In a bid to make my Levo SL as light as possible back in 2019, I purchased a Specialized Phenom S-Works saddle. It was stupidly expensive at RRP £299, and weighed about 150g. I had the Phenom Expert on my Stumpjumper which I found quite compatible with my bum… so thought the S-works would be the same!
About 6 months later, both carbon rails cracked, and the saddle was useless. I took it to my local Specialized dealer, and they submitted a warranty claim on my behalf.
Specialized said I had over-torqued it. I advised them my family own a calibration company, and I’ve been an instrument technician for over 15 years. Part of my job involved torque testing, and I’ve been on courses with Norbar and Snap-On… and I’m more than qualified with a torque wrench.
They then queried the type of seat post (SRAM AXS) as being the fault - and couldn’t argue with that either… and in November 2020, they sent be a brand new replacement in retail packaging under warranty.
So far, so good… until yesterday!
I got to the top of the downhill track - and dropped the post to hear a ‘crack’.
The rails had broken again in the exact same place.
I passed my LBS when taking the kids swimming yesterday, so dropped the saddle (still attached to the dropper so they could verify positioning / torque) off whilst out. The technician advised this was clear cut as the product obviously wasn’t fit for purpose , and he’d submit a warranty claim on Monday.
Today they called, and advised that Specialized’s warranty is only 2 years from date of purchase, and that my second saddle was out of warranty despite it being about 22 months old. They gave me the Rider Care number to call.
Rider care essentially told me that that these saddles have a 2 year warranty, as that’s their expected life. They get a lot of abuse, and he wouldn’t expect it to last much longer than this.
I disagreed - at that price point I expected it to be high end and last longer. My Phenom Expert saddle on my Stumpy is about 5 years old and is still like new (apart from some ingrained dirt!).
I also brought up the point that I definitely wouldn’t have purchased it if I’d been advised that it had a 2 year lifespan.
I guess it’s time to look for something else, and it certainly won’t be a Specialized carbon saddle if they have a 2 year lifespan!
I understand a saddle wearing out, and I also appreciate it snapping under a heavy impact… however this one still looks pretty new (apart from the cracked rails) and has never had an impact.
Interested to hear if anyone else considers a saddle a ‘consumable’ and if anyone has had a similar experience with carbon rails?
Incidentally, I’m 6ft 2” tall, average build and weigh around 82kg. The majority of my riding is trail, and when I do venture down the rough stuff, the saddle is well out of the way!
About 6 months later, both carbon rails cracked, and the saddle was useless. I took it to my local Specialized dealer, and they submitted a warranty claim on my behalf.
Specialized said I had over-torqued it. I advised them my family own a calibration company, and I’ve been an instrument technician for over 15 years. Part of my job involved torque testing, and I’ve been on courses with Norbar and Snap-On… and I’m more than qualified with a torque wrench.
They then queried the type of seat post (SRAM AXS) as being the fault - and couldn’t argue with that either… and in November 2020, they sent be a brand new replacement in retail packaging under warranty.
So far, so good… until yesterday!
I got to the top of the downhill track - and dropped the post to hear a ‘crack’.
The rails had broken again in the exact same place.
I passed my LBS when taking the kids swimming yesterday, so dropped the saddle (still attached to the dropper so they could verify positioning / torque) off whilst out. The technician advised this was clear cut as the product obviously wasn’t fit for purpose , and he’d submit a warranty claim on Monday.
Today they called, and advised that Specialized’s warranty is only 2 years from date of purchase, and that my second saddle was out of warranty despite it being about 22 months old. They gave me the Rider Care number to call.
Rider care essentially told me that that these saddles have a 2 year warranty, as that’s their expected life. They get a lot of abuse, and he wouldn’t expect it to last much longer than this.
I disagreed - at that price point I expected it to be high end and last longer. My Phenom Expert saddle on my Stumpy is about 5 years old and is still like new (apart from some ingrained dirt!).
I also brought up the point that I definitely wouldn’t have purchased it if I’d been advised that it had a 2 year lifespan.
I guess it’s time to look for something else, and it certainly won’t be a Specialized carbon saddle if they have a 2 year lifespan!
I understand a saddle wearing out, and I also appreciate it snapping under a heavy impact… however this one still looks pretty new (apart from the cracked rails) and has never had an impact.
Interested to hear if anyone else considers a saddle a ‘consumable’ and if anyone has had a similar experience with carbon rails?
Incidentally, I’m 6ft 2” tall, average build and weigh around 82kg. The majority of my riding is trail, and when I do venture down the rough stuff, the saddle is well out of the way!
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