Terms of Service

Presidio Composites ("we", "us", "our") provides documented opinions on the visible structural condition of carbon fiber bicycles, based on photographs the customer submits or, where available, in-person evaluation. Inspection reports involve individual professional judgment that is subjective and may change from time to time as inspection methodology evolves or as additional evidence becomes available. We make no warranty or representation, and shall have no liability whatsoever to the customer or any third party, for any opinion rendered, observation reported, status assigned, or conclusion stated in an inspection report. Reports are not a structural certification, warranty, or guarantee of safety, and they are not a substitute for the customer's own judgment about a bicycle's fitness for use. We make no representation about the training, credentials, certifications, or qualifications of any individual performing an inspection on our behalf.

By placing an order or submitting an inspection request, the customer agrees to these terms. The version of these terms in effect on the date of order placement governs that inspection.

The scope of an inspection is determined by the service tier purchased and is documented in each report's methodology section.

Online Inspection (PC-OS). Findings are limited to features observable in the photographs the customer submits. Areas not photographed, areas photographed at insufficient resolution, lighting, or angle to permit assessment, and areas obscured by components, finish, or surface conditions are outside the report's scope and are not represented in the findings.

In-Person Inspection (PC-IS). Findings are based on hands-on visual and tactile examination of the documented zones, including pulsed thermography on documented junctions. Zones outside the documented examination area, and conditions requiring ultrasonic, X-ray, or other non-destructive testing modalities not used in this tier, are outside the report's scope.

Pre-Purchase Concierge (PC-CG). Findings are based on the In-Person Inspection scope plus a second non-destructive testing modality and a written market valuation addendum. Conditions requiring testing modalities other than those used remain outside the report's scope.

We may engage independent inspectors to perform any inspection on our behalf. We remain responsible for the content of the resulting report and for compliance with these terms.

We target a one-business-day turnaround on inspection reports, measured from the time the customer's complete photo set has been received or, for in-person services, from the completion of the appointment. This target is a best-effort, aspirational service level. It is not a contractual commitment, and we make no representation or warranty as to any specific delivery time.

Inspection delivery may be delayed for any reason, including without limitation: vendor or infrastructure outages affecting payment processing, email delivery, photo storage, or our database; inspector availability or scheduling backlog; weather, transit, or logistics disruptions affecting in-person inspections; events of force majeure (acts of God, government action, labor disruptions, network failures, cyberattacks, public health emergencies, or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control); and our own operational decisions about workload prioritization.

Late delivery is not, in any circumstance, grounds for refund, credit, damages, or any other remedy. If a delay materially affects the customer's intended use of the report, the customer may cancel the order before delivery and request a refund pursuant to §07.

No inspection method documents every possible condition. Visual examination, tactile examination, and pulsed thermography are diagnostic indicators, not exhaustive structural certifications. Internal delamination, sub-surface voids, fatigue damage below the resin surface, and progressive damage developing after the inspection date can be present in a bicycle that received a favorable report.

Reports describe the condition observed at the time of review and do not predict future performance under load. The condition of a bicycle can change between the inspection date and any subsequent use. The customer is responsible for the bicycle's continued maintenance and inspection.

By placing an order, the customer represents and warrants that:

1. they own the bicycle being inspected, or have the express permission of its owner to submit it for inspection;
2. the information they submit (manufacturer, model, year, ownership history, known damage) is accurate and complete to the best of their knowledge;
3. photographs they submit genuinely depict the bicycle being inspected, have not been edited, retouched, or selectively cropped to misrepresent its condition, and were taken within a reasonable period before submission;
4. they are at least eighteen (18) years of age, or are submitting with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

The customer also agrees not to:

1. submit photographs they do not have the right to use;
2. use a report to defraud or mislead any third party, including a buyer, seller, insurer, or other party to a transaction;
3. use a report as the basis for, or as a factor in, decisions about employment, credit, insurance, housing, immigration status, government benefits, or criminal investigation (inspection reports are not "consumer reports" within the meaning of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq., and Presidio Composites is not a "consumer reporting agency" under that act);
4. reproduce, mimic, or repurpose the report's template, branding, layout, or visual design for any inspection or assessment service; or
5. remove, obscure, or alter any disclaimer, attribution, or identifying mark in a delivered report.

We may use images of inspected bicycles, including photographs the customer submits for online inspections and photographs we capture during in-person inspections, for portfolio, marketing, training, quality control, and service-improvement purposes.

Any image used in any external context (including social media, marketing collateral, our website, presentations, or third-party publications) is anonymized: no customer name, contact information, address, ZIP code, location indicator, license plate, face, identifiable bystander, or other personally identifying information will be visible. We may crop, redact, blur, or otherwise modify any image to satisfy this requirement.

Customers who do not want images of their bicycle used in this manner may opt out at any time by emailing hello@presidiocomposites.com with the order reference. Upon receipt of an opt-out request we will exclude the order from future external use and will remove its imagery from any external portfolio or marketing surface within thirty (30) days. Internal use (training, quality control, dispute review, archival recordkeeping) may continue.

Inspection fees are refundable if the inspection has not yet started. Once the inspector has begun review of the submitted materials or, for in-person services, the appointment has been held, fees are non-refundable except as set out below.

If the customer believes the inspection contained a methodology error, we will re-review the submission at no additional charge. If our re-review confirms an error in our methodology, we will issue a full refund of the fees paid for that inspection.

Defect notice window. The customer must notify us in writing of any factual error in the report (incorrect manufacturer, model, year, photographs attached to the wrong order, or similar clerical error) within ten (10) business days of report delivery. Factual-error notices submitted after that window are addressed at our sole discretion and may not be eligible for any remedy.

Disagreement with the report's conclusions, in the absence of a methodology error, is not grounds for a refund. We will, on request, provide a written re-review at no additional charge; the original fees remain due.

Refund and notice requests should be sent to hello@presidiocomposites.com with the order reference.

We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to decline to begin or to terminate any inspection at any time, with or without cause, including without limitation:

1. reasonable belief that the customer is not the owner of the bicycle or lacks authority to submit it;
2. reasonable belief that the customer has provided false or misleading information, or has submitted photographs that misrepresent the bicycle;
3. reasonable belief that the bicycle is stolen, the subject of an active insurance claim, or otherwise encumbered;
4. reasonable belief that the report is being procured for a fraudulent or unlawful purpose;
5. abusive, threatening, or harassing communication from the customer toward us, our inspectors, or our staff;
6. circumstances that make safe or competent performance of the inspection impractical; or
7. any other reason consistent with our legitimate business interests.

If we decline before any inspection work has begun, we will refund all fees paid. If we terminate after work has begun, we will issue a pro-rata refund commensurate with the portion of work not yet performed; we are not obligated to deliver any partial findings obtained before termination.

Termination under this section does not waive any other right we have under these terms, including under §12 (Indemnification) and §14 (Dispute resolution and arbitration).

The customer agrees not to sue, and not to recover any damages from, Presidio Composites as a result of any decision by Presidio Composites to decline to begin or to terminate an inspection, to refuse to deliver findings, to decline to issue or to revise a report, or to take any other action during the investigation of a suspected breach of these terms.

EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS, INSPECTION REPORTS AND ALL SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY US, OUR INSPECTORS, OR OUR EMPLOYEES CREATES ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY SET OUT IN THESE TERMS.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO THE CUSTOMER FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO AN INSPECTION OR REPORT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, STATUTORY, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, IS LIMITED TO THE FEES THE CUSTOMER PAID FOR THAT SPECIFIC INSPECTION.

WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF USE, REVENUE, PROFITS, GOODWILL, OR DATA, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such jurisdictions our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Inspection reports are prepared solely for the customer who placed the order. Reports are not prepared for the benefit of, or with reliance by, any third party, and these terms create no third-party beneficiary rights in any person other than the customer.

The customer is permitted to share a delivered report with third parties, including prospective buyers or sellers of the inspected bicycle, insurance providers, brokers, or other parties to a transaction. Any such sharing is at the customer's discretion and at the customer's risk. Any third party that reads, considers, or relies on a report does so at the third party's own risk.

Our duty of care, our limitation of liability under §10, and our disclaimer of warranties under §09 run only to the customer who placed the order. No third party may invoke any right, remedy, or cause of action under these terms or in connection with any report.

Any third party who reads, considers, or proceeds with a transaction in reliance on a report is deemed to have read, understood, and accepted the entirety of these terms, including without limitation the disclaimer of warranties in §09, the limitation of liability in §10, the time limit on claims in §13, and the dispute resolution and arbitration agreement in §14. Continued review of, or reliance on, a report after notice of these terms constitutes acceptance.

The customer agrees to communicate the existence of these terms, and the limited scope of the inspection, to any third party with whom the customer shares the report.

The customer agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Presidio Composites, its operators, employees, contractors, and inspectors against any third-party claim, demand, action, or proceeding, and any associated damages, costs, expenses, and reasonable attorney fees, arising out of or related to:

1. the customer's breach of these terms or of any warranty made under §05;
2. the customer's use, sharing, or republication of an inspection report, including in a sale, purchase, insurance claim, or warranty dispute;
3. any claim by a third party, including a buyer or seller of the inspected bicycle, arising from the customer's reliance on, or distribution of, the inspection report.

We will give the customer prompt written notice of any such claim and reasonably cooperate at the customer's expense.

Any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to an inspection, a report, or these terms must be filed within one (1) year after the cause of action accrues, or it is permanently barred. The cause of action accrues on the date the report was delivered to the customer or, if no report was delivered, on the date the inspection was scheduled to be performed.

Binding arbitration. Except as set out below, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or related to an inspection, a report, these terms, or the relationship between the customer and Presidio Composites, whether in contract, tort, statute, or otherwise, will be resolved exclusively by final and binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect.

Venue. Arbitration will be conducted in San Francisco County, California, or by remote / video-conference proceeding if both parties agree.

Costs. Each party bears its own attorney fees and costs except as the AAA Consumer Rules require otherwise. AAA filing and administrative fees are allocated as set out in the AAA Consumer Rules.

Small-claims exception. Either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court if the claim qualifies for that court's jurisdiction (in California, claims of $10,000 or less). Filing a small-claims action does not waive the right to arbitrate other claims.

No class actions, no consolidated proceedings, no representative actions. ARBITRATION UNDER THESE TERMS IS INDIVIDUAL ONLY. THE CUSTOMER AND PRESIDIO COMPOSITES EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CONSOLIDATED ACTION, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE MORE THAN ONE PARTY'S CLAIMS AND MAY NOT PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF REPRESENTATIVE OR CLASS PROCEEDING.

Confidentiality. Any arbitration under this section will be confidential. Neither the customer, Presidio Composites, the AAA, nor the arbitrator may disclose the existence, content (including any oral or written submissions), or results of the arbitration, except as may be required by law or for purposes of enforcing or challenging an arbitration award.

If the class waiver in the preceding paragraphs is held unenforceable as to any specific claim, that claim must be heard in court rather than in arbitration; this arbitration agreement otherwise remains in full force.

We may revise these terms from time to time. The current version, with its effective date, is always posted at presidiocomposites.com/terms.

Material changes, meaning changes that meaningfully alter the customer's rights or obligations, will be communicated to customers with an active relationship by email at the address on file at least thirty (30) days before they take effect.

The terms in effect at the time of an inspection govern that inspection. Continued use of our services after revised terms take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised terms for any subsequent inspection.

The following provisions survive any termination or expiration of these terms or of any individual inspection engagement: §05 (Customer warranties and obligations), §06 (Use of inspection imagery), §07 (Refunds), §09 (Disclaimer of warranties), §10 (Limitation of liability), §11 (Third-party reliance), §12 (Indemnification), §13 (Time limit on claims), §14 (Dispute resolution and arbitration), §15 (Modifications to these terms), §17 (Severability), §18 (Governing law and venue), and §19 (Third-party trademarks and editorial content). Termination does not relieve either party of obligations accrued before the date of termination.

If any provision of these terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Subject to the arbitration agreement in §14, the exclusive venue for any judicial action permitted by these terms is the state and federal courts located in San Francisco County, California.

The site, our inspection reports, the Presidio Composites guides, and the Presidio Composites blog include references to, and occasional depictions of, products, services, brands, and trade names owned by third parties.

Notable third-party trademarks. Bicycle manufacturers and component brands referenced in our reports or guides (including Trek, Specialized, Cervélo, Pinarello, Canyon, Giant, Cannondale, Bianchi, Colnago, and Look) and all other bicycle, component, paint, material, and tool brands are trademarks of their respective owners. Service providers identified on the site, including Stripe, Resend, Amazon Web Services, Vercel, Microsoft, Azure, Cloudflare, and Google Analytics, are trademarks of their respective owners. All other third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Presidio Composites is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of these companies.

Nominative fair use. Presidio Composites uses third-party trademarks descriptively and nominatively, to identify the third party or its products accurately, only to the extent reasonably necessary, and without any suggestion of sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation. Presidio Composites claims no rights in any third-party mark.

Editorial commentary. Guides, blog posts, glossary entries, methodology pages, comparison articles, and similar content reflect Presidio Composites' commentary, opinion, criticism, news reporting, or analysis as of the date published. Editorial content may be researched, drafted, or produced in whole or in part with the assistance of generative AI tools, and is reviewed by Presidio Composites before publication. Where Presidio Composites displays third-party screenshots, photographs, logos, quotations, or other excerpts, such use is intended to be licensed, used with permission, in the public domain, or used as fair use under 17 U.S.C. § 107 for purposes including commentary, criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, research, or comparative analysis. Editorial content is not engineering, structural, mechanical, or safety advice. Presidio Composites is not responsible for the content of third-party sites linked from the site.

Reservation of Presidio Composites' marks. "Presidio Composites," the Presidio Composites word mark, the Presidio Composites logo, the inspection report layout and look-and-feel, and the look and feel of presidiocomposites.com are trademarks and trade dress of Presidio Composites. You may not use them without prior written permission, except in factual references that themselves comply with nominative fair use.

Reporting an IP concern. If you believe content on the site, in an inspection report, in a Presidio Composites guide, or in a Presidio Composites blog post uses your intellectual property without authorization, email hello@presidiocomposites.com with: (i) a description of the work, (ii) the URL where the alleged use appears, (iii) your contact information, and (iv) a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the owner, its agent, or the law. Presidio Composites will review such notices in good faith and may remove, modify, or correct attribution at its discretion. Submitting a knowingly false claim may itself be the basis for liability.