Paul: funnily enough I had a handlebar stem break on my Birdy some time
ago, and
again, although it was about two years old, Stuart at Bikefix got it
replaced
for me free, with no hassle at all. I think the manufacturers decided
it was a
poor welded joint (next to the hinge where the stem folds) and it goes
to show
that you must keep a very careful eye on aluminium frame components as
they are
prone to fatigue, particularly in heavily stressed regions.

In fact, as I also had series of cracked seatposts (also Al) on the
Birdy, I
eventually gave up riding it on the London roads every day, and went
back to my
old but unbreakable Specialized MTB.

By the way, I've also been very impressed by the service at Simpsons -
the last
time I had the brakes properly serviced on the Birdy, they did an
excellent job
on them.

Nigel.

Paul Gasson wrote: