My Warranty Replacement Frame: I Need Opinions
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1283 days
Anton posted 13 weeks ago.
I'd stick with the upgraded frame even though it has a cosmetic problem...But I'm easy. The first pro quality frame I ever owned was a cosmetic similar to yours and it was a third the price! (It was a Giant Once frame) It was a great bike till I wrapped it around a bumper.
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" - Vincent Van Gogh
My Blog: http://anton.trifuel.net
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493 days
krazyfranco posted 13 weeks ago.
Take the frame. You can probably make the spray paint less noticeable with a little effort, or just put a sticker over the whole E. Who really cares what it looks like?
933
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262 days
TriSooner posted 13 weeks ago.
Dude, don't be That Guy. Take the bike as-is. Also, when I had a frame-only before I built it up, I wish I had gotten a custom paint job. Something simple like flat black. You have the perfect opportunity for custom paint. Even if it is a DYI you could make it look sharp.
988
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327 days
ChunkyB posted 13 weeks ago.
The only problem with doing a custom paint job is that the bike shop who's handling the warranty stuff is going to build my bike back up free of charge, so I won't really have the frame before they put all my stuff back on it. That would be sweet though. I'd go for chrome on the whole thing. I figure, for how much I weigh, I might as well ride a super heavy bike that looks awesome.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
988
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327 days
ChunkyB posted 13 weeks ago.
Well, I guess they made my decision for me. I just talked to the guy at the shop, and he said the rep came in and took the frame and said they'd ship me the exact same frame (sans blemish) before the end of the day. I was pretty surprised that he took it, but I his boss apparently told him to. And the funny thing is that I was honestly about to call him and tell him that I just wanted to keep that one. I don't think they wanted that frame out there anyways. It's not exactly great PR. Anyways, I guess it will be another week and a half (fingers crossed) before I get my bike back, but I think I'll be happy in the long run.
Oh, and he said the rep was pretty blown away when he saw the frame. I thought it might be normal to send a "second" frame as a warranty replacement, but apparently it's not.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
727
Member
451 days
theShiba posted 13 weeks ago.
Good to hear, Chunky... I can't say that I have heard much about Raleigh, but it's nice that we can add another company to the list of companies in this industry that are willing to go the extra mile to make a happy customer.
988
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327 days
ChunkyB posted 13 weeks ago.
Yeah, they've been really cool about the whole thing. I think I'll definitely look at Raleigh for my next bike too, except I don't think they make TT bikes. But, for their top-of-the-line road bikes, it's hard to get more for your money. Plus, their head badges are about the coolest around.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
988
Member
327 days
ChunkyB posted 13 weeks ago.
So, here are some pics of my new bike. I just went and picked it up today. I'm really happy with the whole thing. I especially like the real metal head badge.
The fork looks a little weird, but I think I'll get used to it.
So, the top tube is stamped, and it says "Kinesis Kinesium". Does anybody know what this is, and if it's a good alloy for bike frames or whatever?
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
727
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451 days
theShiba posted 13 weeks ago.
Damn, Chunky, what hill were you mashing up in that gear? You're an animal.
988
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327 days
ChunkyB posted 13 weeks ago.
theShiba wrote:
Damn, Chunky, what hill were you mashing up in that gear? You're an animal.
Haha. That's my old BikeForums habits. If you ever post a pic of your bike, and it's not in front of a white background on the drive side with the chain on the big chain ring, then everyone hassles you. Oh, and they would also tell me to flip my stem.
But, yeah, that's pretty much the gear I always use. I'm just powerful like that.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
So, I posted a while ago (here) about how I cracked my head tube on my bike. I explained the whole situation to Raleigh, and they were cool enough to send me a replacement frame. I've been waiting for about 2 weeks, and this is was came to the LBS on Friday. They told me it looked pretty bad, but I went in today to see for myself. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed.
From what I can tell, there was a spot where the paint was rubbed down to the metal, so they just spray painted over the spot or something. I'm 99% sure that it wasn't an actual dent or anything, but it looks pretty ugly to me. There is nothing wrong with the frame structurally. It's purely cosmetic. Also, as a side note, the Raleigh logo is painted on, it's not a sticker, so I can't just get another sticker or take the existing sticker off or something.
I am waiting for the Raleigh rep to call me and tell me the whole scoop, but I'm wondering what I should do. This is actually an upgrade from my old frame which was full aluminum. This one has carbon stays. My old one was a 2004, and I know this one isn't newer than a 2002. It's a Prestige, which is Raleigh's top-of-the-line road bike. If I tell them I want another one, there's no way of telling what they're going to send me. If it wasn't for the paint problems, I'd totally take this frame. So, should I just suck it up and say "who cares what it looks like" or should I tell them to send me another one, which will probably take another 2 weeks or so. Also, my first tri of the year is on June 21. Anyways, any opinions would be appreciated.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
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