Unbelievably bad experience with a Haibike SDURO Trekking S RX

[anotherkiwi]

I think he is a fool, his bike is covered by a 12 month warranty, he has consumer protection he should just get on with getting the 12 month warranty into play.

Maybe because he is English he doesn't understand EU consumer protection?

 

[IR772]

The bike fell over and the lever broke?

 

[trex]

The bike fell over and the lever broke?

the OP said no mark on the lever. I couldn't see any mark on the picture.

 

[Gringo]

the OP said no mark on the lever. I couldn't see any mark on the picture.

It's easy enough to brake a lever without leaving any signs of violence
Just putting two bikes on a rack and getting the handlebars entwined will do it.
Then there's riding/ falling off hazards, Tree bark, soft ground etc
And to be honest it dosent look like a clean brake from faulty materials, it looks more like the fibres have been torn apart.
I can't believe I'm adding to this thread

 

[IR772]

I can't believe I'm adding to this thread

It's a wet Saturday, what else is there to do.

 

[trex]

It's easy enough to brake a lever without leaving any signs of violence

that's the point. The use of plastic delivers dramatic saving in weight and cost to the manufacturers in comparison to traditional alloy but they are liable to snap breaks. Should the manufacturers cover breakages like this? I think they must because they benefited from the cost savings and the risks are known in advance.

 

[IR772]

The true cost of the part is pence (cents) with delivery being the bigger cost.

What we do not know is how this was approached, I think I know, and then I understand the answer ?

 

[trex]

...
And to be honest it dosent look like a clean brake from faulty materials, it looks more like the fibres have been torn apart.

the picture is consistent with the OP's story. He pulled hard on the lever and the lever housing broke, indicating that the stress is concentrated on the housing beween the reservoir and the lever pin, like a twig.
If the bike fell over, the stress would be concentrated on the lever or the pin, unlikely further up.
The compound consists of plastic granules and medium length carbon fiber made into a dough. It breaks like a digestive biscuit, the break line is not straight.

 

[IR772]

By Jove its remarkable

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The compound consists of plastic granules and medium length carbon fiber made into a dough. It breaks like a digestive biscuit, the break line is not straight.

Where did you get that from? Look at the video I posted earlier in the thread, which shows it being tested. The material is stronger than metal, and more impact resistant than just about anything else.

 

[trex]

that test is not relevant. The shape of the bar under test is nothing like the reservoir and the lever housing. The test keeps within the elastic deformation of their plastic X bar. One important aspect, their bar cannot go into plastic deformation, so it will snap like the carbon bar. The Al bar did go into plastic deformation. That would have been better for the OP because it would still retain some functionality.
Their plastic is not an alloy. So the item is not as consistent and much more susceptible to cleavage than if made in alloy.

 

[Wicky]

Problem is there's only a single snap from one angle - Difficult to do a full NCIS autopsy based on that. Ideally they'd have the body on the slab to determine cause of its demise - but the owner stubbonly refuses to take it back to the shop for them to look at..

Surprised owner is wanting the brake clamp / lever replaced if it just spontaneously snapped as he says - Heck I'd want the whole bike replaced or at least the brakes replaced with a kind made of different material.

 

[trex]

it makes economic sense to replace the whole brake with a new one. The reservoir and lever housing is molded in one piece. You have to replace it, recover the lever, reconnect the pipe, refill and bleed the circuit. Replacing the whole unit saves easily 30-50 Euros in labour cost.

 

[Wicky]

True

Similar tale here of a new £10,000 Honda Africa twin with a new feature that went dangerosuly lary on the owner - and Honda took it back and replaced a shedload of parts. But note Honda had to have the bike back at their workshops to replace dodgy parts ;-)

http://www.xrv.org.uk/forums/africa-twin/145130-crf-dct-owners-please-take-note.html

 

[D8ve]

Och now ye ken Honda can fix things at a distance, the loons dinna need the bike ta work on it.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

that test is not relevant. The shape of the bar under test is nothing like the reservoir and the lever housing. The test keeps within the elastic deformation of their plastic X bar. One important aspect, their bar cannot go into plastic deformation, so it will snap like the carbon bar. The Al bar did go into plastic deformation. That would have been better for the OP because it would still retain some functionality.
Their plastic is not an alloy. So the item is not as consistent and much more susceptible to cleavage than if made in alloy.

I think you need to go back to your engineering school, Trex. You're talking like a scientist, not like an engineer who would understand the real-world applications. Engineers can figure things for what they are. All the bars were subject to the same test. Material X didn't break and didn't bend. All the others did one or the other. Sure, any material will break or bend if you apply enough load. How much load do you think it took to snap OP's lever?

The only defence OP would have for his statement that the lever broke with only a small load applied to it would be if the material had a clear defect in it, like inclusions or voids. Looking at the extent of the break, I can't see how that could be possible.

Despite all the science and engineering, common sense has to prevail. If the material were too weak for its job so that it broke when you pulled the lever too hard, everybody with a Haibike, of which there are lots on this forum, would be complaining and joining in with OP. Haibike and Tektro would have to do a recall, so OP would get his bike sorted. Hello! Where is it all then?

Try banging the side of your head to see if you can get your thoughts back in order. I'm sure its all in there, but maybe just a bit mixed up. Too many late nights planning the next Woosh masterpiece?

 

[trex]

I found the OP's story believable because the material is a hard plastic. The fact that it has been re-inforced with medium length carbon fibres gives it better flex but still not plastic deformation. It will snap like the carbon bar under test if bent hard enough, same way that carbon forks and carbon frames break.
here are some pictures:

Magura now use carbotecture SL with longer fibres.

 

[Scott Nelson]

Even a company like Apple require any hardware problem to be seen before fixing / replacing.

How far away from your couch is the shop you bought it from?

Pretty far. Almost an hour by car.

 

[Scott Nelson]

forum retaliations aside, I feel for the OP.
The brake levers are moulded with a new composite material, the incident is not a one off. Magura have aparently redesigned these levers recently to make them stronger. A new lever costs 32 Euros. If I were in the OP's shoes, I would buy and fit a new one, send a letter with a copy of receipt and photo to the vendor in France and ask them 'gentiment' to refund my expenses and be prepared to accept a partial refund (30 Euros). If they refuse, the OP can always send a 'mise en demeure' letter, if that gets ignored, then pop in at the local 'greffier' and issue a summons.

Thanks for your advice but these brakes are not available to the aftermarket... And it's the brake that's broken, not the lever.

 

[Scott Nelson]

To be perfectly blunt, you sound like every retailers worst nightmare.
As soon as the threats came out (which was in your very first post) I could see what type of individual you are.
Yes, the shop answer might not be to your satisfaction but as has been said, it is normal practice for a retailer to have the broken part in person so that it can be inspected, and if required, sent back to the manufacturer for a final decision. You dont want to do this so end of story (or life drama in your case).
If I was in your position, I would dry my eyes, buy another brake in the UK and get on with the other far more important things in life.

Thank you for your insults, however I was asked by the shop to send a picture and on that basis they denied fixing it under the warranty. They did not ask for me to bring it in. So I came here to see if other people had had a similar experience with Haibike/Magura/or these particular brakes. Also, the brake in question is not available in shops so I can't just buy another one as you suggest.