Rob VS. Selle Italia

I was so pissed. One day I discovered the rear section of my hyper-performance Selle Italia saddle was made of freaking plastic. I mean the part that supports your weight.



It broke.



The metal rails go into this stupid plastic cowling, which looks cool and so aero, and then the urethane "pads" that are supposed to cushion you are attached to rails made of more PLASTIC!!!! If you look at most saddles designed by intelligent beings, the metal goes back all the way to the rear.



What really burned my ass was that they painted it to look like metal.



Shimano started doing the same thing with their 105 brake levers. But you don't sit on brake levers.



Accept that if you put anything plastic on a bicycle, it's going to break if you ride with any regularity. The results could lead to someone having to spoon feed you...



So I contacted Selle Italia, the first rep got very defensive, accused me of damaging it, and claimed that "our saddles go through extensive labratory testing"... Then he noted that its out of warranty.



I know it's out of warranty. DUH. The issue is really about safety. And I think they need to hear our cries. Otherwise they'll keep doing this, and someone will die , if they haven't already.



The bike is ten years old, yes, I know that.

But this one doesn't have millions of miles, and has never been crashed. It's been pampered, actually. My chain isn't even stretched yet.



Again, The warranty is not the issue. The issue is it's a design flaw, and a very serious one. I could still have probably sued them and won. Someday I will learn how to fake an accident.



I am still trying to settle this, do you think I have a chance?

I'm being relatively civil in my emails, (turns out I can't paste the whole thread because my CTL-V thing doesn't work for some reason)... and I do appreciate the fact that this guy, who is probably in Italy, is taking some time to at least acknowledge me. The first guy was an arrogant snot, probably age 22.

If they blow me off, I will get dropped softly, with Italian grace, and won't be as likely to blog insanely about it. Keep in mind I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. It's a 50/50 chance. It's really not about me wanting a brand new saddle.



But the kicker is his sentence (paraphrased) "We have not had any design flaws in the past 15 years. It's probably "worn out". Notice he had to say 15 years, not 20, not 35...

A perfect record for 15 years? I don't buy it.



DUH. Of course it's "worn out" .It's made of freaking PLASTIC!!!! Hello?



Chances are, if it were steel it would still be fine. Plastic cannot sustain vibration. If it could, they'd make bike frames out of it. Maybe bridges...

If you want to lecture me about "planned obsolesence in American consumers, I would argue that most bike saddles get worn out anyway by being leaned against walls, trees and stuff, The back corners get ratty, and the owner buys a new one because it looks crappy, not because the structural system that supports all his weight has failed because it's made of f-ing PLASTIC!!!!



You have to look at bikes carefully when you purchase them these days. This is how manufacturers cut small corners to make incremental profits. Probably a nickle per item in the bike industry.

Lee Iacocca did this with the dreaded Ford Pinto. They actually calculated the cost of protecting the gas tank with a simple METAL plate vs. money lost by lawsuits when drivers burned alive after being rear-ended. Ka-boom!!!!

True story. Look it up!



Plastic "starter" pedals are another favorite of mine. The bearings usually fail within a year, so the bike shop gets you back in the door. To spend at least 39.99.

The manufacturers calculate the lifespan, they know all about stress factors, tensile strength, and load capacities...



Here's the whole thread:



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"before sending the saddle to us, send us pictures so we can check the saddle"..

(why? I want to send it all the way to Italy, so it will clutter your office)



"..Our products are listed with a 24 month warranty...If I recall your bike was purchased more than 10 years ago, so the warranty period is expired..."

(yes I know, that's not the issue)



We have not had any design flaws in the past 15 years so I'm afraid that the problem you have might just be a "worn out" issue or something NOT caused by the saddle itself

(like what? exposure to sunlight? Ultra violet light can biodegrade f-ing PLASTIC. )



The final answer will be given when we can see what model it is and the problem you have."

(Ok, thanks. You do at least get credit for dragging this out to make it appear like you actually care about your customer. Leave a slight glimmer of hope, I will cling to that.)

It's funny, they make handlebars out of carbon fiber, which is esssentially plastic.

None of the pro racers use them, they still prefer aluminum.

Remember that.