Santa Cruz Bicycles Announces Recall on Some 2020 Aluminum Nomad, Bronson, 5010, & Furtado Models
Bronson 3a Aluminum in Olive
Santa Cruz Bicycles and Juliana Bicycles have issued a recall on the following Santa Cruz Bicycles and Juliana 2020 model and color combinations:
• Nomad 4a Aluminum in Black or Eggplant
• Bronson 3a Aluminum in Red Tide or Olive
• Roubion 3a Aluminum in Maritime Grey
• 5010 3a Aluminum in Dark Grey, or Robins Egg
• Furtado 3a Aluminum in Fog
They say that some aluminum frames were thermally damaged during a non-standard paint stripping operation and may bend or buckle, which could pose a fall hazard.
Affected riders should go to santacruzbicycles.com/aluminum-frame-recall or call 1-833-944-8335 to arrange for frame inspection. Santa Cruz says that unaffected bikes will be returned while consumers with affected frames can choose either a replacement aluminum frame or a refund voucher for the value of the recalled frame.
FULL NOTICE FROM FRAME REGISTRATION PAGE
Thank you for visiting the Santa Cruz Bicycles and Juliana aluminum bicycle frame recall registration page.
Santa Cruz Bicycles, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, is conducting a recall of the following Santa Cruz Bicycles and Juliana model-year 2020 aluminum frame model and color combinations:
- Nomad 4a Aluminum in Black or Eggplant;
- Bronson 3a Aluminum in Red Tide or Olive;
- Roubion 3a Aluminum in Maritime Grey;
- 5010 3a Aluminum in Dark Grey, or Robins Egg
- Furtado 3a Aluminum in Fog.
This recall does not affect any other Santa Cruz Bicycles or Juliana models or colors.
Some aluminum frames were thermally damaged during a non-standard paint stripping operation and may bend or buckle, which could pose a fall hazard.
If you have one of the affected model and color combinations listed above, you can take the bike back to your local dealer, who can register the bike for you and arrange for shipment free of charge. Taking the bike to your dealer is the most efficient way to arrange for inspection and recall processing. If you prefer, or do not have a convenient local dealer, you can also register the bike by filling out the form below.
If your bike is subject to the recall, we will send you a pre-paid shipping box with instructions on how to package your bike for shipping.
Once we receive the bike, we will inspect the aluminum frame. If we determine that your frame is not affected, we will return the bike to your dealer or to you. If your frame is affected, we will notify you so you can decide whether you would like a replacement frame or a voucher for the value of the frame. The voucher can be used towards the purchase of another Santa Cruz or Juliana product.
Thank you again for visiting the recall registration page. Our riders’ safety is our top priority, and we apologize for any inconvenience and will work hard to get you back out on the trail as soon as possible.
Thank you for visiting the Santa Cruz Bicycles and Juliana aluminum bicycle frame recall registration page.
Santa Cruz Bicycles, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, is conducting a recall of the following Santa Cruz Bicycles and Juliana model-year 2020 aluminum frame model and color combinations:
- Nomad 4a Aluminum in Black or Eggplant;
- Bronson 3a Aluminum in Red Tide or Olive;
- Roubion 3a Aluminum in Maritime Grey;
- 5010 3a Aluminum in Dark Grey, or Robins Egg
- Furtado 3a Aluminum in Fog.
This recall does not affect any other Santa Cruz Bicycles or Juliana models or colors.
Some aluminum frames were thermally damaged during a non-standard paint stripping operation and may bend or buckle, which could pose a fall hazard.
If you have one of the affected model and color combinations listed above, you can take the bike back to your local dealer, who can register the bike for you and arrange for shipment free of charge. Taking the bike to your dealer is the most efficient way to arrange for inspection and recall processing. If you prefer, or do not have a convenient local dealer, you can also register the bike by filling out the form below.
If your bike is subject to the recall, we will send you a pre-paid shipping box with instructions on how to package your bike for shipping.
Once we receive the bike, we will inspect the aluminum frame. If we determine that your frame is not affected, we will return the bike to your dealer or to you. If your frame is affected, we will notify you so you can decide whether you would like a replacement frame or a voucher for the value of the frame. The voucher can be used towards the purchase of another Santa Cruz or Juliana product.
Thank you again for visiting the recall registration page. Our riders’ safety is our top priority, and we apologize for any inconvenience and will work hard to get you back out on the trail as soon as possible.
We've reached out to Santa Cruz for a statement, and will update this story when we get more information.
Update: Santa Cruz has updated the statement to clarify that the frames were thermally damaged in the paint stripping operation. We've updated the story accordingly.
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FYI I do own a carbon bike as well just cause it was 60% off. Would've rather an alu, but my pocketbook wins out in the end lol
Previously it was overpriced for the spec vs the competition ($9k CDN to get into Performance Elite / X2 + XT) and now sprinkle in a dash of recycled / repainted frames and marginally dated geo.
But ya, Yeti, Specialized, Kona, RM....all have their detractors and that's totally OK here in the PB forums but it's off limits to say anything negative about the "boutique" almighty SantaCruz. Bring on the downvotes.
Sure, they made a balls up, but the customer service is still great.
When you accuse people of being "blindly santa cruz devoted" you're implying that people are too stupid to know what they're buying. I bought a frame only Bronson this year because the suspension design was appealing and I actually wanted a bike that wasn't super long. I would be the first to say that their bikes aren't better than anyone elses, but people on PB need to realize that not everyone is freaking broke and that for a lot of people $1000 price difference between two different bikes isn't a deciding factor.
The lower end models will always have compromises in certain areas, and all brands do this. The cost of the bikes between brands is usually with a few $100. I have noticed Santa Cruz tends to have some of the most well thought out and consistent (FULL drive train of equivalent level, no "GX derailleur with NX everything else, proper tire spec etc) build kits.
I would be shocked if most bike brands were not repainting last year's frames as current colours. It just makes sense. If the bike is remaining unchanged for a number of years (normally 2-4 year cycles), why would a company sell those models at a discount when they could "freshen" up to the new colour and make full margin.
How you can call that good customer service is baffling.
Umm you're either going to get back your perfectly fine bike that has been tested or a brand new frame. Not sure what your deal is.
What I meant is that I personnaly find the "get your frame back, a new one (which from what I understand, is going to be alloy) or a voucher for another (carbon) frame" options come a little short considering people will lose their bikes for extended periods of time. Whether said person is still riding or not, I can easily see this playing out on 4-5 weeks to a few months, depending on each situation. Lot's of factors come into play here, which are out of SC's control, but the fact remains that the problem starts with them. I just hope that people will be compensated accordingly, and that even if you get the exact same frame back, there's some extra in there for all the trouble.
That being said, I personnaly own a Santa Cruz, and have but good things to say about the quality of my bike or the service from their warranty department (just ordered replacement bearings). And I also saw Scott Turner's comment a little lower, and props to them for reacting so quickly. Guess I'm just curious to see how this plays out in the end.
As a customer personally I'm satisfied that they found a potential problem and are spending the money to make sure their frames are safe. If this happened frequently it would be another story.
www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-CA/bikes/bronson
Just under $5k CDN - Yari, NX, Guide T brakes......gross. Other than value what has always grinded my gears (pun intended) is it's off limits to make comments on PB that go against SC.
There nothing better than passing a bunch of guys on their $10k SantaCruz bike scoping out a 4foot drop.
Seriously get over it. People with lots of money have nice things.
Certainly not over priced
Get over yourself.
Don’t be that guy...
If passing people is important to you, do it on a race course...
Don’t be belittle other riders who are trying out new features they’ve never done before.
In the world of mountainbikes you're supposed to be happy about a voucher for the same amount that you paid.
All in all, most brands all have similar prices for similar spec give or take a few hundred bucks, and are pretty much all made well (of course things like this recall can happen). Each brand has their own thing going for them, and their own ride personality. You can't go wrong with almost any bike, and unless you're getting the top of the line model, EVERY brand will have areas of compromise. It's up to the customer to decide which spec compromises are ok to live, and which aren't.
They are not the first to offer replacement or brand credit and given the bike shortage the credit might be the easiest way to a resolution as frames may be scare depending on how many are affected by the recall.
Some companies will actually upgrade you if they don’t have a replacement in stock although that is happening less and less these days.
Even thought this is a voluntary recall, in the US (And in association with Health Canada) we still have to work with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and follow all their recall guidelines for what we are allowed to offer as a solution that applies to everyone.
Typically this is 'Repair or Replace', but repairing individual frame components (Front triangle and/or swingarm) does not feel like a quick or good solution for the customer, so we all agreed to the replace the full frame or offer a frame voucher in equal value of the replacement to use if they want a different Santa Cruz product. Everyone agreed that this was a better solution.
Did you see Rockys last recall? They didn't even paint match the replacement front triangles.
I'm taking advantage of this to repaint the rear triangle (flat black), changing the bearings (half rolled rough on the fingers) and getting a new dropper lever (PNW Loam in orange).
I regret buying their brand.
First off, the recall press releases you see and wording you see on our website are all run through the United States CPSC. We realize it's not always in the most conversationally clear tone, so sorry if there is some confusion there.
I'd blame the lawyers, but our SCB lawyer is both bigger in the brain department, and goes bigger on a bike than me, so I have nothing but love for him.
The Aluminum frames in question are listed above, and the number of bikes we are looking for in this recall are less than 300 frame components (front triangles and/or swingarms). The frames in question were sent to a paint vendor for repaint and they apparently used heat to help strip the frames and some were exposed to a temperature in excess of what is required to keep the frames correctly heat treated. This will leave those specific frame components weakened and unsafe to ride.
Unfortunately we need to test ALL the frames from that Aluminum production batch to find these specific frame components, so everyone with one of the frames listed will need to take their bike to their dealer (Or contact us direct, but dealer will be way quicker) and sent in for a non-destructive test. More than 90% of those frames are expected to pass testing and be returned ready to ride.
It goes without saying, but still important to state that our riders safety is our top priority, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
I also apologize for the wall of text here in the comments.
I'll try and stick around for a bit and answer any specific questions here in this post thread.
Scott Turner
Santa Cruz Bicycles
Usually yes, all the frames are tracked through each production process so you catch things out of the norm before they get any further. That's where the "non-standard" wording comes in, as a repaint is never part of our standard manufacturing process.
Since it's something we not usually do, these specific frames were already in the 100% completed stage which requires no more production tracking. Just shipping. The frames were grabbed out of finished product warehouse and sent out for repaint just for the color change. Definitely that should have also been tracked in hindsight, but there was no standard operating procedure for that process.
Oh, and when's the V4 Bronson coming? Keep it 27.5 all round pleeeeease! Got to get my monies worth out of my Reserves! ha ha
Even if nothing else changed (geometry, design, parts spec, etc) that still strikes me as dishonest and the handful of people I shared this with all agreed and were shocked and appalled. Is this industry standard??
Last years bike is this years bike. Your looking for a discount on color and are angry because they don’t want to waste unsold stock
Not sure what part of this seems dishonest. Painted one color, wanted another color and changed it.
It's not a standard process for us, but seemed like a simple solution.
Obviously we were very wrong about the "simple" part in the process.
You appear to feel entitled to a discount on a previous year's bike. If there are no changes - none at all - between frames from one year to the next, there is no justification for a discount because they are not different bikes.
The situation is simple:
Based on available information, it's not a matter of frames being "fiddled with" or shady practices. It was a financial decision that repainting frames was cheaper and easier than trying to sell the same frames with last year's colours; unfortunately, the decision went awry when the wrong process was used, which subsequently exposed insufficient tracking practices.
To expand further:
Santa Cruz wants all frames being shipped to have current-year colours. This required repainting the frames that had been painted in last year's colours to this year's colours.
The method chosen for paint removal was incorrect and damaged the aluminum. This error was not caught and damaged frames were sold. Additional complication has resulted from insufficient tracking procedures to identify the affected frames from the serial numbers, so physical testing is required.
As such, a large number of frames are being recalled for testing. Most will be fine, as they were not repainted or were repainted via safe methods. Some will not be fine and, presumably, will be replaced.
Just think for a second if you were someone who bought one of these repainted bikes, it failed, and you ended up with a broken bone or worse paralyzed or dead over it. It's the fact they decided "it's cheaper for us to repaint these frames than offer a discount", insufficient QC ensued, and hundreds of people ended up riding unsafe bikes. Good on SC for making it right but everyone outside of the bike industry I have told this to has been outright appalled.
And it's not just me who thinks last year's model should be discounted. SC wouldn't have spent the money to have them repainted if they thought the bikes could be sold as-is. They were repainted because the demand for last year's model without a discount would not have been sufficient.
If information comes to light that Santa Cruz did willfully or knowingly sell sub-standard frames, then I will share your opinion. Doing so would expose Santa Cruz to potentially millions of dollars in lawsuits on top of a probable recall, just to save several thousand dollars. It is unlikely they would take such a risk.
If repainting caused no damage - as would've been the case if they'd used the proper technique - then go ahead and repaint it a hundred times. If nothing changes, then ... well, nothing changes.
The problem is that something did change, and now Santa Cruz is fixing it.
Santa Cruz chose to repaint them because some people share your perception that a discount is warranted due to an unfounded perception of last year's colour being sub-standard, despite being mechanically identical.
As you said, the decision was made for reasons of demand, not for any reason of performance. Once properly repainted, you - and everyone like you - could've had a frame with current-year paint over top of metal tubes that neither know nor care when they were extruded, hydroformed, and welded. Unfortunately, the repainting was not done correctly, damage was incurred, and the frames were not identical. Santa Cruz will replace these frames, thereby restoring the status of mechanical identity between "last year's" frames and "this year's" frames.
If done properly, nothing would've ever been different, let alone unsafe.
Many, many companies will repaint unused stock (frames) to the next year's colors if the frame itself is a carryover. One company had complicated paint jobs on a particular model, and the paint would have a high rejection rate. The ones with "bad" paint jobs would be repainted to a simpler stock color. (Not sure how many years they bothered with that.)
What if they washed the frame, and for some reason it was still dirty? Would you expect them to tell you that this particular frame was washed twice instead of just once, being "fiddled with" one extra time?
It's not like they've given you last years fork, derailleur ect ect, it's a piece of metal.
If a vehicle is damaged in transportation from the manufacturer , they absolutely repair them and sell them as new. That means body and paint work on a brand new car and they don’t have to disclose that information to you. It happens all the time.
@R-M-R: SC is known for owning its own factories, and it sounds like this job was farmed out. It's a hit to their reputation regardless of how well situation is handled
@vemegen: Funny story, I once had an email conversation with a guy who wanted to start a bike brand, but we (Santa Cruz) make a bike model that uses his last name and he thought we should give him the rights to that bike name because it's his actual name. I just pointed out my own name and asked him if he thought I could claim the bike industry use rights to either of Scott or Turner??
grangehill.fandom.com/wiki/Maurice_Bronson
If the paint of the repainted part didn't match, a. They probably wouldn't send it out in the first place and b. You'd just do a warranty for the non matching paint part.
This really is a non issue, the only problem is the time off the bike having to faff about getting it tested.
Ski season is here. Just had the kids on the hill for the first day of the year. The bike is already disassembled to be sent away.
Or should I be demanding a brand new bike as well as a new e-bike for compensation?
Looks like my bad at feeding the troll?
I recognise both sides of the argument (apart from I have no problem with the act of respraying unsold frames). So far, I think the steps SC are taking err on the side of good form. I’m strongly reserving judgment though. If I end up without a frame for months, or difficulty sourcing a replacement and I end up with a voucher to buy frames that aren’t in stock I will be apoplectic. We’re in lockdown here in the UK and mountain biking is pretty much the only release.
The old adage “actions speak louder than words” is truer than ever here. The words so far are okay, how you deal with this over the coming weeks will define the company’s reputation in the mountain bike community for the next 20years.
This is considered a Voluntary Recall because we found the issue ourselves, then contacted the CPSC/Health Canada, our dealers and customers to notify them all of the issue.
Thanks for making it crystal clear what is happening though!
Are they absolutely certain their testing equipment is fit for purpose and set up properly? This situation would go from bad to a whole lot worse if the test produces false negatives. A known bad sample - just a segment of tubing would be fine - should be sent to the service centres performing these tests to verify the process.
I'm not saying anything about the likelihood of false negatives - it's entirely possible the test is foolproof and perfect - just something to consider!
The better question would be - would customers be comfortable knowing their frame was previously another color and had been stripped then repainted?
My understanding of thermal paint stripping is that it's usually done at temperatures up to 450°C, which is a bit lower than the typical solution treatment temperature for T6 aluminum and well above the precipitation hardening temperature. Likely hot enough to alter the material properties.
Boo f*cking hoo
I used to work at Bike Friday (making folding bikes) and when we had a blem post-paint we’d burn the paint off with oxycetaline torch...
Get learnt.
In fact, was there a SC recall before? I don't think so. 2020 was hard enough for SC. I believe they will sort this out. I do have trust in the company.
Wait till I tell you about the automotive industry!
Comparing this to the automotive industry is one of the stupidest things I've read on PB.
That said, don't see why they can't instruct the dealers on what to look for and then there's no down time unless you need a frame.
Not sure how much time I'll have for Q&A but I am around for a bit!
Thanks
Scott
@alpha-bio: no problems with DT on my 2017C or 2019CC so long as it's tight to start. Though now I call it a kick-tight rather than through-axle. No need to dismount to check. Threads are greased everywhere there's a threaded surface except maybe linkage bolts--shop did that. Not certain I want to know how the sausage is made. Bummer for Santa but they earned it
If so, it's an expensive job & who will fund it being re fitted ?
Will replacement frames be V3 alloy or V4 carbon ?
Due to low stock (or the frame getting repainted?!) We had to wait months for our frame to arrive, I finally get it built up for my partner & now it has to be returned, poor lass just wants her dream bike to ride.
As I have one of the affected frames, and my bike has literally been taken off of me, I ask why I have not been given a replacement/demo bike while mine is being looked at?
I fully understand that you had to recall them and I'm pleased you are concerned for your customers safety but this is out of order really... I have bike trips arranged and bike parks booked which i have paid for. Not only that, but I'm missing my bike which I paid you for, if you buy a new car they give you a replacement while yours is being seen to? So where's my bike? Even if its not a nomad, just something i can ride, and I speak for everyone who has had a frame recalled
Also i would like conformation that if my frame is affected i will get another Nomad, as my shop seems to believe you have stopped making them now..
I'm not hating, my bike rode amazingly when i had it, just concerned
Cheers, Dylan
@atestisthis: If this process is so standard then why did it go wrong? See above regarding the discount.
1) I have the actual receipt from my friend 'Pedro' who bought it for me -will that be honored in this recall?
2) My local shop says I need to pay for the shipping............
Ok last questions, turn around time?
"Aluminum in Fog"
How about coal during the night or milk in the snow ?
Are all countries affected? Are you pertaining to built bikes only? Any other means of narrowing it down?
Ultimately, their manufacturing team f*cked up, didn’t even bother to inspection the batch of chemically stripped frames. You don’t even have to inspect them all. Like when you make custom washers. Inspection 1:1000.
But let’s be real, will this hurt their image, probably not. Like Yeti, there are some hardcore Santa Cruz fanboys. One bump in the road does nothing.
Assuming this would be cost prohibitive under US regulation for dip operations, emissions permits, and disposal cost.
Somehow I don’t think you will be missed with that attitude.
Later!
But as we've seen, if not done perfectly, it can cause safety concerns. The part I have a problem with is Santa Cruz not being transparent about this process UNTIL THERE WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. Willful or not, the QC process was negligent at the VERY LEAST or this would have been caught before the bikes were sold and BEST CASE for the affected buyers is a headache/project of taking their bike in and being without it for weeks while they wait to get what they paid for to begin with (a rideable, safe bike) while worst case is an injury, paralysis, or death.
The reason a discount is warranted is that whenever these bikes are to be sold used, potential buyers are going to say "oh that's X color, it must be the 2019 model instead of the 2020 model" and will not be willing to pay as much. Why would I buy something at full price if it means it's going to be worth less when I go to sell it?
I'm not saying they're a bad or dishonest brand and honestly my next bike will likely be a Hightower.