Amflow PL Carbon owners, check your seat tube for cracks!

[Astro66]

And some fanboys call it "professional attitude".

Mate. Saying you don't offer warranty on international purchases, then following through and not offering the warranty when someone does exactly that, is a "Professional Attitude". Offering the warranty to you would be unprofessional to the dealer networks and thousands of other buyers who bought through the correct network.

Do what you say. Say what you do. Professionalism.

Knowing you shouldn't get warranty, then misrepresenting Amflow, to try and bully them into giving the warranty, is Unprofessional. I know you'll never see it this way. It goes with the attitude.

 

[Balduin]

Behind Amflow stands the tech giant DJI. Unfortunately, this is clearly evident in their customer service structure.
While established bicycle brands often handle known manufacturing defects in a flexible and straightforward manner—and replace the product without any hassle—Amflow’s customer service sometimes demands absurd proof when a warranty claim is filed.
As a buyer, that definitely puts me off.

 

[Joecrow]

der Kundendienst von Amflow manchmal absurde Beweise, wenn ein Garantieanspruch geltend gemacht wird.

Zum Beispiel? Ich würde gerne einen Vergleich mit einer deutschen Fahrradmarke anstellen.
(Such as? I'm interested to compare against a German bike brand.)

 

[Moderator]

ok, lets stop padding the thread out with repeated discussions on warranties and keep it to discussing any potential seat tube issues, possible frame batches and any solutions - or otherwise.

As a reminder, please post in English on the forum.

Thanks.

 

[Balduin]

Zum Beispiel? Ich würde gerne einen Vergleich mit einer deutschen Fahrradmarke anstellen.
(Such as? I'm interested to compare against a German bike brand.)

Example? I'll give you one:
Specialized once had a problem with Brose where the belt kept breaking.
Specialized simply extended the warranty for that model line from two to four years.

 

[Joecrow]

Example? I'll give you one:
Specialized once had a problem with Brose where the belt kept breaking.
Specialized simply extended the warranty for that model line from two to four years.

I was looking for an example of the quote, if my translation is correct:-
"Amflow's customer service sometimes demands absurd amounts of evidence when a warranty claim is made."

 

[Balduin]

I gave you an example of how someone else acts; at a certain point, you have to think for yourself.

 

[Joecrow]

I gave you an example of how someone else acts; at a certain point, you have to think for yourself.

So is it fair enough to say that despite your claim about Amflow customer service you can't actually come up with an example!

 

[insplean]

ok, lets stop padding the thread out with repeated discussions on warranties and keep it to discussing any potential seat tube issues, possible frame batches and any solutions - or otherwise.

As a reminder, please post in English on the forum.

Thanks.

I think it’s just important for them to argue)

 

[skizzian]

I think the problem also lies in the construction—the seam where the carbon layers meet runs through this area. The photo shows the spot after the paint and clear coat have been removed.

View attachment 187544

the seam is a small 'stress raiser' but I'd imagine most carbon frames would have the tool close in that axis (it's the lay up underneath that counts mainly).
the most obvious stress is the end of the inserted dropper post - pivoting 240mm from the seat clamp, it's a large moment, perhaps the diameter of the seatpost tube is too large, allowing that movement - does the seatpost drop in or need a twist?
Whatever has happened (there are many places manufacturing could fail) it points to poor QC.

 

[insplean]

the seam is a small 'stress raiser' but I'd imagine most carbon frames would have the tool close in that axis (it's the lay up underneath that counts mainly).
the most obvious stress is the end of the inserted dropper post - pivoting 240mm from the seat clamp, it's a large moment, perhaps the diameter of the seatpost tube is too large, allowing that movement - does the seatpost drop in or need a twist?
Whatever has happened (there are many places manufacturing could fail) it points to poor QC.

I measured the length of the dropper post inside the frame today and noticed something very interesting: the center of the crack is quite far from the bottom of the dropper. This means the issue definitely isn't caused by pressure from the end of the post itself. Also, more than ten riders have already encountered this problem. This leads me to hypothesize that the issue isn't due to poor quality control or manufacturing oversight, but rather a defective mold. A subtle protrusion might have formed in that spot, creating a stress concentration point. Of course, they really should have tested units produced from that mold, but no one is going to tell us the truth (I’d appreciate any information at all from Amflow, though I doubt they’ll even reply).

 

[skizzian]

I measured the length of the dropper post inside the frame today and noticed something very interesting: the center of the crack is quite far from the bottom of the dropper. This means the issue definitely isn't caused by pressure from the end of the post itself. Also, more than ten riders have already encountered this problem. This leads me to hypothesize that the issue isn't due to poor quality control or manufacturing oversight, but rather a defective mold. A subtle protrusion might have formed in that spot, creating a stress concentration point. Of course, they really should have tested units produced from that mold, but no one is going to tell us the truth (I’d appreciate any information at all from Amflow, though I doubt they’ll even reply).

I still think it's more likely to be poor lay up or vacuum or oven
also the end of the crack may not be where it propagated from; but you have it in your hand and have seen it in the frame so you will have a better feel for what's going on than me.
the carbon layers shouldn't 'meet' in that area, there should be different shape, size and types of weaves overlayed to give strength in the required directions. The mould gives a nice skin to the gel coat - the inflatable form inside could also have been off - that would constitute part of the mould, but any voids or inclusions would be hidden.
having said that I have a D shape 'carbon' Giant seat post that keeps snapping - it's not a layup at all - looks like a short strand injection - but I doubt that would be the case here