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I recently destroyed the clasp on my pair of Fox Head Demo shorts while riding this weekend (don't worry, I'm OK). Do cycling clothing brands/companies offer any sort of warranty on their clothing for something like this?

I am specifically interested in clothing intended for more extreme use like downhill where it should hold up.

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I don't think any manufacturer will give you any warranty in case of "abuse" of its products – and it surely could be considered abusive to have a crash with their clothing, even if it was sold as mountainbike clothing. There may be some exception with protective gear, but even then the manufacturer might argue that it was designed to get damaged or destroyed in order to protect you. In this case I could imagine the manufacturer might give you some discount on a replacement, as some helmet manufacturers do in case of a crashed helmet.

But for "normal" clothing, I don't think you will have great chances on such warranty.

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In England and Wales, under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 goods must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose.

Regardless of warranty length, a product which is intended to last many years but fails after a few months of use can be deemed faulty or unfit for purpose. Within the first 6 months, it is assumed that the product did not meet the contract specification when delivered. After 6 months a fault may indicate the product fell short of the durability expectations.

The contract of sale is with the retailer, not the manufacturer, so don't let the retailer pass the buck.

Your local laws may have similar principles.

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    US laws are generally similar (except perhaps for the retailer liability part), but it's unlikely that damage due to a crash would be considered happening in "normal use" unless it was advertised as protective clothing. However, many clothing brands have some sort of "no fault" warranty that may apply. Commented Jul 7, 2014 at 15:38
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    In the US, protective clothing and equipment is often designed to be destroyed in the process of protecting you. A warranty claim for replacement of that protective item could only be made if it did not fail as it was supposed to. But if it did not fail, there would be no need for replacement.
    – Gary E
    Commented Jul 7, 2014 at 20:14
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Rapha provides a free repair service for their items that have succumb to crashes: https://www.rapha.cc/at/en/repair-service


Precis of linked website:

Repair Service Policy

Rapha offers a free repair service where a crash or accident has damaged a garment.

This service also applies to garments outside the 30 day return policy.

Please note that repairs can take up to 4 weeks to process, once they have been received by our repairs team.

Excluded garments: All Base Layers, T-shirts, Polo Shirts, Shirts, Merino Sweatshirts, Track/Hooded Tops, Merino Roll Necks, Merino Boxers, Merino Arm/Knee/Leg Warmers, Socks, Oversocks, Overshoes, Merino Gloves, Hats/Caps, Scarfs, Snood/Collar, Backpack Covers, Belts, Bidons, Essentials cases, Custom products and Rapha + GORE-TEX products.

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Assos of Switzerland has a repair service, as documented at

https://www.assos.com/warranty-repair-policy

However its limited to only the first three months after purchase, to be bought from an authorised seller only, and requires receipts/proof of purchase.

Also its best-effort with no replacement if it can't be repaired, and excludes "lenses and inserts" but doesn't show a laundry-list of exclusions like the Rapha policy.

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