Incident with a New Vado 4.0 - LBS & Warranty Question

[Gufazi]

Hello EBR People,

I've been enjoying the heck out of my new bike. In ten days, I've put over 120 miles and upgraded the grips, pedals, and seatpost. But I got a little thing that needs to be fixed and I want to know that best way to do it.

Yesterday I was trucking around 15-18 mph along a nice paved path next to a highway, when I heard a bit of rubbing coming from the front. I slowed down a bit and was about to stop when .... BAM! .... my front fender explodes off its mount in front to me almost taking my headlight with it. I emergency stop while my fender skids farther down the path and my dangling headlight bumps about by my tire.

It could have been worse; I didn't wreck, no wheel or tire damage. But my fender is slightly askew, scraped all to hell and some mounting hardware is missing. My headlight works but the lens is missing.

My questions: Is this covered under warranty? If so, do I have to go to the LBS where I purchased it or can I go to another Specialized dealer?

Thanks!

 

[Sierratim]

Sounds like mounting hardware rattled loose? This may be LBS assembly issue if they didn't follow the bike's assembly instructions. Probably best to take it to the shop that sold it to you and let them work it out with Specialized.

 

[Nova Haibike]

FWIW, while it could be an assembly issue, many front fenders are purposely designed to break away in the event of something getting caught that would otherwise pull the fender into the wheel and cause a real accident. Better that you only had some component damage than you ending up on the ground.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Hello EBR People,

I've been enjoying the heck out of my new bike. In ten days, I've put over 120 miles and upgraded the grips, pedals, and seatpost. But I got a little thing that needs to be fixed and I want to know that best way to do it.

Yesterday I was trucking around 15-18 mph along a nice paved path next to a highway, when I heard a bit of rubbing coming from the front. I slowed down a bit and was about to stop when .... BAM! .... my front fender explodes off its mount in front to me almost taking my headlight with it. I emergency stop while my fender skids farther down the path and my dangling headlight bumps about by my tire.

It could have been worse; I didn't wreck, no wheel or tire damage. But my fender is slightly askew, scraped all to hell and some mounting hardware is missing. My headlight works but the lens is missing.

My questions: Is this covered under warranty? If so, do I have to go to the LBS where I purchased it or can I go to another Specialized dealer?

Thanks!

How many miles are on your bike?

I torque check my bike every couple weeks. Easy for me to do as I've got a shop at my disposal (small list of perks owning a bike shop). Depending on the mileage it could be warrantied. You could also upgrade the light to the one on the 5.0 maybe?

Glad you're okay, those metal fenders are pretty tough, now you've got some battle scars Albeit not the way you wanted I'm sure.

Edit: Whoops, looks like you have 120 miles on it. I think that might be warranty, but front fenders can rattle a bit even when torqued down. Work with the LBS and remember they want to take care of you. Hope you get a speedy fix, sorry about this and glad you're okay!

 

[Papa G]

Hello EBR People,

I've been enjoying the heck out of my new bike. In ten days, I've put over 120 miles and upgraded the grips, pedals, and seatpost. But I got a little thing that needs to be fixed and I want to know that best way to do it.

Yesterday I was trucking around 15-18 mph along a nice paved path next to a highway, when I heard a bit of rubbing coming from the front. I slowed down a bit and was about to stop when .... BAM! .... my front fender explodes off its mount in front to me almost taking my headlight with it. I emergency stop while my fender skids farther down the path and my dangling headlight bumps about by my tire.

It could have been worse; I didn't wreck, no wheel or tire damage. But my fender is slightly askew, scraped all to hell and some mounting hardware is missing. My headlight works but the lens is missing.

My questions: Is this covered under warranty? If so, do I have to go to the LBS where I purchased it or can I go to another Specialized dealer?
Thanks!

@Gufazi: I’ve had the front fenders on both my 2020 Vado 4.0 and my wife's 2020 Vado 5.0 start rubbing the front tire when bumped slightly. The lower mountings that attach to the fork were loose on both bikes, so I aligned the fenders and tightened them. Just wondering if this may have been the case on your Vado as well?

 

[Gufazi]

Thank you for all the thoughtful replies.

@Brendon@TBSM : I'm in the habit of going over my bike TCLOCKS style (same with motorcycles) but I don't exactly torque check. That'll be something to look into.

@Sierratim , @Papa G: Yes, when I got home I noticed one of the lower mountings was turning freely, so that is my suspicion. That could have happened when it was ripped out, I suppose, too.

@Nova Haibike : I agree, I was lucky. BTW fellow NoVA resident, do you frequent or recommend a particular LBS?

 

[Nova Haibike]

BTW fellow NoVA resident, do you frequent or recommend a particular LBS?

I think most of the shops in the area are pretty good. As for which I frequent, I am currently managing the Velocity Bicycle Co-op.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Thank you for all the thoughtful replies.

@Brendon@TBSM : I'm in the habit of going over my bike TCLOCKS style (same with motorcycles) but I don't exactly torque check. That'll be something to look into.

@Sierratim , @Papa G: Yes, when I got home I noticed one of the lower mountings was turning freely, so that is my suspicion. That could have happened when it was ripped out, I suppose, too.

@Nova Haibike : I agree, I was lucky. BTW fellow NoVA resident, do you frequent or recommend a particular LBS?

Motorcycle service culture is a GREAT thing to keep in mind with bicycles. We adopt the same policy as most of my professional experience comes from being the GM of a motorcycle dealership.

Keep us posted!