ENVE warranty claim

[Furbz]

What's your thoughts gents?

ENVE is not accepting this as a warranty claim.

They have offered a crash replacement frame for EUR2000.

Side note, my dad is riding across france with this bike. So it failed 2 weeks into a month long trip.

We took the crash replacement because if we try to fight their decision the rest of his holiday would be lost. 

We plan on fighting the decision and getting the crash replacement costs refunded.

Total mileage on the bike before failure:

By Dad is France : 851km

By Dad in RSA: 381km

By me in RSA: 63km

Total: 1295km

So bike is for all purposes brand new.

All components are new.

Our view is the paint damage is on the outside of the seats stay, the side it would flex towards as the stays bow in that direction on this frame.

If it took a knock on the stay it would have pushed inwards causing paint to come off on the inner side.

Thoughts?

Edited September 24, 2025 by Furbz
Spelling

[warick_wrx]

Assume you the bike was transported on a airline to the holiday destination. How will you prove that possible initial damage was not caused during transportation. 

Edited September 24, 2025 by warick_wrx

[SSCC]

That’s impact damage. Carbon does not fail like this without an impact. I agree with Enve. It’s a “crash” replacement claim. 

[Furbz]

59 minutes ago, warick_wrx said:

Assume you the bike was transported on a airline to the holiday destination. How will you prove that possible initial damage was not caused during transportation. 

850km of riding on the bike before it failed? Also have comprehensive pictures from day one of the trip showing zero damage to the bike.

Dad's Facebook blog proves helpful here

35 minutes ago, SSCC said:

That’s impact damage. Carbon does not fail like this without an impact. I agree with Enve. It’s a “crash” replacement claim. 

Take a look at the pictures, there's no damage to any other part of that bike. 

I'm sure the ole man would have noticed smashing a frame hard enough to crack it?

A stone hitting that area is extremely unlikely right?

Not bashing your thoughts or anything, just talking through our logic and asking people's thoughts

[Bro Derek]

Due to the fact that the carbon is cracked in a straight line, my very humble opinion is that it is damage caused by impact - NOT to the damaged area but to the axle area

Likely in transit by being dropped/thrown or wedged with force

The cracks would be at a flex point or if something was wedged into the space 

Localized impact damage doesn't look like that, but over stressed/impact damage looks just like that

Like if you drive into your garage with the bike on the roof type vibes

[Furbz]

36 minutes ago, Bro Derek said:

Due to the fact that the carbon is cracked in a straight line, my very humble opinion is that it is damage caused by impact - NOT to the damaged area but to the axle area

Likely in transit by being dropped/thrown or wedged with force

The cracks would be at a flex point or if something was wedged into the space 

Localized impact damage doesn't look like that, but over stressed/impact damage looks just like that

Like if you drive into your garage with the bike on the roof type vibes

Ok. I get what your saying.

Would it then only manifest 850km later?

The bike was transported in one of those new Thule bike bags, the one where both axles are bolted into a allu base. The entire axle area is then inside a solid plastic lower case, so no chance of anything hitting that area of the bike.

The rest of the bike has the wheels either side of the frame in that bag.

Saddle and seatpost are removed to fit

[Bro Derek]

32 minutes ago, Furbz said:

Ok. I get what your saying.

Would it then only manifest 850km later?

The bike was transported in one of those new Thule bike bags, the one where both axles are bolted into a allu base. The entire axle area is then inside a solid plastic lower case, so no chance of anything hitting that area of the bike.

The rest of the bike has the wheels either side of the frame in that bag.

Saddle and seatpost are removed to fit

Could be anything that causes it, not just the flight.

But it definitely looks like crash or impact damage

Layup issues and manufacturing faults are seldom so uniform and consistent

If you post some full stay pictures and circle where the cracks are it would be easier to see, But ja, my opinion is they are correct. 
Just the nature of the cracks and the uniformity point to end user error more than manufacturer issues\

Picture someone in the saddle going fast, then lifting the front wheel to go over/through a dip or gutter etc and the back wheel takes the hit as the front wheel gets planted and the rider is seated.

That would cause the bow to exceed its elasticity level. That sort of thing

 

Edited September 24, 2025 by Bro Derek

[SSCC]

I understand your frustration but it's not a manufacturing defect. That is what the warranty covers.

It really does not matter how it happened because something, somehow has pressured the frame / hit the frame and damaged it. Pay for a new frame on their crash replacement and then get the old one repaired. Sell it listing it as a repaired frame and you will recoup 1/2 of what the replacement frame cost you. Or rent a bike on holiday and repair the frame when you get home. A good carbon shop will fix that no problem.

 

[DieselnDust]

I’m not buying impact damage because that will display fractured fibres pointing into the inside of the tube. The pics indicate the fibre orientation to be pointing outward as if the tube has burst. That would suggest the tube has failed while bowed which could be during riding . Failure at a flexure point is a layup failure which means it’s a warranty issue

Edited September 25, 2025 by DieselnDust

[Furbz]

8 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

I’m. It buying impact damage because that will display fractured fibres pointing into the inside of the tube. The pics indicate the fibre orientation to be pointing outward as if the tube has burst. That would suggest the tube has failed while bowed which could be during riding . Failure at a flexure point is a layup failure which means it’s a warranty issue

Thats our view. 

But it appears ENVEs argument has merit. Bummer.

The bike is insured so at least we are covered there.

R10k to ship the frameset to RSA.

CBR have indicated its very fixable, so now to weigh up total costs to ship and repair or to dump the frame in france and move on.

The bike store in France is happy to hold it 1 week while we figure things out - so some luck there

[Furbz]

i'm going to add this:

But if stressed then the bike is under engineered for purpose. Light weight rider(68kgs), no fall, no baggage. And it’s marketed suitable for bikepacking so weights could be far higher

[Mongoose!]

✈️    ....   bike BAG (not a hard shell box). 🤔

If the frame is in the bag. How much is the damaged part protected from an extrernal impact? 

you might look yourself as I believe this can be one of the first questions asked by Enve?

 

 

 

[SSCC]

Is this the break? Hard to tell from the photos you posted.

[Jimmy 2.0]

You say your dad is cycling across France how is he carrying his stuff?

Edited September 25, 2025 by Jimmy 2.0

[Furbz]

5 hours ago, SSCC said:

Is this the break? Hard to tell from the photos you posted.

Yes that is the break

41 minutes ago, Jimmy 2.0 said:

You say your dad is cycling across France how is he carrying his stuff?

He has a 7kg bag he rides with.

I'll see if i can post a pic

 

[Zebra]

@furbz, was also wondering about baggage, since you wrote: Light weight rider(68kgs), no fall, no baggage.

….not for one SECOND suggesting just 7kg luggage would cause that; more genuinely interested in HOW he was transporting his luggage, since I come from a bike-packing past (back in the day, the old days!)

Would like to see how he carried the load…

Cheers

Chris

Edited September 25, 2025 by Zebra