Warranty claim after just 55 miles.

[Major Stare]

Had the SAM 6.8 for just 55 miles and its back at the supplying store for a 3rd time, this time under warranty.
After the first ride i couldnt get the battery out, so the lock was adjusted and the battery position tweaked.
Second (short ride) the dropper post wouldn't work, so back for adjusting and the key was incredibly stiff to get in the lock.

Today i returned the bike after a 15mile ride on Saturday was stopped short. The battery was only being held in place by its catch, not the actual lock, with water/mud entering the frame from the unseated battery cover. The key is still stiff to get in the lock.
But the main reason for cutting the ride short, i was experiencing creaking and play in the front fork .
The shop have rang me today, the spacers in the headset have failed, causing the front forks to move, so everything in the headset needs changing under warranty.

I am now waiting to see when the parts are in stock before being sent to the supplying dealer.

Not particularly happy with the battery problems or the headset failure after just 55miles.
Im now wondering if it would be better to change the headset for something "better".

Interested if anyone else had experienced these problems?
Or.
Has anyone changed the headset for something better?

 

[Zimmerframe]

After the first ride i couldnt get the battery out, so the lock was adjusted and the battery position tweaked.
Second (short ride) the dropper post wouldn't work, so back for adjusting and the key was incredibly stiff to get in the lock.

The lock mechanism/battery adjustment is a bit fickle - especially when new.

Lubing helps - silicone for instance. Mine was obscenely tight at the start to the point I was convinced it was impossible to extract the battery.

You need the battery mounts quite tight though or it rattles.

Likewise the key - I hate mine .. (there is someone on here prototyping a piece to replace the lock mechanism) Mine has loosened though, silicone on the key helped (don't use WD40 - it's stays tacky and attracts microparticles ending in lock deterioration + it's a degreasant)

For the headset - seems to have mixed results. A lot of people seem to have had failures and replaced (especially with the Sam compared to the Jam) I had similar at one point with overly tightened pre-load.

 

[Major Stare]

The lock mechanism/battery adjustment is a bit fickle - especially when new.

Lubing helps - silicone for instance. Mine was obscenely tight at the start to the point I was convinced it was impossible to extract the battery.

You need the battery mounts quite tight though or it rattles.

Likewise the key - I hate mine .. (there is someone on here prototyping a piece to replace the lock mechanism) Mine has loosened though, silicone on the key helped (don't use WD40 - it's stays tacky and attracts microparticles ending in lock deterioration + it's a degreasant)

For the headset - seems to have mixed results. A lot of people seem to have had failures and replaced (especially with the Sam compared to the Jam) I had similar at one point with overly tightened pre-load.

Thanks. I will use GT40 on the key and lock when i get the bike back.
Its a shame about the headset, i like how tidy it is with its routing but not at the expense of issues.

 

[RustyMTB]

I had a thing with my Jam2 where I could not get the key in the lock, it just wouldn't go in. A squirt of GT85 fixed that. The battery even when adjusted to within a millimetre will still let mud into the frame, make peace with it, it's just how they are & won't hurt anything inside. The bracket that holds the battery in the frame is part of the assembly where the key goes & has two bolts that also hold the bump stops onto the underside of the down tube. If you are unhappy with the lbs, you can adjust it yourself with a torx wrench in minutes. As for the creaky fork, there are no spacers in the headset, only the stem - I suspect the LBS is fobbing you off a bit but again, getting at the headset bearings is simple if you're inclined to do so - just slacken off the stem clamp bolts & the top cap bolt & it will all come apart.

If you suspect the shop hasn't put things right, then the above will at least let you peer into the workings & see if it's been replaced, damaged, dirty, not greased etc. but take heart in that you're suffering a few minor issues in the scheme of things that are easily put right.

 

[Major Stare]

Cheers RustyMTB. Im waiting for the bike shop to let me know when the bike is sorted, they were waiting for parts from FOCUS.
I will see when the bike is returned.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Your cables look really twisted going into the headset on your avatar picture ?! Could just be the picture and the eye choosing to see things though .

 

[Major Stare]

Your cables look really twisted going into the headset on your avatar picture ?! Could just be the picture and the eye choosing to see things though .

Its the avatar picture. I have OCD and cables need to be neat.

 

[Andrew426]

I had similar problems, my headset failed after about 300kms. I don't think they are a very good headset. Luckily the ZS56/ZS56 setup lends itself well to an aftermarket angle set - so I slackened the head angle on my jam2 by 1.5 degrees and ditched the stupid cable in stem setup when I replaced it. Also it's pretty normal for the KS seatpost to stick if it hasn't been used in a week or so. They aren't a very good dropper.

As for the creaky fork, there are no spacers in the headset, only the stem - I suspect the LBS is fobbing you off a bit but again

There's a reducing bush in the top headset bearing that allows the cables to pass thru - I'm guessing this is the spacer they are talking about

 

[RustyMTB]

There's a reducing bush in the top headset bearing that allows the cables to pass thru - I'm guessing this is the spacer they are talking about

You're right of course. I forgot the Sam has that silly cable routing through the stem whereas my Jam doesn't.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Also it's pretty normal for the KS seatpost to stick if it hasn't been used in a week or so. They aren't a very good dropper.

This is also true. I find if you leave it down, it's far more likely to stick - so always leave it up when not in use.

 

[RustyMTB]

I thought it was just mine! I've found the torque on the seat clamp bolt affects the seat post heavily. Now I nip up the bolt as little as I can get away with, just enough to stop the thing rotating.

 

[Major Stare]

Update.

After two weeks waiting for parts, its fixed.

Also:
- The battery cover was not fitted to the battery correctly, so sorted that and the battery fits flush to the frame and a lot easier to remove.
- The fork bumper on the frame was the wrong way round, making it harder to remove the battery.

And treated myself to a Fatbar handlebar.

 

[RustyMTB]

Wow. It's a Friday afternoon Sam! Glad you got it sorted, off to the hills dude!