Singletracks Mountain Bike News, Reviews, MTB Trails and Community › Protected: Forums › Mountain Bike Forum › Giant: Cracked frame – Any recourse?
Tagged: Giant
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
July 25, 2013 at 07:56 #121114
Heya folks,
Sad day in Mudville for me. While washing my Yukon FX, I noticed the rear chainstay is cracked completely through (this guy has the exact same break as me). I am not the original owner. I purchased this bike a year and a half ago on Craigslist. To the best of my knowledge, it’s a 2010 Yukon FX.
Giant’s site says that subsequent owners are not covered by their frame warranty, but I’ve read in the past of companies being more lenient than what’s written when it comes to their warranty restrictions. Does anyone have any suggestions/experience in finding some way to get a new rear triangle? If so, what would I need to do? No nearby Giant dealers, but I can find one a couple hours away. If warranty is out of the question, will Giant sell a rear triangle for a bike of this MY?
Thoughts and suggestions are welcome. It’s my primary ride and I’ll be sadface until I’ve figured out what I’m going to do.
-
July 25, 2013 at 08:13 #121115
First, see if you can contact the original owner and have them process the warranty claim. Giant will NOT honor it for subsequent owners.
If that is not possible, contact the Giant store, explain your situation, stop talking for a second and see if they offer something .. then see if they will do a discounted crash replacement on the triangle or a whole frame.
If all of that fails … time for new Giant frame, which will then have the full lifetime warranty!
-
July 25, 2013 at 08:55 #121116
Thanks a bunch for the reply, madd. I got rid of the texts between the owner and I some time ago, so that’s no longer an option. I called the closest giant dealer and got an emphatic negatory devildog on the warranty chance. I’m really too broke to buy any kind of fs frame new, so it looks like I am on the hunt for something on ebay or craigslist again. What a mega-bummer.
-
July 25, 2013 at 09:04 #121117
I’m not surprised on the warranty response. I have a friend who works at the Giant Factory Store in Denver and they will bend over backwards for the original owner, but second hand can pound sand.
-
July 25, 2013 at 09:36 #121118
Can a Giant dealer order just the part you need?
-
July 25, 2013 at 10:32 #121119
If it’s completely separated like the pic you linked, then ignore what I’m about to suggest. Also, the following isn’t a recommendation in any way, just information.
Some folks will tell you it is possible to weld a cracked chainstay and I don’t know if this is true or not. I do have a friend who had a cracked chainstay welded and it’s held up for him, despite him riding VERY hard. Now, I couldn’t tell you if his bike is aluminum or steel and that does make a difference (though again, you’ll find some folks who say it’s possible/impossible to repair either with a good weld job).
-
July 25, 2013 at 13:18 #121120
Hey Schwim, I’ve seen you mention Tig welding before, you have access to a welder, right? Like Jeff, I’m NOT saying this is the right thing to do, but personally, I would weld it up and see how goes since Giant isn’t going to fix it. I’ve welded steel frames before without a problem, haven’t an done aluminum frame though. If you can clean it up and get a good bead around the break, it is worth a try with nothing to lose. I’d thoroughly test it out before you really hammered on it though!
-
July 27, 2013 at 12:03 #121121
Heya folks and thanks a bunch for the ideas and thoughts. Here’s where I’ve ended up:
I took the frame apart and drove the lower triangle around to the welders I could find in the area. I live waaaay back in the woods, so this wasn’t many. 100% refused to touch it due to it’s intended purpose and perceived liability.
Next stop was my lbs(the "L" is used loosely as it’s 30 minutes away in another state). The world’s coolest guy, but a tiny shop. He looked through his catalogs and called the one line he carries(Marin) and the only frame he could get me was a $1,500 model. He felt so bad that he couldn’t help me, he went in the back and gave me the only used FS frame he had; a 2000 Schwinn Delta.
So, my CL/ebay hunt was on and I ended up with a brand spanking new Fuji Reveal 2.0 frame for a whopping $315 and it’s corrosponding Recon 130mm fork for another $190.
So, it looks like I’ll be moving all the parts over once the frame and fork arrives. All the reviews I could find of the Reveal 2 were glowing, though I’m keeping in mind that much of the reviews consisted of the components, which I’ll not have. Nonetheless, I’m pretty stoked to have found a frame of that caliber for a little over 3 clams.
As for the Yukon, I’ve created alerts on both CL and ebay for anything matching "Giant Yukon frame" and will keep an eye out for anyone that has had the misfortune on breaking the main frame and wants to get rid of the part that I need. If that happens, I’ll then switch over the components of my traveling rig(2008 KHS XC004) to the Yukon and hang the retired pig up on my wall.
-
July 29, 2013 at 06:23 #121122
Nice, sounds like it worked out pretty well! How long until you’ll be up and running again?
-
July 29, 2013 at 15:35 #121123
Dang, sorry to hear that man. Broken frames are always a bummer! 😢
-
July 29, 2013 at 17:59 #121124
Thanks a bunch guys. I got a UPS tracking number for both items today, so I’m hoping to have it by the end of the week to begin moving parts over. I’m sure there will be one or two things that won’t move over so it may be a couple weeks before I’m riding it, but I’ve got the KHS to ride for the interim, so it could be a lot worse.
-
July 30, 2013 at 12:50 #121125
That Reveal looks pretty cool! Hope you enjoy!
-
August 1, 2013 at 10:43 #121126
I wish I had seen this sooner… I am a welder and have repaired several bicycle frames as well as adding disc brake mounts to a couple of aluminum frames of my own. No issues with any of them. I’d have fixed it for you… Sounds like you found a decent deal though. I also work p/t for a Giant dealer and we always do our best to help guys like you to find the best solution for your problem.
-
August 1, 2013 at 13:01 #121127"BRuybalid" wrote
I wish I had seen this sooner… I am a welder and have repaired several bicycle frames as well as adding disc brake mounts to a couple of aluminum frames of my own. No issues with any of them. I’d have fixed it for you… Sounds like you found a decent deal though. I also work p/t for a Giant dealer and we always do our best to help guys like you to find the best solution for your problem.
Hey there and thanks a bunch for the reply!
I would still love to fix the Yukon and use it for my traveling bike. Whether it’s by welding or through replacement by Giant, I’d be very interested in knowing how much you think it would cost me. I’ll save up my pennies and ship it to you if we’re going the welding route(the upper and lower half of the triangle is separate, so shipping would be a breeze).
It’s very cool of you to take the time to reply. I really appreciate it.
-
August 4, 2013 at 13:04 #121128
Shoot me an email and we can work out the deets… [email protected]. Send pics if you can.
Brent -
August 6, 2013 at 17:18 #121129
Thanks a bunch! I just got the frame back today and will send you some pics tomorrow as soon as I am able.
And for the sake of closure for the topic at hand:
I was unable to transfer the dropper post (shims are a big no-no in my book) so I stole the post off of my trainer, but the rest is all just moved over from the Yukon.
-
August 8, 2013 at 14:32 #121130
Nice ride! Glad you’re back in action!
-
-
AuthorPosts
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.