Hopefully some of the bike folks on this site will join in. In another thread it was stated that several manufactures when asked admited that a trainer is not intended use for a bicycle and therefore using a bike on a trainer will void the warrenty.
So does anyone know of a bike manufacture who will state that using there bike on a trainer does not void the warrenty???
"a trainer is not intended use for a bicycle "
Then what, may I ask, is an intended use for a trainer? The only other purpose mine serves is for tripping over. And that purpose just sucks.
We are a custom frame builder, and please, use our bikes (our frames) on a trainer. We have a lifetime warrenty on all our frames. The only stipulation to the warrenty, you should be the original frame owner.
What are trainers for, but to put your bike on and train!
Kevin S.
www.roarkcycle.com
How would they know it was used on a trainer?
This was posted on a November 14 thread about damage to carbon frames by a trainer:
Question:
Hello, I would like to inquirer about using your carbon bikes on trainers.
Is there any possiblity of damage or breakage? Will the warranty cover
riding hard on a carbon frame on a trainer? Thanks!
Answer:
Hello Rolan
Thank you for supporting Cervelo. You have nothing to worry about with
riding our frames as hard as you can on a trainer (unless you fall off).
Don’t forget, we are Canadian and know the challenges of staying fit in the
off season too.
The warranty will include all types of riding if you qualify. Also,
trainer riding will be covered by our crash replacement policy should
anything go wrong (and you do actually fall off).
We are very sure of the quality of our bikes and stand behind them 100%
Thank you and feel free to contact me with any further questions.
Sincerely
Dave
Cervélo Customer Support
“Excellence is caring more than others think wise; risking more than others think safe. Dreaming more than others think is practical and expecting more than others think is possible.”
Cervelo
edit JSA beat me to it!
Jodi
Blue Competition has stated that “Using our bikes on a trainer does not void the warranty”.
In response to your question I phoned (just now) the following companies to clear this up:
Felt: Trainer use **does not **void normal warranties. Bicycles are covered under normal use warranty for trainer use.
I spoke with Scott at Felt.
Cervelo: Trainer use **does not **void normal warranties. Bicycles are covered under normal use warranty for trainer use.
I spoke with Bill in customer service at Cervelo.
**Quintana Roo: **Trainer use **does not **void normal warranties. Bicycles are covered under normal use warranty for trainer use. I spoke with Trey at Quintana Roo.
**Guru: **Trainer use **does not **void normal warranties. Bicycles are covered under normal use warranty for trainer use. I spoke with Michael at Guru.
**Scott USA: **Trainer use **does not **void normal warranties. Bicycles are covered under normal warranty for trainer use.
I spoke with Kelly O, outside sales rep for Scott.
**Kuota: **Trainer use **does not **void normal warranties. Bicycles are covered under normal warranty for trainer use.
I spoke with Paul Thomas at Kuota.
Thanks Tom, as you know this was brought up in the Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll thread. JSA posted this.
Here are the two e-mail responses I received from Guru regarding use of my Crono on a trainer:
Hi Joel. Yes, using a trainer can and will void the warranty of the bike. Just to let you know, no bike manufacturer warranties a bike used on a trainer. They just don’t say it. Normal use is riding in the saddle, and not under heavy load. You have to think that when riding outdoors, when you are out of the saddle or hammering, the frame flexes little because the wheels have less tension than the frame. Therefore the wheels take all the abuse. On the trainer, it’s the reverse since the frame is held in a vice, and the wheel therefore has very little to do in the equation. For traditional aluminum and steel frames, having the frame clamped therefore creates flex and will reduce the quality and feel of the ride because it is under greater loads. For carbon, it can do the same, but because the frames are so much stiffer, and the material more brittle (there is no elasticity in the material), you can therefore create stress points and get cracks in the paint and possible un-bond the drop-outs. So that is why we do not advocate the use of trainers, nor do any other manufacturer for that matter. The solution is really for you to use an older welded frame, or to use rollers, which do not stress any part of the bike. We understand your position since we do live north of you.
So use the trainer, but at your discretion. We will not warranty the frame if anything happens.
Customer Service
Guru Bicycles Corp.
www.gurubikes.com
Good Afternoon Joel. Thanks for the update. To be honest, we do not advocate the use of any bike on a trainer, due to the stress it creates on the bike.
Under normal use, it is not a problem, but long term use can and will affect the ride quality and performance of the bike. For that, I would advise you to use rollers, or your spare bike, should you have one, to do your trainer rides. I hope this answers your question. We are currently working on a disclaimer to be posted on the website, as well as sent to our dealers.
Regards,
Customer Service
Guru Bicycles Corp.
www.gurubikes.com
Yep. I just forwarded the Guru e-mail to Tom. I am also e-mailing Guru back to ask for clarification based on the response they gave Tom.
I just finished a phone conversation with Michael at Guru about this topic.
Michael told me normal use is covered by warranty on a trainer for Guru bicycles. He did mention their concern over being able to differentiate between abuse and normal use.
It is important to not misinterpret the comments- written or otherwise- of manufacturers regarding warranties.
Warranties are for coverage of a failure resulting from a manufacturer’s defect. The determination of what constitutes a defect is incumbent upon the manufacturer. If a product fails under **normal use **(i.e. reasonable and customary or “suitable” use) this likely constitutes a valid warranty claim contingent upon the manufacturer’s approval. Warranty claims are often handled on a case by case basis.
Tom: Again, thanks for following up on this. I just forwarded the Guru e-mail to you via your e-mail address listed on your profile. I also just sent a follow-up to Guru to ask for further clarification.
I understand they will not cover if the bike is abused, but, it was these four sentences (direct quote from the Guru e-mail) that concerned me:
“Yes, using a trainer can and will void the warranty of the bike. Just to let you know, no bike manufacturer warranties a bike used on a trainer. They just don’t say it. Normal use is riding in the saddle, and not under heavy load.”
Sure sounds like they are saying that any use of the bike on the trainer will automatically void the warranty. Glad to hear that is not the case. I will post any response from Guru.
I was just told in a phone coversation with Michael at Guru that the information in the e-mail is not official Guru policy nor is it factually accurate. Obviously, the statement that no bike company covers their bikes when used on a trainer is **not correct **as verified by my phone conversations this afternoon with bike companies.
I posted the names of the parties I spoke with to verify that these conversations did, in fact, take place and when they took place. Those parties can independantly verify this on this forum if they post here.
He further told me that Guru warranties are handled on a case-by-case basis for normal use.
I just called a friend at Cannondale. Their stance is that a manufacturers defect is a manufacturers defect so trainer use is covered.
Steve
When I bought my first mountain bike in 1990, I specifically bought a Cannondale for one reason only… I looked at many great bikes but they all had wording in the warranty statement that said, “warranty invalid if used for racing or training for racing…” The Cannondale warranty did not include this statement and I specifically asked about it. I was quite thankful for this two months later when the head tube ovalized and I was offered a new frame…which took 8 months to arrive, but anyway…
I can’t imagine the hue and cry on here if you invalidated your warranty today for “training for racing.” Admittedly an MTB gets far more abuse in a race than a tri bike. I sold my Cannondale the day the new one came in and bought a Marin Team Titanium… Still riding it today…
I can see the logic by which a frame is subjected to forces far greater in magnitude on the trainer than on the road… It makes sense to me that some manufacturers would be concerned about this. If you lever you bike over using the axel mount as a pivot by falling or sprinting too hard and crack something, I can see how the manufacturer could be inclined to say the bike was not designed to withstand that level of stress, therefore not a manufacturer’s defect… If your body tries to lean the bike intentionally or not, the bike should lean. Clamping it to hold it upright against that force sounds risky to me… The trainer companies don’t care, they just want to sell more trainers…
Thankfully for me, Speedy has already posted that Blue is not worried about this at all for their frames…
I just called a friend at Cannondale. Their stance is that a manufacturers defect is a manufacturers defect so trainer use is covered.
Steve
That doesn’t make any sense. You’re dealing with two different issues: manufacturing defect and intended use.
Good post Tom. I too just spoke to Scott at Felt, who conferenced in their engineer, Jeff Socheck, lead engineer. He stated to me that they are never designed to take that amount of loading (on a trainer). It can prematurly fatgiue carbon and aluminum. A good chance it would not be covered by their warranty. Direct quotes.
Warranties cover manufacturers defects. No more, no less. So if you really want to pick nits then no, they are not two different issues. That being said I guess I could be more clear and say that Cannondale does not consider a trainer to be abuse.
Steve
Warranties cover manufacturers defects. No more, no less. So if you really want to pick nits then no, they are not two different issues. That being said I guess I could be more clear and say that Cannondale does not consider a trainer to be abuse.
Steve
Those aren’t the two different issues.
Felt Bicycles does not prohibit the use of any of our bicycles on a trainer. Doing so will not void the warranty.
Regards,
Dave Koesel
Felt Bicycles