Quarq Cinqo Installed[dc]A[/dc]s I reported back in December, I had an issue with my Quarq Cinqo Saturn unit.  Specifically, I had ridden in wet conditions, and the unit died shortly thereafter.  On that occasion, Quarq replaced the unit, however with it being around the holidays, turnaround was about 10 days.  I received a new electronics pod on the original spider, along with the explanation that "there was a run of bad pods, and this was probably one of them."  I was told that there shouldn't be any more issues with my Cinqo.  Fair enough, back to training and all was right in my world.

Fast forward to February, 2013.  After a training ride for Battenkill (in other words, pissing rain, lots of dirt roads and mud, and overall shitty weather) the magic stopped a second time, and my Cinqo was once again dead.  Off to South Dakota with it again, this time overnight, only to be replaced again.  I had a brand new electronics pod AND spider in hand in 4 days, I was told that there wouldn't be another problem with it, and again all was right in my world.

Or should I say it was until Friday, April 12th.

 

One More Time

As I described in my Battenkill Race Report Podcast, on the day which we were to drive to NY to stay overnight with a buddy, it was raining when I left for the office at 6:45.  Not just any rain, but a heavy, soaking cloudburst that left me wary.  I thought better of it and took my wife's car, leaving here to mount the bikes on the roof and meet met at lunch time.  The rain began to let up around noon and she mounted the bikes to the roof and picked me up at the office.  Unfortunately, on the way up to the Hudson Valley, we passed through a few small rain showers; nothing heavy or soaking, but just your typical spring showers.  

Upon arriving in Red Hook, we pulled the bikes from the car to dry them off.  On a whim, I thought that I would check the Quarq and ensure it survived the trip, especially after I had even considered taking the crank OFF the bike and storing it in the car.  In hindsight, that would have been a good idea.  Dead Cinqo number three, the day before Battenkill.

[pullquote]He was as helpful as he could be over the phone, talking down a jittery racer on the eve of a huge "A" priority race, standing in front of another deceased power meter, seething with anti-electronics rage, struggling to not blow a gasket and take a sledgehammer to said (dead) Cinqo.[/pullquote]The Warranty Process

Contacting Quarq has always been a simple affair: they actually have human beings to talk to as opposed to a computer, and I love that.  Alex, the service tech that I spoke to was immediately apologetic; in fact, his first words upon hearing "this is the third time" was essentially "oh no, you've got to be kidding me?"  I give him the utmost credit.  He was as helpful as he could be over the phone, talking down a jittery racer on the eve of a huge "A" priority race, standing in front of another deceased power meter, seething with anti-electronics rage, struggling to not blow a gasket and take a sledgehammer to said (dead) Cinqo.  He helpfully suggested that I try to open the battery case and dry it out, even to let a fan run on it to try and get the moisture out (it didn't work.)  He immediately forwarded me FedEx overnight emails and related that they would take care of me.  We discussed options and I skulked off to eat and prep for the next day, all the while thinking "I can't believe this is happening AGAIN!"  I had actually hoped that my Quarq would do a zombie impersonation and rise from the dead (and maybe garner a spot in a George Romero flick in the process.)

Alas, it was not to be.  Race day came and went and that Sunday evening I pulled the crankset and boxed it up, ready to ship off.  Out it went and I got to watch its progress across the midwest and into Quarq's headquarters.  A little back and forth with Quarq, a little discussion about the frequency of these failures, a little discussion about how unhappy I was to now have lost the better part of a month's worth of training, and what would be the resolution to this issue.

What I unboxed went above and beyond, and this kind of service and care is what will keep my a Quarq customer for many, MANY years to come.  

redexogramquarq2 Not only did my old crank and chainrings come back to me (complete with a simple spider, giving me a spare crankset) but at the bottom of the box was a brand new, untouched, SRAM Red Exogram Quarq.  Brand.  New.  

I had talked with Quarq's techs and they had explained to me the issue with the Saturn model: the electronics pod was the weak point (which I knew, but he explained why.)  The electronics pod on the Saturn is external to the spider which houses the strain gauges and is connected by a 12 pin connector and should be waterproof.  In most cases it is.  By some stroke of horrible luck, I kept having water permeate the pod, probably by the junction between the spider and pod.  This would damage the unit and render it a boat anchor (a non-waterproof one.)

The new Mercury model (which the Red, Elisa, Riken, Specialized and Cannondale units are built upon) is completely sealed, with all the electronics contained within the spider.  This means there are far fewer places for moisture to penetrate the electronics and disrupt things.  Accordingly, since the Cannondale and Specialized units have been out for quite some time, there's been excellent reliability with the Mercury platform, meaning these conversations and return shipments (as touching as they may be) should be a thing of the past.

The Verdict

[pullquote]In the end, they made sure all was right in my world, and that's worth every penny.[/pullquote]I'm optimistic with this new resolution to my ongoing Quarq problem.  The first test ride on the new Exogram model even saw me caught in some light sprinkles as I got close to home.  While my blood pressure rose, my eyes began to bug out of my head and I kept waiting to see the dreaded "- -" under my power display, but it never wavered.  Constant, solid power readings from the moment I clicked into the pedals to the time I turned off my Garmin.  

I have to admit, prior to seeing how Quarq would take care of this situation, I was wavering in my support of them (which is understandable after three of the same issue.)  However, their customer service really is top notch.  I'd even go so far as to say one of the pinnacles of the cycling industry.  Alex went to bat for me and hit a grand slam like no other, and reaffirmed that when you buy a power meter from Quarq, they WILL (bold and italicized for extra emphasis) support that purchase to the absolute end.  

So, if you're in the market for a power meter, you know exactly where to go and why.  I can wholeheartedly recommend Quarq to anyone who's in the market for a power measuring device, and I'll be glad to support and promote a company that stands behind their products and supports their end users the way Quarq does.  In the end, they made sure all was right in my world, and that's worth every penny.