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Mike’s Bikes which has been in business since the 1960’s in California and has 12 shops in the SF bay area was purchased by a company based in Holland. As a result Specialized terminated Mike’s as a dealer and cancelled the orders for more than 400 customers and worse yet, Specialized has said that they will not provide warranty support for the thousands of their bikes already sold by Mike’s Bikes.
I almost bought a Specialized Rockhopper Expert this week but decided to go with a Scott bike instead. My own reason was my inability to be able as a lowly customer to get in touch with anyone at Specialized over the past month, either by phone or by email. Specialized is the worst company I have dealt with in terms of customer support in the past 40 years, except perhaps Dell Computer.
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Wow, if that is the whole story, that is pretty disappointing. I have no doubt that the Specialized attorneys would have reviewed their legal obligations and can legally do what they are doing. It does not make it it right.
Cancelling 400 customer orders and voiding warranties seems like a PR disaster. Word spreads. If my LBS owner decides he wants to retire and sell the company, did my frame suddenly not get made in a specialized factory? Will they no longer stand behind the big S their riders paid for? I will be following this story, I’m probably in the market for a bike next year but local shop ownership is not something I can control.
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Their website shows they’re still very much a Specialized dealer : https://mikesbikes.com/collections/specialized
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Read this email that I received from Mike’s Bikes on September 10, 2021 and decide for yourself. I go with the better safe than sorry approach and that is why my recent purchase was a Scott MTB.
Email text:
Dear customer,
For over 20 years, Mike’s Bikes maintained a close partnership with Specialized Bicycles. We’ve built a strong business here in NorCal and beyond, as both of our companies have grown together.
A few weeks ago, Mike’s Bikes was acquired by an amazing family-owned company in Amsterdam, and we couldn’t be happier. Upon learning of this, however, Specialized abruptly terminated their relationship with Mike’s. They later notified us that they would also be canceling the orders of over 400 customers who had bought and paid for their bikes in advance. They further informed us that as of October 31, they will no longer provide manufacturer warranty support through Mike’s Bikes for the many thousands of Specialized bikes that we have sold.
It is unfortunate and extremely disappointing that our Specialized customers are being affected in this way. This is definitely not a situation that we wanted or expected.
Our Wheelsmith Tech Departments will still be able to provide the same professional service on Specialized bikes that we offer on every other major bike brand, but for Specialized customers who need support through the manufacturer’s warranty, we encourage you to contact your closest authorized Specialized dealer, or to reach out to Specialized rider care directly at (877) 808-8154 or http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ridercareform
To our customers impacted by Specialized’s cancellation of your order, we are reaching out to each of you directly to help find an alternative bike from other excellent bike brands that support us. We will work our tails off to help you find a replacement bike. If you decide to cancel your order at Mike’s and order a Specialized bike elsewhere, we totally understand, and we will issue prompt full refunds.
Looking forward, we are excited to be able to offer a broader selection of brands in both equipment and bikes. Over the next few weeks, we will announce new partnerships with some of the best brands in the business, and we will be offering you more options and more selection than ever before. In the end, nothing has changed at Mike’s Bikes. We continue to be fully dedicated to helping you get the most out of your ride.
We really appreciate the support of our loyal customers, over the years and today in times of change.
-The Mike’s Bikes Team
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Okay, so Mike’s is no longer an authorized Specialized dealer, thus they can’t support warranty repairs, etc. Based on the email, there is some suspicious business going on internally with Mike’s ownership and/or Specialized. Tough call…
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I was initially shocked by this but then I took a closer look at the letter.
“…they will no longer provide manufacturer warranty support through Mike’s Bikes for the many thousands of Specialized bikes that we have sold…”
So, unless I’m mistaken, the bikes are still covered by their warranty just not through Mike’s Bikes (since they will no longer be an authorized dealer). You can take your bike to another authorized Specialized dealer and they can take care of you. If this is correct, then it tracks and there’s not much to this other than some questionable wording.
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Big divorce between Mike’s and Specialized. The word is that Specialized-CEO Mike Sinyard was pissed about the sale of Mike’s bike and pulled the plug on them. I am one of the 400 that got into the middle of this. I purchased and paid in full a Specialized MTB in march 2021 that will not get deliver. It is sad to see this fight of the titans being done on the back of longtime customers. My sympathy is now with smaller brands.
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