# Broken Idol: seat mast crack



## heartman

I bought this Idol brand new at Cicli Conti in Italy. I rode it for a little over a year before this crack developed in the seat mast. In a long and boring story stretching out for a year, the De Rosa factory has decided that the bike is not under warranty. Instead they offered to sell me a new Idol for 1,000 euro. I still own A Tango and a King3 and enjoy the De Rosa brand, but their customer service in my case has been very disappointing. 

Not sure what else to do - just looking for some sympathy I guess. 


:mad2:


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## merckxman

You have my sympathies!

What, specifically, is the warranty on a De Rosa IDOL? Do you feel they did not honor the warranty or....???


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## heartman

Thanks for asking. I don't think there's anything to be gained by bashing De Rosa. They make great bikes. I just think we had a fundamental difference of opinion. For those who are interested in the evolution of this situation, here's the e-mail exchange in reverse chronological order (so read from bottom to top):

On Jun 22, 2009, at 11:32 PM, De Rosa S.r.l. wrote:

Dear Mr. Mark.

I remember the situation...and we can to substitute the frame, but is not under guarantee...so you have to decide

regards
De Rosa / Roberta

-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Mark Sussman
Inviato: venerdì 19 giugno 2009 18.24
A: De Rosa S.r.l.
Oggetto: Re: R: R: R: R: I: R: R: Request for help with Idol frame

Dear Roberta,

Here is the history:

1) (August 28, 2008) Trialtir offered to replace the frame with another Idol in matte black finish, but I wanted a Nero Rossa frame like my old one. Instead, I was told a replacement in Nero Rossa would take three months so I decided to wait. If I had known then what I know now, I would have had the frame replaced in a minute. 

2) (September 2008) I returned the Idol to my local De Rosa dealer named California Bicycles. They stripped the parts off the frame and returned it to Trialtir. I had the parts from the Idol put onto a Tango frame I bought so I would have a De Rosa bicycle to ride while waiting for the Idol replacement. 

3) (January 09, 2009) Trialtir sends the Idol frame back to your factory in Milan.

4) (January 22, 2009) Trey from Trialtir writes "I was just at the factory Monday and Tuesday and personally saw that pvc inserted frame he sent back. The factory was going nuts about the pvc and all has been explained. The frame will be replaced within 4 weeks."

5) (April 2009) Trey from Trialtir writes to my local bicycle dealer (California Bicycles) and says a replacement Idol frame will be sent within three weeks. 

6) (May 15, 2009) Trey from Trialtir writes to me and says "The factory would like to speak with you regarding your Idol frame situation. I have cc'd Cristiano De Rosa and he will be following up with you directly."

7) (June 4, 2009) I receive an e-mail from you (Roberta) asking me about the situation with my Idol frame. 

Now you have told me there is nothing you can do to replace my frame and Trialtir will not help. After 10 months of waiting it seems the only result is to get my original Idol frame back from you. It seems there is no other possibility now. I have enjoyed De Rosa bicycles and have even helped my friends to buy De Rosa frames here in the United States. This experience has been very sad for me. 

Please let me know if the frame and fork can be returned to me if there is no other choice. They can be shipped back to me or I can pick them up in October after finishing my work with friends and colleagues at the Centro Cardiologico Monzino in Milano.

Mark 

** ** ** 



On Jun 18, 2009, at 11:20 PM, De Rosa S.r.l. wrote:

the frame is here...but Trialtir what told you?

-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Mark Sussman
Inviato: giovedì 18 giugno 2009 21.02
A: De Rosa S.r.l.
Oggetto: Re: R: R: R: I: R: R: Request for help with Idol frame

Dear Roberta,

Thank you for your reply. I am sorry too. It seems that I will not be getting help from anyone. Can you tell me where my Idol frame is now? 

Mark

On Jun 18, 2009, at 5:59 AM, De Rosa S.r.l. wrote:

Dear Mr. Mark,

yes I remember, but we can not do nothing...the frame is not under guarantee, I'm sorry....

-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Mark Sussman
Inviato: mercoledì 17 giugno 2009 17.53
A: De Rosa S.r.l.
Oggetto: Re: R: R: I: R: R: Request for help with Idol frame

Dear Roberta,

I am writing to make sure I did not miss an e-mail from you because I did not see any news from you since our last exchange over a week ago. If you have any news for me, then please let me know. I know Trey at Trialtir is sometimes slow to respond. I am planning my trip to Milan now and would like to visit the factory and thank you for your help when I return in October later this year. 

Mille grazie,

Mark


On Jun 5, 2009, at 12:23 AM, De Rosa S.r.l. wrote:

Dear Mr. Mark,

thanks a lot for your clear explaination.
First I'm sorry that Trialtir told you that we take 3 months for give a substitution, is not true...and I never have written that the frame can be repaired.
The important thing is this: was better to know immediatly the problem of frame when happened without made the self-repair....now the warranty is not valid because the frame have had a tempering.
Second we have never delivery the substitution at your frame because we not found an agreement with Trialtir about the warranty.....I will try to find a good solution, but I don't know if I can pass all under guarantee....the price euro 1000.00 is very a good price....I will let you know because before I want to clarify the situation with Trialtir

thanks

regards
De Rosa / Roberta

-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Mark Sussman
Inviato: giovedì 4 giugno 2009 18.59
A: De Rosa S.r.l.
Cc: Cristiano De Rosa
Oggetto: Re: R: I: R: R: Request for help with Idol frame

Dear Roberta,

Now I realize the problem. Please let me explain. The story is a little bit long, so I apologize. Here we go...

I understand there is a piece of plastic PVC pipe inserted into the frame. I was the one who did that. The reason is this: the bike shop here in San Diego told me that the frame could not be repaired and would need to be replaced with a different frame. Trey from Trialtir even offered a replacement Idol to me in matte black finish, but I wanted one identical to my frame in Nero Rossa. Since Trey had offered a different frame, it seemed clear that my frame would need to be replaced and could not be repaired. They Trey said it would take three months to replace my Idol in Nero Rossa colors, so I asked the bike shop if I could put the piece of plastic into the frame to reinforce the seat mast and continue to ride the bike until the replacement arrived. They replied that since the frame could not be repaired it really did not make any difference to them because I would be getting a different frame in return. So I went ahead and glued in the piece of plastic pipe and continued to ride the frame for another month. When Trey at Trialtir found out what I had done, he said he did not want me riding on a damaged frame, so I sadly took it back to the bicycle store here in San Diego and they stripped off all the parts and returned the frame to Trialtir. All this happened in September of 2008. Trey did not send the frame back to you until four months later in January of 2009. Then in January 2009 I received this e-mail from Trey:

<< pasted e-mail follows>>


On Jan 22, 2009, at 9:01 AM, Millard wrote:

Good Morning Mark,
Trial Tir sent this to me yesterday.

"""Hi Jason,
I was just at the factory Monday and Tuesday and personally saw that pvc inserted frame he sent back. The factory was going nuts about the pvc and all has been explained. The frame will be replaced within 4 weeks.

Best,
Trey"""

<< end of pasted e-mail>>

As you see this was in January of this year. At that time Trey wrote that the frame would be replaced in four weeks. It is now June 2009 and I am still wondering why there has been so much confusion and misunderstanding. I believe I have been very patient and tried to be understanding. I bought the frame brand new from Cicli Conti in 2007. I have since bought two more De Rosa frames (a Tango and King3) and am a very good customer and fan of the De Rosa brand. 

I admit that putting the pipe into the frame was probably a stupid idea, but I was told it didn't matter because the frame could not be repaired and would be replaced. Now you explain to me that the frame can be repaired and that by putting in the pipe I cannot get the frame repaired or replaced. I do not have 1000 euro to buy a new frame. Is there any way we can work together to resolve this? I feel I have been given a lot of incorrect advice and wrong information from my bike shop and Trey about the process. I do not hold you or the De Rosa company responsible for the confusion, but I do feel there must be a better way than punishing me even more. There has got to be better way to serve customers than this. 

Please help me - I am just a 50 year old man trying to enjoy his cycling hobby. This experience has been very depressing for me. I will be coming back to Milan in October and would like to visit the factory again. I hope you can understand my situation and replace the Idol as a gesture of good faith for a loyal customer. 

Sincerely,

Mark

** ** ** 



On Jun 4, 2009, at 8:59 AM, De Rosa S.r.l. wrote:

Dear Mr. Mark,

unfortunatly we can not give the guarantee; the frame was damaged because someone (we don't know for what reason) put into the seat tube an alluminium part....now is not possible to repair.
We can offer you a new Idol at euro 1000.00 + costs of transport

Waiting your kind reply, best regards
De Rosa / Roberta

-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Mark Sussman
Inviato: giovedì 4 giugno 2009 15.40
A: De Rosa S.r.l.
Cc: Cristiano De Rosa
Oggetto: Re: I: R: R: Request for help with Idol frame

Dear Roberta,

Thank you for your e-mail and offer to help with my frame. 

At the request of Trey from Trialtir, I returned the frame to him and he shipped the frame back to your factory in Milan. I was told the frame has been at the De Rosa factory since the beginning of this year. Here is a copy of the e-mail I received from Trialtir in January:

<< pasted e-mail follows >>

Mark, Idol frame was shipped January 09- 09
Have a good day.
Ricardo Lopez
Warranty
Trialtir-USA
5800 Windfern
Houston TX 77041
www.trialtir-usa.com
888 867 4334

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Sussman [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 9:44 PM
To: Ricardo Lopez
Subject: Re: Idol

Dear Ricardo,

Thanks for the update. Can you please let me know when the Idol was sent back so I can have a guess of how much longer it will be until the replacement frame arrives?

Thanks for your help. 

Mark


<< end of pasted e-mail>>

So my understanding is that the Idol frame has been at the De Rosa Factory since January 2009. Trey had told me the frame would be replaced by February, but then nothing happened and after several e-mails I then was told Cristiano wanted to talk to me about something. I am happy to talk directly to you or Cristiano by e-mail or telephone to clear up any concerns. I have an Italian postdoctoral fellow working in my laboratory who has offered to help with translation if you would like to speak by telephone. Please let me know how I can help sort this out. 

Again, thank you for taking the time to work on this and I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Best regards,

Mark


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## raymonda

Send it out to Calfee for a repair. Maybe around $200 or so.


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## heartman

*Repair options (if I get my frame returned)*

Yup, I was thinking that Calfee is my next step. The problem now is that I still don't have the frame back. Three weeks gone by since I received this e-mail from Roberta:

On Jun 30, 2009, at 12:22 AM, De Rosa S.r.l. wrote:

ok I will ship back the frame in these days......but remember that we already told you that the frame must be not used...thanks

regards
De Rosa / Roberta


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## enac

I understand that cracking at the seatmast has been a problem with some De Rosa IDOLs and the older IDOL's also have a reputation for being noodly in the larger sizes. They are a very beautiful bikes though. I understand your frustration. Out of interest, have you had any issues with your KING 3??? I have owned one for over a year, and haven't had any problems so far. How's the seat mast on the KING 3? Have you seen the new 2010 IDOL?? It looks a lot beefier and stronger. I actually like the look. Maybe you can get a 2010 IDOL at cost, and also get your frame nero/rossa sent back to have Calfee repair it. Two idols for a $1200 and a lot of heartache and time wasted.


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## heartman

*Options and alternatives*

Thanks for the post. I have had the King3 for about 6 months. So far no problems with the seat mast on that bike. It seems much more solid than the Idol. 

For me to replace the Idol, Roberta at De Rosa asked for 1,000 euro plus shipping which is more like $1500. That's a pretty hefty charge for replacing a frame that was still under warranty at the time of failure. 

I've seen the photos of the new Idol and it does look beefier. Personally I never had issues with the ride quality, paint quality, "nervousness", or any of the other complaints I've read on line. It was a very comfortable bike for century rides. If it weren't for the seat mast crack everything else was fine. The new Idol looks a lot beefier (or chunkier) depending upon your point of view. To me, the original version of the Idol was a more elegant looking frame with a hand built "fasciata" craftsmanship that made it unique. However, considering the problems that seem to have come up with the original Idol I understand the need for a design change. Maybe I'd like the new version more in person than in the photos. I guess the final chapter of my story has yet to be written. We'll see what happens next.


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## JIDonald

I love De Rosa, but the customer service is lacking. I had a friend wait over a year to have his Protos replaced. When it was all said and done it took two trips to Interbike and dozens of phone calls to end up with a replacement King 3, because they no longer offered the Protos. 

I just sent a Look back and had the replacement frame in 3 days. If you want good customer service get a Look.


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## MarcoL

I have a De Rosa King Lite, that has been repaired in factory 4 months ago, repaired at no cost. the service was excellent and super fast.


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## heartman

*The saga continues*

I received a phone call from Triatir (the USA distributor for De Rosa) that my frame has been returned to their warehouse without repairing the seat mast crack. They called me because they wanted my credit card number to pay for return shipping back to my home. So after almost a year it seems I will get my frame back in the same condition I sent it off and have to pay somewhere around $35 to get it returned. 

I suspect I may have been able to get better results by being in Italy or going directly to the factory, but all in all I'd have to say that this is certainly an example of poor customer service. So it's time to call Calfee and send the Idol up there, where presumably I will get treated better. 

I'll still ride my King3 and Tango. Not sure what I'll do with the Idol frame after I get it fixed up. Judging from what I've seem in the pre-release photos, the old style Idol is still a more elegant looking frame than the updated version. Maybe it will become collectible? ut:


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## dnalsaam

heartman said:


> I'll still ride my Tango...



Maybe that is why you got the cold shoulder  The Tango has to be the worst marketing nightmare that De Rosa ever had. It wouldn't surprise me if the family is haunted by the thought of anybody ever riding one of those, the anti-marketing bike.


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## heartman

*The Idol goes to Calfee*

The Idol returned from a year long journey through Trialtir and the factory in Milan in the same condition it was when it left my house. A quick e-mail to Calfee and they replied to send it on over and they'll hop onto it upon arrival. After a year of foot dragging and excuses by everybody involved it was nice to feel like maybe progress is possible again. The frame will go out by UPS in the morning.

And my Tango isn't so bad. It's not one of the "Frankenstein" looking frames with the red or yellow accents. Mine is clear carbon and silver / gray ribbons like the one in the attached picture. People do tend to either love it or hate it.


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## California L33

heartman said:


> I understand there is a piece of plastic PVC pipe inserted into the frame. I was the one who did that.


You were knowingly riding a PVC frame! Was there no broom handle available? You're either incredibly brave or something else. Who needs a new frame. With about nine bucks you can go to the hardware store and get enough PVC for a dozen frames. 

All kidding aside, is that why they declined warranty service? It seems pretty obvious you wouldn't put a piece of anything in there unless it was already broken.


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## heartman

*Sad but true*

Yeah, it's a long boring story. The crack in the carbon was (and still is) pretty superficial. When it first started to appear and I was told it would take three months for a replacement I found a thick walled PVC pipe about 2" long that wouldn't flex and glued it into the frame inside the seat mast spanning the area where the crack had appeared. It was meant to be a temporary solution until the new frame arrived. Little did I know that would be the excuse they used for denying replacement, let alone it would take a year for them to get around to finally sending me back the same frame I sent them originally. Live and learn.


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## bandoulu

I guess if you hadn't messed with the seatpost they would have replaced the frame..
Shame. 
I kind of like the King 3 myself.


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## heartman

Probably so. I guess we'll never know now. Still, it's a pretty crappy excuse to void the warranty based upon the story I've detailed in this series of posts. I don't think De Rosa is loosing any sleep about it. Hopefully Calfee will be able to get it sorted out and I can move on.


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## California L33

heartman said:


> Yeah, it's a long boring story. The crack in the carbon was (and still is) pretty superficial. When it first started to appear and I was told it would take three months for a replacement I found a thick walled PVC pipe about 2" long that wouldn't flex and glued it into the frame inside the seat mast spanning the area where the crack had appeared. It was meant to be a temporary solution until the new frame arrived. Little did I know that would be the excuse they used for denying replacement, let alone it would take a year for them to get around to finally sending me back the same frame I sent them originally. Live and learn.


Have you asked them what they were thinking? The homemade repair job might not have been the best idea in the world, but how can they justify denying warranty service? You wouldn't have repaired something that wasn't broken, and since it has to be replaced they can't say the repair made things worse. I'm guessing this will cost De Rosa a few sales. You might point their rep to this thread. 

I do recall talking to one of the LBS owners a while back. He said Specialized went out of their way to make customers happy with warranty service while other manufacturers went out of their way to deny claims. Maybe that's why you see so many Specializeds out there.


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## heartman

*They just don't seem to care*

I agree with your assessment of the situation. Another ironic twist is that I received a call from the rep at Calfee after their initial assessment of the frame. I was told that the frame with the PVC pipe embedded in the seat mast was shown to Craig Calfee, who suggested that the plastic piece be left in the frame because 1) it was too difficult to remove, and 2) it would add structural rigidity to help reinforce the seat mast (which was indeed my original reason for putting the plastic pipe inside the cracked section). 

I don't think the De Rosa factory is concerned with the impact of my disappointment upon their sales or reputation. If they were, then they would have acted differently. Anyway, I was told the frame would require a "Level 3" repair at Calfee and be ready sometime in the beginning of September. I'm sure they will do a great job. Then I'll be heading to Italy at the end of September for the Prosecco Gran Fondo. I was thinking it might be amusing to get the Idol back, build it up, take it back with me to the factory, and ask them if they remember this irreparable frame that "should never be ridden again." Maybe I can ask Cristiano to sign the frame. :lol:


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## California L33

heartman said:


> I agree with your assessment of the situation. Another ironic twist is that I received a call from the rep at Calfee after their initial assessment of the frame. I was told that the frame with the PVC pipe embedded in the seat mast was shown to Craig Calfee, who suggested that the plastic piece be left in the frame because 1) it was too difficult to remove, and 2) it would add structural rigidity to help reinforce the seat mast (which was indeed my original reason for putting the plastic pipe inside the cracked section).
> 
> I don't think the De Rosa factory is concerned with the impact of my disappointment upon their sales or reputation. If they were, then they would have acted differently. Anyway, I was told the frame would require a "Level 3" repair at Calfee and be ready sometime in the beginning of September. I'm sure they will do a great job. Then I'll be heading to Italy at the end of September for the Prosecco Gran Fondo. I was thinking it might be amusing to get the Idol back, build it up, take it back with me to the factory, and ask them if they remember this irreparable frame that "should never be ridden again." Maybe I can ask Cristiano to sign the frame. :lol:


I've heard De Rosas are great bikes, and I've admired a few on the road, but after the repair I'd ride it until I got tired of it, then sell it. If anybody asks about the PVC you can quite truthfully tell them that's how you received it from the factory  

There's enough good customer service around and great bikes that you can wash your hands of them.


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## nicensleazy

Its crap customer service. I think a good will gesture would of been better considering the press now this broken Idol is getting. The Idol does seem to be awash with problems, hence the new beefed up version for 2010!


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## smokva

I'm sure that somewhere in the warranty card it is stated that warranty is lost for repairing on and every kind of intervention in the product by unauthorized person. Piece of pipe put into the frame is just that...intervention in the product by unauthorized personnel. Warranty lost, end of story. Next time read warranty sheet and don't listen to stupid advices. The guy from Trialtir telling you that you can put a pipe in the frame is a idiot, if it broke you could end with serious injuries. Eventual compensation for loosing the warranty should come from Trialtir because they gave an advice to do something that is outside their authorisation which ended with warranty lost. In the end their fault is only moral because you are the one who did the damage. 
And if you ask me the offer De Rosa gave you is a sign of a good will.


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## heartman

*Repairs in progress*

While I agree that De Rosa certainly were probably within their legal rights to deny the warranty based upon my home grown repair, it certainly wasn't making a bad situation any worse. Obviously I would not have done anything to the frame if there was not a pre-existing problem. Now the frame is at Calfee Bicycles here in the USA, a top notch expert in carbon frame repair. They called me to explain that they are planning to leave the pipe in the frame because 1) it will add structural rigidity to the seat mast, and 2) it is going to be difficult to remove at this point. If Calfee thinks leaving the pipe in the seat mast is a reasonable way to help strengthen the seat mast, then maybe the idea wasn't so stupid. Not realizing De Rosa would use that pipe as a basis for voiding the warranty was short sighted on my part. 

And just to be clear, Trialtir never told me it was OK to glue the pipe in or that it was a good way to go. I had merely asked if I could do that to the local bike shop and they replied it didn't really matter since the frame was going to be replaced anyway. Trey from Trialtir insisted that I bring the frame in to be stripped once he heard that I had glued the pipe into the frame, assuring me a number of times afterward that a replacement frame was on the way over the course of almost a year. 

I'll update the thread once the frame comes back from Calfee with some new pictures so people can see how it turned out. They assure me that the repaired seat mast will be stronger than the original design and they will repair the logos and stripes as part of the repair to make it look as close to the original as possible. :thumbsup:


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## smokva

heartman said:


> While I agree that De Rosa certainly were probably within their legal rights to deny the warranty based upon my home grown repair, it certainly wasn't making a bad situation any worse. Obviously I would not have done anything to the frame if there was not a pre-existing problem.


Yes it did make a bad situation worse. Your home repair probably made the frame unrepairable to De Rosa standards. De Rosa would never repair it like Calfee probably will do...by adding hefty amount of carbon layers making some kind of carbon-resin bulk at the place of damage. I'm sure it would leave De Rosa factory repaired looking the same as new, or you would get replacement frame. I guess it would probably be the second.
Also, they can't be sure if your home repair did some kind of additional damage to the frame they are not able to detect and they sure can't guarantee it won't catastrophically fail leaving you injuried as a result. So yes my friend it did make a bad situation worse.
Personally I would give you a replacement frame just to be sure you don't try to ride it again and not to have you on conscience if it brakes and you injury yourself. But that's just me.

Anyway...I hope Calfee will do a good job on repair and you will be satisfied with the frame for years to come.

I have a friend that crashed and broke right seat stay on his LOOK 595 which is now repaired and working fine for a year. On the other hand, another friend wasn't so lucky with his Cannondale SuperSix. For no obvious reason chain stay cracked, he got it repaired and after some time other stay got cracked, but the repair itself holds.


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## California L33

smokva said:


> Yes it did make a bad situation worse. Your home repair probably made the frame unrepairable to De Rosa standards. De Rosa would never repair it like Calfee probably will do...by adding hefty amount of carbon layers making some kind of carbon-resin bulk at the place of damage. I'm sure it would leave De Rosa factory repaired looking the same as new, or you would get replacement frame. I guess it would probably be the second.
> Also, they can't be sure if your home repair did some kind of additional damage to the frame they are not able to detect and they sure can't guarantee it won't catastrophically fail leaving you injuried as a result. So yes my friend it did make a bad situation worse.
> Personally I would give you a replacement frame just to be sure you don't try to ride it again and not to have you on conscience if it brakes and you injury yourself. But that's just me.
> 
> Anyway...I hope Calfee will do a good job on repair and you will be satisfied with the frame for years to come.
> 
> I have a friend that crashed and broke right seat stay on his LOOK 595 which is now repaired and working fine for a year. On the other hand, another friend wasn't so lucky with his Cannondale SuperSix. For no obvious reason chain stay cracked, he got it repaired and after some time other stay got cracked, but the repair itself holds.


Makes sense, but only if they were planning on repairing and not replacing the frame. Does anyone know if any manufacturer repairs frames (De Rosa in particular)? I'd think, considering the price of the materials and the cost of labor, it would be far cheaper to just replace.


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## smokva

California L33 said:


> Makes sense, but only if they were planning on repairing and not replacing the frame. Does anyone know if any manufacturer repairs frames (De Rosa in particular)? I'd think, considering the price of the materials and the cost of labor, it would be far cheaper to just replace.


I don't think they repair carbon frames because they are hard to repair and time consuming. Also carbon is cheap enough, so they can afford to replace it.


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## heartman

*Calfee Idol repair complete - looks GREAT!*

This morning the Idol has returned from Calfee after about a month. The work they did is truly magic. See the attached pictures that show the work they did. Truly remarkable. The "De Rosa" name on either side of the seat tube had to be replaced and in the process they moved it downward to make it look more balanced. The pipe remains inside the seat tube since Calfee determined it would probably be helpful for adding additional strength to the seat mast. In view of the posts I've seen on the internet regarding integrated seat mast failures I figure that's a good thing. 

At the end of a long year of struggling with the factory I feel I made the right choice going with Calfee and spending $750 to get the original frame returned back to service. That's about half the price De Rosa wanted to charge me for a replacement Idol at 1,000 euro. Now it's time to smile, look for a Campy Super 11 group, and get the Idol back on the road. 

Thanks for the support. The moral of the story: don't mess with your De Rosa frame if it cracks. There is no sympathy from the factory, even if you have the best intentions.


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## nicensleazy

Well done my friend...a superb job! Enjoy your Idol, its a very pretty frame!


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## smokva

Good job by Calfee :thumbsup:


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## -dustin

wow. this thready is amazing. you must absolutely love that bike. there's no way in hell I'd have "De Rosa" plastered on my bike after what going through what you did.


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## California L33

heartman said:


> This morning the Idol has returned from Calfee after about a month. The work they did is truly magic. See the attached pictures that show the work they did. Truly remarkable. The "De Rosa" name on either side of the seat tube had to be replaced and in the process they moved it downward to make it look more balanced. The pipe remains inside the seat tube since Calfee determined it would probably be helpful for adding additional strength to the seat mast. In view of the posts I've seen on the internet regarding integrated seat mast failures I figure that's a good thing.
> 
> At the end of a long year of struggling with the factory I feel I made the right choice going with Calfee and spending $750 to get the original frame returned back to service. That's about half the price De Rosa wanted to charge me for a replacement Idol at 1,000 euro. Now it's time to smile, look for a Campy Super 11 group, and get the Idol back on the road.
> 
> Thanks for the support. The moral of the story: don't mess with your De Rosa frame if it cracks. There is no sympathy from the factory, even if you have the best intentions.


It's a nice looking repair. The credit goes to you and Calfee (still think De Rosa's CS is... can't print it here). The good news is you have the only custom made De Rosa carbon/PVC frame on the planet


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## rocco

heartman said:


> This morning the Idol has returned from Calfee after about a month. The work they did is truly magic. See the attached pictures that show the work they did. Truly remarkable. The "De Rosa" name on either side of the seat tube had to be replaced and in the process they moved it downward to make it look more balanced. The pipe remains inside the seat tube since Calfee determined it would probably be helpful for adding additional strength to the seat mast. In view of the posts I've seen on the internet regarding integrated seat mast failures I figure that's a good thing.
> 
> At the end of a long year of struggling with the factory I feel I made the right choice going with Calfee and spending $750 to get the original frame returned back to service. That's about half the price De Rosa wanted to charge me for a replacement Idol at 1,000 euro. Now it's time to smile, look for a Campy Super 11 group, and get the Idol back on the road.
> 
> Thanks for the support. The moral of the story: don't mess with your De Rosa frame if it cracks. There is no sympathy from the factory, even if you have the best intentions.


WOW!! Calfee did one hell of a job! I'm very impressed... I wouldn't hesitate to send my Time VXRS to Calfee for repair if anything happened to it and Time Sport USA couldn't or refused to rectify the problem. 

BTW, It really seems like Trialtir was the one who really gave you the bum steer and should have done more for you to make it right. 

P.S. Definitely roll your repaired Idol into the De Rosa factory if you ever have a chance.


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