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lagosloonie

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Everything posted by lagosloonie

  1. I bought a pair of Sidi Dragons from ASG Paarl on 6 February this year for my girlfriend to try on - all agreed. They didn't fit so I returned them about two weeks later. No problem except that they could "immediately" credit me, but it would happen soon. Well, despite numerous emails and phonecalls, I haven't heard any more than the repeated promise. Rochelle doesn't seem to be "customer care" in the broader sense of the word - or ASG Paarl is sufficiently independent that Rochelle can do no more than plead with Kyle at ASG Paarl to repay me. Her pleas have thus far fallen on deaf ears. What to do? Hellopeter then legal action? Anybody got any ideas?
  2. It really is all about the money, isn't it. I'm not sure who, apart from the sponsors,should be insulted by this. Perhaps the elite men are just laughing. Perhaps the women themselves are thinking that this is just a little silly and a step backwards The issue of women's equality in racing started with the prize money; initially not the same as the mens' because the women, largely through a lack of numbers, didn't provide the same entertainment value. Having attained that target, the women themselves are fighting over the purse and the winners are those to whom the short route is best suited. Why not just start the ladies at 06:00, all with the same bike light, and have them race like hell to stay ahead of the elite men. That would earn everybody's respect, not denigration.
  3. If you haven't managed to find anybody yet, try Mark of MCR Welding on 021 510 0933. They are in Carlisle Street in Paarden Eiland. He has repaired both titanium and aluminium bikes. If you found anybody else, let me know.
  4. I have found a company in Cape Town that can do titanium welding - MCR Welding, Unit 11 Rosbur Park, Carlisle Street in Paarden Eiland. Speak to Mark on 021 510 0933. He says he does many bicycles - he can do aluminium frames as well. Unfortunately he cannot find any titanium sheet of the type used for the Sewanee frame, so he has just welded the cracks and closed a hold he put in the centre of the tube where he made a tentative attempt to pull the dent out. I am now looking for a scrap titanium frame i can use to form a 'semi-tube' over the dented area.
  5. I'm sorry but not surprised that they rejected your claim. They seem intent on finding any reason to reject claims. They can surely verify your purchase by contacting the local agent - they didn't bother doing that with my claim either. They're trashing their own name - for the life of me I cannot understand the logic. I bought the bike because it has so much appeal - it's great to look at, rare, light - all good characteristics - I really WANTED one. Well, not any more!
  6. No, the pothole incident was on my trusty Trek Fuel. It remains straight and true to this day
  7. big H - how on earth was i supposed to know that the frame would be dented - in my wildest dreams i couldn't have imagined someone doing that to the most highly stressed frame member. The frame, in it's original packaging was couriered to my girlfriend's work while I was in Lagos - done and dusted. When she sent the pics I mailed Litespeed - they have their reasons for denting the frame and they had my money.
  8. Nope Dangle, that's not it. Mine is disc specific. Since that frame can handle rim brakes, i'd imagine it to be older
  9. Whoa - go to the first page of the thread and see the pic of the bike as delivered. I also contacted Steve Dunn at Litespeed - i've attached his mail. 'nuff sed. Steve Dunn mail.doc
  10. Thanks Headshot for the vote of confidence. I have done very little searching and no posting on other sites. i'm away for this week, but i'll get onto it next week. Safe riding
  11. whoops - i lied - just remembered hitting a pothole and endo'ing as a result during a rainstorm on the Lekki Expressway in Lagos some years back. That did the front.
  12. The wheels were DT Swiss XR4.1. I still run tubes and i have NEVER pinch flatted the front, not on any bike at any time.
  13. I think Martin has hit the nail on the head here - the frame is just not up to hard riding - don't buy one if it has a dent in the downtube.
  14. I have been away for a while - here are the photographs requested by hubbers. As you can see, there is absolutely no evidence of a strike or impact in the region of the depression. The tube has folded almost certainly as a result of a force transmitted through the head. My argument will always be that this frame has not received an impact large enough to destroy a top-level frame. I have ridden fast, rocky downhills, small dropoffs (XC type) and that's about it. I can't see how you can risk this frame on a race like the Attakwas, for example.
  15. power = force x velocity. The force is the drag force on the vehicle which, in the case of air, is proportional to the square of the velocity. Hence the power is proportional to the cube of vehicle velocity. The other component of force is basically rolling resistance
  16. A friend of mine had the same problem with a SID fork some years ago. He had the tubes re-anodised. They came out black instead of gold but prolonged the life of the fork by some years. He cannot remember who did it - it was in Cape Town - but it wasn't expensive.
  17. A couple of days after I'd started this thread, someone offered a Litespeed Sewanee frame (large) for sale on the Hub - there was no dent in the frame. I sent the pic to the Warranty Department and they came back asking about the dent in my frame and if i had proof that it had been put in by the factory. I have that proof - but the interesting thing was that they didn't seem to be aware of this 'feature'. It seems almost as though some frames have it, some don't. I submitted more photographs and explained exactly that i thought the tube had collapsed a la Coke can. This was their response: During our warranty meeting today when we reviewed the claim on your frame, our decision still stands that the frame has received an impact at some point. We would like to work with you on this and offer you a frame at a reduced cost. I would like to offer you a Sewanee frame for $2,150 USD plus shipping. These frames are in stock now in Tennessee, so if you want the new frame at a reduced cost, please contact me as soon as possible and I will place the order. So i don't know if they think the frame has been hit at that spot or whether the head transferred the force. No, i don't want another Sewanee because i don't know what to do different when i ride to prevent this happening again. The attached Merlin's dent appeared to have been made by a Neanderthal - as though a straight bar had been put against the frame and then struck with a hammer - the dent was not perpendicular to the frame and the outside edges were very sharp. i have attached the 'after' pic - Litespeed measured the head and concluded that 0.5mm eccentricity indicated a heavy impact on the head, sufficient to cause the crack damage and consequently would not repair under warranty. This is just poor thinking - cracks are formed under tension and there is no additional damage to the frame. The cracks have formed as a result of alternating stress caused by just riding the bike - my mate is a heavy guy - about 85kg - but not a hard rider - no DH, no risky dropoffs, etc. Litespeed offered to repair the frame at my mate's cost - he accepted. The downtube was replaced and given a dent again - this time a little 'neater' - more like mine. He rides around very cautiously now.
  18. Wow - a lot of posts - i'll try to answer: I am 54 years old and i weigh 61kg. My front suspension is a Manitou Skareb with 80mm travel. It is not possible for the suspension to strike the frame The frame is a 2009 model and was bought brand new through Cecil Baker (the all Africa agent) in May of 2009. The reason i have done so little riding/racing on the bike is because i was out of the country until Feb 2010 and i have another old Trek which i use for messing around. The dent was put there by the factory and i have an email from them to prove it. They say 'for fork clearance and added front end stiffness'. There are absolutely no marks on the frame in the region of the damage. i will take more pics as suggested. it's difficult to see what's going on in the photographs because of the reflections off the tube (and i'm no great photographer either). A mate of mine bought a Merlin with a similar dent - it cracked too with no crinkles - Litespeed maintained that the frame had received a heavy impact and would not repair under warranty. I don't believe for an instant that there was any impact to the frame. I wash it after each ride and it was fine before the 2 x 15km Grabouw ride. I'm more likely to believe that the frame is just not suited to anything more than riding on dirt roads - even at R23k
  19. Litespeed also maintain that the frame has received a 'heavy impact'. Since i rode the thing i'm in a perfect position to say it hasn't. The dent is directly behind the suspension (therefore protected) and i haven't crashed it. Because of the dent, the frame cannot take the pounding of a rocky downhill - the tube simply crinkles. The race which broke the frame was two 15km circuits in Grabouw for a Woolworths charity event. There was a fast but very rocky downhill on the circuit. i think this is what did it. I agree with the contention that the material is difficult and that Litespeed just got it wrong. They won't admit this - see how many other manufacturers put a dent into the frame at this point. Contrast that number with the number of manufacturers who massively reinforce the area behind the headstock. Simple math. This frame cost me R23000 and now it's effectively scrap - unless someone can point me to someone who can remove the dent entirely and reinforce the tube.
  20. No, the dent was put in by Litespeed - i questioned them on the subject - they said it was 'for strength and to clear the suspension - both reasons are rubbish. A friend of mine bought a Merlin - made by the same people - it had the same dent and it cracked there too. Litespeed also pulled the 'heavy impact' BS on him and he had to pay for the repair.
  21. I bought a 2009 LItespeed Sewanee and I've raced it three times - To Hell and Back, Knysna 80, and a 30km charity race in Grabouw. After the last race, while washing the bike, i discovered that the underside of the downtube was cracked - Litespeed puts a dent in the frame at this point (duuuhhh). I have been in touch with Litespeed regarding repair under warranty - herewith their reply: During our warranty meeting today we discussed your frame. The decision was reached by myself and the senior members of the department, including our CEO that we would not be able to cover your frame under warranty and nor would the frame be able to be repaired. This decision was reached because we believe that the frame has been in a heavy impact and this is something which our warranty policy will not cover. The warranty policy is in place to cover the frame from manufacturer’s defects. We believe that due to the nature of the cracks in the frame, these have not been caused as a result of a manufacturing defect. My answer is that the frame has not suffered a heavy impact and that it is unsuited to mtb - that's it. The frame is weakened by the dent in the downtube where it is prone to crack. I have heard of many Litespeed MTBs cracking - gawd alone knows what is considered normal by Litespeed and therefore covered by their warranty. There is no question that the dent put there by them causes a weakness and the frame will crack there at some time - i have attached 'before' and 'after' pics - you decide.
  22. The tandem issue has now been sorted. An additional ticket has been made available. Collect at registration tomorrow morning. A lady by the name of Glynn will be able to help.
  23. There are thousands of really old posts - i have just sold an item and i have no idea of how to delete it from the 'for sale' list. i don't just want to append 'sold' to the topic title - that just wastes time for everyone. In a similar vein, is a 'for sale' post automatically deleted after some predetermined time?
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