[mandown]

Anyone out there bought into this?

Our new Red Shield product Protection Plan goes above and beyond the original manufacturer's warranty. Red Shield protects against manufacturer's defects on any new bicycle from the Trek family of brands and it provides for repair from mechanical breakdown due to certain normal wear and tear.

Red Shield offers 3 or 5 year coverage from the date of purchase. Simply purchase the plan from your local authorized Red Shield Trek dealer within 90 days of your bicycle purchase.

What It Covers:
All new bicycles from any of Trek's family of brands
Defects in materials or workmanship and breakdown due to certain normal wear and tear
Hassle-free repair or replacement
Claims are quickly serviced at your local authorized Red Shield Trek bicycle dealer. Locations available nationwide
Labor is included with no hidden costs or deductibles
Repair from mechanical breakdown due to certain normal wear and tear.

What does the Trek® Red Shield Plan Cover?
The Plan applies to Covered Products which are rendered inoperable due to defects in materials or workmanship or mechanical breakdowns experienced as a result of normal wear and tear. Specifically, with respect to bicycles and wheels, the following parts and components are covered:
• WHEEL (SPOKES, RIMS, HUBS, QUICK RELEASE)
• FORK (WHEN NOT COVERED BY THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY)
• CRANK ASSEMBLY (PEDALS, CRANK ARMS, CHAIN WHEELS, BOTTOM BRACKET)
• BRAKES (LEVERS, CABLES AND CALIPER COMPONENTS EXCEPT PADS)
• DRIVE TRAIN (DERAILLEURS (FRONT AND REAR), CHAIN, SHIFTERS AND CABLES)
• SUSPENSION (COMPONENTS, FRONT AND REAR)
• SADDLE, SEAT POST, HANDLEBARS, STEMS, HEADSET, FREEWHEEL/CASSETTE

My most recent bike purchase was a Fisher and my grrrlie just got a Trek. She layed out the cash for the program, since it covers wear and tear replacements, and I'd bet she will go through the $100 buy-in price in parts in the next three years... hell, a chain a year will almost make up for that, not to mention cassettes and cables and fork work.

I don't know anyone else who has bought in to this, so I'm here asking for some feedback. I passed on getting it, since I knew I'd be ham-fisting my rig and upgrading parts as they wear out and/or break anyway.

 

[IH8Rice]

for the $100 buy-in price, you cant go wrong. like you said, all of those small things add up fast.

 

[sanjuro]

I can just see a 15 year old buying a DH bike....

 

[jonKranked]

I can just see a 15 year old buying a DH bike....

 

[rockofullr]

Who decides when a part is "rendered inoperable" and what "normal wear and tear" includes.

Is it all up to the LBS?

Sounds sweet if it works the way it's supposed to.

 

[mandown]

The LBS makes the call. The max value of the repairs is the cost of the bike. It isn't intended to work as a "crash replacement" program, but it appears one could convince a shop employee to state that the mangled deraileur was due to it being worn out by the rocks on the trail.

 

[buildyourown]

Lame. Extended warranties are for suckers.
Have you ever sold them? You should hear the training they give you. It is very clear that they are a scam and they know it. They even gave us cash cuts so we would hard sell them.

If you are doing proper PMs, your chain needs replacement way before anybody would agree that it is worn out.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

I was offered it.

I turned it down.

 

[mandown]

It isn't an extended warranty. It is there to replace parts as they wear, not when they break. I turned it down, but I can see that it might have value to a rider who buys a bike, likes it the way it is, doesn't have upgrade-itis, and doesn't want to be bothered with doing work on their own. If the shops are doing what they say they are doing, then they should be changing out the chains when they are worn. It probably makes more sense for an avid rider than either someone who rarely rides, or is a hard-core junkie. It probably helps to have a good relationship with the LBS peeps, since they make the call on "worn."

 

[SkaredShtles]

It isn't an extended warranty. It is there to replace parts as they wear, not when they break.

That's not how I'm reading it...

Let us know how it works out. I'm going to side with buildyourown on this one until proven otherwise...

 

[Droptopchevy]

The price is not $100 for every bike. The price of the bike goes up and the price of red shield goes up. I have yet to sell a red shield plan, but I have taken Trek's course for it.

 

[mandown]

Right. My Roscoe II Red Sheild price was higher, which is why I didn't buy in, well part of the reason why. Another part was that the shop didn't tell me I could use the program at any Trek dealer, and the "BS" I went to wasn't exactly "L". As someone who has been through the training, can you give some insight on the level of "worn" certain parts have to be in order to be replaced? How stretched does the chain need to be, or how rounded do the cog teeth need to be? If your riding conditions are wet wet and the bearings rust and wear faster, is that covered, and how notchy/grindy do they need to be?

 

[Sandwich]

tl;dr does patrick swayze come to your house and fix your bike?

 

[jimmydean]

I have only purchased 2 complete bikes for myself new from an LBS. I could see this being a good idea for someone who doesn't touch their bike other than to ride it.

 

[TreeSaw]

I have only purchased 2 complete bikes for myself new from an LBS. I could see this being a good idea for someone who doesn't touch their bike other than to ride it.

Despite the fact that we have no time, we do like to do our own repairs so I would likely turn it down too.

 

[mandown]

Even though they cover the cost of parts and the labor for the replacement, until recently, I didn't have a conveniently located Trek dealer I would want to go to, thus it would have been a big pain to go out of the way for the service. The time and gas spent on drop off and pickup over a three year period would offset enough of the "savings" that it doesn't quite make sense.

Still, I'm interested to hear from someone who has used it and liked it. I want to know more about the judgement process for determining wear to the point of replacement.

 

[goofy]

I work for a Trek dealer and we use the keep it rolling protection plan. We get a lot of people with it coming in for basic tune ups and if the chain is to long per the Shimano chain checker we replace it, and if it's really out we just go ahead and replace the cassette too. Also any bad links we'll go ahead and replace it.

I too am not a big fan of extended warranties but if you really ride you're bike it will pay for itself.

 

[Greyhound]

Must we always spell it grrrlie?

 

[mandown]

Must we always spell it grrrlie?

i don't see anyone else doing it.

 

[sharq99]

need red shield in phoenix arizona on east side

 

[Silver]

Trek Red Shield: Sounds like an overpriced maxi pad. Is there a Livestrong version?

 

[4130biker]

Yeah, it's called depends- add your own yellow accents

 

[jdcamb]

How is this not awesome?

 

[mandown]

need red shield in phoenix arizona on east side

1st post here is to revive a nearly two year old thread. say what?

 

[mrbigisbudgood]

You guys got it all wrong. "Red Shield" is Trek/Liestrong code for the pool of money that provides funding for the pro riders to get EPO/blood transfusions and not get caught. You're only fattening up the pot for the payoffs.

edit.....note that when Roid Landis got out of the program, he got caught