DubT

I AGREE, INSIST ON A NEW FRAME. Go up the ladder, insist on talking to Bill!

1speeder

From members saying " If I was Santana, I would void your warranty" or "I think you got good usage out of the frame, or ask for a new frame. Yes, I too would love to have a new frame, but I have to play the warranty game. Yes, I could of told them my demands and then they could of told me that the crack under the stokers seat clamp was from being over torqued or for using a seat post under the 29.8 size. Or they could of said, your crack in the head tube was from you hitting something, your frame warranty is void. This frame has sweat stains on/in the anodized finish, it is not putting out the white fuzz or crystals anywhere. Santana said this was one of the cleanest, well kept bikes he had seen come in for a repair.

They offered to repair the frame and to color match the purple anodized finish with paint as close as possible. They even said they could paint the effected areas to make it like a fade for no charge. Then they gave me the option of painting the complete frame, normal paint cost is $575, discounted to $250. with many colors to pick from. So, yes, I could of had it repaired for FREE. I went with a complete paint job to seal the frame from my sweat and also the purple color doesn't do it for me anymore, time for a color change.

You can bet that I will be keeping an eye out for new cracks forming in the frame after each ride, and if I see any hint, I will raise hell with Santana and demand a new frame!

As always, I respect everyone's opinions.

Mike

Tookool

I agree with "twocicle" Why drop money in a old repaired frame.... get them to discount a NEW frame or other wise just take the repaint and sell the bike and buy another better tandem from a maker who'll stand behind there product !!

1speeder

There was never an offer for an discount to a new frame and I would not feel comfortable selling a repaired frame without me putting some serious miles on it. Just the way I am. At this point, I am in No position to shell out several thousand's of dollars for a new frame or used tandem. This was the lowest effect cost to get back on the road. Remind you, both me and my stoker have shoulder and hand issues, meaning I don't want to invest a ton of money and then find out, we can't ride like we used to.

Mike

waynesulak

Ask for opinions on the internet and you will get some strong ones! Looks like the repair is a good low cost approach to see if riding works out. Good luck and enjoy the bike.

Carbonfiberboy 

Also a heavy sweater, I corroded away 2 sets of aluminum cable stops on a carbon frame. 50,000 miles on the frame and fork, which are still perfect. This time, I'm repainting it myself with Awlgrip, as the factory paint jobs were crap.

Mike.Ayling

Artmo

I am a 1942 model and I agree 100%

Mike

twocicle

If it's rotten, a patch/fix is only a very temporary solution. As a dyslexic play on the date above, I'm sure if you tried patching the Pinta (circa 1492), you wouldn't get too far.

My guess is that a 40% discount on a Sovereign frame would net out somewhere around $1500.