policy.
If you are not the first owner, R&M even reserves not to supply spares for you.
The Birdy sold in the EU is covered by a 2 year warranty like any product sold in the EU.
Does the Fsir Spin manufacturer provide a 2 year warranty, does he take any responsibility if something is broken on the Fsir Spin after 3 years? Is there a more than 3 tear warranty on the Fsir Spin? BTW, does the Fsir Spin manufacturer still exist?
No, Riese & Müller doesn't refuse to sell spares for not first owners.
The only problem for spare parts (and buying a new Birdy) is that Riese & Müller now sell mainly ebikes, most Riese &c Müller resellers sell only those ebikes and not the Birdy and aren't willing to order and sell Birdy spare parts. In Asia, there is not such problem, because Pacific Cycles is still selling the Birdy as one of its most popular bike and s^pare parts are easily available both from Pacific Cycles and from third parties.
Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
No, Riese & Müller didn't sold the design of the Birdy.
What happened is that, when the founders of the Riese & Müller company created their company, it was a small start-up without manufacturing capabilities and without worldwide resellers network.
To have an affordable manufacturing of the Birdy frame and to be able to commercialize the Birdy outside Europe, they established a partnership with a Taiwanese company Pacific Cycles that manufacture the Birdy frame and is allowed to commercialize it in Asia but Riese & Müller is still the owner of the Birdy design, of all designs from Birdy 1 till Birdy 3, tube bases frames of hydrformed bases frames.
Pacific Cycles is not allowed to design new Birdy's or make design changes to the Birdy without agreement of Riese & Müller nor to sell it in Europe. Pacific Cycles can only sell modified or newly designed Birdy as limited series like the 3 series of titanium Birdy and the Birdy P40 designed for the 40th anniversary of Pacific Cycles.
For the US market, it seems that its also a Riese & Müller market but there are (were ?) resellers selling Pacific Cycles Birdy's (the Pacific Cycles Birdy's use the same frame as the Riese & Müller Birdy's but with different components and model names, the R20 Birdy with 20" wheels named on the Riese & Müller website page is actually a Pacific Cycles Birdy).
For the 3 years stem replacement, its a recommendation as part of the maintenance plan in the Birdy user manual, its not mandatory (the user manual says "Visual check, replace after a crash or 10.000 km or
3 years (whichever comes first)"). Its a usual recommendation for the safety of aluminum parts due to the well known aluminum material fatigue sensitivity. You find the same recommendation from Brompton for the aluminum handlebar and hinge clamps also made of aluminum.