Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
So, maybe the Birdy stem is not a safety issue. But they are requiring customers to spend big money for a genuine Birdy replacement stem, at genuine Birdy part costs, or else the customer *loses 80% of the warranty term*. That's a BIG penalty, borderline extortion, and even if legal, not conducive to customer goodwill.
Do you want to be able to fit a different aftermarket stem to a Dahon, without it completely voiding the warranty on the rest of the bike?
What many people of the forum, who only know the Birdy from some pictures seen on the web, do not know is that unlike Dahon and almost all other bikes, the Birdy folding stem is not only a stem, it also includes the steerer tube normally part of the fork because the Birdy fork+stem implement an inverted Aheadset design with the steerer tube part of the stem instead of being part of the fork.
So, due to the specific design of the bike, no, you won't be able to mount another stem on the Birdy like due to the very clever front suspension design that doesn't dive when braking, you won't be able to mount another fork on the Birdy like to another very clever design you won't be able to mount another rear rack that folds automatically when the rear swing arm is folded.
For the maintenance of the Birdy, please look at the "SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE PLAN" stating at page 68 of the Birdy owners manual. You will see that there is an annual visual check of the stem planned.
All this meaningless discussion comes from the fact that Riese & Müller provides a very detailed owner manual instead of just nothing like many other bike brands do.