2013 Cannondale EVO Hi-Mod Frame Quality Control Issue!

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Boralb
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:44 pm

by Boralb

Hi,

Finally i've bought my new dream roadbike, 2013 Cannondale Evo Hi-Mod Duraace. I have also shared the photos from the gallery section earlier.(Look at to my signature)

Last week during my first test ride, i noticed that my rear tire has positioned just 1-2mm far from the left chainstay!
I stopped and tried to seat the wheel again and again, but everytime without a success!
And then i suddenly changed my route to the Cannondale distrubitor/bike shop.

Firstly they tried re-seating the wheel, but they couldn't. Then, they tried to align the rear wheel by tilting from the skewers and close them firmly. Tire was now looking centered between the chainstays, but this time it was off-center the seatstays!
And of course after sitting back on the saddle, rear wheel quickly positioned back again, close to the left chainstay with a just 1-2mm clearance.

Secondly we checked the stock mavic ksyrium sls wheel, if it was a dishing problem or not. But wheel was perfectly centered and true! We checked it on a parktool truing stand and by testing the wheel on an another evo frame. No problem with the wheel!

Lastly, we observed the frame by testing with another brandnew wheels in store, but result was the same. It was off-center the chainstays.

After drived back to home and taking some photos for guarantee, i noticed some paint chip where the tire sidewall is very close to the left chainstay. It was totally a 10km ride and the result was totally a disappointment!

When compared my left chainstay with the different evo frames in store, i also noticed that the little curve(spacing for tire) where is facing the tire sidewall doesn't truely exist in my frame. And right side of the tire is a little far from the driveside chainstay, as it should be.
Maybe the chainstay is faulty, maybe the drops, we cannot be %100 sure.
Only the thing i am sure about is that, i have a brandnew faulty frame now, and it is nothing more than gold painted garbage for me :evil:


Finally last Friday, my dealer asked Cannondale for a frame guarantee replacement and i hope they will send my new frame a.s.a.p. I don't want to wait, i want to ride!
This is a hi-end racing bike with a 6600€/8000US$ pricetag! Frameset alone retails for 3200€/3500US$ !
I can't accept and believe this level of bad quality control, which is totally unacceptible! :-x
After spending that much money on a brand-new premium named bike, and cannot ride it because of a defect, it feels amazingly bad:(

Sorry Cannondale, but after this bad experience, your elite image for me is seriously damaged!
I think, you have to increase your QC seriously! Other than my frame alignment problem, for the last 2 years, i commonly notice some paint/varnish faults on your framesets (specially on carbon frames), which is also not good for you.
It is obvious that you have some serious quality control problems with your plant, located in China.
And i hope that, you can seriously take steps about this issue.

Thanks for your patiently reading.

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Last edited by Boralb on Thu Apr 11, 2013 1:05 am, edited 4 times in total.

by Weenie


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btompkins0112
Posts: 2635
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:04 am
Location: Mississippi

by btompkins0112

Hopefully they make it right ASAP....if not buy and FM-066 SL and save some $$$!

sigismond0
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:29 pm

by sigismond0

Cannondale tends to be very good about frame replacement, up to the point of replacing a years-out-of-production frame that's developed a defect.

progetto
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:12 pm

by progetto

Probably one of those nasty Chinondales :lol:

metanoize
Posts: 186
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 5:53 am

by metanoize

@btompkins0112 That's exactly what I was going to say :) I tested the Evo and tried and a friends FM-066 SL on the same 40 mile ride using my own wheels. Got the FM-066SL, 1000 miles now, and couldn't be happier. Amazing bike for the money!

deek
Posts: 406
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 6:32 pm

by deek

Looks like something is wrong with your drop outs. Check for any paint there, otherwise they might just have been drilled wrong.

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djconnel
Posts: 7917
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
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by djconnel

That's the special limited version designed for clockwise-crits: exploiting asymmetry for superior right-hand turns.

Seriously, that's unfortunate. I'm sure they'll swap it. I'd be interested to know if it's the stays or the drop-outs.

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ultimobici
in the industry
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by ultimobici

Nothing like giving them time to put things right before throwing a hissy fit online is there? Now if they baulked at replacing the frame I'd understand your rage. Things like this can happen, it's not the massive QC problem you think it is.

I'm surprised the shop didn't initiate the request for a replacement immediately, instead of waiting until Friday. That is sloppy.

oreoboreo
Posts: 510
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Aloha, Oregon/ Poipu, Kauai Hawaii

by oreoboreo

Shoot... now I need to look at mine, I really have never checked to see if it is all square. One the best thing about this site it real world people with real world highs and lows.

Good luck
Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.

2011 Scott Addict R1 DA 7900 Matt black
2012 Scott CR1 Pro Ultegra 6700
2015 Specialized SWorks Tarmac Da 9000
2016 Specialized SWorks Tarmac DA 9100

bmxbandit
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2012 11:47 pm
Location: UK/Industry

by bmxbandit

As Ultimobici says you shouldn't be mad at 'dale so much as the shop, things can slip through qc at the factory, thats why they need to be thoroughly prepped at your dealer. They really should have picked up on this before handing the bike over. I would also add that a good shop mechanic should be capable of determining if it is a dropout or frame alignment issue....

eric
Posts: 2196
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:47 pm
Location: Santa Cruz, California, USA
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by eric

It would be interesting to see how out of square the wheel really is. It could be that the asymmetric chainstays make it look worse than it is.

It's probably a dropout problem. But I agree that it is something worth getting the dealer to replace under warranty. Hopefully Cannondale deals with it quickly.

Boralb
Posts: 113
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:44 pm

by Boralb

deek wrote:Looks like something is wrong with your drop outs. Check for any paint there, otherwise they might just have been drilled wrong.


There is no paint at the dropouts. The area, facing the skewers are specially leaved unpainted(nude carbon), which is cleverly.

ultimobici wrote:Nothing like giving them time to put things right before throwing a hissy fit online is there? Now if they baulked at replacing the frame I'd understand your rage. Things like this can happen, it's not the massive QC problem you think it is.

I'm surprised the shop didn't initiate the request for a replacement immediately, instead of waiting until Friday. That is sloppy.


Today is being the 5th day, and when i asked for their reply, i got nothing. I think they should have responded already. How much time do you think, should i wait just for a single reply?
I am the aggrieved customer there, and i don't have to wait for their procrastination, if they are really doing. Please keep in mind that, i even can't ride my brandnew bike because of that defect.

Shop kindly requested a replacement, but they've only had one 2012 black/green color evo in stock. I thanked them, but didn't accept it.
I paid for a 2013 model bike, and don't want to change my color theme.

bmxbandit wrote:As Ultimobici says you shouldn't be mad at 'dale so much as the shop, things can slip through qc at the factory, thats why they need to be thoroughly prepped at your dealer. They really should have picked up on this before handing the bike over. I would also add that a good shop mechanic should be capable of determining if it is a dropout or frame alignment issue....


Yes you are right maybe, but the main factor which makes me angry is lacking a single reply, after the following days.
Today my bike shop already did their best for me, by kindly requesting a replacement without a doubt.
And it may not matter, if it is a dropout or frame alignment issue.. As i know, there is no chance to modify the all-carbon dropouts.
Anyway, thanks for your replies.

eric wrote:It would be interesting to see how out of square the wheel really is. It could be that the asymmetric chainstays make it look worse than it is.
It's probably a dropout problem. But I agree that it is something worth getting the dealer to replace under warranty. Hopefully Cannondale deals with it quickly.


No chance for asymmetric chainstays.
First, tire rubs the chainstay which is a serious problem.. And as i inspected 5-6 evo's in store, all tires were staying perfectly aligned.
Thank you. I hope so...

Picture taken inside of the chainstay after my first ride.

Image

gospastic
Posts: 261
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:58 am
Location: Portland

by gospastic

I have had a problem like this before. I just took a file and shaved the dropout a bit. You probably don't want to do that but it's an option.

eric
Posts: 2196
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:47 pm
Location: Santa Cruz, California, USA
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by eric

I have not examined an EVO up close in person. But in the pics the stays look asymmetric. The DS one looks flatter in the middle. It could be the lighting.

I have filed dropouts to align the wheel too. But on a bike this expensive I would expect it to be right from the factory, and for the shop to be communicative.

Valbrona
Posts: 1629
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 3:25 am
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

by Valbrona

SIMPLE FACT: The frame is defective and should unhesitatingly be replaced free of charge. Cannondale will then go back to whatever factory in China/Taiwan made the frame to seek replacement. The frame should never have left the factory like this.

The alignment of the rear triangle might be completely out, or the dropouts might be misaligned. If the frame was made out of metal, the dropouts could possibly be realigned with dropout alignment gauges. However, with a carbon frame the dropouts can only be faced, and then sometimes only a very small amount, with a tool like one of these: http://morningstartools.com/Pages/DropoutFacing.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sometimes with a defective frame like this, the rear wheel can be redished slightly to 'correct' the fault. But obviously this is not what you would call a good fix

by Weenie


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