Underachiever Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Bought a TOPEAK saddle bag for my Hardtail fromr the lbs for ±R200 a month ago. Used the HT in the Barberton last week and on the looooooong downhill I noticed a very audible rattle behind me. Found that the bag tore open and my bombs were flying everywhere. On closer inspection the bag failed, starting at the seam, and working its way down the side panel. Bag was loaded with one tube, a few bombs and a multitool. Soooo, gave it the failed bag back to the lbs to show the TOPEAK rep to complain and to get a replacement. TOPEAK's response : since it did not fail entirely at the seam, I overloaded the bag = No claim WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was a great fan on TOPEAK, and bought a number of their products over the years, lights, multitools, a host of saddle bags, etc Well, not anymore!!!!
pastapouch Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Sheesh, must be a factory fault, I've had a topeak saddle bag for a couple of years and no damage.
Guest Big H Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Yup it must definitely be overloading........ We have two on the Tandems.... And Tandemmers do overload. No damage even on thebworst African roads. And also read here ...... http://www.topeak.com/pages/53/news/detail/734?WYSESSID=gn5262t4v32jctcq6q8r344q15
GrumpyOldGuy Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Bought a TOPEAK saddle bag for my Hardtail fromr the lbs for ±R200 a month ago. Used the HT in the Barberton last week and on the looooooong downhill I noticed a very audible rattle behind me. Found that the bag tore open and my bombs were flying everywhere. On closer inspection the bag failed, starting at the seam, and working its way down the side panel. Bag was loaded with one tube, a few bombs and a multitool. Soooo, gave it the failed bag back to the lbs to show the TOPEAK rep to complain and to get a replacement. TOPEAK's response : since it did not fail entirely at the seam, I overloaded the bag = No claim WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That sounds like flawed logic to me. If the bag "DID FAIL ENTIRELY AT THE SEAMS" I would be inclined to say it was overloaded, but since it "DID NOT" how could it have been overloaded.? Most of these kinds of products are hand worked and not automated, hense I would be inclined to think the join was not finished correctly (ie) not lock stitched and it unraveled up to a point, or also likely, the stitch missed the join at a spot causing a weak area. Its common in the bag business, for interest sake just go look carefully, I am almost 100% sure you will find the issue is one or the other.
Top Fuel Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 "bombs were flying everywhere" what the hell!! Well done for getting out alive.
Justin Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Yes, my topeak has taken a lot of abuse and is still perfect.
Robrider Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 While we on a topeak rant, I bought a seatpost bottlecage mount. On the second ride (Hekpoort) it snapped clean off. And thats riding a duel, so there wasn't even as much impact as a hardtail. I havn't managed to take it back to the shop yet though, so I will wait and see how its handled.
Grebel Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 I had a Topeak bag fail on me a few years ago. The stitching on the strap that holds the bag to the seat rails came adrift. Dropped down between the seat and the wheel and tore the bag fabric.I took it back to my LBS and they phoned me back a few weeks later and said "Come fetch your new bag". Not sure if the supplier swapped it out or a bit of goodwill from my bike shop...
Underachiever Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 "bombs were flying everywhere" what the hell!! Well done for getting out alive. It was war I tell you!!
Christie Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 My Topeak frame pump stopped working after a couple of months. It was a cool pump, but it did not last very long :-(I only used it a few times, have a floor pump at home and use bombs, only carry the pump for back-up on long rides.
mix Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 "bombs were flying everywhere" what the hell!! Well done for getting out alive.amazing!my thoughts exactly!
Underachiever Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 That sounds like flawed logic to me. If the bag "DID FAIL ENTIRELY AT THE SEAMS" I would be inclined to say it was overloaded, but since it "DID NOT" how could it have been overloaded.? Most of these kinds of products are hand worked and not automated, hense I would be inclined to think the join was not finished correctly (ie) not lock stitched and it unraveled up to a point, or also likely, the stitch missed the join at a spot causing a weak area. Its common in the bag business, for interest sake just go look carefully, I am almost 100% sure you will find the issue is one or the other. My point exactly!!! Logic clearly failed the TOPEAK rep. No unravelling, I did look carefully, the stitching was too close to the edge of the material, so it caused a "zipper effect" for a while, and then started failing away from the stitch. I also trust Topeak for saddle bags for many years, was totally umimpressed they handled this case, so since I have a choice, I will switch to another brand. Pity though, they do make nice products.
scotty Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) Not good for the brand, even if i suspected there could be some customer fault as the rep i would have spoken to the LBS, found out he was a regular customer and swapped it out. The result would be happy customers who then tell others and result in increased sales. Edited February 4, 2011 by scotty
Underachiever Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 amazing!my thoughts exactly! Telepathy?
Underachiever Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 Not good for the brand, even if i suspected there could be some customer fault as the rep i would have spoken to the LBS, found out he was a regular customer and swapped it out. The result would be happy customers who then tell others and result in increased sales. Your are indeed a sharp business man. And also understands to run a Customer Careline!!
GrumpyOldGuy Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 My point exactly!!! Logic clearly failed the TOPEAK rep. No unravelling, I did look carefully, the stitching was too close to the edge of the material, so it caused a "zipper effect" for a while, and then started failing away from the stitch. I also trust Topeak for saddle bags for many years, was totally umimpressed they handled this case, so since I have a choice, I will switch to another brand. Pity though, they do make nice products. Yeah, missing the join or in your case going too close to the edge is common in the hand / eye business of bag stitching. It certainly sounds like a manufacturing defect to me. ...but I would have thought as you supported local the LBS could have "brokered" on your behalf for a new bag with the supplier, or at the very least, getting that one repaired - you may as well have bought on line and saved a few bob.! Do yourself a favour and take the bag to a shoe repair operator, you find them in all the malls these days, or your local tailor, they all use sewing machines which can handle this kind of material - my guess they wont even charge to sew the join together again.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now