For those with a short attention span: Broke three frames in three years, all on the seattube. I think seattubes getting shorter puts a lot of stress on frames when taller riders ride long droppers.
Partly inspired by Mike Ferrentino's piece "We're Still Buying Rear Derailleurs", but mostly by my breaking the 3rd frame in not even three years: I'm aware that at 190cm/at least 90kg sans gear (6'2/200lbs for the metrically challenged), I'm bound to be harder on bikes than the rider your typical product manager has in mind.
However: I bought a carbon wondersled in spring 2019. Summer 2020, I discovered a crack in the seattube, maybe 5cm (2 inches for the...) below the toptube. Ok, stuff happens, warranty was quick and handled in an outstanding way (one week turnover, no charge for work, they even replaced some small parts and bearings for free). All was well.
Summer 2021, a crack again, same place. So the crack was not a QC issue but a design flaw. This was a problem, since the frame only had a three year warranty and the next crack wouldn't be covered anymore. I rode the new frame for a month and sold it. Again, the warranty was handled in an outstanding way. Frame was at my door in 3 days. Main triangle and rear triangle, since they didn't have the color of my old frame in stock anymore.
Since my experiences with carbon hadn't been all that great, I decided to buy an alloy frame. (Ok, it was cheaper as well.) Bought a much acclaimed and heavy AF frame from a "core" brand with a good reputation. Not even 6 months later, what do I discover? A crack in the seattube, just below where the toptube is welded to the frame.
Do other tall/heavy riders have the same problem? All the frames I've damaged (and there were quite a few before tho ones described above) but one broke from pedalling/climbing forces, not from descending (yes, I know what this says about my descending abilities, thanks). I'm kind of ok with a frame breaking after three or four years, but after a year or only six months? Could it be that, as stated above, the forces on the frame from longer and longer seatposts (and shorter and shorter seattubes) are too high when taller/heavier riders ride? Your experiences? Bikes were ridden maybe 2 or three ties a week, since I have a shorter trevel bike as well.
To get back to MIke Ferrentino: I desperately wanted a Nicolai G15 when I bought the bike in 2019, but couldn't afford it. I lusted after a G1 again when I bought the alloy frame last year, but again, it would have been financially irresponsible Also because I would have had to buy a new dropper, while the frame I bought had the same diameter as its predecessor. But it would probably have saved money if I would just have bought the Nicolai in 2019 anyway....
Depending on how long it's going to take for a new frame to arrive (the distributor is out of stock AFAIK, and there probably weren't that many XXL frames to begin with), I'm sorely tempted to just buy a Nicolai. There's a sale on frames right now....