Spectral:on cracked frame, warranty replacement rejected by Canyon

[pez_cemetery]

Here's an interesting one. I noticed a creaking one day from the bottom bracket area of my Spectral:ON and on inspection there was a large crack in an odd place near the motor (photo at bottom). I sent it back to Canyon under warranty and they've rejected the warranty claim:

Canyon's material specialists have inspected our report and have instructed us that the damage is as a result of external force and would therefore not qualify for warranty or guarantee replacement.

In this case we would be able to offer you a replacement at a discounted price through Canyon's Replacement Program.

...

Frame: £1470.00
Postage: £37

That's all they are telling me - no explanation or evidence that is was caused by 'impact' (and jee, it's a mountain bike). On a bit of thought, I seem to be between a rock and a hard place (pun intended) as I suspect I couldn't sell the other parts (including motor and battery) separately for more than the complete bike minus £1,500. A single episode like this isn't indicative of general Canyon service levels of course but I can't help wondering that a more boutique brand would be a little more concerned about customer good will (my previous Rocky Mountain's main pivot bolt broke and they sorted that out no problem plus upgraded the IWOC and slider for free).

 

[Gary]

CF?

Have it repaired... a professional carbon repair will be just as strong if not stronger than before and way cheaper than a new frame and generally all professional carbon repairs come with a limited guarantee

 

[pez_cemetery]

Yes CF. Repairing is a great idea I hadn't thought of, thanks! Although I'm probably more concerned with resale value now as I now own an Orbea Rise.

 

[Gary]

Frame's worth nothing as is

 

[jbrown15]

Like Gary said, a 110% just had it repaired. Hell of allot cheaper than what they are quoting you for a crash replacement.

 

[Orangie]

Note to self , F canyon, Buy different brand

 

[Chicane]

Note to self , F canyon, Buy different brand

Yep, F Canyon, you are a joke!

 

[jbrown15]

I've read over on PinkBike that anything to do with Canyon's customer service is a nightmare. Plus there's no dealer to help you with anything right.

 

[WaXed]

I have a Canyon Strive CF
rear seat stays (carbon) cracked, sent hi-res photo to Canyon and they had almost the exact same response
impact damage no warranty?
No physical inspection whatsoever
Canyon "experts" can see that from the picture`

WTF you can clearly see that the carbon crack blew from the inside out (outward bending load stress), the paint was still intact
yeah I did some big drops but nothing that you would not expect any Enduro bike to handle.

I had to complain and argue just to get a factory 2nd out of them, that had some paint damage.
Thankfully no problem with the replacement since. Must be a good one out of the mold hahaha. That was a few years ago

Do not get me started about the shapeshifter (faulty by design) that I had to pay for a replacement. "Normal wear and tear... wtf"

Overall the Strive a decent bike, but I will think twice before buying Canyon again
poor warranty support

 

[RustyIron]

Thanks for the reports, guys. Information like this can influence future purchases. I'll not forget this.

 

[Darkyhs]

I had a Canyon a couple of years back and I just remembered how bad their Customer Service was. Seems it didn't improve. After which, I changed to YT, picked the bike up myself, and had some warranty issues after. After complaining they did what I asked for. This is just bad man! How can they see that this is an external force, as you cant see a rock or any pain chips? You can only see a big, fat crack. Their website has the following text :

"BIKE CLASSIFICATION

This category also covers the requirements of categories 1e-2e. In addition it includes use on rough and unpaved terrains. Sporadic jumps of a maximum height of approx. 60 cm are also included in the field of use of these bicycles. But inexperienced riders doing jumps of this height may land inappropriately, thus increasing the acting forces significantly which may result in damage and injuries. This category is represented by MTB hardtails and full suspension bicycles with short suspension travel. The E-Bike specific information is mentioned on the CE marking on your bike.
We’re in Control
Our business model gives us the advantage of knowing exactly where our products come from, how they are made and what they are capable of. Canyon products are exclusively available at Canyon.com, so you can trust the quality you are getting.
Disclaimer
Subject to technical modification without notice. Errors and omissions excepted."


However, now with a Commencal. These guys take Customer Service to a new top-level! I owned Specialized and I was always praising them for this exact reason. Well, Commencal is just next level after that! I will go on a Holiday next week to Italy and France with my Commencal Power Meta 2021 Team edition And on my way back will go to Andorra for a couple of rides, and just check their shop out! Will never choose anything else than Commencal from this point! I can highly recommend them!

A bit off-topic, seems like German dominance is getting down, in cars and all other industries . C'est la vie, there loss!

 

[RustyMTB]

I saw another chap with a broken Canyon & a thanks but no thanks response. If it looks like a pattern...

 

[SquireRides]

I was just riding along...

 

[RustyMTB]

Ha, fair enough, although you might reasonably expect a full suss Canyon Strive to cope with Ard Rock.

 

[Orangie]

Absolutely guaranteed that if that were a specialized or a trek you would receive a mew bike

 

[Gary]

Damn..
.

 

[Orangie]

Your lbs don’t like you

 

[Metamucil]

The risks of direct to consumer. What frame damage isn't related to external? That really sucks. I am not impressed with even the support info Canyon provides, but I have a few nice rides from them that I am thankful haven't been an issue.

There is slim pickens out there bikes right now, if you don't want to wait.

Ibis has replaced a frame and rim for me which covered external damage.

 

[SquireRides]

Canyon have a published crash replacement policy. It's just a discount on their list price, for a few years after original purpose..

Probably one of the reasons they're reasonably cheap bikes.

Ibis are more generous. "Minimal charge" to replace a crashed frame, for life.

Probably one of the reasons they are a bit more expensive.

 

[Doomanic]

If you paid on a credit card Section 75 their arse.

 

[warpdwhim]

Absolutely guaranteed that if that were a specialized or a trek you would receive a mew bike

Good luck on that with Spec. Last year my Levo went through 5 batteries in 4 months. All they did was have my LBS put new batteries in it, never really helped with diagnosis, nor any thought of replacing electronics in it. Just keep putting batteries in it costing almost a week of down time each time. Firmly requested a replacement bike - NO, didn't have any they tell me. Demanded money back, luckily got that. Never again with Spec. for me after more than 10 years of nothing but.

 

[shredlymcshredface]

Here's an interesting one. I noticed a creaking one day from the bottom bracket area of my Spectral:ON and on inspection there was a large crack in an odd place near the motor (photo at bottom). I sent it back to Canyon under warranty and they've rejected the warranty claim:

Canyon's material specialists have inspected our report and have instructed us that the damage is as a result of external force and would therefore not qualify for warranty or guarantee replacement.

In this case we would be able to offer you a replacement at a discounted price through Canyon's Replacement Program.

...

Frame: £1470.00
Postage: £37

That's all they are telling me - no explanation or evidence that is was caused by 'impact' (and jee, it's a mountain bike). On a bit of thought, I seem to be between a rock and a hard place (pun intended) as I suspect I couldn't sell the other parts (including motor and battery) separately for more than the complete bike minus £1,500. A single episode like this isn't indicative of general Canyon service levels of course but I can't help wondering that a more boutique brand would be a little more concerned about customer good will (my previous Rocky Mountain's main pivot bolt broke and they sorted that out no problem plus upgraded the IWOC and slider for free).

View attachment 69156

I used to own and worked in bike shops for 20 years. Seen plenty of broken bikes from impact and plenty that were clearly defects and plenty that were kind of in a gray area. I don’t see anywhere in your photo evidence of impact. I would ask them to show on the photo where they thin the external force was, this looks like a warranty to me.

 

[geehaw]

While there is no evidence of side impact, external forces could be different things. One possibility is a jump or drop exceeding the load capabilities of the bike. A 20 ft drop could do this. Using a coil shock could add forces that the frame was not designed for. Bikes have weight carrying limits. If they are claiming bottom impact, (as in a log or rock) I would think the motor housing would have cracked before the bike. I would ask them to specify why they believe external forces were responsible and the nature of those forces and take it from there.

 

[shredlymcshredface]

While there is no evidence of side impact, external forces could be different things. One possibility is a jump or drop exceeding the load capabilities of the bike. A 20 ft drop could do this. Using a coil shock could add forces that the frame was not designed for. Bikes have weight carrying limits. If they are claiming bottom impact, (as in a log or rock) I would think the motor housing would have cracked before the bike. I would ask them to specify why they believe external forces were responsible and the nature of those forces and take it from there.

You are correct that if you jumped off a 2 story building it may break here, but bike companies need to see evidence to turn down a warranty not the opposite. If they want to use hypothetical scenarios that could have broken the bike but see no evidence that makes them dishonorable jackasses and not worth further business.

 

[Mungalot]

Glad I didn’t get a canyon after seeing this thread. Definitely will spread the word.

 

[Dirtnvert]

Tourque On crossed off the list. Thats bs. Yt north america have been a pleasure to deal with. Really responsive.Frame and pivots on my 2019 have been impressive thus far

 

[Mungalot]

Both e bikes in this household have lifetime warrant on the frames. Canyon can’t touch this!

 

[akbud]

Shame. I had a tiny, tiny crack that might have only been the paint but along with a creak in my Roubaix that the shop could not get out, Spec replaced my mid-level 105 equipped frame with a top of the line SWorks frame. I could not complain. A Fatback Corvus frame developed a crack and it too was replaced although the crack was only inside the seat tube and not easy to see but also caused a creak that could not be silenced. In both cases I got a total replacement of the frames. Sorry to hear Canyon can't be trusted but good to know.

 

[Mungalot]

Yeah it’s a shame cause on paper their product looks good.

 

[Neverbeentomoab]

I demoed a spectral on today at tweedlove and it was fantastic. I’ve spent this evening on there website and was seriously considering buying one as the spec and price are great too. But if the warranty is as bad as it appears to be then I’ll be buying something else. Shame as everything else about it was spot on