Specialized Como 3 wheel failure

[d3drturner]

Specialized supplied some Como 3s with 28h wheels. Result on mine was wheel failure.
Contacted Specialized. They said to take it to the dealer you bought it from.
Dealer was happy to offer to replace the wheel with a 32h for $400.
Eh, I don't think I will buy another Specialized product.

 

[fooferdoggie]

how long have you had it? rims can wear out my bulls had a 36h rim and I had cracking after about 8000 miles. the shop did not think they would replace it. but I had a new wheel built from a dt Swiss e bike hub and art Swiss rim and triple butted sampan spokes and it was about 350.00 built by hand locally. so that seems expensive. its not the spoke count thats the issue unless your really heavy item roe the wheel build quality.

 

[Allan47.7339]

Wheels are mostly brand agnostic. Those look like impact damage to me but missing info is how many miles and what is the mass of the rider. Is it ridden aggressively on rough city streets or smooth freshly paved trails? I am personally not a big fan of 28H wheels as a heavier rider.

 

[rich c]

You jump a lot of curbs?

 

[Borelij]

It is really up to rim supplier, but could it be that Spec is ordering 2nd grade stuff?

Similar experience with two analog Spec bikes (gravel and hardtail). Both rim failures on rims with 28 holes.
I am moderate driver but lot of steep climbs. In both cases cracks on rim happened on spokes from drive side. One rim was 28h WTB and other from Alex Sport Disc wheelset... just went with better wheelset.

In any case wheelsets on almost all mid price Spec bikes are usually under specified and keep in mind that they will not last long ...

Lets see what will be on Vado SL ... where motor torque could be a problem pulling those nipples out ...

 

[jodi2]

I had exactly the same damage on the rear wheel of my Stromer speed ebike in the rear wheel after 15 month. Surely there damage was there some month and km before, but I noticed it for the first time after 14-15 months.
We have quite strong laws for warranty here up to two years. But as I had almost 10.000km on bike and wheel, they first wanted to charge me for the new rim. As Stromer ebikes are for commuting and 7000km per year quite normal, I protestet and finally they paid all.

On the other hand I had a defect Nuvinci/Envilo rear hub on a Riese&Müller ebike after 4 years and dealer and producer rejected a warranty case. Also this was not ok, as the problem appeared for the first time after one year. But dealer and I first thought we can fix it somehow and missed to instist on a warranty replacement. But my protest here was without luck, they made me a "special offer" for a new rear wheel for $450 instead of $600. What still was an impudence as you could buy similiar rear wheels online from any dealer for $300.

So if your damage/wheel is in the first year and maybe below 5000km, dealer/producer should pay it. And if not, $400 for a simple wheel without any special parts is as well an impudence, you can get adequate wheels for $200. Also it's possible to change just the rim (that happend on my Stromer and until today with another 10.000km without any problems), what should cost $100-150 for rim and work.

 

[d3drturner]

how long have you had it? rims can wear out my bulls had a 36h rim and I had cracking after about 8000 miles. the shop did not think they would replace it. but I had a new wheel built from a dt Swiss e bike hub and art Swiss rim and triple butted sampan spokes and it was about 350.00 built by hand locally. so that seems expensive. its not the spoke count thats the issue unless your really heavy item roe the wheel build quality.

Hi, I've had it for 3 years and ~6000 miles. The front wheel is fine at 28h. Specialized started putting 32h rims on these, maybe because of the failures?

 

[d3drturner]

Wheels are mostly brand agnostic. Those look like impact damage to me but missing info is how many miles and what is the mass of the rider. Is it ridden aggressively on rough city streets or smooth freshly paved trails? I am personally not a big fan of 28H wheels as a heavier rider.

Hard to ride a Como 3 aggressively, in my opinion, due to the heavy weight and low power. I ride on poorly repaired bike paths and streets. Some parts are smooth and some are not. I weigh 155 lbs. It is not impact damage, as far as I know. The front wheel is fine. The wheel was fairly true until the spokes started pulling through. That's how I noticed the cracks.

 

[d3drturner]

It is really up to rim supplier, but could it be that Spec is ordering 2nd grade stuff?

Similar experience with two analog Spec bikes (gravel and hardtail). Both rim failures on rims with 28 holes.
I am moderate driver but lot of steep climbs. In both cases cracks on rim happened on spokes from drive side. One rim was 28h WTB and other from Alex Sport Disc wheelset... just went with better wheelset.

In any case wheelsets on almost all mid price Spec bikes are usually under specified and keep in mind that they will not last long ...

Lets see what will be on Vado SL ... where motor torque could be a problem pulling those nipples out ...

Not sure where these wheels came from. Looks like it says LBJ on the rim. All the cracks are on the drive side.

 

[d3drturner]

I had exactly the same damage on the rear wheel of my Stromer speed ebike in the rear wheel after 15 month. Surely there damage was there some month and km before, but I noticed it for the first time after 14-15 months.
We have quite strong laws for warranty here up to two years. But as I had almost 10.000km on bike and wheel, they first wanted to charge me for the new rim. As Stromer ebikes are for commuting and 7000km per year quite normal, I protestet and finally they paid all.

On the other hand I had a defect Nuvinci/Envilo rear hub on a Riese&Müller ebike after 4 years and dealer and producer rejected a warranty case. Also this was not ok, as the problem appeared for the first time after one year. But dealer and I first thought we can fix it somehow and missed to instist on a warranty replacement. But my protest here was without luck, they made me a "special offer" for a new rear wheel for $450 instead of $600. What still was an impudence as you could buy similiar rear wheels online from any dealer for $300.

So if your damage/wheel is in the first year and maybe below 5000km, dealer/producer should pay it. And if not, $400 for a simple wheel without any special parts is as well an impudence, you can get adequate wheels for $200. Also it's possible to change just the rim (that happend on my Stromer and until today with another 10.000km without any problems), what should cost $100-150 for rim and work.

Yes, the warranty is expired on mine. I would have expected specialized to replace the wheel for free since they recognize the problem with 28h wheels on the heavy bike as they started supplying later bikes with 32h.
If I look at their website, it lists for my year:

"RIMS
650b disc, double-wall alloy, pinned, 32h"

Turbo Como 3.0 650b

It's cool to go fast, but it's only fun if you're comfortable. Sadly, speed and comfort rarely come together, but the Turbo Como 3.0 650b is out to chan...

www.specialized.com

But the picture shows 28h wheels. Specialized says the picture is right and the accompanying "Technical specification" is wrong.

Anyhow, I replaced it with a Mavic hoop for $40 and an afternoon of spoke assembly.

Reason this has soured me on Specialized is that to me it seems they do not provide info or take responsibility for their products. Rather the attitude is "go buy something else if you don't like it." Which I will.

 

[jodi2]

I agree with you as this is afaik a clear defect of the rim. I've seen several wheels like this in my life, which were treated normally and the replecament rim (same model) worked fine for a much longer time. I've also seen really "broken" wheels due to load, lightweight build or very rough usage, and this is not a tipical defect for those cases.
But I think due to my own experiences, after three years and 6000 miles no brand or dealer would have covered this defect, even if this very poor...

 

[fooferdoggie]

Hi, I've had it for 3 years and ~6000 miles. The front wheel is fine at 28h. Specialized started putting 32h rims on these, maybe because of the failures?

could be shop around for your wheel the price seems high depending on what they use to build it. check this place out https://www.prowheelbuilder.com

 

[kahn]

While I sympathize with the original poster, I want to thank him for bringing the potential for this breakage to our attention.

It should lead us all to perform wheel inspections more regularly. I've definitely hit jaw crunching cracks and potholes on our wonderful city streets. No curb jumping here and I'm on a Creo.

Years ago, while riding (barely!!!!) in Moab on my hardtail mtn bike, as I was putting the bike up on the roof rack and was securing the wheel with the strap, I noticed similar cracking at a spoke insertion point. I think there was more than one such crack. Headed directly to a bike shop and had a new wheel rebuilt.

 

[dodgeman]

At 150 pounds you definitely aren’t overloading the bike. Anybody who rides a bike 6000 miles is going to hit bumps, potholes and cracks, I know I have. I’d actually be surprised if they fixed it for free. Unfortunately I’d write it off as cost of ownership.

 

[rich c]

You expected lifetime warranty on all parts? What does the wheel cracking have to do with Specialized? If anyone should replace it, it should be the wheel manufacturer. I'm wondering how many times you checked the spoke tension over the 6,000 miles. Every part with threads should be checked at least bi-annually.

 

[d3drturner]

You expected lifetime warranty on all parts? What does the wheel cracking have to do with Specialized? If anyone should replace it, it should be the wheel manufacturer. I'm wondering how many times you checked the spoke tension over the 6,000 miles. Every part with threads should be checked at least bi-annually.

Where are you getting the question "You expected lifetime warranty on all parts?" from what I said? I don't see that it follows. This thread is about the rear wheel.

The wheel failure has to do with Specialized supplying the wrong wheel for the Como 3 in that time frame. I.e. 28h instead of at least 32h or 36h. I did check the spoke tension. It did not seem high or low, compared to other wheels that I have. I have aluminum wheels that have not cracked in 30 years of usage. I do not find 6000 miles and 2 years of usage to be a high quality standard for a wheel.

As far as hitting bumps, the front wheel is fine. Not sure why someone would argue that the rear wheel is not under-specified and improperly supplied by Specialized, the bike designer and assembler (maybe), especially considering they are now supplying 32h rims (or at least claim to be).

 

[rich c]

Where are you getting the question "You expected lifetime warranty on all parts?" from what I said? I don't see that it follows. This thread is about the rear wheel.

The wheel failure has to do with Specialized supplying the wrong wheel for the Como 3 in that time frame. I.e. 28h instead of at least 32h or 36h. I did check the spoke tension. It did not seem high or low, compared to other wheels that I have. I have aluminum wheels that have not cracked in 30 years of usage. I do not find 6000 miles and 2 years of usage to be a high quality standard for a wheel.

As far as hitting bumps, the front wheel is fine. Not sure why someone would argue that the rear wheel is not under-specified and improperly supplied by Specialized, the bike designer and assembler (maybe), especially considering they are now supplying 32h rims (or at least claim to be).

"Eh, I don't think I will buy another Specialized product." and your satirical comment about the $400 suggested you wanted them to replace the wheel for free to me. Weight distribution is usually considered to be 55% on the rear, 45% on the front. Aluminum wheels from 30 years ago are probably twice the thickness of wheels today, plus who knows the alloy or heat treatment difference. I bet this eBike won't be going in 30 years either.

 

[fooferdoggie]

"Eh, I don't think I will buy another Specialized product." and your satirical comment about the $400 suggested you wanted them to replace the wheel for free to me. Weight distribution is usually considered to be 55% on the rear, 45% on the front. Aluminum wheels from 30 years ago are probably twice the thickness of wheels today, plus who knows the alloy or heat treatment difference. I bet this eBike won't be going in 30 years either.

How well the wheel was built makes a huge difference. it could have been a crappy rim or not as good of spokes. There are always compromises in most bikes to keep the price point. my 3700.00 had a crap rear rim. it also had crap bearings in the headset that were using after 4 months of rain riding.

 

[d3drturner]

"Eh, I don't think I will buy another Specialized product." and your satirical comment about the $400 suggested you wanted them to replace the wheel for free to me. Weight distribution is usually considered to be 55% on the rear, 45% on the front. Aluminum wheels from 30 years ago are probably twice the thickness of wheels today, plus who knows the alloy or heat treatment difference. I bet this eBike won't be going in 30 years either.

Satirical comment about the $400? That is what the the local dealer quoted to build a 32h wheel replacement. How is that satirical?

Item/Labor	#​	Price​
WTB HTZ i35 Rim - 27.5", Disc, Black, 32H	1​	$124.95​
Labor - Wheel Build	1​	$60.00​
Spoke Placeholder	1​	$60.00​
Origin8 MT-3100	1​	$120.00​

Labor​	$60.00​
Parts​	$304.95​
Tax​	$27.37​
Total​	$392.32 ​

I would have been happy if Specialized admitted to supplying the wrong wheel and had provided another wheel from off the shelf at what, $20 cost to them? I don't know their cost but as a high volume, low quality distributor, I doubt it is much. I would have been happy to swap the cassette. Specialized showed no interest in any of it, or even thanking me for the data point.
Now that I know better, I would not buy another product from Specialized/Merida. I think it is better to build my own from components that are more robust rather than rebuilding their mistakes on a $3k bike. BTW, the front light failed with bad wiring, the front rotor was warped, the battery is ill fitting, the seatpost mount clamp failed, the kickstand screw mounts failed (steel screws into aluminum threads on a kickstand?) and the paint is falling off where the fork meets the head tube. I repaired all that stuff myself. The motor and battery are good, knock on wood

 

[purdueboiler87]

I had the exact same thing happen to the back rim on my Como 5.0 at about 3500 miles (just over a year after purchase). Brought it to my LBS and they were going to contact Specialized about a warranty repair. After a week of not hearing anything I went down to the LBS. They said parts were hard to get but they had a Como 3 that came in damaged that they were using for parts. They took a rim off that bike and I was back on the road that afternoon. No charge. The biggest thing I worry about is not being able to get parts if you need them.