Is there truth in the (new Specialized) rumour?

[Meezo]

I don't see how this can be true for anything BUT the Brain suspension bits.

It would make sense for them to have an exclusive warranty on their proprietary components.

 

But for the other components, why would it void your warranty? Why would I lose my warranty on my Spez frame if somebody adjusts my chain? How would they even monitor this?

 

Its the same for cars, you service you BMW at a Merc dealership there would be issues.

But the local garage can change your tyres and fill up your oil levels.....

 

Just doesn't seem plausible.

 

does spaz bikes come with a service bookie?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Specialized proprietary parts have to be serviced by someone who is authorised by Specialized in order to maintain the warranty.

 

Big surprise, this works just like any other industry. Have you ever tried to lodge a warranty claim for your Sony TV after it was serviced by the guy at the corner electronics shop? Do you think Audi, Mercedes or BMW will not laugh at you if you try to get them to replace a turbo after Piet Pompies Automotive Services has worked on it?

 

The above analogy applies to the mechanically complex (meaning, stuff that can be negatively affected by incorrect servicing) components. Anyone can work on the non-Specialized components on your bike, just like any other bike brand.

 

The crux here is that most Specialized bikes include more proprietary parts on them than most other brands. Does Giant spec in-house designed and backed (even if in collaboration with suspension manufacturers) forks and shocks on their bikes? No. Specialized just happens to do this. Is this anti-competitive, greedy and evil because someone once heard in primary school that "proprietary" is a swear word? No, it's not. Most vehicles on our roads are almost fully comprised of proprietary parts, even though those parts are produced by specialist outsourced component manufacturers.

 

Again, do we complain that you can only have your VW serviced at a VW dealership if you want to have your warranty upheld? No. This is no different. Do we complain that you can only buy a genuine Toyota turbo from Toyota? No. We replace it with a generic turbo if the vehicle is out of warranty. It's no different with a Specialized bike. Fork out of warranty? Service it yourself or replace it with a generic version. Still in warranty? Honour the terms of the warranty, it goes both ways.

I'm being bombarded by common sense!!! What is this!? 

[AuctionLamb]

Yes it is true, Spez must service it or else your warranty goes booom!!

 

I know...I had a Spez but the service is now the same as car's, if anyone else service your fork/shock then they will not help you. It is a way to keep the money coming in after you bought the bike, makes good business sense but not from a customer point.

 

I know a lot of people who did not go the "legal" route and when brain fork gave them issues Spez charge you an arm and a leg...and another arm.   

[Lefty V]

I have to agree on the shoe part

Have to disagree on both the shoe and helmet part- owned some moved on

[Johny Bravo]

I'm being bombarded by common sense!!! What is this!? 

But it is sooo true. I love that post. Must say. 

[Johny Bravo]

Yes it is true, Spez must service it or else your warranty goes booom!!

 

I know...I had a Spez but the service is now the same as car's, if anyone else service your fork/shock then they will not help you. It is a way to keep the money coming in after you bought the bike, makes good business sense but not from a customer point.

 

I know a lot of people who did not go the "legal" route and when brain fork gave them issues Spez charge you an arm and a leg...and another arm.   

How many models in their lineup have the brain shock? Out of their endless model range from bmx to roadbikes to fatbikes, I can think of only 2 models. The Epic and the Stumpjumper fsr. For 2016 the Stumpy no longer has the brain rear shock. So that leaves 1 model. The Epic. Which needs servicing every 150 hours. What a train smash, oh no.

[T-Bag68]

I got my Spez Epic second-hand of "The Hub" so mine is out of warranty from the get go...So when I need to service Shox's it would be safe to say there is no real issue who services it. That said you don't need some plonker to screw it up.

Who are the guys in the know as to where I should take it..? Put the money in some other guys pocket. Share the love :-)  

[AuctionLamb]

How many models in their lineup have the brain shock? Out of their endless model range from bmx to roadbikes to fatbikes, I can think of only 2 models. The Epic and the Stumpjumper fsr. For 2016 the Stumpy no longer has the brain rear shock. So that leaves 1 model. The Epic. Which needs servicing every 150 hours. What a train smash, oh no.

 

Every 50 hours +- (R700) then a major service every 150hours (+- R1650)

 

I did not say every bike and mentioned brain fork/shock. Imagine you have both, make the calc.

 

Who cares about the future bikes...I talk about current bikes

[Patchelicious]

Yes it is true, Spez must service it or else your warranty goes booom!!

 

I know...I had a Spez but the service is now the same as car's, if anyone else service your fork/shock then they will not help you. It is a way to keep the money coming in after you bought the bike, makes good business sense but not from a customer point.

 

I know a lot of people who did not go the "legal" route and when brain fork gave them issues Spez charge you an arm and a leg...and another arm.   

That is where you seem to be very misguided.

 

There are many many many ways for a company as large as them, with a product range as big as theirs and a RnD department as kitted as them to make profits.

 

Their Brain servicing probably makes up 0.00000001% of their revenue.

The motivation of getting authorized people to service their shocks in not a profit driven thing, but a quality/brand management thing.

 

If your local LBS shop services a Brain shock, and two weeks later it breaks... guess what will be posted here on the Hub. "Stupid SPAZ shock breaks", nobody will care that some random dude took a screw driver to the shock, its a SPAZ shock, it broke and thats that.... FK SPEZ!!

 

It is that kind of brand damage that they would want to avoid.

[Johny Bravo]

Every 50 hours +- (R700) then a major service every 150hours (+- R1650)

 

I did not say every bike and mentioned brain fork/shock. Imagine you have both, make the calc.

 

Who cares about the future bikes...I talk about current bikes

I have both. And you have it completely wrong. First service is after 50 hours, thereafter every 150 hours. Worth every penny.

[AuctionLamb]

That is where you seem to be very misguided.

 

There are many many many ways for a company as large as them, with a product range as big as theirs and a RnD department as kitted as them to make profits.

 

Their Brain servicing probably makes up 0.00000001% of their revenue.

The motivation of getting authorized people to service their shocks in not a profit driven thing, but a quality/brand management thing.

 

If your local LBS shop services a Brain shock, and two weeks later it breaks... guess what will be posted here on the Hub. "Stupid SPAZ shock breaks", nobody will care that some random dude took a screw driver to the shock, its a SPAZ shock, it broke and thats that.... FK SPEZ!!

 

It is that kind of brand damage that they would want to avoid.

 

I am not saying they make a killing, but if you take the amount of brain forks/shocks in SA that needs a service it will pay the rent and maybe a salary or two in SA. :-)

[AuctionLamb]

I have both. And you have it completely wrong. First service is after 50 hours, thereafter every 150 hours. Worth every penny.

 

Cool, would not know because had so many warrantee claims on it and decide to sell it.

 

*** love the brand but there is some teething issues, warrantee's (because I think they sell too many bikes and they cannot support it), brain service moerse expensive. Still think the brain fork is the best one....if you do not have any issues with it.

[Paul Ruinaard]

Specialized proprietary parts have to be serviced by someone who is authorised by Specialized in order to maintain the warranty.

 

Big surprise, this works just like any other industry. Have you ever tried to lodge a warranty claim for your Sony TV after it was serviced by the guy at the corner electronics shop? Do you think Audi, Mercedes or BMW will not laugh at you if you try to get them to replace a turbo after Piet Pompies Automotive Services has worked on it?

 

The above analogy applies to the mechanically complex (meaning, stuff that can be negatively affected by incorrect servicing) components. Anyone can work on the non-Specialized components on your bike, just like any other bike brand.

 

The crux here is that most Specialized bikes include more proprietary parts on them than most other brands. Does Giant spec in-house designed and backed (even if in collaboration with suspension manufacturers) forks and shocks on their bikes? No. Specialized just happens to do this. Is this anti-competitive, greedy and evil because someone once heard in primary school that "proprietary" is a swear word? No, it's not. Most vehicles on our roads are almost fully comprised of proprietary parts, even though those parts are produced by specialist outsourced component manufacturers.

 

Again, do we complain that you can only have your VW serviced at a VW dealership if you want to have your warranty upheld? No. This is no different. Do we complain that you can only buy a genuine Toyota turbo from Toyota? No. We replace it with a generic turbo if the vehicle is out of warranty. It's no different with a Specialized bike. Fork out of warranty? Service it yourself or replace it with a generic version. Still in warranty? Honour the terms of the warranty, it goes both ways.

I get what you are saying in the analogy to cars however its not like the components of a bike are unique or as technical as a cars in terms of the servicing of it, so I dont buy it.

 

This is just another attempt to hoodwink you as a consumer, as is the car. Overseas you can buy a base model (cloth seats, no climate control aircon) and add options as you want and then buy without motor plan. Just because the SA Consumer is being railroaded in the car industry doesn't mean Specialized should get away with trying the same in the cycling industry.

 

FWIW - Specialized dont build forks or shocks any more. they are Rock Shox or Fox items. Historically the agents of those companies have been doing the servicing for Specialized anyway, and i is likely to continue. I dont see Specialized investing a a complete parallel service infrastructure. 

 

You dont have Specialized concept stores in the USA or Europe and you dont have the same warranty issues related to not using them cause the American consumers are not sheep like us.

 

So whose idea was all the Concept BS anyway - likely a marketing guru to subsidise margins after they got caught by the competition commission in a collusion scam a couple of years ago.

[sirmoun10goat]

does anyone even know what sits in the brain? my understanding is there is cartridge of sorts, that needs replacement. this cannot be found at a lbs as spez keeps them in stellies. this is why you need spez to service the shocks.

 

and in theory this cartridge needs to be replaced every 50hrs. on 150 hours it is a routine shock service, as well as a new cartridge. so if you send your fork in for a service at a lbs, they will change the oils and seals, but not the cartridge

[Odinson]

I get what you are saying in the analogy to cars however its not like the components of a bike are unique or as technical as a cars in terms of the servicing of it, so I dont buy it.

 

This is just another attempt to hoodwink you as a consumer, as is the car. Overseas you can buy a base model (cloth seats, no climate control aircon) and add options as you want and then buy without motor plan. Just because the SA Consumer is being railroaded in the car industry doesn't mean Specialized should get away with trying the same in the cycling industry.

 

FWIW - Specialized dont build forks or shocks any more. they are Rock Shox or Fox items. Historically the agents of those companies have been doing the servicing for Specialized anyway, and i is likely to continue. I dont see Specialized investing a a complete parallel service infrastructure. 

 

You dont have Specialized concept stores in the USA or Europe and you dont have the same warranty issues related to not using them cause the American consumers are not sheep like us.

 

So whose idea was all the Concept BS anyway - likely a marketing guru to subsidise margins after they got caught by the competition commission in a collusion scam a couple of years ago.

 

Oh my god, dude. Get off your high horse and brush that bag of chips off your shoulder. 

 

Martin Hattingh has got it spot on. 

 

Why not try and engage Spez SA on this issue directly, as opposed to working off assumptions and second/third/fourth hand information. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I get what you are saying in the analogy to cars however its not like the components of a bike are unique or as technical as a cars in terms of the servicing of it, so I dont buy it.

 

This is just another attempt to hoodwink you as a consumer, as is the car. Overseas you can buy a base model (cloth seats, no climate control aircon) and add options as you want and then buy without motor plan. Just because the SA Consumer is being railroaded in the car industry doesn't mean Specialized should get away with trying the same in the cycling industry.

Dude... motor plans have buggerall to do with warranty. With ANY new car or car still within the factory warranty period (counted in years or KM travelled) if you service it at ANY place other than the authorised dealers, you void your warranty. Instantly.