September 18, 2007 by Clymber
Posted in
I just upgraded my road bike to a Specialized with carbon fork, seatstay, and carbon seat post. This morning, I was reading through the packet of literature that came with the bike and found this statement for both the fork and the seatpost:
WARNING: FOR YOUR SAFETY, SPECIALIZED RECOMMENDS THIS PRODUCT BE REPLACED AFTER 3 YEARS OF USE.
Is this for real?
I typically keep bikes longer than 3 years - my last road bike made it 14 years - and I like to upgrade components along the way. But do I NEED to be concerned about the life of these two parts?
Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Brad
A three year replacement
A three year replacement cycle, when most are expecting the parts to last a lifetime, is an eye-opener.
Sounds like the company is just doing a CYA in case something fails.
If you rode year-round and really racked up some serious miles, then 3 years may not sound like such a bad idea. But for the average "weekend-warrior" who may get in a ride or two during the week (mostly during warmer weather months) it should be more like 5 or more years.
Carbon is currently one of the "sexier" materials being used on bikes, but if the downside is potential catastrophic part failure, it tends to take some of the luster off.
I was riding on the road
I was riding on the road that connects cherokee and seneca a few weeks ago when a fellow mountain biker passed me. He slows up to show me that his carbon fiber handlebar had failed. Think I will just stick with aluminum!