Got into work a couple of days ago, was chatting to a work colleague when I noticed a major crack in the seat tube of my S-Cross CB. -Please see first two attached images.
I contacted Oxygen bicycles to alert them and ask if it was under warranty. The next day the came out and picked the bike up from my work place and back to their workshop.
24 hrs later they have replaced the frame.
The new frame is of a slightly different design, apparently the seat tube is slightly thicker so that it blends in better with the rest of the bike (the old frame having a slightly thinner tube, according to Oxygen, cannot possibly have had anything to do with the failure -but this begs the question why make such a aesthetically minor amendment for the sake of aesthetics?). The new frame has fractionally shorter seat stays, so my Schwable big apple tyres now no longer fit, they just catch the fixing for the mudguard nearest the bottom bracket. -No problem 2x Marathon Plus Tours are on order. Oxygen did offer to fit a pair of stock tyres FOC, but the roads of Sheffield seem lined with glass shards at the moment so I declined. I trust the marathons more.
Oxygen seem to think it is related to my use of the Suntour NCX seatpost, they kindly provided an alternative suspension seat post. The NCX seat post had been well inserted into the old frame (photos also attached) and was set appropriately for my height. One of the reasons I bought the NCX seat post was because the stock seat post would just not lock in place, I would sit on it and the saddle would move, poking me in a very sensitive place.
I cannot knock them for service, but they did make me feel like a naughty school kid, why had I changed the tyres, why was I using a suspension seat post... At one point they commented that I had ridden the bike many miles. Of course I have, it is sold as a commuter and I ride ~100 miles a week. I would not have bought it if it wasn't meant for this purpose -to which they agreed.
Oxygen's reputation is good, I watch someone ride one of their older style bikes to work everyday (has a battery behind the seat tube), I've no doubt they can be reliable. However, I'm still left with the feeling that I'll be glad when my warranty expires so that I don't need to justify every minor change I make to the bike. I do feel I've had a run of bad luck with the bike with spokes popping, loose battery, bad punctures early on, and cracked frame.
I should be grateful, fast turn around, and the issue was sorted promptly. But I'm not!
Grump over!
I contacted Oxygen bicycles to alert them and ask if it was under warranty. The next day the came out and picked the bike up from my work place and back to their workshop.
24 hrs later they have replaced the frame.
The new frame is of a slightly different design, apparently the seat tube is slightly thicker so that it blends in better with the rest of the bike (the old frame having a slightly thinner tube, according to Oxygen, cannot possibly have had anything to do with the failure -but this begs the question why make such a aesthetically minor amendment for the sake of aesthetics?). The new frame has fractionally shorter seat stays, so my Schwable big apple tyres now no longer fit, they just catch the fixing for the mudguard nearest the bottom bracket. -No problem 2x Marathon Plus Tours are on order. Oxygen did offer to fit a pair of stock tyres FOC, but the roads of Sheffield seem lined with glass shards at the moment so I declined. I trust the marathons more.
Oxygen seem to think it is related to my use of the Suntour NCX seatpost, they kindly provided an alternative suspension seat post. The NCX seat post had been well inserted into the old frame (photos also attached) and was set appropriately for my height. One of the reasons I bought the NCX seat post was because the stock seat post would just not lock in place, I would sit on it and the saddle would move, poking me in a very sensitive place.
I cannot knock them for service, but they did make me feel like a naughty school kid, why had I changed the tyres, why was I using a suspension seat post... At one point they commented that I had ridden the bike many miles. Of course I have, it is sold as a commuter and I ride ~100 miles a week. I would not have bought it if it wasn't meant for this purpose -to which they agreed.
Oxygen's reputation is good, I watch someone ride one of their older style bikes to work everyday (has a battery behind the seat tube), I've no doubt they can be reliable. However, I'm still left with the feeling that I'll be glad when my warranty expires so that I don't need to justify every minor change I make to the bike. I do feel I've had a run of bad luck with the bike with spokes popping, loose battery, bad punctures early on, and cracked frame.
I should be grateful, fast turn around, and the issue was sorted promptly. But I'm not!
Grump over!
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