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Specialized Announces Voluntary Recall of Forks for 2012-2013 Tarmac SL4, 2013 Crux and 2013 Secteur Disc

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Specialized Bikes announced a wide recall today of the forks from 3 of their high end road and cyclocross bicycles. The models include the 2012 and 2013 Tarmac SL4, the 2013 Crux, and the 2013 Secteur Disc. Specialized brought the recall on after learning of a potential issue with the carbon steerer tubes of the forks. So far, there have only been two isolated instances where the steerer tube had either cracked or broken, but Specialized is taking every precaution and recalling the forks on approximately 12,200 bicycles in the US.

Consumers who have purchased a bike that is affected by the recall are to bring their bikes into an authorized Specialized dealer where the fork will be inspected and replaced if necessary. In a move to compensate for the inconvenience, Specialized is offering all affected riders a $100 credit towards the purchase of Specialized branded merchandise redeemable in store in a single transaction.

“We are proactively recalling these bikes as a precaution and out of safety for our riders, which is our highest priority,” said Mike Sinyard, Chief Executive Officer. “We take quality very seriously and are working with our dealers to inspect these bikes and get our riders back on their bikes quickly and safely.”

For more information on the recall check out Specialized’ site under the Support and Safety notices, or within the US call 1-877-808-8154 for Customer support.

 

 

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26 Comments
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openmold
openmold
11 years ago

Nothing to see here… just your standard bi-annual Specialized fork recall.

Hungry4Shht
Hungry4Shht
11 years ago

Good for them.

Tommy Nickels
Tommy Nickels
11 years ago

To be honest I’d prefer the bi-annual recalls rather than no recalls at all. No recalls doesn’t mean problems don’t exist. Given how much Specialized has to lose, they aren’t going to risk a lawsuit for negligence, and I value that highly when working with a piece of equipment that could kill me.

Mike
Mike
11 years ago

Specialized, pump them out call them back. Money, money, money. Specialized, SHEESH!?.

Devo
11 years ago

at least they put out the voluntary recall notice.

Rog
Rog
11 years ago

its a shame it has taken months for specialized to make this recall. they have know about this issue for a long time

Mr. P
11 years ago

On bike forums… No good deed goes unpunished.

P

Matt
11 years ago

And the streak stays alive! That’s at least one recall a year since 2009. Woohooo, go for the high score boys.

Chris
Chris
11 years ago

Meh. Recalls are nothing new. Bridgestone, the can do no wrong gods of the retrogrouches, had to recall the steel forks on their cult classic XO-1 bike (I know because I had one). That was nearly 20 years ago and involved a flat crown STEEL fork! I really wonder if there are more recalls today than in the past or if we just hear about them more. Keep in mind a few things:
1) The bike industry is MUCH larger today than it was 20 years ago – both in terms of number of units produced but also in terms of overall penetration of the consumer market. That means more visibility in the media and also to the CPSC.
2) We have the internet and dozens of cycling specific websites to get out the word on any and all recalls.
3) Cycling companies are larger today and have a larger profile. That means a larger liability exposure.

dale
dale
11 years ago

How does their process with those giant stress testing machines miss defective steerer tubes?

http://www.specialized.com/bc/microsite/fact/design.html#/fact-forks

Torgeir Hanssen
Torgeir Hanssen
11 years ago

“Rog – 01/25/13 – 2:38pm
its a shame it has taken months for specialized to make this recall. they have know about this issue for a long time”

Evidence? Or are you gonna copout with the classic “My friend, who works at a Spesh dealer, said…” story?

Given the amount of bikes they make, it happens. It’s like saying that other brands are way better…when they make 10 bikes per year and never issue recalls.

johnny
johnny
11 years ago

In my opinion…… Specialized is the “Apple” of the bike world, they are simply massive. SO if they are the biggest (and the most expensive) then they should be held responsible to keep up high standards that come with that position. If apple are getting grief and a tonne of incredibly bad press for having a wonky antenna.. Then Specialized need to be crucified for the possibility of endangering a persons life with badly designed forks. Its simply unacceptable. I am just waiting for the day when people start to realize that every year bicycle makers have to make a lighter bicycle than the previous year, which ultimately means they are more susceptible to fatigue, not being as robust etc. meaning more accidents and therefore more recalls

Jayce
Jayce
11 years ago

@johnny how did you come to the “biggest(and the most expensive)” call? They’re neither, but they seem to be very proactive on fixing concerns like this fork recall, rather than reactive like people “just waiting for the day when”…

CapnCrunch
CapnCrunch
11 years ago

The haters are (deleted). You all always find something to b!tch about. SPC makes an awesome product and you know it. They are doing a recall that not only doesn’t cost you anything, but they are paying for the next-day shipping and giving the customers a hundred bucks. What other company would do that? NONE.

dale
dale
11 years ago

I still love my sl3 more than any other frame I could buy. Stripping and painting this sucker this spring. It would be nice if specialized sold forks separately and allowed online dealers. Can’t stand the LBS waste of money mark ups. We don’t really need to help pay rent for brick and mortar stores.

Phil
Phil
11 years ago

A friend of mine had a super costly, small custom company wheel set (no names here) it was sent in three times because of mechanical failure. The rear hub it was and they never got it back to perform flawless again. It now hangs on the wall as a sort of pricey piece of art. These hubs are still sold, although forums are full of threads proving the same failure. There is no press release and no recall on them. Plus it is funny, how customers seem to be more compliant dealing with it in this case. It seems to be forgivable, it is such a nice custom company, they were really light, they look cool… Big companies like Specialized did not become big by planting magic beans, nor by suing others (at least in the first place :), they grew bigger by making bikes and parts that a lot of people considered worth buying and found them good enough to eventually buy some more…

Alex TC
Alex TC
11 years ago

I love my SL3, it was quite an improvement over the already nice SL2 I had before in many ways. I do not have a single bad word to say about Specialized (love their SWorks shoes and also the helmet too), but I’m just glad I didn’t changed for the SL4 when I had the chance last year. I tested it for a couple of weeks and didn’t feel the same improvement over the 3 to justify, it’s one solid, balanced and still lightweight frame that performs great and mine’s perfect even after some serious mileage, including a couple or crashes and lots of racing on it. Nice to see the big S product policy though, high production (and sales) numbers also means this kind of problem do happen but they’re dealing fine with it imho.

Rasek
Rasek
11 years ago

It’s important to note that not all forks have been recalled, indicating it is most likely a manufacturing error rather than a design one. This type of failure is possible to all companies that uses a separate entity for manufacturing. This is however, yet another recall by Specialized focusing on their forks. Perhaps its time for them to seek out a more reliable partner in their manufacturing.

erik
erik
11 years ago

Specialized told me there is a “wave” in the carbon weave that creates a weak point. It’s purely a supplier issue and does not effect all forks. I’ve only had my bike a few weeks but I’m not taking chances. I also take a pragmatic view of this; I’m glad Specialized is being proactive and what would I do if it was my company.

Andrew
Andrew
11 years ago

thank you @johnny for starting the Specialized bashing,we always need that.

Johnny
Johnny
11 years ago

Sorry if i annoyed anyone with my comment. My bad, i have strong opinions sometimes and i will hold back next time. . Oh fyi. I ride 2005 tarmac pro so i am not completely against the company at all. I work for the FDA and everything is virtually zero tolerance. So its just how i see things. Anyway my apologies to anyone i annoyed.

Billy
Billy
11 years ago

Dale- Really you dont want to support your local bike shop? As a mechanic I am very offended by this. What happens if you need something on your bike fixed that is above your mechanical level? We are here to support every level of consumer. Without brick and mortar shops the market would be flooded with very low quality knock offs that are built to questionable quality. So what if specialized has another recall? They at least are recognizing the fact that they screwed up and fixing it. Also by stripping and repainting you bike will completely void the warranty on it. So if something happens to your frame you are screwed.

Kyle
Kyle
11 years ago

@Johnny – AHAHA, if the FDA is the standard you’re holding bike companies to, they all pass with flying colors. What a joke.

ixiz
ixiz
10 years ago

My LBS is awesome he sponsors and supports a race team, support group rides and at the races he wrenches. And on Group rides if you have a mechanical that he cant fix on the road he calls the shop and his troops comes to fix your bike on the ride or takes it back to the shop and usually fixed before the group ride finish. So pls support your LBS when you can

UmBaxter
UmBaxter
10 years ago

I bought my Tarmac SL4 Expert in May this year for £3000. On my way home tonight the steerer tube snapped and I came off. Thankfully whilst pulling off so no serious injury, but as I type this I am still in shock. I cannot believe how lucky I am. If that was in proper motion I’d either be dead or in hospital right now. Specialized have gone from hero to zero in my eyes. I am not impressed at all.

UmBaxter
UmBaxter
10 years ago

Update: turns out the bike shop had not complied with the recall and the fork was not checked. not the manufacturer’s fault.

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