Glen305

Hi All,

Short version:

Had a defy advanced 4 for 3 years which (thank God!) I kept well serviced at the store I bought from. A bottom bracket problem (making a noise and eventually no parts / possible frame issue) has resulted in a long to and fro with Giant (dealt with by the store). Giant now sending a brand new frame - for free - it's a defy advanced 0 which is normally sold as a $4,500 bike.

The store is being very cool about it although the owner did say "you should be buying a new bike anyway with the thousands of miles you've ridden in the last 3 years!"

Of course, these are expensive pieces of kit and I just don't have the $ to buy a complete new bike - it's not even that long since I upgraded to some very sweet carbon wheels.

Now I have to hope the new frame arrives this week and that the store can throw together my new baby without killing me on labor costs!

Anyone had an experience like this? Advice welcome, I do read on here but first time I've needed to register.

Thanks

BoSoxYacht

How many miles?

Glen305

About 9 or 10,000

cale

My advice would be to continue to be a good customer because unless you want to put it together yourself or cart it off to another location, you'll have them to thank when it is all said and done.

Next time you visit, bring a friend. Bike shops love people that bring their friends to the shop. Just another way you can say thank you.

BoSoxYacht

10,000 miles total, or per year?

Either way, that isn't excessive mileage.

Glen305

I agree - I've taken two others in there who've both bought so we're on good terms. Have already resigned myself to a couple of hundred $s to get the thing back together. They gave me a free rental so I could stay on the road too.

Glen305

Around 10,000 total - thought it wasn't ridiculous TBH.

BoSoxYacht

That is ridiculous. 10,000 miles is far below my yearly average, and I usually keep a frame for at least 5 years without any problems.

rms13

The frame has a lifetime warranty so all the LBS and Giant are doing is what they are supposed to. Nobody is doing you any personal favors and if the LBS is treating it that way I would never step foot inside their shop again aftet you get the bike back. My friend's Felt cracked at the bottom bracket after about a year and he took it to a shop that wasn't even where he bought it and they were super cool and handled the replacement with no problems and no labor costs

Vicegrip

10K miles = 4 or 5 sets of tires, 3 chains, 1/2 bar tape, 1/2 saddle, 1/2 cassette but at the worst perhaps 1/6 frame. I have 15K on what I consider my "New" bike. I would feel a bit ticked if the shop tried to make me feel bad for wanting the bike to be make whole or that 10K was time for a new bike.

Doctor Morbius

In May, 2015 I found a crack in the frame of my 2004 Specialized Sequoia Elite, which had just under 1800 miles on it. Fortunately, I had purchased it from a local bike shop with a good reputation and still had the receipt. The shop took care of it and I was able to get a 2014 Secteur Elite frame and fork, which is considerably nicer than my old Sequoia frame and fork. The charge was $0.00. I'm in the process of building it up now, but I need a few more parts to complete the job.

Had I not done the labor myself, the bike shop would have charged me to strip down the old frame and build the new one up.

The bike shop told me they could get a replacement frameset or I could get a discount on a new bike. I asked how much of a discount and they said 20 - 25%. I told them to order a replacement frame.

Glen305

Nice one thanks. I'm averaging about 6,000 a year now - nowhere near some of the uber riders on here I'm sure! 😉

Stucky

Mileage is largely irrelevant. You can put 10K miles on a BSO (department-store piece of junk) without frame issues. Especially if the bike wasn't abused or seriously raced. There are plenty of people on this forum who have bikes with over 80K miles on them; and plenty of vintage bikes that have been around for decades, with who knows how many tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of miles on them, and they're still going strong.

I would take offense at what that shop owner said- or at the least, take it as a sign that he doesn't know what he is talking about. If a not-so-cheap quality brand-name bike frame would be considered worn-out at 10K miles, what would be the point of buying them?

The things one hears from LBS personnel! No wonder i haven't set foot in an LBS in 25 years....

PepeM

What is advice needed on exactly?

OldTryGuy

67yo riding buddy just hit 14,500 miles on Saturday's ride. Only 10,000 more than me so far.

Glen305

That pesky "work" thing with lots of travel does not allow anywhere near that! Well played to your buddy! Some of the older guys I see out there leave me just praying I can still get out!

Glen305

Advice on whether people have had similar issues and how they've been resolved!? I could draw a picture if it would help? 😀😉

StanSeven

I'm not sure what advice there is to offer. LBS charging for thie labor building up frames is normal. The manufacturers warranty gives you a new frame but they don't compensate the store for thir labor, at least on a three year old frame. So you must pay. It's only fair as long as their overall time is reasonable.

Sy Reene

Most LBS's around here have a standard price list.. on which is usually bike assembly/build. It shouldn't be a mystery.

rms13

Why should someone pay $150-200 labor on a warranty claim? Nissan replaced my transmission under warranty and I didn't pay a cent for parts or labor. There is a guy here who had a Nashbar carbon bike that cracked after something like 3 years and 30k miles and Nashbar sent him the latest version of the bike for free not just a frame so he got new upgraded group in the deal. Something tells me that Performance or REI would either swap the entire bike or do the frame swap for free. OP bought a complete bike and it failed under warranty so he should get a complete bike at no cost however the LBS and Giant need to make it happen. My advice is I would tell the owner of the LBS exactly that and contact Giant directly and push the issue. This is also why I dont deal with LBS to buy or build my bikes

PepeM

You said they are 'being cool about it.' If you are worried about the labor costs, I suggest you ask them about the labor costs. Or, I guess we could take a guess.

doctor j

I had an issue with with my first Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5. I had a bunch of miles on it, as well. Cannondale sent me a new frame, fork, and seatpost. Owner/mechanic at LBS where I bought the original bike transferred as may components as possible from old bike to new one. Some components would not transfer, so I paid for them and labor.

I was happy with the whole deal.

Flatbroke

I found out on a recent warranty claim that shops have to eat the labor for replacement stuff. The manufacturer only supplies the part and the shop is in the hook for the rest. It's part of the cost (not in the shops favor) of being a dealer.

If the shop is making you pay labor i don't think I'd be happy but it does sound like they hooked you up with a rental. Frame swap should be under 200

cale

There's no "universal" policy regarding warranty claims where the bike shop's interests are concerned. Each manufacturer retains its own right to restrict or provide assistance. (Though "generally accepted trade practices" typically guide all transactions.) Often at their discretion. Even where labor costs aren't reimbursed, there are so many ways a dealer can find compensation if the manufacturer is forthcoming. (A generous discount on the next P&A order or more generous credit terms are two such "spiffs" dealers might be offered.)

I think the OP is at his own discretion regarding the assembly. But I'm having a hard time seeing the dealer being "on the hook" for assembly. The way I see it, the manufacturer has responded with warranty assistance. (Had they wanted to offer an assembled bike, I presume they would have sent one.) The dealer is the conduit to the manufacturer for warranty claims but is not the granter of the warranty. The manufacturer, not the dealer, warranties the bike.

Inpd

+1 to rms13. They aren't doing you a favor. The bike cost has a built in warranty aspect.The LBS is an authorized dealer.