Warranty FAQs
What is a warranty?
The specifics of what is included in a warranty varies somewhat from company to company in the bike industry, but generally it is a guarantee made by the manufacturer that if a product is found to contain manufacturing defects, they will replace or refund it.
Your bicycle comes with a warranty from the manufacturer of the frame, as well as warranties from the manufacturers for each of the individual components. You can find information on these warranties in the manuals and other included pamphlets you received with your bicycle, on manufacturers’ websites, or by inquiring with us. Most mechanical components are warrantied for 1-2 years, electrical components for 2 years, and frames for 2-10 years. You may be able to register with the bike manufacturer in order to obtain additional warranty periods.
These warranties are between the consumer and the manufacturer. The bike shop, as the seller of the potentially defective product, mediates the transaction, typically processes the related paperwork, handles shipping and receiving and advocates on behalf of the consumer. At G&O we often provide an additional guarantee on top of what the manufacturer does, for example installing warranty parts within the first 60-days at no charge.
We cannot file warranty claims on everything that is broken. For example, daily users might wear out their components from normal “wear-and-tear”, even within the listed guarantee period against manufacturing defects. We can help look at your components and try to discern the cause of the failure. Most warranty coverage is specifically related to manufacturing defects, and most of those carry a relatively short period of validity because it is normal for those parts to eventually wear and break from normal use outside of that time range.
What can I expect from the warranty process?
Warranty claims come about through a couple different channels:
Out of the box: Many warranty claims we process are actually caught out of the box, before the bicycle is even sold to you. We strive to keep clear and transparent records, so you may see in the build notes for your new bicycle what work we did to process those warranty claims.
In for service: Sometimes when bicycles are in for the first or second service, we notice a manufacturing defect and can process it before it catastrophically fails. This is an important reason to get the 60-day checkup: to help catch warranty issues. While it’s a bummer that this adds the warranty process to your service and that likely means the whole service will be delayed, that sure is better than being stranded later, and potentially missing out on the warranty benefit.
Recall: If manufacturers experience enough warranty claims of the same nature, they may issue a voluntary or mandatory recall for that component. In this case, we will reach out to all customers and recommend they replace the questionable component prematurely, to reduce risk of failure. (A list of recalls for bikes or components we have sold can be found here on our warranty page)
On-the-road-failure: Sometimes you don’t find a manufacturing defect until your bike breaks! This can result in immediate and catastrophic failure, rendering the bicycle unrideable. This sucks! It is worth knowing even if the warranty is admitted, there is no coverage for other expenses incurred, such as towing the bike, cutting the lock, having to secure alternate means of transport, injury, etc. You can always call or send an email to service@familycyclery.com with your new concerns, so we can help assess your service needs and begin to process warranty issues immediately.
In many cases of on-the-road failure, it can take some diagnostic time to discover what the nature of the issue actually is, especially if it is an electrical problem. For bikes sold through G&O that are still within their designated warranty period, we waive our standard ebike diagnostic fees if it is deemed by the manufacturer to be a warranty.
Once we have assessed that the failure is likely grounds for a warranty, we gather and submit the necessary paperwork: proof of purchase, pictures and serial numbers of the bike and failed component to the manufacturer, and write an estimate for the timeline, shipping, and labor costs to the rider.
When we make a warranty claim, the manufacturer will verify the failure is due to a defect, and then send a replacement for the failed component. Unfortunately, this can be a frustratingly slow process as they generally ship from the manufacturer’s headquarters, which are frequently overseas. As we cannot begin repairs until we receive the replacement parts, warranty repairs can take several weeks, start-to-finish.
Do I have to process it through a shop?
Sometimes!
Some manufacturers will allow consumers to contact them directly to make warranty claims, but most will require the consumer to first reach out to the business from which it was purchased to file on their behalf.
While you don’t always have to process it through the bike shop, we have established relationships with the inside service teams at many of our manufacturers, such that we can get warranty claims processed faster and more successfully than a consumer doing it for the first (and hopefully only) time.
I bought my stuff from another shop, can I have you process the warranty claim for me?
Sometimes!
Most manufacturers prefer you process the warranty claim through the original place of purchase, but we understand that is not always possible because of shops closing, or riders moving.
We can only process warranties with manufacturers for which we are a dealer, and the consumer can provide proof of purchase showing they are the original owner and it is within the allotted warranty time frame. Because of the extra administration in these warranty cases, we ask a $50 processing fee for warranty claims on products not sold through our shop.
I bought my stuff second-hand, can I have you process the warranty claim for me?
Unfortunately, warranty coverage is only extended to the original purchaser or end-user. Even if you experience an obvious manufacturing-defect failure on second-hand components within the original designated period, subsequent owners do not have a warranty, and we cannot file a claim on your behalf.
Will my warranty service be free?
The short answer is unfortunately no, it will probably involve some cost to you.
The warranty offer is between the manufacturer and the consumer, and each manufacturer sets their own terms. It is common, for example, in direct-to-consumer industries, for the manufacturer to require the consumer to pay shipping and handling for warranty items. Since we are the middle-man in the transaction for the warranties we are handling, we also have to set our own terms as well.
At G&O, we cover all costs of warranties that occur when we’re assembling the bicycle before it ever reaches you, as well as in the cases if you notify us of warranty issues in the first 60 days after purchase. Early product failure is rare and unacceptable for the high quality products we strive to sell, so we will cover any diagnosis, warranty processing, shipping, and labor charges in these cases.
For warranty issues that occur after the first 60 days of use, we will cover diagnosis and warranty processing for bikes purchased from G&O. The customer will pay the shipping and any labor charges not covered by the manufacturer, and pay for any other parts that need to be replaced for the warranty parts to function properly. Only a small number of manufacturers offer labor credits for warranties.
For bicycles not purchased from G&O, we ask a $50 processing fee to offset the extra administrative costs, and additional diagnostic fees may apply. For our full current warranty policy, see the section on our website.
Is there anything special to know about my e-bike warranty?
The short answer is no. As with any new bicycle, you are actually being offered several separate warranties. One from the manufacturer for the frame and any proprietary components, and separate warranties from each company that makes each of the other components. For example, we would file a warranty claim on leaky brake cylinders on a GSD not with Tern but directly with the company that made the brakes, which at the time of this writing is a German manufacturer called Magura. The e-bike system gets treated the same -- we file warranty claims relating to the electrical system directly with manufacturers, in our case Bosch or Shimano, for their respective systems. It is worth noting that some Bosch issues are only diagnosable via the dealer diagnostic tool, so we do recommend the 60-day checkup and having a full service completed before the two-year expiration of the warranty in case anything does come up.
What is the manufacturer warranty on my bicycle or components?
This is a list of warranties of brands for which we can file claims, not a guarantee of coverage, see individual details. This is not a complete list -- if you bought something from us and believe it to be under warranty, we’ll figure out how to help you file your claim, even if it is not on this list.