View Full Version : Georgia Straight & Marz.
parts
10-02-2006, 12:21 PM
Did anyone else see the advert on page 20 of last week's Georgia Straight? It was looking or people w/ Marz Z1's fro 2002 that snapped & resulted in injuries. Dunno if there were a bunch of peeps or it's just one PO'ed dude looking for support.
Bryce
10-02-2006, 02:24 PM
its in the north shore news as well. Sounds like a lawyer trying to drum up a class action suit or something
2cents
10-02-2006, 02:27 PM
I have a buddy who snapped his, but he wasn't injured and Marzocchi hooked him up with a 2003 DJ to replace it.
mattj
10-02-2006, 02:35 PM
What a loser. I could see if there was evidence that Marzocchi knew about a massive problem and did not act upon it. The sport was progressing faster than the equipment back then. I have 3 fake teeth thanks to my 2000 QR20 snapping its steertube but I wouldn't seek compensation from Marzocchi... It's part of riding...
-m
parts
10-02-2006, 03:11 PM
It seemed a bit weird cuz you would think if there had been a widespread problem with forks from a few years back it would have been big news in the biking community by now.
nouseforaname
10-02-2006, 05:39 PM
There has already been more than one lawsuit - to my knowledge - hence the much more detailed information about what each fork is suited to.
Dan CH
10-02-2006, 06:10 PM
ha i broke one of those...i guess it was my fault kind of though
Straw
10-02-2006, 07:20 PM
It's like the couple that tried to sue Ryders eyewear. Remember that? I wonder what happened. They were trying to russle up a cohort of mad sunglasses wearers to bring to court with them.
DUDEONABIKE
10-02-2006, 10:04 PM
its in the north shore news as well. Sounds like a lawyer trying to drum up a class action suit or something
what day was that in?
If theyre trying to bring up a lawsuit, they should read the owners manual's first couple of pages.
Keefer
10-02-2006, 11:28 PM
I busted one and put a major scar/injury into my leg.
I don't really blame them, I shouldve checked my bike regularly. I busted another fork too but didn't result in any injury.
If there's big cash in it, I'm interested. Someone wanna look into it?
mattj
10-02-2006, 11:43 PM
^are you kidding me? There's also big cash in robbing old ladies why don't you go look into that?
-mj
the flying moose
10-02-2006, 11:46 PM
^are you kidding me? There's also big cash in robbing old ladies why don't you go look into that?
-mj
i already did. robbing old ladies doesnt pay as well as it used too. :(
tashi
10-03-2006, 12:02 AM
I broke two vertebrae 'cause my '02 Z5 broke. It was too light for how I rode it. I'm glad that they gave me a DJ III for free.
F-in lawsuits.
Edit: But I have recovered fully and didn't have a family to support. Everyone's circumstances are different with major injuries.
Jeff M
10-03-2006, 01:31 AM
Well, tons of those forks broke and tons of injuries resulted. I hate to say it but if the lawyer can pull the information together I think they will have winable case.
I'm not sure if marzocchi has been sued in the past but really I think they've been lucky to avoid a shit storm. The 01 and 02 marzocchi FR and DJ single crowns were very underbuilt for the riding they were marketed for.
*Pepe*
10-03-2006, 09:03 AM
Defendants: Norco Products Ltd. and Cove Bike Shop Ltd. and Marzocchi U.S.A. and Marzocchi SPA
1465 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam and 4310 Gallant Ave., North Vancouver and 25213 Anza Dr., Valencia and Via Grazia, 2, 40069 Lavino di Zola Predosa, Bologna, Italy
Plaintiff: Jeffrey Gordon
2020–650 W. Georgia St., Vancouver
Claim: Damages for negligence related to the failure of mountain bike forks that caused a bicycle accident resulting in severe injuries to the plaintiff.
smoochy
10-03-2006, 10:10 AM
if you get knocked up (or around) live with the consequences!
biggles604
10-03-2006, 10:37 AM
Common sense does say that we are involved in an extreme high risk sport, and there is a high risk of injury, which we do have to deal with, but if Marzocchi is found to have proved negligent in it's design of the fork, then they should pay damages. If it turns out that the fork snapped because Marz didn't realise what it would be used for (Sport progressing too fast), then the damage would be considered abuse and it's a baseless case.
One big problem with the bike industry is that as riders, we are all passionate and amazingly brand loyal to the point of not seeing faults with the product, and feeling comfortable in saying things like "My fork broke, but I live with it, it's an acceptable risk". If the fork had a fault that Marz knew about, and could have been fixed, would you still be as comfortable? Look at it another way; a major hand tool manufacturer has a tool that has a higher than normal breakage rate under use, it causes some injuries. If you are injured by the offending tool, how willing would you be to call that lawyer?
I know it may seem like an odd comparison, but both the hand tool in my example, and the fork are just tools, and if they were used correctly and caused failures, is that not something that should be questioned?
I would like to know more details about the case though. My guess is it's someone who went too large, stacked it and is looking for someone to blame for his outdated equipment failing.
aShogunNamedMarcus
10-03-2006, 11:07 AM
i already did. robbing old ladies doesnt pay as well as it used too. :(
how many times budday.. kidneys budday.. steal the kidneys. even old ones pay ...
what a douchebag Jeffrey Gordon is.
I hope this doesn't go through, because if it does we'll be one step closer to American life, where no one is responsible for their own actions.
By the way, the address listed is his lawyer, Grover and company. I hope the bar association catches wind of this in an effort to curb this type of lawsuit.
Scott
10-03-2006, 02:09 PM
Common sense does say that we are involved in an extreme high risk sport, and there is a high risk of injury, which we do have to deal with, but if Marzocchi is found to have proved negligent in it's design of the fork, then they should pay damages. If it turns out that the fork snapped because Marz didn't realise what it would be used for (Sport progressing too fast), then the damage would be considered abuse and it's a baseless case.
One big problem with the bike industry is that as riders, we are all passionate and amazingly brand loyal to the point of not seeing faults with the product, and feeling comfortable in saying things like "My fork broke, but I live with it, it's an acceptable risk". If the fork had a fault that Marz knew about, and could have been fixed, would you still be as comfortable? Look at it another way; a major hand tool manufacturer has a tool that has a higher than normal breakage rate under use, it causes some injuries. If you are injured by the offending tool, how willing would you be to call that lawyer?
I know it may seem like an odd comparison, but both the hand tool in my example, and the fork are just tools, and if they were used correctly and caused failures, is that not something that should be questioned?
I would like to know more details about the case though. My guess is it's someone who went too large, stacked it and is looking for someone to blame for his outdated equipment failing.
The only thing wrong with the fork vs. tool idea is that a power tool, say a drill has alot more set guide lines as to how its supposed to be used, the way a fork on a bike is used can differ a ton between riders, if the advertisments showed someone riding with that fork off say a 15 foot drop, I guess it should be able to hold up to that kind of abuse, but when they advertise it as a "freeride" fork its hard to put an exact definition on the word freeride. I see where you are comming from, but its not that black and white.
MudPie
10-03-2006, 04:00 PM
what a douchebag Jeffrey Gordon is.
I hope this doesn't go through, because if it does we'll be one step closer to American life, where no one is responsible for their own actions.
right on, I haven't noticed anything particualrly safer over than in europe, despite all the law suits that are supposed make things safer
all compensation culture does is make the district cut down on what is allowed and companies use crazy labels like '888 suitable only for light XC'
...err...unless they really have a case. I have 2004 Z1:???:
patrolskid
10-04-2006, 09:14 AM
well biggles , does that mean that everyone who is driving an older model car ( pre air bag , crumple zone , side impact beam ) should be suing the auto maker because they knew that accidents happen , and didn't install devices that they knew existed , but just didn't put them in ?
i hear what you are trying to get at , but the guys who accepted the risk of what they are doing have got it right .
enduramil
10-04-2006, 09:25 AM
Did anyone else see the advert on page 20 of last week's Georgia Straight? It was looking or people w/ Marz Z1's fro 2002 that snapped & resulted in injuries. Dunno if there were a bunch of peeps or it's just one PO'ed dude looking for support.
Didn't get to read it as they don't carry it out here.
So what exactly snapped/broke/failed on the guy's fork? What is the incident story? Anyone know?
Just curious.
Bryce
10-04-2006, 01:03 PM
I busted one and put a major scar/injury into my leg.
I don't really blame them, I shouldve checked my bike regularly. I busted another fork too but didn't result in any injury.
If there's big cash in it, I'm interested. Someone wanna look into it?
I know a way to save big cash and avoid further injury - quit biking
enduramil
10-04-2006, 01:37 PM
I know a way to save big cash and avoid further injury - quit biking
May save cash but won't help avoid injury as that is part of living on this planet. Unless you decide to simplify the solution and voluntarily deselect yourself from the gene pool.
May save cash but won't help avoid injury as that is part of living on this planet. Unless you decide to simplify the solution and voluntarily deselect yourself from the gene pool.
Or you could sit around in your buddies basement all day smoking dope. Those guys never move, therefore never get hurt.
:grinno:
(taken from a commercial I saw the other day)
SEKTER13
10-04-2006, 03:18 PM
Marzocchi deserves props for just trying to provide this scene with forks that work. Like someone already mentioned, the sport was progressing insanely fast back then, much faster then the gear. By the time the forks were comming out the riding surpassed the level the forks were designed for. Riders were abusing them, period. Even now I dont know many riders that dont abuse the hell out of their equipment, I know I sure do. This is a risky sport, getting hurt just happens and all parts break. Anyone looking for a lawsuit in this isnt a real biker in my eyes.
PS: you guys should lay off keefer, he might not have been serious.
Bryce
10-04-2006, 04:16 PM
PS: you guys should lay off keefer, he might not have been serious.
It sounded serious but maybe not. I totally agree that Marzocchi deserves credit for making stuff for an emerging market
Tonestar
10-05-2006, 12:23 PM
And up got he prices of all mountain biking gear!!!
If the plaintif wins the suit, then Marzocchi's insurance goes up, which then translates to all the other manufacturers of similar products (ie. frames, forks, wheels,etc...) insurance going up. Plus the cost of running a bike shop (Cove was also named) goes up, through their insurance as well.
This is really bad for the industry and cunsumers in the end. I suggest that if you had a fork that broke and weren't seriously injured, that you keep your mouth shut. Just let Jeffrey Gordon go at it on his own, if he has a viable case, then he will get what he deserves, if not, it will go away, or get settled out of court.
Also, don't think ill of Jeffrey until you know what actually happened to him (I don't know), but maybe he has lost his livelyhood due to this injury and needs the settlement to support himself and his family. If it happened to you, you would probably consider the same course of action.
Lady Gravity
10-05-2006, 02:23 PM
Also, don't think ill of Jeffrey until you know what actually happened to him (I don't know), but maybe he has lost his livelyhood due to this injury and needs the settlement to support himself and his family. If it happened to you, you would probably consider the same course of action.
sorry but if you have the kind of life where if you get injured from biking you can't work, then you should quit biking. i believe it's referred to as taking responsibility for your actions.
synchro
10-05-2006, 02:32 PM
if you get knocked up (or around) live with the consequences!
you say that with such sarcasm. does that mean you are one of those irresponsible types that looks to blame everyone else but himself when something goes wrong?
please note sarcasm in my post. i only say this becuase i don't want you to get upset and blame me for the troubles of man since the dawn of time.
biggles604
10-05-2006, 04:01 PM
sorry but if you have the kind of life where if you get injured from biking you can't work, then you should quit biking. i believe it's referred to as taking responsibility for your actions.
Yeah, that's a tricky one. I know that my boss would love to make me sign a contract forbidding me from riding. I need my hands to work, and breaking my arm was a really big blow, but I went out of my way to not let it become a disability at work. It also made it very clear to management that they had no redundancy or contingency for such events, so the net effect was positive, but it's raised a lot of really good lunch table topics about personal injury liability.
Nothing will ever come to pass unless it's in the terms of a hiring contract. If I had to choose between an excellent job or riding, I'm not sure what I would do.
Tonestar
10-05-2006, 04:04 PM
sorry but if you have the kind of life where if you get injured from biking you can't work, then you should quit biking. i believe it's referred to as taking responsibility for your actions.
I take huge exception to that comment, did you really think before you typed it? We could all be injured seriously enough that we couldn't even type stupid posts (not specifically directed at you, just all of us in general) on this bulletin board anymore. One silly wrong move and you are a quad or have a major head injury, then you are learning to walk and talk again, just think about that for a second before responding. I am not saying that this is Jeffrey's scenario, just that, there before the grace of Bhuda goes you or me,
so we shouldn't judge what we don't know.
Show just a little compassion people. Once we find out for sure the guy is just being an asshole, or his lawyer is looking for a big cash grab,then we can roast them.
enduramil
10-05-2006, 06:02 PM
Yeah, that's a tricky one. I know that my boss would love to make me sign a contract forbidding me from riding. I need my hands to work, and breaking my arm was a really big blow, but I went out of my way to not let it become a disability at work. It also made it very clear to management that they had no redundancy or contingency for such events, so the net effect was positive, but it's raised a lot of really good lunch table topics about personal injury liability.
Nothing will ever come to pass unless it's in the terms of a hiring contract. If I had to choose between an excellent job or riding, I'm not sure what I would do.
I would choose riding, but that's just me. I hate feeling like a Hamster in a cage.
schoenrock
10-05-2006, 06:26 PM
Once we find out for sure the guy is just being an asshole, or his lawyer is looking for a big cash grab,then we can roast them.
you already know he's an asshole, if he does have a family to support then what was he thinking involving himself in a high risk sport without having insurance to cover the damages he did to himself on his own?
i agree with lady g, he's totally irresponsible.
Lady Gravity
10-05-2006, 09:06 PM
I take huge exception to that comment, did you really think before you typed it? We could all be injured seriously enough that we couldn't even type stupid posts (not specifically directed at you, just all of us in general) on this bulletin board anymore. One silly wrong move and you are a quad or have a major head injury, then you are learning to walk and talk again, just think about that for a second before responding. I am not saying that this is Jeffrey's scenario, just that, there before the grace of Bhuda goes you or me, so we shouldn't judge what we don't know.
Show just a little compassion people. Once we find out for sure the guy is just being an asshole, or his lawyer is looking for a big cash grab,then we can roast them.
you dont get my point. sure there's a risk of injury, heck i get hurt all the time, but if i was seriously concerned i'd get personal liability insurance. suing someone (specially a bike company) would not even be on my radar and i'm surprised as a biker you can even consider that as an option considering the ramifications of such an action (higher prices, loss of trails to start). frankly i'm disappointed.
Preach on Lady G.
*thumbsup
Show just a little compassion people.
Compassion?
give me a break.
Why won't I drop the GLC rockwall at Whistler?
Because if I fxxk it up and can't work the next day, I won't have a job anymore. It's called making responsible choices, and so few people in today's society have no idea what that entails. It's horrible that he injured himself, but to make it the responsibility of the mtn biking industry to pay for his ass now that he can't work, now that's just unfair for everyone, and borderline robbery.
synchro
10-06-2006, 11:00 AM
It's called making responsible choices, and so few people in today's society have no idea what that entails.
there are some interesting thread over in nbr right now that you might want to check out
Folks, its called dissiblity insurance. If you dont have it and you participate in this sport and dont have it you are the irrisponsible one. More so if you have a family to support.
biggles604
10-06-2006, 12:50 PM
I would choose riding, but that's just me. I hate feeling like a Hamster in a cage.
I've told them time and time again that the positive effects of riding outweigh the risk of injury. They now believe me, now that they have had to put up with 4 months of me being injured and not riding. I'm grumpy and about as emotional as a PMSing woman; I need my fix!
Johnie P
10-06-2006, 06:36 PM
If you ride a bike and think that nothing will ever go wrong with your frame or other parts of the bike your a Moron.BB's, handle bars, Frames, Forks etc break all the time.
I have a morgage and a kid to support so i toned my riding down and i go over every part of my bike after every ride.Its called being responsable.Shit can still go wrong so i have insurance just in case.
I hope he loses and has to pay for all the court fees and defense fees.Why can people not take responsability for there own actions.
derwood
10-06-2006, 09:05 PM
Folks, its called dissiblity insurance. If you dont have it and you participate in this sport and dont have it you are the irrisponsible one. More so if you have a family to support.
anyone ever consider that it could be some poor schmuck's insurance company spearheading this suit?
Lady Gravity
10-06-2006, 10:16 PM
If you ride a bike and think that nothing will ever go wrong with your frame or other parts of the bike your a Moron.BB's, handle bars, Frames, Forks etc break all the time.
true, i recall a certain handlebar incident at abby indoor last year...i still think you're incredibly lucky to have gotten through that one unscathed :|
Johnie P
10-07-2006, 10:12 AM
Ya I got lucky there.Looking at the bar after you could see the bar was cracked half way around for a while.A simple inspection of the bike would have caught that and prevented the bar from breaking completely.That is why I check EVERYTHING after EVERY ride now.
anyone ever consider that it could be some poor schmuck's insurance company spearheading this suit?
pretty tough for an insurace comapy to go after Marzochi without the willing participation of the injured rider.
corey@nsmb.com
10-07-2006, 10:49 AM
This is a dangerous sport.
You crash and burn.
Sometimes you abuse products and they break.
Sometimes things just break. The amount of damage done to you as a result is largely a result of how you apply that product. A defective fork that flops while you are riding the seawall or a gravel path at 7 km/h isn't going to be much of an issue...but if you put that same fork to work throwing yourself of a 5 foot drop, or by pinning it down a trail as fast as you can go, odds are you are going to get banged up a bit more.
Aside from defects, bad luck and abuse, it is ultimately YOU who puts yourself in the position that determines how much damage is done when shit hits the fan.
And it always hits the fan, its just a matter of when. If you wanna play hard, you have to accept that these things happen and by playing hard, you are going to be at an elevated risk (by YOUR OWN CHOICE) when shit does happen.
Trying to convert that accident that happened and the damage that occured based on the position you put yourself in, into cash, is brutal and I'm never going to agree with it in any form.
That all being said, there is no reason to make this personal and attack and slander the individual involved in this. None of us know him, or his scenario, and we aren't in a position to be calling him anything. Probably best to focus this discussion on the action and not the person involved.
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