UK team Saint Piran and Lapierre UK dealers call lawyers in £100,000 dispute

British Cycling Team St. Piran(Opens in a new tab) According to Cycling Weekly, Raleigh, the UK dealer of French cycling brand Lapierre, has disputed more than £100,000 with lawyers over the alleged safety of the bikes they supply.

Cycling Weekly understands that the Cornwall-based team first directed lawyers in April 2022 to take steps to recover more than £100,000 in costs, which they say is largely due to having to procure replacement bikes to replace its 60 Lapierre models .

Both Raleigh and Lapierre have vehemently denied any problems with the bikes provided to the team, saying there were no design issues with the models in question.

Cycling Weekly reported last week that St Piran will ride S-Works and Trek bikes at the Tour of England due to safety concerns.

However, Raleigh claims the brand’s research has proven that the problems were caused by Saint Piran employees over-tightening the headphones.

Saint Piran claims 23 different incidents that have caused safety concerns, including: seven fork failures, multiple replacement frames and 14 marked steering columns, which they say “may be prone to failure.”

The latest statement released by the team said: “Saint Piran’s lawyers have actually written to Raleigh on 22 April 2022 and have been in contact with Raleigh (UK) Ltd’s own lawyers since then. The dispute continues.

Saint Piran says they incur costs in excess of £100,000 due to having to source replacement bikes for its riders as well as buying replacement parts and fixing other issues.

Saint Piran also insists that an independent report has identified a reason why product assembly will not occur.

“The Raleigh representative had suggested that the problems might have been caused by incorrect assembly by the St. Piran mechanics – which was completely rejected.

“The team arranged for an independent report to assess possible causes of the problem, which identified causes other than mechanical assembly of the bike. This report has been shared with Raleigh and has been challenged by them. Raleigh provided further independent examination, but No progress has been made,” the team said.

In the ongoing legal battle, the two sides are at loggerheads over what appears to be a broader issue of who is being used for independent reporting and inspections. Raleigh had previously said it had contacted St. Piran to try to agree on who would conduct any investigations.

A spokesman for the company said: “A proposal to hire an independent expert has been made. This has not been dealt with. Now three months later, St. Piran appears to be trying to capitalize on the threat of publicity. Raleigh has been engaging constructively with St. Piran , to address its concerns and disappointed with the new approach to resolving its claims.”

The British bike dealer hopes to continue reaching solutions out of the public eye.

It added: “Raleigh UK Ltd, on behalf of Lapierre in the UK, has previously responded to the claims made by Saint Piran through formal legal correspondence. Raleigh UK Ltd has responded to all allegations made by Saint Piran and disagrees with all the allegations made View.

“Given St. Piran’s decision to go the legal route, Raleigh UK Ltd will only discuss the matter further through the legal framework outlined. Raleigh UK Ltd will no longer comment on this particular topic through media channels.”