Colnago frame recall

[oldpotatoe]

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2015/Colnago-Recalls-Bicycles-and-Frame-Kits

Be careful out there.

[ultraman6970]

???

HOw the brakes can get dettached?? the fork hole gets broken or something?

[enr1co]

???

HOw the brakes can get dettached?? the fork hole gets broken or something?


Apparently the mold or design of the fork mounting hole depth can be potentially stressed enough by braking action to fail.

"If the hole in the front fork for the brake mounting bolt is not at least 12 mm in depth, the front fork will be replaced free of charge."

[nicrump]

too shallow of depth on the back side hole can result in less than desirable thread engagement from nut to stud. standard practice for thread engagement is 1.5xdia.

someone in the factory was using the wrong pin in that fork mold.

[EDS]

Interesting that there were only 400 of those models sold in the Us during that time period. Does give the sense of overall volume for some high-end frames.

[Joachim]

Someone is getting fired from the Giant Factory..... :banana:

[MattTuck]

Someone is getting fired from the Giant Factory..... :banana:

Low blow. But probably true.

[texbike]

Does this recall include the Chinese knock-offs as well? ;)

Texbike

[enr1co]

Interesting that there were only 400 of those models sold in the Us during that time period. Does give the sense of overall volume for some high-end frames.

The premium for the Colnago brand and the VR-1 model is high enough. By adding the "Ferarri" brand, it pushed the msrp in the collector/poser mkt niche.

Love my Colnago C59 but never really cared much for the marketing gimmick of associating the Ferarri brand (or any car) design with bikes.

[ultraman6970]

Probably the knock off wont have that problem with the fork, doesnt mean they will have problems somewhere else tho :P

Does this recall include the Chinese knock-offs as well? ;)

Texbike

[Joachim]

Low blow. But probably true.

Not a low blow

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/bikes-and-tech/the-torqued-wrench-the-myth-of-origin_211105

[MattTuck]

Not a low blow

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/bikes-and-tech/the-torqued-wrench-the-myth-of-origin_211105

Low blow about the getting fired part. Assumes that Colnago spec'd the right design and the factory blew it. Those factories may use questionable labor practices, but I'm not so quick to point the finger at them -- as you note, they make lots of frames to a high quality.

Of course, I've heard recently that Asian engineering and design capabilities have gone way up. So it is possible that Colnago outsourced the design and the design was flawed from the start. In which case, what does the Colnago name even mean?

[Joachim]

Low blow about the getting fired part. Assumes that Colnago spec'd the right design and the factory blew it. Those factories may use questionable labor practices, but I'm not so quick to point the finger at them -- as you note, they make lots of frames to a high quality.

Of course, I've heard recently that Asian engineering and design capabilities have gone way up. So it is possible that Colnago outsourced the design and the design was flawed from the start. In which case, what does the Colnago name even mean?

In that case someone will get fired at the Colnago design center. Or maybe a recall is so cheap in the grand scheme of things that these types of 'losses' are calculated into the profit margin.

[RedRider]

Low blow about the getting fired part. Assumes that Colnago spec'd the right design and the factory blew it. Those factories may use questionable labor practices, but I'm not so quick to point the finger at them -- as you note, they make lots of frames to a high quality.

Of course, I've heard recently that Asian engineering and design capabilities have gone way up. So it is possible that Colnago outsourced the design and the design was flawed from the start. In which case, what does the Colnago name even mean?

We are a Colnago dealer and I can give some insight into this "voluntary" recall. The V1R has direct mount front brake calipers. The first run of forks did not have a full 12mm of depth for the mounting bolts. The later run are fine. What triggered the recall was one mechanic over torquing the bolt, bottoming out and stripping the threads. Understandably, this could cause a dangerous situation. The recall process is for the consumer to take the bike/frame to their authorized dealer who will measure the depth of the 2 holes, if 12mm you're good to ride. If less than that a replacement fork is issued. We sold 2 V1R bikes and both were fine. We filled out some paperwork and returned it to Colnago.
To answer a few questions. Colnago designed the frame with Ferrari engineering doing the carbon layup specs. Colnago is a partner in the Giant consortium. They purchase the carbon from Japan for their exclusive use.

[thirdgenbird]

Thanks for the detail. Mistakes happen. It's consistently poor quality that bothers me.

I'm not bothered by giant's involvement. Both companies seem to be pretty upfront about the relationship and Giant makes a fine bike.