Hey, Devinci Bikes, this time it hurt!
I had just reached the top of UBC hill on my road bike and was feeling pretty good.
I’d had to push myself out the door this Easter Sunday. Rain was threatening, the cappucino machine was calling, and I almost convinced myself to stay put. But as always, after ten minutes on the road I was happy to be out there.
The climb up this familiar hill had gone pretty well, and I’d even managed to drop a much younger rider who had been hanging on along the flat section of Spanish Banks. As I crested the hill, a mild east wind assaulted me; a sure sign of rain in Vancouver. The last section is a flat 8 km stretch, then Camosun hill and home. With luck I’d get there before the deluge began.
I pulled out around a couple of riders, stepped on the gas and then without any warning it happened. PWANG! Right under my butt, something snapped like a rifle shot. My bike seat fell off, metal bits clanging to the ground. Just like that. My rear end slid off with the seat, but I kept the bike under control, and luckily I was going slowly and was able to pull over to the curb. I dismounted and stared with disbelief at the bare seat post sticking out of the bike frame.
The other riders called out “your stuff’s over here!”. The first thing that went through my mind was not about that stuff, though, it was about MY stuff. Having been in a few minor crashes I know that with a body full of endorphins we don’t immediately feel any pain. So, I conducted a quick anatomy check to make sure nothing else had, umm, fallen to the ground. Phew: no gashes or puncture wounds, but I had that familiar ache that every male knows, the one from getting bashed in that most sensitive place of all.
I gathered up the scattered bits (the bike’s, not mine, thank god) and got back on, the seat hanging limply off the post, held on by a gear bag strap. 8 kilometers to home. Manageable, but of course it had now started to rain. I pedalled standing up for a while, a technique that gave me a whole new respect for pro riders, who can do this for hours. It’s exhausting. I stopped, managed to prop the seat onto the post and sat down. My riding position was precarious and so low that I looked like a circus act, but at least I could sit.
The really odd thing, though, is that this was the second time. About a year prior, exactly the same event transpired. I was riding a flat stretch, not pushing hard, and suddenly the seat bolt snapped. Before you get the wrong idea, yes I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I weigh 175, not 300. I do pedal like Lance Armstrong, but 50 years into the future. In other words, I’m a purely average, recreational rider. How is it I can snap steel bolts in half without really trying?
The last time this happened, the mechanic at my LBS (local bike shop) just shrugged and installed a new part. This time I want a titanium bolt that F18 pilots would stake their lives on. I don’t need a colonoscopy from my seat post!
And as for Devinci Bikes, where are they sourcing their parts from? This company makes a token effort at customer service by having an e-mail address, then ignores their customers who actually write in (I know, I’ve tried). Are they trying to infuriate their customers, or are they just tired of responding to angry messages about broken bike parts? Tell you what, Devinci Bikes, how about someone kicks YOU in the crotch, and then you e-mail me and we’ll talk about it?
