# The Venge is Dead. Long Live the Venge!!



## mpressgt3 (Sep 12, 2010)

My 2013 S-Works Venge met an unfortunate motorist induced death.

















Compared to the bike, I got lucky... I was out on another bike after four weeks. Six weeks post incident I have finished rebuilding the replacement bike.

2014 S-Works Venge, 61cm, Orange/Black <--- Crash test dummy orange
-Shimano Dura Ace 9000 mechanical 
-Quarq Elsa 53/39
-TRP R979 EQ brakes
-Enve SES 6.7 clinchers, White Industries hubs, Sapim CX-Ray
-3T Ergosum Team/Stealth, 3T Arx II Team/Stealth
-Selle SMP Drakon Carbon
-Time Xpresso 8
-Garmin 810 

































I loved my last bike and rebuilding this one with the same components was a simple choice. The only real upgrade is the DA9000 which replaces Ultegra 6700.


----------



## Swen6 (Feb 6, 2013)

Love this colour, every cloud and what not :thumbsup:

Glad your ok.


----------



## Dunbar (Aug 8, 2010)

Looks great. Did the driver end up reimbursing you for the cost of your destroyed frame?


----------



## Ricey155 (Feb 17, 2012)

beautiful


----------



## kevra83 (Oct 22, 2013)

Sorry to hear about the accident. I hope your okay. Nice new build you have there with new 2014 Venge.


----------



## tommyturbo (Jan 24, 2002)

Love the color. It's both unique and great looking. A friend just received a 2014 SW Tarmac in the same color scheme.


----------



## TheBaron (Jun 5, 2013)

When I first saw this frame I didn't like it. The more you see it though the more I like it.

I also like your wheels, they too look great with the frame.


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Well there you go! I just broke mine today, same bike and wheels as you had. Do I go for that cool looking blue one now or try and find another black one is the question.


----------



## Merc (Oct 9, 2011)

carbonLORD said:


> Well there you go! I just broke mine today, same bike and wheels as you had. Do I go for that cool looking blue one now or try and find another black one is the question.


How did you break yours?


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Cracked on today's training ride. Heard a pop half way through, figured it was chain slap or something. Inspected about an hour ago and sure nuf, here we are. Fortunately I was able to contact my rep on FaceBook and it's already in the process of being warrantied. My only concern is turnaround time and replacement color, but can always go custom paint.


----------



## Merc (Oct 9, 2011)

CarbonLord, that sucks. I would have never thought that frame would crack under normal pressure there. Keep us updated with your replacement frame.


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

After closer inspection and some web searching I have concluded that the rear derailleur swung up and punched a hole in the frame. I then found ACR who does composite repair for a variety of industries including bicycles and they quoted €180 with a 3 day turnaround so I'm headed down this afternoon to drop it off.

https://www.facebook.com/Advancedcompositerepairs

I plan on reinforcing the underside with a thin piece of alloy similar to the anti-chain-suck that is already present on this frame.

Bad luck or poor design, I'll let you be the judge but this is better then paying twice that in shipping, waiting months and possibly being denied warranty for the mishap.


----------



## Dunbar (Aug 8, 2010)

carbonLORD said:


> After closer inspection and some web searching I have concluded that the rear derailleur swung up and punched a hole in the frame.


I just checked my 105 RD and there's no way for it to swing up far enough to hit the chain stay even on the last (12t) cog. It gets close though so it may be derailleur hangar specific issue. Any theory about how it swung up? I have to apply quite a big of torque to get it to swing up that far.


----------



## NealH (May 2, 2004)

I would get it repaired too. Frankly, a quality carbon repair will leave your bike just as strong, if not stronger than it was before. Bikes are made to be ridden. Stuff happens from time to time.

I've seen this type thing happen when a rider on a fast group ride popped his chain off the big ring on the downstroke, then by quickly backpedaling in order to try and get it caught on the ring again the derailleur came up and smacked the chain stay. I think the chain at that instant was also jammed somewhere on the small cog in the rear (maybe wedged between the small cog and seat stay). In the heat of a competitive moment there can be a lot of torque applied to the drive train. If everything isn't right then any one of several bad things can happen.


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Dunbar said:


> I just checked my 105 RD and there's no way for it to swing up far enough to hit the chain stay even on the last (12t) cog. It gets close though so it may be derailleur hangar specific issue. Any theory about how it swung up? I have to apply quite a big of torque to get it to swing up that far.


It was the bottom pulley that went through the frame. Lines up perfectly. I am using Ultegra Di2 10 speed. I was in the 54 big ring (thats right I ride a 54/39 on Le Venge) and in the 11t cog doing 30mph (with a tail wind mind you) when I passed another cyclist and got out of the saddle. When I stood up I accidentally hit the front derailleur which locked up the chain, I instantly tapped it back to the big ring and never really lost cadence. During this split second I believe the chain slacked and kicked the rear derailleur all the way into the frame resulting in the pop I heard. Because I shifted back so quick I thought nothing of it and kept on riding another 15 miles. I weigh 210lbs currently. A lot of leverage, a lot of speed and a lot of force. I did a Google search for "Rear derailleur cracks frame" and saw a thread from 2011 where a Yeti MTB owner with carbon stays did the exact same thing with Sram X1. I then shifted the derailleur to the smallest cog and whatta-ya-know, lined up like a puzzle piece. I feel better about the punch then a stress crack because it ended up being an easy repair and not something that was due to flex or poor workmanship. I think I may get rid of the 39 ring altogether since I've never used it and Amsterdam, and Chicago are both flat as a pancake. Or, I'll disconnect the shifter since auto trimming works without it anyway. The Venge comes with a metal plate between the chain rings and frame incase of chain suck. I am going to contact my reps and tell them about this and make a suggestion to add a secondary plate along the underside of their frames as that would have alleviated this issue entirely. A combination of bad luck and timing but could have been prevented if there was either a plate, or derailleur manufacturers would limit the amount of forward throw the rear derailleur is capable of because having it swing that far forward is just plain dumb. Hopefully it never happens again.


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Agree, bikes are made to be ridden and stuff happens. I was fortunate to find a composite repair close enough to me that will not charge much (€180) and has done this level of work "hundreds of times". I dropped it off just outside of Rotterdam, Netherlands and met the owner of a facility that had F1 body parts and Boeing airplane wings as well as a Rabobank Giant TCR Advance SL and a Pinerallo Dogma Sky team bike that had worse damage then my own and had been repaired. Needless to say I was impressed and will be picking up the frame on Thursday!

Above all, I was really upset at the idea of replacing my black beast with an orange or.... florescent blue and green Venge or having to pay more to custom paint and add weight (even if it is only grams). I'll follow up once complete and plan on riding it back from Rotterdam to Amsterdam (80Km).


----------



## Dunbar (Aug 8, 2010)

carbonLORD said:


> ...or derailleur manufacturers would limit the amount of forward throw the rear derailleur is capable of because having it swing that far forward is just plain dumb.


On my 105 RD, if I position in the 34x12, and rotate the RD forward it bumps up against a stop before contacting the chain stay. I believe that derailleur hangar geometry comes into play here. I know that certain short cage RD's can handle a 30-32T (cassette) low gear despite only being rated for 27T. It ultimately comes down to the derailleur hangar geometry which obviously varies by frame.

I believe what you experienced is the opposite of that. The derailleur hangar on your frame has the RD in a more forward position which results in hitting the chain stay before the mechanical stop. That's my theory anyways since I don't believe that stop is adjustable. Or maybe the derailleur hangar itself has the stop on it.


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Dunbar said:


> On my 105 RD, if I position in the 34x12, and rotate the RD forward it bumps up against a stop before contacting the chain stay. I believe that derailleur hangar geometry comes into play here. I know that certain short cage RD's can handle a 30-32T (cassette) low gear despite only being rated for 27T. It ultimately comes down to the derailleur hangar geometry which obviously varies by frame.
> 
> I believe what you experienced is the opposite of that. The derailleur hangar on your frame has the RD in a more forward position which results in hitting the chain stay before the mechanical stop. That's my theory anyways since I don't believe that stop is adjustable. Or maybe the derailleur hangar itself has the stop on it.


I'm sure alignment and throw vary depending on brand derailleur and frame. Otherwise the poor fella with the Yeti MTB I read about might not have suffered the same fate but it does bring up a level of interest, and concern.

I followed up with Specialized corp yesterday evening and spoke with one of the head warranty guys, (who also rides a Venge) and we spoke in depth about my experience. We "put it in the notes" and my hopes are that the "big S" and the "Big S" can discuss it and come to terms with a revision because it's either a design oversight on Specialized's part or a design flaw on the Di2 6770 RD (and potentially other models).


----------



## thumper8888 (Apr 7, 2009)

CarbonLord, you can put a Lizard Skin "carbon leather" chainstay protector over that spot and it will look like there's nothing unusual there.. and give a tad of extra protection for chain suck... Ive got one on my venge, same color and you dont notice it.
that partic. repair should be easy, effective and not add significant weight... dont let it deter you from enjoying the frame....


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

It's done! ACR posted pics on their FaceBook today. I'll pick it up tomorrow! ...whew...


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

BTW sorry to the OP mpressgt3 for taking over his thread.

Bikes back, looks like new and cant tell it ever happened.

Kudos to ACR!

That's all.

Cheers!


----------



## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

Update: Threw down 140 km today and didn't miss a beat. Thanks again ACR!


----------

