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Kinesis Aithein poor Customer Service.

by Del73
Tue, Feb 10, 2015 11:50
17

Hi folks,
I was wondering if any of you have had any warranty issues with Kinesis Bikes and specifically the Kinesis Aithein Black Annodised Frameset? As I am having some issues with my new frameset and I am being fobbed off by Kinesis bikes customer services/warranty people.

I purchased the above frameset on 23rd nov from winstanleys bikes and built it up over the festive period with full ultegra group set and deda components. The bike was first used on the 20th jan 2015 and has been used 4 times since covering 195km. During this period I have noticed the White graphics on the bike have become tarnished and the bike now looks pretty poor in my eyes. The bike was cleaned after every ride.

Kinesis are telling me this is staining due to dirt and have suggested it is a maintenance issue which is total nonsense.

Opinions please ?

Thanks
Derek

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17 comments

Avatar
700c | 9 years ago
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Surprised about the poor customer service - They've only ever been good to me when I had a frame problem (I broke two!) resolved under warranty, but then I did go through my LBS at the time, who were a major Kinesis dealer and on v good terms with them apparently. Would recommend you physically go to a shop to buy one and let them resolve any issues you come across on your behalf.

@Point: I now own the GF Ti (original version)

Firstly the white paint lettering: Yes after a while it does tarnish - this is a similar issue I had with my GF SC that I had beforehand which was finished totally in white, and starting to fade in patches; bigger problem on that one, I just don't think the paint is robustly finished. Using strong degreasing or cleaning agents doesn't seem to help much, in fact possibly makes it worse - I kind of wish there was no paint lettering on it as the titanium finish comes up beautifully when cleaned!

Secondly the ride: Absolutely bloody love it! I don't care about the paint issues at all to be honest and the lettering is only visible in small sections anyway. A very versatile bike: rigid enough for getting the power down the way I have it set up, yet still retains decent compliance. It zings along the road nicely when you're pressing on and just feels very efficient. Plus it looks good!

I've done many 000's of happy miles in the last 3 years or so of ownership. I think it's versatile enough for fast touring, sportive riding and I known of at least one person who raced on it. Trust me, it won't hold you back! I'm 6'2 so a large frame and still only comes to 7.9kg in summer guise. Put on robust alu clinchers for winter and its fine for winter use.

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therevokid | 10 years ago
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the "decals" on my gf ti tarnished very quickly, a pain as its an all weather
bike. i ended up using paint striper and getting rid of them ... not good really.

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Point replied to therevokid | 9 years ago
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.

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Point replied to therevokid | 9 years ago
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therevokid wrote:

the "decals" on my gf ti tarnished very quickly, a pain as its an all weather
bike. i ended up using paint striper and getting rid of them ... not good really.

This is a little concerning. I'm now considering buying the gf ti myself. Did the paint come off easily with paint stripper?

Besides that, how are you finding the bike?
I'm looking at building mine for fast sunday club rides with one set of components and then hopefully some touring a little later in the season... should be fine? Comfortable cruising at 17/18mph?

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mtbtomo | 10 years ago
0 likes

I had the same problem. The lettering is laser etched -I.e. basically bare aluminium.

When it happened on my frame, I emailed Kinesis direct to see if they could advise how to clean it up rather than any expectation of warranty help.

However, Dom Mason sorted me out with a new frame and no need to go back through the retailer. The black and one I got was one of the first batch though.

As already posted, Dom seems to have moved on. Its a shame if Kinesis are taking a more hard line approach now he's gone.

You'd expect warranty support if paint started flaking for no reason, and similarly, you'd expect the ano finish including the bare sections to be appropriately finished so it doesn't corrode. It is a race bike but in my eyes that is not the same as a "summer bike". I don't care that it can't take mudguards, but it should still be OK in wet weather surely? ?!

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Del73 | 10 years ago
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Thanks, really disappointed in Kinesis and the attitude they have took.
I'm stripping the bike tonight to send frame to Winstanleys for them to asses.
I put a lot of effort and hard earned cash into this build which makes it even more of a annoyance for me. The way I feel tonight (gutted) Id never recommend a Kinesis bike to anyone, shameful for a so called UK company.

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Mrmiik | 10 years ago
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Sounds like a common problem with this frame. kinesis market it as a summer race bike - maybe they didn't factor in all year riding in the finish?

Either way, it's a shame kinesis are not being overly helpful. Dom (former designer at Kinesis) posted me some free stainless bolts when I got my kinesis. He has now moved on to new things...

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Kapelmuur | 10 years ago
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Your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer.

You should return the frame to the retailer as 'not of merchantable quality', it's for them to obtain redress from the manufacturer.

If the retailer refuses to help contact Trading Standards or take out a summons in the small claims court.

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mike the bike replied to Kapelmuur | 9 years ago
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Crosshouses wrote:

Your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer......

This is a crucially important part of Consumer Protection legislation, you didn't buy it from Kinesis, you bought it from Winstanleys. It is the shop's responsibility to sell you a bike that is fit for purpose and/or to remedy any faults in a reasonable time.

I fear that the shop is hiding behind the manufacturer in this case. The fact that Kinesis have indicated they will not replace the frame is irrelevant.

Having said all that, some manufacturers are very pro-active in cases like this and will step in quickly to protect their reputation. It would seem Kinesis are not in this group.

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Del73 | 10 years ago
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Yes the bike was washed after riding and the roads were dirty with salt and mud etc

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Del73 | 10 years ago
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Tried cleaning it again but it looks to me like its the base metal that is showing through and not marks that can clean off.

Thanks for the info about replaced frame, I am having problems getting anything done about this, I have asked for a replacement. Latest development is I was told to contact Winstanleys where I ordered the frame but Kinesis have been on to them and told them they won't replace it. Guy a Winstanley was helpful and offered to inspect it but if Kinesis have decided not to replace it after giving me the run around the last couple of weeks then I don't know where that leaves me.

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voodoorich | 10 years ago
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Any chance it's pitting from road salt? If the thin, white paint's not sealing the surface properly... Have you washed it after riding?

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Mrmiik | 10 years ago
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Hi - I've got a frame in black. I've not had any issues but can see how it could corrode easy.

When I built it up, one of the guys mentioned on the thread here that he had the same problem and Kinesis swapped out the frame for him.

http://road.cc/content/forum/125351-kinesis-aithein-build

Shame about the issue with the black frame, but if you get it replaced, I'd go for the sick green 3

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Flying Scot | 10 years ago
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Its an unpainted anodised frame, so perhaps try a little car wax polish on it to see if it lifts out.

With such an unusual finish, I think they should at least give you some guidelines.

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Iamnot Wiggins | 10 years ago
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That just looks like road grime to me? Have you degreased it with more than GT85 etc?

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Del73 | 10 years ago
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No it doesn't wipe off unfortunately.
It seems to be that the graphics part is just a thin coat of white paint onto the bare metal and the rest of the frame is anodised I think this is because they have under coated the frame white and then had a stencil to mark out the graphics that they then remove after anodising the frame black, so it's basically unprotected from the elements.
Have you ever had any dealings with Kinesis directly?

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Scoob_84 | 10 years ago
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if it doesn't wipe off after a good dose of WD40 /GT85 and cloth, then i'd say there's something wrong with that finish.

This seems to be a slightly different finish to that on my T2.

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