Campy Frustration

[itsflantastic]

So I've got Zonda Wheels on my CSI.
The rear wheel was consistently going out of true, and had a minor flat spot that I could feel going around every rotation.

I've been riding a bike for a while. I know this was there. I felt it in every race and on every ride.

I sent it in to get warrantied over 3 weeks ago. Today I get a call that they didn't see anything, and they are going to send the wheel to the manufacturer. Now I'm looking at mid-Oct. to get the wheel back, and they might not even do anything.

Now, I haven't ridden my Serotta in a month.

I'm very very frustrated.
Next bike, Shimano?!

Sigh.
thanks for letting me vent.

[Fixed]

paired spoke ?
imho
cheers

[itsflantastic]

From now on, no more gimmicks.

This G3 business is whack imho.

Tried and True, Tried and True. . .

I have a feeling i'll be calling up some wheel builders some time soon.

[stevep]

Now I'm looking at mid-Oct. to get the wheel back,

mid oct 08.
better get yr hands on some other wheels.

[Tailwinds]

Does this belong in the "adult cycling" thread? :rolleyes:

[chrisroph]

order some on sale record 32 op from performance or the like, $300 or so.

[itsflantastic]

Well,
I've got a wheel on the way from handsomerob,
but it ain't about what's coming next. It's about the issues at hand.
I paid a ton of money for those Zondas, and I definitely feel slighted. They are going on eBay when it gets back no doubt.

[Ozz]

I've been riding my Eurus (G3 spoking) going on 4+ years without a problem...they are pretty much my "everyday" wheels, and have hit their fair share of potholes and such....only difficulty is getting tires on / off. I think you just might have gotten a bum wheel....sorry bro.

Good luck.....careful about passing the "bad wheel" onto someone else....karma and all that.

Cheers.

[Big Dan]

Call Dave.

[itsflantastic]

Good luck.....careful about passing the "bad wheel" onto someone else....karma and all that.
Cheers.


Well, I won't hide anything from anyone. I'm no sneak.
I'm just guessing that if Campy finds nothing wrong, then I probably won't ever want to see these wheels again. :)

If they make good and replace it though, well. . . that's that.

[SPOKE]

I sent it in to get warrantied over 3 weeks ago. Today I get a call that they didn't see anything, and they are going to send the wheel to the manufacturer. Now I'm looking at mid-Oct. to get the wheel back, and they might not even do anything.



did you send the wheel to your LBS or to CampyUSA? if you sent it to CampyUSA then i wonder who the manufacturer is??

[Dave]

Since big Dan wants my response to this. Here it is. Campy warranty service sucks. I would not get your hopes up. Dan seems to think that I believe all things Campy are wonderful. Not always. I've never used one of their triple cranks, since they have such lousy chainring offerings. I use FSA.
I gave a Shimano 10 chain a fair shot, but it was very disappointing. Just for grins, I'll have to try a KMC and SRAM.

That said, there's no manufactuer in the world who hasn't sold some marginal or truly defective product. High volume consumer products are kept relatively low in cost by relying heavily on process control instead of many non-value-added inspection points. No process produces 100% acceptable product.

Since Campy only accepts allegedly defective parts from an authorized dealer, not individual buyers, it seems like it's the dealer who has fallen short. If Campy agreed to let you send them your wheels, then that policy has changed. Any shop should be able to put the wheel on a truing stand and determine if the wheel has unacceptable runout or a "flat spot" as you call it. If it can't be trued out and you're absolutely certain you've never hit a big pothole (nobody warrants crash damage), then the dealer should consult with Campy on what they consider unacceptable. The damaged area should also have been marked so it was clear where the defect was thought to be. All this should have been done before the wheel was returned. Once again, this is all stuff I can do myself.

Another type of defect I've found in bicycle rims is an unacceptabley large mismatch at the connecting joint. The best brands (including Campy) now weld and then machine the joint to eliminate this problem. I won't buy a rim without a fully welded joint and machined braking surface. Until a few years ago, Campy rims did not have the braking area of the joint welded. Mavic's rims did and that's why I only used Mavic rims for years.

Still another possible defect is uneven rim width. I once bought a wheel with a rim that was about .015 inch wider in one spot. It wasn't noticeable under relatively hard braking, but under light braking, the brakes pulsated. Quite annoying.

In the 13 seasons I've been riding Campy, I had one shift lever that didn't quite work right. It would make the 1-2 cog shift OK, but the click was barely perceptible. Since Campy does have a 3 year warranty, I returned the shifter to the online dealer where it was purchased. I had no expectation of a quick turnaround, so I bought another pair of shifters BEFORE returning the damaged one, so I was never without a bike. It took 3 months, but I did get a repaired lever back, free of charge.

My last comment is that I would always have a spare pair of wheels, particularly if I only owned one bike. Anybody can fall victim to a big pothole, so buying another pair of wheels would be wise. Then you can resume riding. When the problem is resolved, you can decide which wheels become the new spare set. Use the lesser pair when the roads are dirty in the spring and fall.

[itsflantastic]

Wow,
Thanks for all of the input. Hopefully this will all work out for the best.
I do have another bike to ride. I'm just missing my CSI (the other bike is shimano and not 10 spd so not compatible wheels)

When I get a little extra cash I'll get a spare wheel set. Sigh. All I can do now is just sit and wait.

Dan

[Climb01742]

isn't "campy frustration" redundant?










;)

[itsflantastic]

Zing!

[Bittersweet]

Campy = Fiat
Shimano = Honda

[Pete Serotta]

Campy = Shimano = Fun :bike:

Customer Service :crap: Shimano/Campy

[jsfoster]

In '99 I bought a Proton set for my CSI. On a trip to Maine I was riding with some friends when for some reason the rear wheel exploded going up a hill. i took it to a local shop and they sent it back to Campy, fully insured. A PS truck drove over it at some time. The store gave me a complete Record Open Pro wheelset. The new spoke arrangement put me off as it could not be fixed enroute. A few years later I got another set, Campy has improved their system and the wheels seem very stable. I use them on my Cross bike now for riding on/off road. Great wheels. I also have extra sets in case of mishap.
-Jon

[steelrider]

Go for Neutrons. They are very stout. I weigh 205 and mash all over the streets of SF, which are truly third-world quality.