'Cycling nut' who broke his back when his new £2,200 Giant carbon road bike
collapsed under him during a ride is suing the company for £200,000

By Stewart Carr
09:48, 01 Nov 2023 , updated 11:25, 01 Nov 2023

A 'cycling nut' who broke his back in four places when his new Giant carbon
road bike collapsed under him is suing the company for more than £200,000.

Ben Norbury, a keen club rider and amateur champion paid £2,199 for a brand
new Giant Propel Advanced 2 2021 in the autumn of that year, only to have
the fork separate from the steerer tube five months later in February 2022
whilst he was in the saddle doing 15mph.

Mr Norbury, 39, who designed and runs top cycling weather app myWindsock,
suffered multiple spinal fractures when he hit the ground face first close
to his then home in Sandbach, Cheshire.

He went on to sue Giant UK Ltd - part of the world's largest bike
manufacturing company - claiming over £200,000 compensation on the basis
that there was an 'inherent defect' in the bike when it was manufactured
which caused his accident.

After initially denying liability and arguing that Mr Norbury had caused
the issue with the bike himself by changing the stem and handlebars,
lawyers for the company have now admitted fault, guaranteeing him a payout.

In documents lodged with London's High Court his barrister Adam Korn - who
described Mr Norbury as a 'cycling nut' outside court - set out the
circumstances of the accident.

'On the day of the accident when he rode over a slight difference in the
surface level of the road the forks of his front wheel separated from the
alloy steerer tube crown,' he explained.

'He went headfirst off his bike and hit his head and face,' he added,
explaining he had no time to break his fall and crunched onto his head in
the impact, suffering concussion, dental injuries and a broken nose- on top
of the damage to his back and neck.

Mr Norbury says he lived and breathed before his accident, riding up to 20
hours in a typical week, competing in time trials, racing and hill climbing
events as a member of Congleton Cycling Club and was the holder of regional
speed records.

Before the disaster he had developed and launched cycling app myWindsock
designed to provide accurate date on the impact of the weather on a
cyclist's performance.

Mr Norbury, of Winsford, Cheshire, 'continues to run 'myWindsock' as his
job,' said Mr Korn.

But he has since struggled to get back to full fitness and to cycling and
'is concerned that his passion has been taken from him'.

He had to go through corrective spinal surgery after the accident, suffered
flashbacks and trauma in the aftermath, and medics fear he may be afflicted
by a 'subtle brain injury'.

The accident also left him with lingering neck pain - along with headaches,
mood swings and problems with memory.

Carrying heavy items is also now beyond him and he's been unable to do any
high-level cycling since his crash.

After the accident he developed a range of psychological symptoms such as
'anxiety dreams' and fear of cycling, despite being desperate to return to
his former obsession.

He has also struggled with his other hobby of playing the cornet and fears
playing the instrument again due to the strain on his chest and spine.

His barrister went on to claim the accident occurred because of a
manufacturing fault with the joint between the alloy tube and the bike's
carbon fork.

'There was an inherent defect in the adhesive bond between the steerer tube
and the crown socket.

'It's likely to have been caused by inadequate surface preparation of the
steerer tube spigot at the time of manufacture,' he added.

Giant UK Ltd are being sued under the Consumer Protection Act for selling a
defective product, but initially alleged Mr Norbury's own alterations
caused the bike's failure.

As a 'keen amateur cyclist' Mr Norbury routinely did his own bike
maintenance and had tinkered with his new purchase to the extent of
changing the handlebars and stem to alloy Shimano parts.

However, at a recent hearing designed to hammer out trial management issues
Mr Korn told the judge Master Roger Eastman that Giant UK Ltd have now
'conceded liability'.

<https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12696709/Cycling-nut-broke-new-2-200-Giant-carbon-road-bike-collapsed-ride-suing-company-200-000.html>

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Spike

On 01/11/2023 10:50 pm, Spike wrote:

> 'Cycling nut' who broke his back when his new £2,200 Giant carbon road bike
> collapsed under him during a ride is suing the company for £200,000
>
> By Stewart Carr
> 09:48, 01 Nov 2023 , updated 11:25, 01 Nov 2023
>
> A 'cycling nut' who broke his back in four places when his new Giant carbon
> road bike collapsed under him is suing the company for more than £200,000.

Did it collapse under him four times?

JNugent <jnugent@mail.com> wrote:
> On 01/11/2023 10:50 pm, Spike wrote:
>
>> 'Cycling nut' who broke his back when his new £2,200 Giant carbon road bike
>> collapsed under him during a ride is suing the company for £200,000
>>
>> By Stewart Carr
>> 09:48, 01 Nov 2023 , updated 11:25, 01 Nov 2023
>>
>> A 'cycling nut' who broke his back in four places when his new Giant carbon
>> road bike collapsed under him is suing the company for more than £200,000.
>
> Did it collapse under him four times?

Who knows…

I’ll borrow an expression from Mason, something about throwing the kitchen
sink at the issue - it’s certainly a long list of travails…

--
Spike