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Crack on carbon bike (seat stay area)

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Crack on carbon bike (seat stay area)

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Old 06-09-19, 07:07 PM
  #1  
grovestreet
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Crack on carbon bike (seat stay area)

Hi, I have recently found a crack on my 2 yr old giant defy.

The three pictures are taken from the same crack on my seat stay. The affected area feels flat when you drag a fingernail across it. It looks like the crack starts from the top surface and extends towards the inside of the frame. Due to its proximity to the tire, I'm hoping it's just caused by something picked up by the wheel, then dragged over the seat stay.

Please share your comments, Thanks!




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Old 06-09-19, 07:59 PM
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Fix it. This happened in a crit, I repaired it, and it has two more years of racing on it.

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Old 06-09-19, 10:38 PM
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seau grateau
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Seat stays are the least structurally important tubes anyway.
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Old 06-09-19, 10:41 PM
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grovestreet
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Originally Posted by LAJ
Fix it. This happened in a crit, I repaired it, and it has two more years of racing on it.
It concerns me that the zig zag crack pattern on my bike is really similar to how your paint is peeling up.

Still, hoping for the best.

Last edited by grovestreet; 06-09-19 at 10:48 PM.
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Old 06-09-19, 10:52 PM
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Trevtassie
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Puts on glasses and squints.... nope, still poorly lit and slightly out of focus.
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Old 06-09-19, 11:00 PM
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August West
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Doesn't Giant have lifetime warranty on their frames for the original owner? Get it replaced under warranty.
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Old 06-09-19, 11:09 PM
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grovestreet
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Originally Posted by August West
Doesn't Giant have lifetime warranty on their frames for the original owner? Get it replaced under warranty.
I do have a 5 year warranty. However getting the frame replaced is probably not easy in my location.
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Old 06-10-19, 02:52 AM
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Originally Posted by grovestreet
I do have a 5 year warranty. However getting the frame replaced is probably not easy in my location.
replace it anyway! I had the center of the top tube on my Orbea delaminate. You could squeeze it and it would move. Sent the frame to their Little Rock AK center. They replaced the frame, no questions other than what color did I want. The frame was sent by a local bike shop who use to sell Orbea but no longer did so at the time of the replacement. Don't fix this frame, ask for a new one. Sure I was without the frame for some weeks but I am 7 years later still riding that replacement new frame and very happy. Giant is a giant of a company and should take care of you.
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Old 06-10-19, 09:55 AM
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Buy a 2nd bike to ride while you are getting the Defy fixed.

Its the perfect excuse to have 2 bikes.
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Old 06-10-19, 10:34 AM
  #10  
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Looks like nothing to me.
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Old 06-10-19, 11:33 AM
  #11  
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Yep, I'm willing to bet that its a scratch and not a crack.

OP should do what he thinks is right and not take my word for it.


-Tim-
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Old 06-10-19, 12:21 PM
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I had a similar problem with my Felt Z3. I didn't know if it was a scratch or a legit crack. Took it to the dealer and he took one look and did not hesitate in saying it was a crack.

Felt replace the frame, no questions asked but what bothered me is that I had to pay for the rebuild. OK, nothing much compared to a carbon frame but still, I would have thought Felt would have covered it.

Anyway, that was over 2 years ago and my bike has been fine since the rebuild. I did notice where mine seat stay cracked, the tube had a cutout shaped like a slot. The crack developed on the quadrant of the slot and moved down the seat stay. My new frame had the same slot cutout but at the end of the slot, there was a larger radius. It looks like a typical outdoor thermometer at the bottom. So this tells me they had a design problem and the relief area around the slot was not large enough.

So, take it to the dealer. They are the ones that will get back to Giant and decide to replace or not. I would not mess with trying to repair unless Giant was the one doing the repair. If you fix it, they you would be liable. Giant fixes it, then they are liable.

john
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Old 06-10-19, 03:28 PM
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Very poor focus, but I'm on the "surface scratch" bandwagon.
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Old 06-11-19, 09:02 AM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by cthenn
Very poor focus, but I'm on the "surface scratch" bandwagon.
agree!
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Old 06-11-19, 06:56 PM
  #15  
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See if it rubs off with a pencil eraser. Looks superficial but no one can say for sure with these pics.
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Old 06-11-19, 07:12 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by rutan74
Felt replace the frame, no questions asked but what bothered me is that I had to pay for the rebuild. OK, nothing much compared to a carbon frame but still, I would have thought Felt would have covered it.
For what it's worth, when I cracked my Cervelo they sent me a replacement frame (better than the one I had bought) but didn't cover the rebuild.
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