There are a few people here (3-5) by my count, roughly the same as lodged concerns with the BBB, and it’s not inconceivable there is some overlap between those parties. A very vocal minority, but important perspectives nonetheless.
Now, based on what I’ve seen in this thread, on the BBB website and heard from consumers in person, the issues reside primarily with legacy titanium bikes. Mark, you mention a “warranty” issue at the seven year mark of the ownership cycle, and you- as an elite level athlete are in the absolute top 2%. Most competitors in your performance category are replacing their equipment more frequently- even the equipment of their associates. That’s racing. What Tour de France team, sponsored pro or elite amateur is on the same equipment for 7 years- that’s a bit unusual.
So- there has been a legacy problem with the titanium bikes. The onset of the issues seem to reside in the post Ancotech, pre carbon era. If you look at the time line, the convergence of warranty claims on titanium product and the demise of Ancotech and the original Merlin, it all starts to gel.
Given the choice between titanium and carbon the market and the industry have voted: carbon is “better”. Litespeed is trending away from titanium and toward carbon fiber because of your valid experiences.
Several clarifications- I only have praise for my past experiences with Merlin. Now that they roll up to a different owner- I hope I don’t have any warranty issues anymore- given feedback from people that have dealt with them. My warranty issue was a crack developed in the frame- no crashes, I’m a lightweight rider, etc. Merlin took care of me, like I would expect- for someone that bought the most expensive retail frame at the time in 1992. The frame retailed for $2495 (in 1992)- and a comparable Litespeed (a competitor at the time)- had their highest end frame at $1800. Now saying I’m a strong rider (however I’m only 150 lbs) and have 7 years on the frame is a moot point. The warranty is LIFETIME. Buying a frame 2x the price of most other framesets, for a material advertised as nearly indefatigueable- allowed Merlin to choose this business model. And this business model- i.e. lifetime warranty- was a huge selling point to me- and reading/salivating of the reviews of bicycling and bicycle guide in 1990/1991 had them proclaiming the Merlin Exrtralight, weighing 2.4 lbs, as potentially the last frame you might ever need to buy- and if anything happens- the warranty gives you peace of mind. Trust me- that warranty was a huge selling point to me- and I’m sure to many others, including the editors of Bicycling Mag and Bicycle Guide…
Now- I’m sure most manufacturers have gone to carbon- b/c it can be made lighter, sexier, for a heck of lot cheaper, and many are sold for as much or much more than any Ti frame. Plus, many Ti frames- if made correctly, could last a lifetime- so you make your buyer potentially the once and only time they purchase something from you (not a good business model). I can see why (ABG) made the decision to move LS to a carbon bike. You crash a carbon bike and they often become landfill material (riders know this going in)- and your ‘warranty’ allows you to buy a reduced price frame, that still nets the company some profit.
On a side note- I have dealt with Cervelo warranty 3 times (we own 3 of those, also). The Wolf SL fork recall, and 1 of the seatposts were not made properly on my P3C and 1 seatpost on my S3 was the old unfinished SL-SLC model and I wanted the S3 finished model. Cervelo- was super easy to deal with- and there was no cost to me as a consumer. There are lots of cycling companies I’ve dealt with in the past with great warranty service- Shimano, Cervelo, Merlin (when owned by Merlin), Saris, Thule, HED, Cygolite, and Zipp.