Specialized has announced the recall of over 12,000 bikes sold over the past two years due to a defective steerer tube that could fail and lead to crashes. The models affected include all models of the 2012 Tarmac SL4, 2013 Tarmac SL4, 2013 Crux and 2013 Secteur Disc bicycles and framesets.
The problem became known after several riders reported the carbon fiber steerer tube cracking or breaking while riding.
If you have one of these bikes, Specialized and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advise you to stop riding it immediately and bring it to a Specialized dealer who will coordinate repair or replacement of the fork. Most forks will not need to replaced, but some may have a 40g carbon sleeve installed inside the steerer tube.
The bad news is that your bike will be unavailable during the repair, which involves actually shipping the fork to a Specialized's facility in Salt Lake City and is estimated to take two weeks. However, Specialized is trying to make up for the inconvenience by offering all owners of the affected bikes a $100 store credit for Specialized merchandise.
"We are proactively recalling these bikes as a precaution and out of safety for our riders, which is our highest priority," said Mike Sinyard, Specialized's founder and president, in a release. "We take quality very seriously and are working with our dealers to inspect these bikes and get our riders back on their bikes quickly and safely."
Read the whole release here from Specialized and the CPSC.
Related articles:
- List of past bike recall notices
- Five bike safety checks to do before every ride
- Thule announces recall of bike racks
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Comments
My local shop had my Tarmac back to me with the repaired fork in just 10 days. With the winter weather here, the only thing I missed was a few days of indoor spinning.