Save Your Receipt...

Specialized has a lifetime frame warranty, provided you can prove you are the original owner. After 21 years and over 15,000 miles my beloved 1994 vintage Crossroads had its bottom bracket weld snap. As far as catastrophic frame failures go, it was minor - I was even able to ooze the last mile to my destination. Still, I was in the market for a new bike when a dealer informed me that the warranty might still be good. I managed to find the original owners manual with date of purchase, and a 21 year old annual credit card summary. That proved sufficient - a couple of weeks later the local dealer presented me with a brand new Crossroads Sport. It has taken a bit of getting used to (a larger frame, but then it is actually a better fit for my height) and I probably wouldn't have picked out Road Hazard Orange as a frame color, but it certainly shows up! The only serious issue was untensioned rear spokes - after a few miles the wheel was flopping about. While the dealer would have fixed this at no additional charge, it took less time to retrue it myself than take it in and leave it for a few days (I commute every day). After 600 miles it has settled in nicely, and I'm very happy with it. Total cost was $60 assembly labor - and they pulled all the bits and pieces off the old one too. I miss my old crossroads, but this is a quality replacement.

The moral of the story is that Specialized makes pretty good bikes and stand behind their products. Nothing lasts forever, though, so save your receipts...