What to do about paint blemish?

[sirroada]

Allright forum minds...I hope I am not nitpicking but I figure when you spend 6.5 large on a new bike it better be RIGHT ON. My new serotta legend has a Sizzler GS paint job on it and there are a few MIIIINNNNNOOOORRR paint blemishes in it. 1.) The downtube Sizzler paint has an edge that looks as if the paint seeped under the masking tape (ie the paint line does not have a straight edge...it is a bit rough but VERY, VERY MILD). It is an area about 1cm long.
2.) There is a a 3 mm strand of hair under the clear coat on the down tube just after the Serotta logo.
3.) The colorado concept decal has a very small white line along two 3-4mm portions of the decal. It is under the clear coat.
4.) The cable bosses on the top tube have a small indentation just above them that I can feel if I run my hand along the top tube and I can see if the angle is right. (Is this normal?)
All of these items are very minor and cannot be noticed from 4 feet away from the bike...however...I spent a lot on this bike (and more in stress trying to convince my wife to let me get it). I have contacted Serotta and of course...they will do whatever they can to make it right. You gotta love their customer service. The question is...am I nitpicking, or should I expect this paint job to look better than this? The other thing is this, I don't want to send the best ride I've ever been on back to the shop during riding season over paint issues. What should I do?

[Serotta PETE]

Your bike should be perfect and that is also the way the Serotta team wants you to have it. They take pride is what they do.

You should go thru dealer first and if they can not fix than contact Serotta directly.

Pete

[jerk]

see if they can repaint it for you over the winter....so you don't lose any riding time and they aren't so busy and can turn it around quickly.
jerk

[boulder_courier]

4.) The cable bosses on the top tube have a small indentation just above them that I can feel if I run my hand along the top tube and I can see if the angle is right. (Is this normal?)


I just purchased a Legend, and I'm very anal about items I spend 4.5 large on, so I inspected every inch of the tubing on the bike - I noticed that the top tube has taper lines, and I noticed there are 2 dimples along one of these lines (one on each side of the tt).

Could this be what's above the boss on the tt? I don't know if mine are normal - I'm going to the LBS to have my fork installed today, and I'm going to point it out.

Jim

[Jeff N.]

I am very intolerant of paintjobs not done right the first time, which is why I always have had my work done by JB...even if the bike company offers paintjobs as standard or as an upcharge. JB= consistent perfection. Anyway, I hope things work out for you, but I'm not envious of the process you'll have to go through to make it right. Good luck. Jeff N.

[PsyDoc]

As a psychologist and lifetime member of the "anal-retentive club," you are not being too nickpicky or anal. Honestly, if you really thought these things were minor, then you would not even care. But, they do matter to you so do not minimize their importance to you. Others might believe that you are being overly critical, but typically those are the individuals that are not concerned with such matters. My case of anal-retentiveness is much worse; I believe all things should be right or "perfect" (or at least hidden from my sight) regardless of cost. Given what others have stated about Serotta paint jobs, I wonder how yours got through their QC department...maybe it was inspected toward the end of the day on a Friday afternoon. My Seven Axiom has no indentations above the cable bosses on the top tube that I can see and/or feel, so I cannot comment on whether such indentations is normal on a Serotta Legend.

When my frame arrived to me, I inspected it completely. Everything looked good, but when I flipped the frame over, I heard what turned out to be a piece of weldament "pinging" around in the non-drive side seat stay. I was ready to send the frame back, but I unfolded a larger size paper clip, wrapped a small piece of masking tape near the end and put some Phil Wood grease on it, and then inserted it through the rear brake hole toward the seat stay. Turned the frame over and heard "ping, ping" and then nothing. I carefully removed my "fishing pole" and there was a sliver (4-5mm long) of weldament stick to the grease...problem solved!! Most "sane" individuals never would have noticed or cared about this, but I know that something like that would have driven me crazy every time I rode the bike had I not done something about it.

My advice: Have Serotta fix it to your liking as you will sleep better. For such issues, I would like to believe that Serotta would move you to the front of the line and turn your frame around in 1-2 weeks. They may be willing to wait till winter so you do not lose any riding time over the summer and fall as the Jerk indicated.

[Serotta PETE]

Please go to the shop first and let them see paint and talk to Serotta. If you need to then talk to someone at Serotta, Steve or Mike are great to deal with. Once everyone is in agreement on what needs to be done, I will bet you a bottle of red, that they will wait till winter to fix.


Have a happy 4th. PETE

[Ozz]

The paint on my CSI was not "perfect" when it arrived...Serotta and LBS took care of everything. I rode it all summer and the paint was fixed over the winter.

Good luck.

[sirroada]

Thanks a lot for all the imput everyone. I appreciate it. Psydoc, you are right. If it didn't bother me I wouldn't have spent the fifteen minutes typing it into the forum for all to see. I called the LBS and they are going to look at it next week. I feel pretty confident they (and Serotta) will get me taken care of. The next phase of the process should prove to me what kind of company I chose to purchase a high end bicycle from. If they step up to the plate...I know I picked the right one and I will consistently come back. Have a great independence day everyone!

[sirroada]

I just purchased a Legend, and I'm very anal about items I spend 4.5 large on, so I inspected every inch of the tubing on the bike - I noticed that the top tube has taper lines, and I noticed there are 2 dimples along one of these lines (one on each side of the tt).

Could this be what's above the boss on the tt? I don't know if mine are normal - I'm going to the LBS to have my fork installed today, and I'm going to point it out.

Jim
Jim let me know what they tell you. The dimples on my bike are not on both sides of the tube but just on the side above the cable bosses. I am speculating that they are the result of one of two things:
1.) Whatever device they used to hold the cable boss onto the bike as it was welded to the top tube was too tight and caused a dent in the tube or
2.) The heat from the welder was to hot and caused the metal to "constrict" or tighten creating a flat spot.
Either way, I see it as a point of weakness in the tube. Let me know what the bike shop tells you.

[boulder_courier]

I went to my LBS yesterday and had the fork I had payed for 3 weeks (but had not been ordered by LBS until 2 days ago after I called Serotta myself to find out what was taking so long - sent it FEDEX 2 day after pleading that it arrive by the weekend) installed.

I asked both a salesman and a mechanic to look at the tt - Both saw the dimples. Both were not sure if this is normal, and are going to contact Serotta next week to find out.

Jim