Don’t buy CANYON

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  • #27000
    cphale1968

    Last year i bought the very sexy looking, and very lightweight CANYON Exceed CF SLX 9.9. (Yeah i know this is more of a roadie forum, but hopefully the aftersales service bit will be helpful to riders of all types!) The bike was well priced, arrived quickly, and didnt require too much building, and as hoped it was a good looking and initially good performing XC bike. It wasn’t until 7 months in that i got to experience the other side of Canyon. The rear framestay snapped after 7 just months of usage, Canyon diagnosed this as being caused by a marginally bigger than provided rear tyre (a standard winter mud tyre recommended and fitted by local MTB shop) rubbing the frame when under heavy compression. Not ideal to hear you’re not going to get the warranty, (despite there being zero advice in the handbook about max tyre size), and as such having to buy a crash replacement frame, but can’t help think that the real problem here is that in chasing such light weight,Canyon frames are very thin, and as such not particularly robust. Fine for the pros in the sunny Alps, not so good for someone giving the thing a good workout in the mud of a Surrey Hills Winter! But I digress – it was the subsequent level of ‘service’ that really underwhelmed and left me in no doubt that’d i’d never buy Canyon again. Despite having the very same frame in stock they advised at least a 4 week turnaround to order from their special ‘crash replacement frame warehouse in Germany’. This after taking 3 weeks of me calling every day to get an explanation of their warranty verdict, and this after having to wait 2 weeks to get the frame inspected. At no point was any consideration given to my future potential customer value (I own 6 mostly top end TT, road & mountain bikes), and to be honest the attitude of the ‘manager’ was at best brash, and at worst indicative of him really not giving a damn ‘these are our policies and you’ll just have to accept them’. At no point was there even a hint of empathy, or even the smallest of gestures to help cushion the blow of the replacement cost. In contrast friends who purchased good brands from bike shops have had very much better experiences, particularly with Santa Cruz who seem to pretty much warranty everything, withijn just a few days. Guess where my next purchase is going?

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 23 total)
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  • #891123
    0
    jaysa

    In fairness to the OP, it

    In fairness to the OP, it seems his main beef was  the delay (4 wks + 3 wks + 2 wks) and lack of empathy:

    ‘it was the subsequent level of ‘service’ that really underwhelmed and left me in no doubt that’d i’d never buy Canyon again. ‘

    #891121
    0
    BarryBianchi

    Am I missing something here?

    Am I missing something here?

    Incompetent LBS fit tyre that rubs the frame, despite Canyon’s clearly stated warning in the manual.

    You don’t notice the damage happening, despite it wearing away the frame.

    This is Canyon’s fault.

    Have I got that right?

     

    I don’t have a Canyon or any connection to them, but I’m really really struggling to see how they are to blame.  What where they supposed to do – have a man in every LBS to check they aren’t incompetent, or ride the bike for you to see that it’s not being damaged having ignored their warning?

    #891119
    0
    Woody the mamil

    Like all the posts above, its

    Like all the posts above, its clearly the bike shops incompetence to fit a tyre that rubs! In Canyon’s defence, I had issues with my Ultimate SLX that there was creaking noises from the BB. After trying the standard analysis and replacing the pressfit at local BS (which Canyon reinburssed me) I still had issues. Within one week a courier came and collected the bike and within 3 weeks I received a replacement frame which Canyon service center refitted all the parts from the original bike to the new one. I have heard loads of horror stories about Giant, Focus and Specialized not being so service minded. I cannot see any advantage with buying another bike from Wiggle or Evans or CRC. Infact it must be worse because one must return bike to internet site and they must return to the bike manufacturer. Allthough I have had quality issues, the reason I will purchase a new bike is their service centers situated in most European countries.

     

    #891117
    0
    Scheißenberg

    This is quite unfair to
    This is quite unfair to Canyon and any prospective buyer.
    They have no case to answer.
    Yes they’ve had problems in the past but this is not one of them.
    If you cut out the middle man (LBS) you lose that level of service & support.
    OP ruined his own bike.
    Why’d be get an LBS to fit tyres?
    Why’d he not notice tyre rub?
    OP or mods should change the title to –
    “Here’s how I wrecked my bike and felt entitled to a free replacement.”

    #891115
    0
    Rapha Nadal

    nniff wrote:

    nniff wrote:
    Remind me again why I don’t ride carbon wheels around the Surrey Hills?

    Because you’re a pussy?

    #891113
    0
    wycombewheeler

    Jackson wrote:

    Jackson wrote:

    Andreeoouu wrote:
    I reckon if you searched hard enough, you would find similar stories of customer service no matter the brand 

    Yep, I can back up this story with don’t buy a Trek either. 1st carbon bike, on about my 3rd ride I nearly crashed but just managed to save it by jumping a curb. However I slid off the seat onto the top tube, fairly innocuously, and cracked the top tube with my nuts. When my voice returned to normal I phoned up the shop for Trek’s famous lifetime warranty and they told me to get stuffed because I crashed it – no special crash replacement price or anything was offered either. Fair enough (well not really) but I’ll never buy one again. 


    balls of steel 😉

    #891111
    0
    Jackson
    Andreeoouu wrote:
    I reckon if you searched hard enough, you would find similar stories of customer service no matter the brand 

    Yep, I can back up this story with don’t buy a Trek either. 1st carbon bike, on about my 3rd ride I nearly crashed but just managed to save it by jumping a curb. However I slid off the seat onto the top tube, fairly innocuously, and cracked the top tube with my nuts. When my voice returned to normal I phoned up the shop for Trek’s famous lifetime warranty and they told me to get stuffed because I crashed it – no special crash replacement price or anything was offered either. Fair enough (well not really) but I’ll never buy one again. 

    #891109
    0
    Fish_n_Chips

    You were riding a bike that

    You were riding a bike that had large enough tyres to rub on the rear stays?

     

    Why would you carry on riding?! no

    #891107
    0
    Chris Hayes

    It’s self evident that wider

    It’s self evident that wider tyres, covered with grit from roads will cut away at forks or rearstays if there’s contact.  Nothing short or a steel or alloy frame will withstand that – and it will still lead to damage – which you can fix.  To blame Canyon for this will get you nowhere – and shouldn’t. 

    That said, I have it on good authority that this manufacturer ‘has issues’ when it comes to frame failure.  I had my C50 repaired – rearstays:  entirely my fault don’t jump high kerbs on your Colnago friends – and asked the repair shop which frames failed most:  Canyon, came back the answer.  And by a country mile.   These guys see hundreds of frames a year, year-in-year-out and if they think there are issues there probably are… LBS everytime. 

    #891105
    0
    Andreeoouu

    I reckon if you searched hard

    I reckon if you searched hard enough, you would find similar stories of customer service no matter the brand. I have some tales of Cannondale, Specialized and Pinarello all of which I have had to deal with for frame issues. I have to agree with others but I’ll go one step further, a LBS that lets you ride off like that is not one that I would return to but in addition to that, as a rider, you should know better than to ride where there is friction with the frame no matter the material. In this circumstance you also risk a tyre blowout apart from frame damage.  I’m afraid it’s all you. I can’t really blame Canyon and I would be thankful that they offered you a crash replacement. You were unlikely to be pleased with anything other than a replacement frame which you are not entitled to given the circumstances. Not sure you should give up on the brand. It doesn’t sound like poor customer service by rather poor expectations on your part.

    #891103
    0
    nniff

    Surely you’ve taken a light

    Surely you’ve taken a light weight carbon race bike with tyres to match its intended purpose and used it as a winter mud plugger with fatter tyres.  The gritty Surrey Hills mud has worn away the chain/seat stay because there’s naff all clearance and you say it’s Canyon’s fault?  Carbon is no more resistant to abrasion than paint – if something’s wearing through the paint it will also wear through the carbon fibre. 

    Still you had a sleek and svelt mud plugger for a while.

    Strikes me that’s it’s symptomatic of ‘entitlement’ – You screwed up, but it’s someone else’s fault.

     

    Remind me again why I don’t ride carbon wheels around the Surrey Hills?

    #891101
    0
    trailflow

    How can you not notice  the

    How can you not notice the tyre was too wide for the frame ? Considering most mud tyres have chunky knob bits sticking out from the tyre. Surely that would make a ‘thud thud thud’ type noise when you rode it ? In 7 months of riding your saying you did not notice the rubbing one bit ?

    Carbon frames can also be fixed.

     

     

     

    #891099
    0
    huntswheelers

    Customer of mine has a Canyon

    Customer of mine has a Canyon… Ultimate Road bike…. can’t remember the actual model… chainstay went…. Canyon exchanged the frame and rebuilt the bike…eventually.

    He likes his bike even after the new frame, he is not overjoyed with Canyon customer service….. an aquaintance with a B’twin…. had a problem with an old model carbon frame ( within the 5 yr Gtee) and they had the bike in and swapped out the frame for a newer model….within a week…. 

    2 opposite ends of customer service..

    #891097
    0
    madcarew

    If you knew the tyre was

    If you knew the tyre was regularly rubbing the frame, I’m sorry, but the frame problem was entirely your fault. Most carbon frame tubes are only a couple mm thick at most (aluminium frames are even thinner). As for their after sales service, the interwebs is full of canyon’s poor delivery tales and ordering delays. Caveat emptor and all that…

    #891095
    0
    Anonymous
    surly_by_name wrote:
    Maybe you should have had a word with the shop that fitted a tyre that would rub on the stays to such an extent that the carbon was damaged structurally.

    This.

    I can’t see why Canyon owe you anything, yet you seem to expect it.

    A tyre rubbed in grit will be sandpaper against carbon laminate.

     

    I am not aware that canyon carbon frames are any thinner than other makes – but so what, they are made to cope with expected loads, not being rubbed thin by a tyre.

    I’d suggest you aim your disappointment against the MTB shop for fitting tyres too wide for the intended design.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 23 total)
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