Author: Bill

Description: I was riding my Leader USA mountain bike on a rocky jeep trail when the seat suddenly fell back. The frame broke on the upper part of the seat tube where the top tube, seat stays, and seat tubes are joined. Here is the timeline on my situation with Leader Bike USA. Comments and Suggestions are welcome!

Monday, August 14, 2006 – 8:50 AM MST: Emailed Leader Bike about incident.

“I have a bad situation and I hope you can help me. I purchased a LD-526H (item IES24) around 5/3/2006. The transaction ID on my PayPal Packing Slip is 04107051VU793181N. I was riding in prepairation for an upcoming race in the Montana Off Road Series yesterday and the seat stay broke. It is not a result of a crash … just a normal rocky trail. I sat down and heard a crack. Next thing I know my seat post and seat fell back and I dumped the bike. I am now without a bike. What should I do? I will be calling when business hours comes around and just wanted to send you some info in preparation.“

Monday, August 14, 2006 – 9:?? AM MST: Realized that I could not call long distance so i sent another email asking if they had a toll free number.

Monday, August 14, 2006 – 9:4? AM MST: Called Leader Bike with a friends cell phone and got voice mail. Left a message with both work and home phone numbers.

Monday, August 14, 2006 – 12:59 AM MST: Got an email back from Leader Bike

“Ship the frame back with proof of purchase. Include an explanation for the damage, return address and telephone number.

Ship to:

LEADER BIKE
205 W 35TH ST STE. J
NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950

CHRIS“

Monday, August 14, 2006 – 7:45 PM MST: Took bike apart, took pictures, and packaged up the bike. Post office is closed tonight so will take over at lunchtime or have a friend do it tomorrow. I replied to email from Leader Bike”

“I have packaged it up in it’s original box. I have not had it too long. I do not have a proof of purchase except an order id of 12 on 16:09:51 Tue 02 May 2006 so I sent along the packing slip. I mean I purchased it with a credit card so there should be a record somewhere. Please keep me informed, I cant tell you how frustrated I am. “

Monday, August 14, 2006 – 8:04 PM MST: Got an email from Leader Bike

“Also include attention warranty dept.

You can find proof of purchase on www.paypal.com“

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 – 8:43 AM MST: I feel a little frusturated and need to send an email in return with my concernes.

“I am sorry but I have already boxed it up and also don’t have a printer. I will include “attention warranty dept” on the box. I am not going to quibble over original owner and whether you want to warranty it or not.

Maybe it will be faster and less stressful to buy another bike frame and be done with it. I am sending pictures and if you believe there will be any discrepancy or delay in getting me a replacement then please let me know ASAP so I can take action to get another.

I was currently top ten in the Montana Off Road Series and after this weekend and missing the race will drop substantially. I am frustrated with that; but if I have to miss the week after that I might as well call the season over.

You may believe I am being a cheap ass but I assure you I am freaking poor and trying to race on a shoe string budget … thus the reason for a Leader Frame. I hope you can help.”

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 – 1:?? AM MST: A representative from Leader USA called me at work to get the scoop on what happened and where we are at right now. I gave my story and that I sent the frame in. He assured me that as soon as it gets in he will rush it along and get me resolved quickly. he mentioned that it may be as early as Saturday that they could get this resolved and back out the door. I am very happy to hear that and feel good that they called me to make sure everything was ok.

Saturday, August 19, 2006 – 12:00 PM MST: I have missed a race today. Instead I may have lost position in the Montana Off Road Series in the top ten.

Monday, August 21, 2006 – 6:54 AM MST: I am concerned that I have no recent information on the status of my mountain bike frame so I sent Leader USA an email:

“Chris, Brian,

Hello, I hope you had a decent weekend. I have not heard any news on my mountain bike frame and was wondering the status on it.“

Mon, August 21, 2006 12:38 pm: I received a response to my email:

“I will check with the warranty dept and get back to you today.

Brian”

Mon, August 21, 2006 6:00 pm: I received a message on my answering machine when I got home from work. Leader USA said that they are sending me out a new frame and I think he said that I would get an email with the tracking numbers. I could not hear the message well.

Wed, August 23, 2006 8:47 pm: I am depressed and upset to not receive my frame yet. I got a call on Monday that I would receive tracking numbers and to this day have not heard or received any other correspondance from Leader USA. Tomorrow I am going to go on the offensive. I have waited for the company to do the right thing and now I am on the verge of missing a second race. I will miss a second Montana Off Road series race where I was once in the top ten. This is unacceptable and I will try and contact them tomorrow.

Thursday, August 24, 2006 6:15AM: I sent a email to Leader USA (I sure wish they had a toll free number):

“Brian,

Hello, I hate to bug you again but I am getting close to missing yet another race (48 hours away) and I haven’t received the replacement frame yet. I got a message on my answering machine on Monday and I think the person said that I would receive a tracking number or something to that effect. I have not received anything after that. So I guess I was wondering if you could give me a status. I am leaving tomorrow for the race so I need to know if I should go looking for a used frame in town tonight. Thanks!”

Thursday, August 24, 2006 – 5:17 PM: I just got home to not find a bike at my steps. I tried to email today without getting a response. I am afraid they are in the ignore mode and my bike may not have been sent. there fore tomorrow I will be going into town some where to buy a frame
with the credit card. This also means that I may miss the race on Saturday. Next week I will begin a campaign to let every review site and ebay know these events. I would hate for this to happen to another mountain biker.

Friday, August 25, 2006 – 6:58 AM I sent Leader Bike a final email:

“Brian,

I have sent an email yesterday concerning my broken frame. I did not get a reply. It is now apparent I may miss tomorrow’s race (thats 2 now) if I can not find a bike frame here in Missoula today. I did get a phone message last Monday but it was hard to hear it (Shitty phone). I think the person said it was shipping Monday and I would receive a tracking number. I did not receive any tracking number or the frame itself.

I have decide to buy another frame to try and salvage what is left of the season. Thanks for your efforts.

~bill”

8/25/2006 : 1:46 PM: I went home for lunch and found a message on my answering machine. It was a guy from Leader Bike. He said that he tried to call my employment and was told I don’t work there anymore (I did send contact info on the 15th in an email). I find this odd because they have talked to me at work before. Any way he said that he did some research and found my current employment but the secretary was not very helpful and that he finally left a voice mail. I ran back to work and did not get a voicemail but the secretary said that someone called and wanted an extension. She was directed to not give any information away so the attempt to contact me failed.

The message did say that the bike is scheduled to be delivered today and gave me a tracking number. I tried the tracking number but it did not work.

I sent a request in an email (I wish I had long distance or could call from work):

“I got your message on my home phone but I could not run the tracking number that I think I heard you say “1ZANS5490350359533″. Is that correct?”

8/25/2006 : 2:57 PM: I just got a call from S. Lombroso at Leader USA. All the problems have been resolved. he was able to give me a tracking number and when I entered it I was able to see that it was delivered to my apartment at 1:13 PM which makes me very happy. Now I can go home and get the ol gal back together and try to make it to Bozeman for the race.

On problem was that some employees were out of the offices and that is why I was having difficulties contacting them. The bike had been shipped out on Tuesday.

I woke this morning trying to get my bearings and now I think I know what day it is. It is the only day I look forward to all week. That is why fall is such a depressing time for me as the Thursday Night Rides finish up the riding season. We are not there quite yet and tonight we ride in the Sawmill Gulch area. I call tonight’s ride Rainy Day Solution.

This work week has been horrendous and I have been so stressed that I forgot about the adventure last weekend. This week is the last I get to spend with my friends from New York. I really think I would like to go back with them and leave all this stress behind.

This weekend is up in the air and I am afraid it will be dominated by job stress. What a shame … what are you planning?

I am sitting in my apartment sipping down a cup of coffee (french vanilla silk). I am coming to life after a restless night of sleep. My friend and I’ll have decided to head to the Mission Mountains today for a back packing trip. I do believe that we are planning the be in the Panorama Peak area.

What does this mean? Well I am charging the camera battery as I blog because I need to dust off my picture taking abilities for this trip. We are heading into a awesome area for beauty and magnificence.

I just turned off the TV and the coffee has begun its work. I have everything I need to sustain myself in the wilderness spread out on the floor and I need to start packing it into the back pack. It is amazing that it will all fit. the only part I don’t like is adjusting to hiking with 50 plus extra pounds on my back.

Have a good weekend everyone and feel free to communicate!

A proposed Montana forest plan revision could set a dangerous national precedent by closing hundreds of miles of singletrack to bicycles. Montana’s Bitterroot, Flathead and Lolo National Forests are recommending a new policy that will ban bicycles from trails in many roadless areas where access is currently allowed.

More than 400 miles of trail in seven roadless areas near Missoula are at risk, including many epic routes cherished by local cyclists. Some of the best trails include Heart Lake, Monture Creek, Bluejoint Creek and Blodgett Canyon. The Great Burn area alone contains 139 miles of singletrack that will be made off-limits to bicycles.

Unless cyclists take action, the Forest Service will zone these lands as “Recommended Wilderness,” and will ban bicycles. Although most national forests around the country allow existing uses such as mountain biking to continue in Recommended Wilderness, the Bitterroot, Flathead and Lolo will not, thus setting a dangerous precedent.

Take Action!

Tell the Forest Service that you support continued access to the great trails in Recommended Wilderness in the Bitterroot, Flathead and Lolo National Forests.

If you prefer to mail your comments, the following address covers all three forests:
Proposed Land Management Plan Bitterroot National Forest 1801 North 1st St. Hamilton, MT 59840

Deadline

The Forest Service will accept comments until August 7, 2006.

Talking Points

• Mountain bikers support the permanent conservation of Montana’s roadless areas from development and road building. However, if Recommended Wilderness will ban bicycles from the places we love to ride, please use the Forest Service’s “2.2 Backcountry Area” prescription to protect natural resources and allow continued bicycle use.
• The “2.2 Backcountry Area” prescription should be used to protect the following proposed Recommended Wilderness areas: Great Burn (Lolo), Monture Creek (Lolo), Quigg (Lolo) and Stony Mountain (Bitterroot and Lolo). In the Blodgett Canyon (Bitterroot) and Blue Joint (Bitterroot) areas it should at least be used to create corridors containing trails #19, 137, 303, 614 and 627 – favorite mountain bike routes.
• National Forests in Regions 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10 allow bikes in Recommended Wilderness. In neighboring Idaho and Wyoming, this includes at least the Bighorn, Boise, Caribou, Medicine Bow, Payette, Sawtooth and Targhee National Forests.
• All forms of recreation should be managed objectively through science-based decisions. Mountain biking is a quiet, human-powered, low-impact activity compatible with wild places. Science shows that bicycles have similar impacts as hiking and far less than equestrian or motorized use.
• The Forest Service doesn’t have to kick mountain bikes out of places they’ve been riding for years. Bicycles do not harm the land’s potential for future Wilderness consideration and their continued use of Recommended Wilderness areas should be allowed.

What were you doing today in years past?

I don’t know how to explain it but I feel the need to express. I am picking up camp, half dancing and half high on Zen.

I woke up feeling new with wildflowers greeting me and the stream singing me awake. I took pictures until the batteries went dead and broke bread with the sunrise. Marcy is bouncing around like a puppy and I dance to my music twirling in the sunlight. It is a good day.

This camping spot is magnificent. I felt the need to express.

I just finished off a gigantic plate of pasta and fresh parmesan cheese. Camp is all set up and I am just about to hit the sack. It is a comfy 45 degrees and I am leaving off the fly so I can drift off to sleep under the stars. The King of the Hill race is tomorrow and I am all set to race.

I took it easy today and got to the Showdown Ski Area around 7:30 p.m. Ross rode with me from Helena and that made the trip a lot more enjoyable.

I pre rode the course and the entire loop took me about 30 minutes. It is a real short loop and tomorrows race should be real short provided I don’t crash.

The downhill sections are real dangerous so I am concerned about my friends. I don’t expect a good result because it is short and I am taking the down hills extremely tentatively.

So signing off from camp where all I hear is the rushing stream right beside my tent. Pleasant dreams!

Altitude has its Advantages. Nestled in the heart of the Little Belt Mountains you’ll find Showdown Ski Area . Since 1936, Showdown has been known for its family friendly atmosphere and amazing all natural snow.

Hello from the Break Espresso in downtown Missoula Montana where I sit looking out the window at a beautiful sunny day in its infancy. I have in front of me a muffin of unknown species but I do know that it has chocolate chips in it. It seems to be a mix between a bran muffin and a chocolate chip cookie, quite tasty with a cup-o-joe. This is a big weekend with two big events. The first big event is a race on top of Kings Hill Pass just north of White Sulfur Springs and the other big event is the arrival of my friends from New York.

Today is building up to be a busy one. I have to gather supplies with no cash on hand and manage to make my way to the Showdown Ski Area where Ill camp and race Sunday morning at the King of the Hill Mountain Bike Challenge .

Once I have raced I must rush home to pick up my friends from New York as they arrive around 4 PM. It will be quite a day Sunday as it will seem that the race will not end until I make it back before 4.

So here I sit now enjoying the benefits of caffeine making Citi Bank’s grocery list and prepare to get Citi Bank gas before setting out on this week ends big adventure. Life goes on so don’t go on with out life! What’s in your Wallet?

I just woke up and was suprised to smell smoke when I let my dog Marcy out for a walk. As I look off into the Western skies I see the signs of a forest fire. So far I have not heard any news so I am suspecting that this smoke is from the Bearmouth fire just East of us. This is bad news as my friends fly in fron New York this weekend. So guys, expect temperatures in the 100s and forest fire conditions with smoke, restrictions, and poor air quality. Lets hope this outlook changes as I prepair to get out of town for the weekend and go to Kings Hill for a race.

Sipping on a cup of coffee this morning as I wake up and see for the first time cloud cover I think to myself, “Its Thursday”. We have had bad luck on Thursdays although last Thursday was magnificent. Today we are riding from the top of Lincoln Hills Drive and will ride up the Blue Point Trail a ways! Last night I rode route 12 out of fort Fizzle on a relaxing spin aboard the road bike. I am really loving the hot weather.

In fire news the Bearmouth fire (just East of Missoula) in getting pretty serious and is not even in the early stages of being contained yet. I hope they don’t close I90 as that would make for a huge trip on Saturday as i go to Kings Hill Pass for a mountain bike race.

This weekend is race number 5 of the Montana Off Road Series and is being held at the Showdown Ski Area . At first I was thinking Great Falls but now that I look at the map it will be to Helena and then North East to Kings Hill pass. Should be fun. And to mention fun … as soon as I get back Paul, Lucy, and Niko will be landing in Missoula so I have to rush to get back.

Speaking of rush to get back … id better run off to that societal jail called “WORK”.

Today in history.

Hello all from Break where I am sipping some coffee and eating a lemon cream scone. I would like to shout out to my friend Pablo, welcome back man! And also kcooper, I hope you get the car back on the road and onward to your destination (if you know kcooper, you know where she is going).