The Cannondale Lifetime Warranty - Tested

[@oliverleibbrandt8067]

cannondale insulted him as a mechanic so he went ' fine my turn ' then proceeded to point out every flaw he could find and backed it up with their own documents , indisputably taking a legal and passive aggressive shit on cannondale 😂that's my type of mechanic

[@Mapdec]

Oops.

[@sly7917]

@@Mapdec You are the people's champ of the bicycling world!

[@diehardbikes]

Damn good mechanic. Needs paid the big bucks.

[@simonalexandercritchley439]

And a reaming done in the best possible taste.

[@reformedknight7506]

This video has value for any guy that is into buying bikes , especially guys that are more heavyweights . Watching this as a 105 kg guy ( doing mma and lifting , not sedentary ) . Some people advised me to get light road bike , but I went after aluminium MTB . For me it was perfect choice for commute and everything else that I use it for .

[@matthewthomas5113]

How can Cannondale justify charging him for the second frame when it has the same issue with the headset(straight out of the box) that they say he caused on the first frame? It has really left Cannondale with egg on their face, they've proven that they've falsely denied the initial warranty claim by supplying a second frame with the same issue. Cannondale should refund him the money and supply a suitable replacement.

[@beaudjangles]

Yeah, this seems pretty black and white. They've acknowledged that the headset was damaged and then handed over a frame with an identical headset. Therefore, that frame is also damaged and it's further evidence that these are manufacturing defects, and not customer damage. Absolute shambles.

[@rcg9573]

They can justify it because they are owned by Pon Holdings, which is nothing but an investment vehicle for a hedge fund. They do not care about the quality of their products. Just sales $ and how much money they can pump into the pockets of millionaire investors. That's why. Same thing has happened over the past 20 years to almost all the big name "pro sponsorship" bike brands. These bike manufacturers are no longer owned and run by artisans, who in the past took pride in their bike frame building. Now they're all owned and run by hedge funds and PE firms looking to maximize profit, not product quality or customer service. Their business model is to fool people into buying their cheaply fabbed disposable (mostly mainland China fabbed) bikes at enormous prices with pro sponsorship advertising used as the gimmick to entice sales and once the sale is complete you are usually on your own to deal with the inevitable issues that arise from that poor fab quality and lack of quality control product. Once Pon took over Cervelo the exact same thing happened. The quality and customer service both immediately went in the shitter, but the prices kept going up. Same thing has been going on with Specialized for a decade plus now. Charging enormous prices for cheaply fabricated mainland China sweatshop fabbed bikes that are then sent to Taiwan for paint and "finishing", which allows them to slap a made in Taiwan decal on it even though the frame and fork were both really fabbed in ML China. It lets them avoid the stigma of admitting their framesets are made in a repressive regime where child labor is exploited daily to fab their product and also gives them a large tax cut on imports because the product is technically for tax purposes deemed to have been made in Taiwan when it really came from Xi's tyrannical China.

[@stevedesilets1105]

The customer should get his money back, and then go buy a different brand bike.

[@thack75]

Cannondale warranties are shit.

[@leslie7922]

​@@rcg9573also specialized frames have a bunch of known defects (source, I own one 😢)

[@lisashiela9137]

The selling dealer needs to have a long talk with it's employees. Never ever decline a customers warranty, that is for the manufacturer to decide.

[@borano2031]

Correct!! Rgr

[@karlwalters3763]

I had the same issue with a TCR frame. The bike shop that I bought it from was piss farting around and didn't want to honour the warranty. My solution. Get the contact details of the actual rep and harass him until I got my intended outcome. Bike shops are great and all but generally have to spend their own money/time without reimbursement on warranty issues/claims from manufacturers and therefor prefer not to deal with them. Not all shops mind you, just most I've ever worked in.

[@aaron___6014]

Lost a customer and many more for life.

[@Ryan-mv5wi]

so lots of manufactyrere are droping warranty respons onto the shop like with shimanos crank recall its 100% up to the shop to make the call some other brands not sure if i am legaly allowed to say what one also do the same thing

[@remypascal4872]

@@Ryan-mv5wi I was safed by a seller, as ASUS as usual tried to avoid such a clear manufacturer warranty case at a 1800€ Notebook. They try to avoid until you sue them, even you have proofs, that the damage comes out of factory. The law is made, that just the more rich can use the right with an insurance 30€/month. And such companies use it frequently, maybe their lobby people created the law with the commercial puppet politicians.

[@gynat5968]

The insult was bad enough. What is unforgivable is that Cannondale is endangering their customers safety while refusing to accept responsibility for their dangerously defective products. Your diligence could of well saved your customer from serious injury or worse. Well done on your part! Cannondale is off the consideration list for my next bike purchase.

[@theskilawyer]

Absolutely correct. A less knowledgeable shop or one without integrity may have simply cobbled this thing together for an unsuspecting client ultimately resulting in catastrophic personal injury. As an injury lawyer that occasionally sees product liability cases, I commend Madpec for calling this out. As a cyclist, this frame is appalling junk for serious money.

[@justinsheldon5015]

So glad to have cleared out all my Cannondales . I was offered a cheap replacement frame when one broke on the seat tube/ top tube after 8 weeks of being a warranty frame itself. Was an alloy Flash 29er frame. They refused a replacement . I had to take the bike shop I bought it from ( who were really good to deal with, but as I spent my money there) to small claims , even though I advised them of the process to advise the UK Cannondale importer of my intentions. As soon as the paperwork hit their doormat, then they knew I wasnt bluffing. Cannondale immediately sent a frame. I never built it up, but sold it and the other 3 Cannondales in the garage, Never again. I sent pictures to Hambini of the dreadful welding internally and he wasnt surprised. Never, ever again.........................................

[@davidbolduc828]

The only real way to send a clear message is to not buy their product. Let this type of information get out and let the consumer then make the correct choice with their wallet.

[@rickywoods3101]

I have their 2022 jekyll Enduro bike and it's been good and everything seems spot on.. I did hear that they don't honor warranty alot of the time but my bike shop said if they don't Cannondale won't cover something with the frame that they would

[@maciejzielinski4033]

I am so happy that there still are mechanics like you. I felt gaslighted (working briefly as a mechanic for a trek dealer) when people were denying my own skepticism regarding post monts/ flat mounts being not machined and things like that. There is so many frames made to rubbish tolerances that it is insane!!!

[@5gvaccinator343]

Cheaper treks are awful. I've recommended my friend to buy a cheaper trek domane as his first road bike. And to be fair he is quite happy with it. But it's heavy af. All welds are dreadful. Literally the worst ive seen on a bicycle. Also it's making all sort of noises. Creaking bb, rattling cabbles etc. This should not be acceptable for a premium brand.

[@RobParkinVideo]

Every week I have to face a flat mount, the high end carbon is actually worse than the aluminum ones.

[@maciejzielinski4033]

Yes, the guys at the trek dealer were using a modified WOOD DRILL + COUNTERSINK COMBO tool to "face them" freehanded with a POWER DRILL@@RobParkinVideo

[@jonnyholton2196]

We sent a super six evo ultegra back as the rear flat mount was fucking awful. You could nip the bolts up and have the rotor parallel to the pads, tighten them fully the caliper set at about 7 degrees off vertical. My system six had similar but not quite so bad on the front brake. Was glad to get back to an old rim brake Wilier.

[@maciejzielinski4033]

@@jonnyholton2196 Hahaha epic trek moment

[@iainmoore2514]

I have to say that your enthusiasm for calling out some of the piss poor QC in the bike industry must feel highly disruptive to the manufacturers, suppliers and retailers; this is a good thing & must be maintained. Also, you don't just call out the bad stuff, you praise good workmanship and this is also very important. Reasoned and detailed criticism of the shoddy alongside positive strokes for good quality - that's the balance point and you always seem to strive for that. Well done and keep it up!

[@ballsdeepinglory3054]

I’m wondering to what extent this poor QC is still happening in the industry… This is quite an old frame, and I wasn’t into cycling so I don’t know how the quality evolved.

[@BikesandMusic]

the worst part is that if you tell someone that the "X" brand frame they bought are not really good at manufacturing quality frames, they feel personally insulted. They just don't get that if people would stop paying big buck for bad quality stuff - those companies would go bankrupt or make their QC better. I am pretty sure it would be latter one and everyone, as a customers, would win.

[@itsalldownhillfromhere7932]

I've been so lucky in about 2 dozen quality bikes over the years and I'm still buying steel frames, carbons definitely not for me.

[@psilocycle]

I work as a bicycle mechanic and speak directly with some of the "big brand manufacturers" on a daily basis. Some are much better than others, and some are pretty bad. Your experience with Cannondale is not dissimilar from my own (i.e. condescending tone, pointing the finger at the customer and/or bike shop). The general dynamic has become somewhat adversarial. Big brands are not only squeezing their own dealer networks, they're putting the squeeze to their own customers in the form of astronomical prices, poor quality control and bad customer service. It's good to see videos such as this one. As long as it's factual, there is nothing wrong with taking Cannondale to task. In fact, it's very much appreciated! Honest, balanced information helps consumers make more informed decisions. There's no reason why Cannondale cannot make a consistently high quality product that meets its own specifications. And if consumer dollars move away from Cannondale towards other brands making product worthy of our hard earned money, then maybe Cannondale will fix these QC issues and get back to making good bikes.

[@Mapdec]

🙏

[@Guillermorodriguez-eq2ob]

Can I ask you based on your experience what brand do you recommend for a trail bike?

[@17cream]

Ive steered away from Cannondale a long time ago because of their infamous BB issues. Amazing they are in business with this qc

[@maxim54321]

I worked in bike shops in London for 7 years, I sold many bikes and dealt with many warranties. Cannondale got its name 'Crack and fail' or 'Crap and Fail' for good reason. Granted they did often come through with new frames but personally I'd never go near one. I have also commented before how much I dislike pressfit BB's, my opinion on them hasn't altered.

[@thestyleprofessor]

The last Cannondale I owned was a Rush 3000 from several years ago. At one point, I was looking at the rear triangle and realized that the swingarm assembly was a full centimeter offline, and the whell had been dished incorrectly to compensate for the misalignment, which meant that they knew it was offline before it left the factory. It is mindblowing how Cannondale has survived what is simply a terrible business model of inferior and unsafe products. Bravo to you for this video!

[@kevinc7632]

I had a rush crack and fail years ago. In US midwest had bike back with new frame on third business day but have been a skeptic since.

[@sabastian4858]

Thanks for the headsup. Cannondale was on my list narrowed down to three frames. I verified the info in this video and due to the way Cannondale denied the warranty I nixed them from the list. Will be sharing info with all of my riding friends.

[@_J.F_]

I definitely am intrigued and also very interested in hearing about what happens next. I am also, once again, more or less in chock over what the manufactures think that they can get away with, snatching peoples hard earned money in exchange for disgustingly poor quality, and then try to blame everything on everyone but themselves when they are caught out, twice! If that had been a car brand they would be all over the news with lawyers queuing up to sue on behalf of customers.

[@sabamacx]

I've written Cannondale off for life a long time ago due to creaking BBs and headset nonsense, and this video is yet another affirmation.

[@simonpattison4299]

I have to say your content is excellent and your honesty and integrity are grade A. Chapeau.

[@Mapdec]

🙏

[@FGIRAFFE]

Keep fighting. And yes I DO want to know what will happen next. It's important for all of us. And thank you.

[@peteracain]

Bought a brand new 2015 SLR01 with my hard earned cash from dealer. Rode it for about a month with no incidents and noticed crack in super thin top tube (could crink it between thumb and forefinger). BMC dealer immediately went in to bat for BMC, not me, accusing me of all sorts of things. Eventually got a new frame on warranty but that shop has lost my business forever. Love that you’re showing this stuff. Kinda benign Hambini 👏

[@johnflynn4923]

Had been strongly considering picking up a SuperSix as a base for a light climbing bike but after this I'll be sticking with my CAAD10 and live with the extra few hundred grams.

[@DaveCM]

I have that same frame and it has been absolutely perfect. Maybe I am a lucky one? But, I've been riding Cannondale since 1991 and never a problem. I also have a SuperSix CX that has been amazing so far.

[@michaelconway8352]

CAAD10 is a brilliant frame. Out performs some of the carbon offerings out there.

[@jrh1704]

This stinks to hear and I'm glad you put this out there. Thank you. I have had multiple issues with Cannondale in the last year. The representatives stopped returning my emails and I had to leave comments on every KZbin video that they released until finally someone reached out apologizing. It wasn't sincere to say the least. My last 3 bike purchases have been Cannondale, purchased new, from authorized dealers here in Texas. They've always been my favorite bikes since the golden age of Aluminum. Going forward, I cannot give anymore of my money or loyalty to a company that refuses to address customers issues. This is coming from my own personal experiences, not this video. FYI Considering the amount of good bike manufacturers out there, and the almost unreasonable cost of a new bike nowadays, I'm now forced to be very diligent with where I spend my bike money. I can no longer make my purchase based on emotions and the fact that I have ridden their bikes forever. It's not fair to people who drop thousands on a bicycle. Do better, Dale. Do better.

[@andrewhirons398]

I own several Synapses plus a Pinarello. It was only through viewing videos by Hambini that I became aware of the very poor manufacturing tolerances of Cannondale frames, especially bottom brackets 30/30A. I will not risk buying another Cannondale frame and thank you for highlighting the issues with this bike manufacturer. The Pinarello Marvel is a great bike in all respects btw.

[@stefannewels1823]

"We can live without Distributors but can't without Customers" True Mechanic ✊🕴👍

[@Mapdec]

👍

[@phil_d]

Easy answer. Customer's contract is with Pedal Power. Issue a formal written complaint stating what resolution is sought and in what timeframe. Follow up with a Court Claim if needed. Doesn't help the customer in the short term, but it does prevent banging your head against a brick wall. Not fit for purpose trumps warranty.

[@STEOKEO]

Really like your videos Mapdec... You present very well too. There is a sincerity to your channel. Keep it up.

[@johnyblamounth9142]

Gezzz, I was seriously considering SuperSix Evo 3. After this video, my excitement of getting new Cannondale has significantly deminished.

[@PanosRafailidis]

Thank you! Finally someone exposes that the "lifetime" warranty that Cannondale offers is, well, not for a lifetime! Had a 4 year old mid-range AL hardtail MTB that I rode as a gravel bike and on a few easy trails quite periodically. Btw, I purchased a Cannondale bike BECAUSE of their lifetime warranty. On the 4th year one of my chainstays completely cracked on the weld near the axle. Spoke with Cannondale, inform them around the usage of the bike, my weight+gear, that I had not changed anything except the handlebars, etc. etc. They requested detailed pictures of the whole bike, along with the crack in the frame, among others. They informed that my bike is of course still under warranty but they do not offer the exact same model anymore and that sending a new frame will require lots of changes by my part (e.g., new wheelset as it was qr boost) but I had no issues with it! I even offered to send them the frame for inspection. After long talks with the shop from where I purchased the bike along with direct communication with Cannondale the best they could offer was 25-30% discount for any bike up to 1500$ (the initial cost of my bike with pre-COVID pricing). Total disappointment and naturally I preferred to stay without a bike than give them my money having to possibly face the same issue in the future.

[@FGIRAFFE]

"to stay without a bike" !! But that's unbearable! Can you imagine a normal car owner to "stay without a car" ? Noo! They will repaire the god damned car and give you a courtesy one in the meantime. What! To stay without a bike. This is like an indirect agression ! Absolutely unthinkable to "stay without a bike"! So, yes something must change. I mean, what!!??

[@jaro6985]

lol 25% off is probably breakeven for them, so costs them nothing.

[@PanosRafailidis]

@@FGIRAFFE You are absolutely right! I gathered though enough money and bought from another manufacturer instead. My main takeaway is that do not fully trust the "lifetime" promise, it's up to the manufacturer to keep their word (you do not have a detailed contract as to what is considered as guaranteed for replacement). The problem is that they're losing potential loyal customers. Obviously they are Cannondale, they have a huge margin and they do not care the same for a mid-range as a high-end bicycle owner. But on the other end I know lots of people that are loyal to Santa Cruz, Giant, Merida (also big names/big sales) that have kept their promise of lifetime warranty.

[@PanosRafailidis]

@@jaro6985 I know 😅. I also understand that they estimate that the frame is 25-30% of the total build but come on... Since you informed me as to the potential "issues" I might face with a more up-to-date frame (because you, as a manufacturer, change proprietary standards every 5 years) and since I said I am ok with it, give me a similar-spec frame, honour your warranty and let me struggle with the rest. At least give me something, anything😅.

[@walterstoops2671]

It’s all about the shop. Several years ago I cracked a NDS chain stay on a Trek cyclocross bike. I took it back to the dealer and two days later had a new frame. If you have a good relationship with the shop and the shop has a good relationship with the manufacturer, things work out for the better.

[@MediumHalf]

Trek has a strong focus on customer satisfaction- doesn't look like Cannondale has the same. If I had the experience that this customer had I'd never touch Cannondale again. Frankly, just seeing how they're jerking this mech around (telling him he must've damaged it) puts me off their brand.

[@User42121]

I had a similar warranty claim with Trek bikes and it took months of fighting to get them to honor the warranty. We should keep the bike industry accountable!

[@seanrequiredfieldcannotbel1362]

Paul out here naming names. You've restored my faith in your channel. Patiently waiting for Cannondale's response.

[@Mapdec]

Why did you loose faith?

[@seanrequiredfieldcannotbel1362]

@@Mapdec I thought your synopsis of the hookless rim tire blowing off in that guy's kitchen was wrong, wrong, wrong. I still think it's a bad take. Have you seen his follow up video? Continental got back to him. Check it out.

[@Mapdec]

@@seanrequiredfieldcannotbel1362 yeah. And I saw that extralite changed all their PDFs and recommendations. Very naughty.

[@mortigard]

You're definitely right about how the shop approaches the warranty makes a huge difference. How the warranty issue is presented to the manufacturer by the shop employee makes a big difference.

[@SamSung-ej3qr]

No doubt this will exceed 100k views very shortly so a good indication of peoples interest in cannondales after sales ,cannondale must do the right thing here to resolve this,refund the customer for the replacement frame as no doubt it was a manufacturing fault on original bike and supply a frame fit for purpose whether original or newer model without faults.They can no longer hide behind lies to cover themselves that cost innocent customers thousands to rectify manufacturing faults,social media platforms such as this and excellent independent mechanics such as mapdec cycle works are exposing this fraud , great work mapdec keep it up

[@brockjennings]

Never owned a Cannondale, but currently on my third Trek carbon frame based on a OCLV purchased back in 1995. Each warranty experience with Trek has been straightforward and hassle-free.

[@АнтонАлексеенко_044]

How many of those warranty cases did you have? What happened?

[@brockjennings]

@@АнтонАлексеенко_044 Back around 2001, the original frame had a crack at the junction of the seat tube and bottom bracket. Back then, Trek employed a carbon tube/lug construction technique on their OCLV road frames. A replacement frame in my choice of color was furnished to me under the terms of the lifetime warranty. In 2006, the second frame had an aluminum rear wheel dropout that de-bonded from the non-drive chain stay, which caused the rear wheel to track off center. Trek replaced that frame with a Madone 5.5 frameset.

[@dougpeterson3356]

I had 2 aluminum Treks break their left chainstay. Frames replaced with apologies. #3 had much beefed up BB area. Still going strong nearly 30 years later.

[@gwilliams5136]

Same. I have three Treks. Got a brand new 2020 Emonda SL 6. After about a year or so, one wheel had some issues at a few spoke attachments. I may have pushed the tolerances in truing the wheel, and said so. Sent it to Trek through my LBS, Trek honored the warranty, gave sent a new wheel. Simple. Honorable.

[@tomr9661]

Agree. Trek did a carbon repair on my 2008 Madone, no questions asked, - and I'm not even the original owner..

[@jonw12]

I just sold a mountain bike to help purchase a Cannondale road bike. Thanks for the video, I'll be shopping for another brand now.

[@fadrus]

'Hey, anyone see that frame we use to show the new guys the difference between right and wrong sized bottom brackets?' 'What, the one with the wonky brake mounts?' 'Yeah, I swear it was in the quarantine section on Friday'

[@stevebarnes9345]

Trek in the US (for me) is strong and 100% in support of their warranty on all connected to each bike.

[@felixmann7003]

I had exactly the same problem with my headset this year. It was a Cannondale Supersix Evo from 2019. In my case, the area was already broken. I then got a new frameset from Cannondale Germany. Luckily, they even had the same paint job in stock. The new frameset wasn't quite perfect in that area either (small bumps around the cone) but it was stable. That was at the beginning of the year. so far all good. I also have pictures of the damaged frame and the replacement. If you would like pictures or more information, please get in touch. Greetings Felix

[@Mapdec]

Yes please Felix. That would be really helpful

[@littlewing1208]

Yikes so this sort of catches Cannondale in a lie given they said they haven’t seen this issue before on the headsets.

[@felixmann7003]

@@Mapdec I have sent you an e-mail.

[@Mapdec]

@@felixmann7003 🙏

[@richardgate1571]

Most companies stock answer to faults is to deny they have ever seen the issue before. I had a SRAM etap rear derailleur with the dry circuit board fault in 2018, “they had never seen it” though did replace it under warranty. I since learned the fault had become widespread knowledge by that time.

[@AgencyScum]

You make me so glad I spent £25 on my '97 CAD2 Cannondale frame from the Bristol Bike Project jumble sale....AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY. Brilliant video!

[@Bikingforlife]

I got a 2005 caad 5 with everything stock spent 750 for it

[@Mapdec]

Links to the various documents mentioned are in the description.

[@johnmcgoldrick1906]

Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this video. My Supersix cracked on the drive 0:01 side chain stay in 2015 when I hit a pothole. Has an instant double blow out puncture but the Dura Ace C24 wheels were absolutely fine. Long story short, Cannondale refused to honour the warranty, saying what I’d had was a ‘crash. At not point did I lose control or be hit by another object - the definition and a crash, surely? The warranty isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Thanks for cheering me up with this much-needed calling-out.

[@Mapdec]

Thank you. Wait until you see the concluding part. We launched it last week.

[@lenolenoleno]

Always thought Cannondale QC was sub-par (and they relied almost totally on superfluous gimmicks to stay relevant in the bike industry). This really hammers home my perception of Cannondale spending all their engineering on gimmicks rather than doing the basics (like making a headset race safe) properly. Never buying or advising anyone to buy a Cannondale.

[@cup_and_cone]

90's and Y2K Cannondale was actually a step beyond most brands in quality (albeit they were way ahead of the industry in designs which made everything proprietary). Now...modern bankrupt and Dorel acquired-Cannondale is just another drop in the bucket.

[@peglor]

@@cup_and_cone The '90s and early 2000s were the era where Cannondale's very easily snapped MTB frames earned the company the nickname Crack'n'fail. Didn't stop them charging top dollar for them because they looked nice though - so glad I couldn't afford them back in the day because I would have bought one, snapped it, and then had no bike and no money.

[@Lifesbeengood]

Last summer I bought a fezzari. They are based out of Utah. They’re customer service is top notch. I highly recommend them

[@Flexo_l]

"Don't buy from direct to consumer brand. Buy from shop you will get service and warranty." they say 😅

[@matthewavignonpetersen5893]

I dealt with some appalling service and warranty issues with a bike bought from a LBS. Have since owned three Canyons and will never look back.

[@youling1997]

Consumer direct brand’s customer service is way better! Instead of just say bring it to a dealer, and dealer is full of mechanics doesn’t know much, they actually solve my issues. Yes I love my canyon

[@Ghostina1]

I got even warranty from a Chinese bike frame. Just had to pay shipping... That's customer care

[@DaveCM]

​@matthewavignonpetersen5893 a guy I ride with had an issue and Canyon took care of it quickly without any hassle.

[@markm3384]

​@Ghostina1 can I ask which one? I'm looking to place an order with a Chinese titanium manufacturer and it would be good to know. Thanks

[@michaelkahn3694]

Split my frame on my 3 year old Specialized gravel bike in Florida. Specialized replaced the entire bike, elapsed time was about a month.

[@ajr8288]

This is one of your most important videos- thank you for raising it and the honesty. I had a F1000 that with problem such that the rear wheel wouldn’t align with the disc callipers The dealer I’d bought it from no longer existed and my local shop (cannondale dealer) failed to help me. Cannondale wouldn’t warranty the bike. Lifetime warranty was worthless.

[@qibble455]

Great video, It's awesome you hold them to account and you're not hyperbolic about it. However unlikely, I'd love to see Hambini get his hands on this frame. hehe

[@romanpramuka2703]

I am extremely surprised by my Look 795 blade RS (previous '22 model). After a few months and a few thousands of kilometres since I've built it, I didn't noticed single tick or rub of the brake rotor.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Paul, just wanted to say you do awesome work in making informed commentary on the failings of design and QC from manufacturers, without all the histrionics, personal insults and name calling from some other channels. Keep up the great work!

[@Mapdec]

Wow, thanks!

[@tomrodriguez9052]

I had problems with Cannodale and their warranty, that they wouldn't honor. I bought one of their first road bikes back in 1984 and later 2 mountain bikes. I have not bought a bike from them since. Lifetime warranties aren't really honored anymore. I have a lifetime warranty on my Kona but they were sold and I hear that warranty is out the window, fortunately I'm having zero problems with the bike and it has seen a lot of miles. Thanks for sharing these issues!

[@lebensschueler]

Im usually not leaving comments but this is so important that I leave one for the algorithm. Keep up the good work!

[@Mapdec]

I appreciate that!

[@10ktube]

You know what's amazing? The frame was sent in with a headset area that was askew. They happened to have one sitting around they say, and send it back at a price mind you, and it has the SAME ISSUE. Wouldn't they check it just for kicks, let alone how did it get through QC in the first place? I mean seriously that seems terrible.

[@Mapdec]

I know. I just heard that pedal power checked it while the customer was there and they saw the issue and told the customer, ‘it’s brand new, must be ok’

[@MrKipperfish]

​@@MapdecTime to rescind that shop of the year award, I think. Offer the shop manager the option to take a training course in customer service 101 with an improvement plan or the option of looking for a new job. Bad bike shops rot from the top. Letting someone like that establish that it is acceptable to treat customers in that manner will quickly result in an entire store that thinks it's acceptable to do so.

[@Mapdec]

@@MrKipperfish 🫡

[@jrh1704]

It's unbelievable they didn't check the second frame. Even if Cannondale didn't care about the bad publicity from this issue, checking the replacement frame would, at the least, saved the company time and money. *3 minutes to QC a bike frame vs shipping/ returning/ and paying a representative to straigten this all out agan. The man hours lost alone would be worth the check. Now that's really 'hustling backwards'

[@Mapdec]

@@jrh1704 so true

[@skiwealdo1973]

I had one time a little bit of a loose bottom bracket failing on my carbon fiber frame needed attention on a Trek Madone and the bike was bought used, I simply brought it to my back shop a factory authorized dealer, they sent the frame back to Trek headquarters and they fixed it beautifully no questions asked, that's what professionalism is!! They stood behind the product no question asked, I would never ever get a Cannondale after hearing this story!!!

[@Mapdec]

I keep hearing that Trek warranty is very good.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

My 2019 Santa Cruz Chameleon had a defect in the lower headset bearing race (IS) where the headset would start to creak after a few weeks and then the lower bearing would become frozen into the frame requiring it to be punched out and destroyed. I never even called the online shop I bought it from (Colorado Cyclist) and instead used SC's warranty contact page and sent them a quick note of what was going on, a few pictures including the serial number on the BB, my receipt and a link to my private 60 second You Tube video showing the problem. I had a reply from Willy at SC the same day and by that night a brand new frame was on its way to me along with a call tag for UPS to pick my defective frame from my house once I had it boxed up... That's how you do a lifetime warranty, and proof sometimes you get what you pay for.

[@Mapdec]

That’s awesome. I wonder what the issue was.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

@@Mapdec My guess was an ovalized lower bearing race or an incorrect angle cut - or both. I had to "walk" the bearing in (with plenty of grease) when installing a new one and it was impossible for me to get it to bottom out and fully sit correct with just my fingers and I needed to hit the preload really tight and then back it off to kind of press it in. The new frame (still my only bike and has well over 5K miles on it) is perfect!

[@richardgate1571]

Interesting, I’ve seen a number of bikes with that problem of tight lower bearings, though none that also creak. Just a pita for replacement.

[@SuperTaylor68]

I had a a Pinarello frame issue… warranted professionally and without question by Pinarello via my LBS. Great experience.

[@howarddavies136]

I do hope you get some good news to deliver to the customer. It must be so frustrating for both of you knowing that youre doing the right thing, but facing repeated disappointment.

[@gpurkeljc]

Well done Paul. It's great to see that some businesses still care about their reputations and are professional when dealing with their customers.

[@JoeW71]

This is just scary. What about the millions of riders that don't have access to good mechanics? This is way outside my meager abilities. Good work!

[@hmudesign]

Thanks for the video, great work. I wonder how many people are riding or not riding their bikes with these razor thin headset walls, without knowing the problem being there? So going with a "reputable" manufacturer like this is the whole argument for choosing a "reputable" manufacturer, over for example Ali Express, what's the point if they won't have your back and even the bike shops, it's a disgrace.

[@Mapdec]

Great point!

[@tuttobicci]

I showed this to a close relative who spent 15 years as an engineer in F1. The team he worked for did a collaboration some years ago with a well known bike brand. He called the design engineers he worked with on the collaboration as the bottom feeders of the engineering world. He wasn't surprised at what he saw in the video.

[@victorcoots3802]

Great work! Can't wait to hear what Cannondale is going to say.

[@Mapdec]

Me neither

[@nosforatu101]

Interested to see where this goes. I'm currently waiting to here back from Cannondale via the shop where I bought my System six in April. It started making a load knocking noise. It's been back 5 times prior to this time for this issue, which started on the 3rd ride. Cannondale have reviewed the videos that I took of the issue. Now just waiting.

[@Mapdec]

Fingers crossed!

[@stuartalexander1595]

I had similar problems with a cannondale a few years ago. I will never buy another one. Good video.

[@davidburgess741]

I bought an aluminum Cannondale Topstone this summer. I went over the thing bolt by bolt checking it. Even the BSA BB came apart to see if the threads were greased. The all carbon fork clamp bolts were spot on torqued. A subscriber to Hambini, I'm aware of Cannondale's reputation with some modlels terrible. Even aluminum frames can go very wrong. A nice robust, straight frame with odd but smooth welds is what I observe with this one. No oddball proprietary gizmos observed. I buy things with little expectation of warranty performance. Choose carefully and buy after close examination in person.

[@janeblogs324]

That's an outsourced rebranded cannondale, win win

[@itsgoretecks]

@@janeblogs324 outsourced from who? just curious

[@jayanderson6016]

First let me preface this by saying that my 2016 Cannondale Trigger Black Inc. is the best MTB I've ever ridden. The Lefty Supermax is beyond belief in it's slow speed plushness and nothing short of a FOX 40 is stronger. The frame is the highly regarded, at least by Cannondale, High modulus carbon fiber weave. I've personally experienced the rear triangle crack 3 times, twice in the rear seat stay, and once in the non-drive side chain stay. Cannondale did warranty the first breakage, but couldn't honor the second & third times because they didn't have any spare parts. They did offer me a discount on a new bike, but I just ended up reinforcing the entire rear triangle with uni-directional carbon, and now it's stronger than ever and I have not had any issues for a few years. I'm a big fan of Cannondale, but I'm afraid those days of innovation and product support are gone seeing as how it's been bought out....in other words, the party is over.

[@Mapdec]

The lefty supermax was an insane fork. So smooth.

[@WillPower46]

I was previously a Cannondale dealer in New Zealand for many years. What I can say is that the distributor of Cannondale in NZ was excellent to deal with and always did the right thing for the customer even when there were times that the warranty claim was questionable. So with the stark contrast of service between the UK distributor and NZ I would say that it is probably the UK distributor that is not very good. Cannondale make great products but all brands have some problems from time to time.

[@leslie7922]

Yo nz represent 🎉

[@stevo184]

I think you should say SOME good products. These pieces of junk should never leave the factory, they're out of tolerance and have manufacturing defects.

[@leslie7922]

@@stevo184 let me know once you've made a frame better than them 🤣 💀

[@stevo184]

@@leslie7922 ? What a childish comment. Grow up.

[@WillPower46]

@@leslie7922 Yes I am but no longer in the bike industry. I still have a garage full of bikes, my endurance road bike is a Ribble Titanium, but my full sus MTB is a 2023 Cannondale Moterra Neo 3, I am very happy with that bike and think the build quality is excellent. Actually my Scott Carbon hard tail has been the worst quality bike I have owned with a number of frame issues but like I said I have seen issues from all brands over the years. You in NZ mate?

[@tryeverything3666]

I wish every industry had someone like yourself who’s cool, calm, collected,knowledgeable but mostly, trustworthy! You handled this like a pro I can’t wait to see what happens next. Not to throw shade on Cannondale but I won’t be buying their products going forward.

[@rafaeldegiacomoaraujo8778]

Cannondales are so hit or miss. That headset is scary. My superx bb failed and they gave me a brand new upgraded frame. They even brought one over form Europe to match my team colours. Fantastic service.

[@barbsandolives]

Really happy I came across your channel, always very informative and educational. I had a similar Cannondale in recently for a new build/PDI in my workplace that the customer bought online and ended up advising them to send it back as I had the same sort of problem with the brake mounts. No way to face them and definitely no way for pad/rotor alignment. 😊 Thank you for your videos and your contribution for better standards in the cycle industry!

[@migatron7359]

Was this a Gen 3 or Gen 4 frame?

[@jevgeniardassov]

Damn… When I bought my Gravel frame 2 years ago I was not even thinking about stuff like this. Checked headset, was OK, not the best, bit of overspray, cleaned it, thankfully BB was BSA68 and perfect, brakemounts needed a bit of reaming, got them perfect and got it built, two years, almost 7000 km and it works perfectly. After looking all the Hambini, Mapdec and other videos on the appalling quality and tolerances, I now know, I basically won the lottery… 😂 My god, what have we come to…

[@Mapdec]

It really shouldn’t be a lottery.

[@jevgeniardassov]

@@Mapdec one would think… Thanks to You and Hambini only bikes that are on my radar now is LOOK and TIME.

[@victorrodriguez2806]

Great video!!! You are spot on!!!! The customers money is where the power is at. Not the reailer. Not the service shop and definitely not the manufacturer!! The power of the purse as is commonly stated. The customer should recieve a refund for both purchases. And given the opportunity to spend his money elsewhere or with the original shop( but definitely a different brand name). In fact, now that you have provided him with concrete evidence in writing, if a refund on both purchases are not granted. A simple court filing will motivate the shop and cannondale to do the morally correct thing.

[@Mapdec]

Yes. This should be simple to resolve in small claims.

[@therexleyable]

I had two carbon frame failures with my Creakendale. The first one they refused to warranty but offered a deal on a new frame they had lying around; after $1500, I had a bike I could ride. The second time, after spending money to have the bike disassembled and the frame sent for inspection, they refused to warranty or offer a replacement, so I ended up with a box full of components and a broken frame to hang on my wall. Neither failure was the result of my misuse. The warranty on their eggshell-like frames is worthless. The bike shop offered no support. I'd never buy again from Cannondale or that bike shop. I bought a Trek from a good shop and have been very happy.

[@miket2646]

I own a few Treks and feel like their franchise arrangement keeps everything well sorted when it comes to warranty claims. They benefit massively from having good relations with the shops.

[@johnsiviour4929]

Am fired up! Cannondale should: Replace frame with one fit for purpose Reimburse customer for cost of second frame Apologise to customer and yourself for erroneous allegations/ statments and egregiously poor service. Bike shop should apologise for poor service and erroneous assertions. This is the very least both parties should offer. Goodwill would dictate more!! Great work!

[@johnsiviour4929]

Ps have had 3 Cannondale....Synapse has creaking BB....hope that is the only fault!

[@Mapdec]

I agree. They haven’t even picked up the bike yet.

[@johnsiviour4929]

@@Mapdec :( pathetic

[@simonalexandercritchley439]

Interested to hear the outcome of this. Both Pedal Power and Cannondale have no idea about customer service and support. It is not for the bike shop to deny warranty that is up to supplier.

[@TheBooboojosh]

After dealing with pedal power I can’t see they’d refuse a warranty and would always pass it back to a manufacturer to decide.

[@SimonHarlow]

As consumers, we are often price driven and don't value good service enough. None of the bike bike companies seem to produce bikes that pass the Hambini test. I see many people complaining that bike companies are ripping customers off by charging too much for high-end bikes: the market is fairly competitive and top price bikes are not necessarily a rip off but you are not generally paying for good engineering. As a bike company, it is easier to sell a product that is new, light, aero and has loads of fancy looking bits than it is to sell something that is a bit boring but is well engineered. The constant redesigning of products so that they look new and "better" means that design and manufacturing problems don't get ironed out before the product is redesigned. It takes time and money to produce well engineered products and it takes a decent profit margin for shops to offer good customer service. Sadly, as customers, we do not support either business model very well. Imagine a bike costing £4000 that had 9 sprockets on the back, weighed 9kg and looked pretty much the same as the model available 5 years ago. Who would buy it? It might be well engineered but its up against a bike with 11, 12 or 13 rear sprockets that is 2kg lighter and looks new and exciting. Bike companies respond to the market and the market is us. If anyone out there wants to loose all their money, try starting a company that only sells well engineered, quality bikes with reliable, well made components. At the moment, there seem to be a few Chinese companies that produce good carbon products for a fairly low price but these are relatively small companies that supply direct to customers. Also the average wage in China is less than about £12K per year, so if you do want to start your bike company, you might have to pay your employees less than the UK minimum wage. Any takers?

[@Mapdec]

Looks like SWI bikes are trying this and they got to €9000 for a frameset

[@jameswatson5380]

Well done. Worrying i have just bought a Cannondale, so i will be interested to see their response to this. And as a business owner, both parties in this chain need to readdress their focus a little. Hopefully they see the light and this bloke get his bike back without all this sh*t..! Come on @cannondale sort it out!

[@johnanderson7508]

Good to know that while products may be similar between companies, customer service may be vastly different. This is definitely something I will research when I buy a tri bike

[@RICHARD.WRIGHT1]

The old super six evo frames were notorious for the top bearings moving back n forth in their seat, thus creating what is known has the ring of death on the steerer tube. Did you ckeck to see if the steerer tube at the height of the top bearing had any signs of indentation or a groove where the bearing / compression ring fits? Those bikes always had the problem of the headsets coming loose over time for this reason.

[@Mapdec]

The steerer is all good.

[@borano2031]

Have to check my 2012 EvoHM... Rgr

[@Shadowboost]

Jesus, that's scary as hell. I have three of these :(

[@philrawlins2892]

I had a similar bad experience. My Cannondale mountain bike (aluminium frame) cracked at the seat post weld. The response from the shop and Cannondale was that I shouldn't expect the frame to last forever, so much for a lifetime warranty!!

[@Mapdec]

Makes me mad

[@daviddjerassi]

You are 100% correct frames not fit for purpose leaving the factory with the prices being charged to day should be perfect if it was myself i would go to law and i would go all the way that frame is dangerous.

[@Tre7we88]

30 years owning and riding ‘dales. In that time I’ve received good and bad service from Cannondale’s UK distributor and various LBS’s. My first warranty claim was against a CAD mtb frame-set. The drive stay snapped. Free, like for like replacement. My second claim was for an Fsi 29er. 500miles Cracks appeared by the seat post. Still within warranty but made to pay for a replacement frame at reduced price. Recently, I had to pay to replace the rear triangle on my Scalpel. Owning ‘dales is painful! Proprietary standards like AI offset don’t help. However, the most painful experience was with Sigma Sports in London. Top tier Cannondale dealer. I asked them to send my Ocho for servicing. Charged £80 for the privilege. Ocho came back with an issue. Gave it to the mechanic, who couldn’t fix it and said “You didn’t buy it from us so take it elsewhere.” Later, I took the Ocho back to Pedal-On in Taplow. No charge to send for service. Back within a week! Happy days.

[@dusty_hoods]

Every manufacturer has problems (I mean everyone!), it's all about how you deal with it. I really would like to know how this case will be solved. (Good case to learn for any dealer and manufacturer out there).

[@janeblogs324]

My 2009 supersix has bonded aluminium headset cups, my 2013 suspersix has raw a carbon headset like this. I'm off to check mine out now...

[@Advcrazy]

Thanks for helping to make the cycling industry honest! I’ll remove C’dale from my new bike list. They should just do what BMC did for me back in 2014 (I think)…they didn’t have any of my then 5year old frameset anymore so they offered me the latest greatest flagship model frameset for $500usd as a good will gesture. That frameset at the time sold for almost $3000 retail. My old frameset (front mech mount had failed) was bought on sale for less than $500usd and was just iverv5years old, so out of warranty. Also, I had moved to norway by the time it failed. I felt valued and looked after. I felt excited even to get the opportunity to ride a top end bike, something which I had no chance of affording at the time.

[@ninibur]

Tbh you’ll hear some sketchy stories from almost all manufacturers. Better to avoid all the stupid inventions by the industry and look for an alloy/steel/titanium frame without much integration and definitely without Pressfit.

[@russelltaylerson4468]

Thanks for this video, I was considering a Cannondale Synapse as my first road bike, will shop elsewhere now

[@3RussO3]

Cannondale SuperX bottom bracket shell de-bonded. As I had changed the, terrible, Cannondale bb for a good one, it was obviously my fault and warranty refused. The shell had minimal adhesive on it, I don't know how it lasted as long as it did. I repaired it myself using a fantastic 3M product, and it's been good for the last three years. I would never buy another Cannondale. Just built up a Time ADHX, it's another world!

[@ridethelakes]

Love this, Ive been on the receiving end of bike shops and manufacturers fobbing me off with frame defects several times. Massive kudos and thanks to Mapdec for being a consumer champion and improving standards in the industry 👌

[@CrazyAboutCycling]

I am with Mearns Cycling Club. We have 4 groups, upto 60 odd cyclists. A large majority ask me which bikes to get. I can assure you that Pedal Power throughout our purchases have bent over backwards to help with warranty claims (not Cannondale). I do trust them, & would still go to them. In fact, I was looking at Mapdec as Look RS Blade 795 could be a 2024 custom build. Billy Billsand is another good local for us. For Scott. I truly believe in supporting our local dealers, I don’t think they are out to get bike owners. It’s good you communicated with Cannondale & I hope you gain positive results. As noted we have never had issues with warranty claims. They have been excellent in care.

[@Mapdec]

That’s good to hear. I wonder what went wrong here.

[@MartinWoodman]

Well done for this video, just shows how bad some manufacturing tolerances are along with their QC. Look forward to the result.

[@manceconomist]

Typical of the contempt companies have for customers. Having fleeced the person for a second frame you would at the very least have thought they would thoroughly check the second frame before sending.

[@iwontreplybacklol7481]

Probably their best made frame 😂😂😂😂

[@jklok]

I was really considering the current generation supersix but not anymore.

[@PeakTorque]

Hilarious and absolutely stinks. How can the customer make carbon disappear? Hows that wafer thin section going to hold when the top cap and preload bolt is pushing a couple hundred kg down on the bearing seats?! The bike companies have got to stop blaming customers for their dogshit tolerances. Its patronising and tiring. Giant UK recently tried to blame a fork steerer de-bonding at the crown on the customer. Dude broke his back. Giant settled 200k out of court, they got lucky! I had this exact bike and it was pig. Headset cups were way oversized and loose, si compression ring was plastic, top cap rubbed on frame due to top bearing seat being moulded too low. Ironically the BB was fine. Note to the customer: get out of this shit and get your money back.

[@PeakTorque]

Did i mention this has got me fired up 😂

[@Mapdec]

I think we all noticed. 😳

[@chaosflower4892]

there isn't or shouldn't be a couple hundred kg of load applied by preload bolt otherwise you wouldn't have any steering.. it's barely a few kg at most surely?

[@barneyklingenberg4078]

On my bikes 6-8NM which is just under a kilogram (an kilogram on earth is equal to roughly 9,8 if I recall my physics class) The bottom one takes the grunt of the weight when riding. But no it should NOT be that flimsy.

[@RichChh]

😅@@Mapdec

[@JourdainColeman]

It's quite refreshing to see the truth! 👌🏼 Someone on the side of the customer and not the massive brands.

[@Mapdec]

Thanks for watching dude.

[@brizi2003]

Terrible customer service. Can't believe Cannondale were dumb enough to send out another frame with the same issue which they claimed to be caused by not fitting the headset correctly on the original. Clearly this is not the case at all. They cannot be trusted. In other news I see Giant UK are being sued for £200k after one of their 6 month old Propel bike forks snapped - initially they denied responsibility until the frame & fork were inspected then they admitted it was their fault - unfortunately this does not help the poor owner who suffered horrific injuries. Like Cannondale they initially denied it was their fault - seems to be a trend these days! Can't wait for the follow up video.

[@stefanodirector]

I have been riding a 2017 SupersixEvo Ballistec carbon Disc for the past 6 years and it has been flawless, I bought a 2022 SupersixEvo SE, but held on to the 2017 because it's such a great ride. As a note I must tell that for the 2017 frame the disc rotor specs are: 160mm front + 140mm rear. Still riding full gas on it, I must have been lucky.

[@bikedad57]

Thank God for mechanics like you! Unfortunately this may be an indication of where Cannondale is headed. They were in bankruptcy in 2004 and all their assets were bought by Pegasus Capital, later by Dorel, and then by Pon Holdings. Too many changes of ownership is never a good sign.

[@littleshopofrandom685]

They were dirtbags in the 80s and 90s too. Nothing has changed. They didn't earn the name crack and fail for nothing.

[@dominicbritt]

The problem here is that when you say “Cannondale” you actually refer to the U.K. Marketing department…aka f’ing useless… Your comments about bike shops not backing their customers is absolutely spot on too btw… Bike industry in general has a lot to learn…

[@garybird8646]

Dealt with Cannondale in the past as a shop and compared to Trek and Specialized it wasn't uncommon to get into a fight on behalf of a customer, to be fair the quality was pretty good with them. It's a bit of a rabbit hole talking warranty with bike brands, someone could watch your video and assume every Cannondale must be like that and they're not.

[@phil_d]

I have a 2017 Synapse Carbon and BB bearings went south eventually, and the local bike shop fitted a C-Bear. Those bearings went south in under 6 months, and I thought it must be another bad Cannonde BB. Turns out the BB shell is aluminium and 41.96mm, so perfect. The C-Bear was at least 42.07 😳😳😳 Got a Hambini, and now perfect. Video is on KZbin.

[@davidbolduc828]

I would imagine that it's hit and miss with a lot of bikes that come out of mainland China. However I think it's the very poor way that Cannondale treated this customers and apparently quite a few others recently that makes many of us wary of doing business with them in the future.

[@kennethhowarth1487]

So sorry all the folk on here had a problem with Cannondale . I have 37 of them and ride them all and never had a problem with any of them This is just a trash video against Cannondale .

[@norsangkelsang7939]

great review... I appreciate my ELVES and SEKA frames much more since I have seen some shoddy work on several high priced big name frames.

[@rafaeldaher7392]

That looks like a potential recall problem. They should be held responsible for that!

[@MrDazP1adv3ntures]

That was an excellent report, with or without a beep machine. Thank you for taking the time to share this information

[@oftankoftan]

This is gonna be so much more expensive than just sending the customer a new, working frame. Congrats, Cannondale. You played yourself.

[@Mapdec]

So true

[@DavidStrchld]

For this one yes, however Cannondale telling 100's of customers to basically go pound salt, and only one pushed back enough to get a frame at cost. I think Cannondale is still ahead. Also selling it off tolerance seems to being used as a reason to deny warrantee, as many will set it up and start using it, thus modifying it.

[@oftankoftan]

@@DavidStrchld my point is about reputation. how many will see this video? how many people will they warn about cannondale? reputation takes a lifetime to build, only a moment to raze.

[@briansrensen8204]

it seems they can't even produce a good frame.

[@warrenyoung173]

Early 90s fobbed off by LBS when I pointed out a dodgy cantilever boss weld - Diamondback, lifetime warranty. Weld failed after 10 years. Still have the frame and forks. Vowed to be self sufficient as possible since then. 5 years ago. New Giant for daughter. LBS tried to fob me off when I pointed out the front wheel was incorrectly dished. By this point I can build wheels with ALL the labels aligned and even tension. Upgraded wife to modern MtB during Covid lockdown. Suspension lockout faulty. Apparently selling shop has some difficulty getting distributor to acknowledge problem. Somehow, I still have to pay for some of the replacement. Merida. This year, upgraded from 90s MtB to modern from no quite LBS. Double checked bolt torques after observing workshop during collection. Front disc calipers were loose, probably incomplete alignment process. Sadly, I don't have much faith at the LBS nor Manufacturer end.