ravenmore

Hi all,

I was getting ready to sell my old TCR, and while I was installing a new brake cable the rear cable stop suddenly popped off from the frame. I took it to my local Giant deal, which happens to be owned by my friend Pete Buck of Buck's Bikes here in Austin. I left it with them for a few days to inspect it and contact Giant to see if it could be repaired or replaced under Giant's lifetime frame warranty. While they were inspecting it, they found what looked like a tiny crack developing in the seat cluster as well. Giant had them send them some pics, and once they looked at them Giant informed them they'd be sending me one of these:



Actually - it's not quite totally free. My headset and bottom bracket won't fit the new frame so I'll have to buy new ones, but still, not a bad deal. I'm officially a huge fan of Giant's warranty now.

10 Wheels

Cool......

merlinextraligh

Nice score!

According to my LBS, they've had great warranty experience with Giant, very few claims, and handled well when they have had a claim.

Matt Gaunt

That's some serious saddle to bar drop

Seriously though, it's good to see a manufacturer stand behind their product like this.

Mike F

Sweeeeet!

fly:yes/land:no

as someone who has never owned a giant, i think that they are destined for an uptick in popularity in the 41. giant is probably the most boring brand, but them make some excellent products (for themselves as well as other brands that use giant factories). congrats on the score, that bike will be bad ass.

eippo1

That's a nice little surprise.

Hapsmo911

My TCR SL cracked on the seat tube near the "A" in Giant. Got a new frame under War with no issues either.

primov8

to your LBS and Giant for making this a trouble free replacement . That is going to be one good looking build.

Ghost Ryder

I'm glad to be a Giant owner!!!
I guess I should consider the SL now that I know they're good with warranty issues.
Nice surprise!
Looking forward to seeing it in your "infamous Hot or Not" thread.

ravenmore

Wooohoo - got a call late yesterday that the new frame has arrived. Swinging by after work to check it out and figure out what I need to build it up.

James1:17

dude that's awesome. start a new hot or not thread with that one once it's built up.

dstrong 

So...now not only do you destroy wheels...you destroy frames too?

ravenmore

Lol apparently my fat arse forces all cycling parts to succumb eventually.

And yep - this will certainly make an (humble) appearance in the Hot or Not thread once its built.

I'm a little annoyed as they are telling me it did not come with the proprietary seat post, and that we will have to order that. It's also pricey at $150 for the post. Still cheaper than an $1,100 frame.

RedC

But it's really neat to get a brand new bike! I had a similar experience in June with Trek. They replaced my 2007 Lemond with a 2012 Madone 5.9 and it's a sweet ride!

ILUVUK

Nice!

coasting 

very nice. so these lifetime warranties are real!

veggie

So I'm guessing you aren't going to sell it now?

roadwarrior

As long as you are not a "JRA"...

ravenmore

Blurry cell pic of the new frame.

ravenmore

One thing on my mind about this is how much I'm going to have to spend on this warranty repair. They did not include the seat post. That is proprietary from Giant and I have to order it - for $150. Also they are telling me that the shop has to swap the parts or it voids the warranty. That's $175 (they shop will probably work with me on that but still). I also need a new bottom bracket and headset (not a huge deal but its starting to add up). Honestly I could end up shelling out ~$500 for this warranty replacement.

I'm on the fence about making a fuss about this. On the one hand, it's cool they replaced the frame without messing around. And the shop was very cool about taking care of me too. On the other though this is a warranty repair which means this broke due to a manufacturing defect. So due to their defect I'm shelling out a lot of money to get a working bike again. I don't want to be an ass and look a gift horse in the mouth but I think that's a point to be considered.

Tartan1749

Many, many companies have a parts only warranty policy and labor is up to the individual or company filing the claim. You may just need to read the warranty clauses to be sure on what is covered and what is not.

roadwarrior

The issue with nice frames is that they change so frequently that if you have one that's a few years old, a lot of what is on the bike won't make it to the new one. Talk to the shop about the build fee as they may be able to gt some of that back from Giant. But I will tell you that, for example fitness equipment the warralny to "bumper to bumper" for the firet years but the customer pays the service fee after that. You dont pay for the part but you do pay for the labor.

I cant recall how old the bike was that broke, but also consider you are moving up in frame (I believe).N and you did mention the headset and bottom bracket in your origianl ot so it sounds like they were upfront about that. And,yes.they do want a shop mechanic to do the work because not everyone has the tools to do things like install pressed fit bb's.

Good luck...Btw...you said the shop owner was a friend. Id think a friend would help you out.

ravenmore

Yes the shop is doing what they can. They are already discounting the build fee and the parts. I didn't even ask - they offered it up front.

I think the thing that kind of put me off was the seat post. If you were to order this frame from Giant the seat post is included. It's $150 to purchase separately.

bostongarden

Congrats!! (And, btw, can't find the thread now, thanks for the Oakley Vault post on the split jackets!!!)