# New giant Defy advanced - mulptiple craks in frame and forks



## Uphill70 (May 11, 2013)

I bought this bike about a month ago - have ridden maybe 200 mms - no accidents/drops.
We'll see how Giant honors their warranty...
To say I am pissed is an understatement. Did a 50 Km ride yesterday and was just cleaning my chain (just bought the art of road bike maintenance) and looking over things when I discovered all of this - what a bummer.
Has anyone experienced this before? I mean to just have failure without any impact/drop etc ...? Am I too heavy at 225 lbs?
I was worried about buying CF for this exact reasona nd the guys at the shop told me that I was being silly and that these bikes are super solid...
It is hard to show in the pics - there are a couple of others that you cant really see but feel with your fingernail.
View attachment 282793
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## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

I'll say it - it looks like the bike hit something. 

I wouldn't worry about weight being the issue here either. 225lbs isn't much for the frame.


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## Uphill70 (May 11, 2013)

As the person riding the bike - I can tell you that it hasn't hit anything.
How /why do you say that? I am curious?
The fork has a crack running down its length and the read crack near the chain as well.
There are absolutely zero signs of it hitting anything - so I am curious to hear your thoughts.
I am on my way to Giant in a few minutes to get the sorted out.


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## Sun Rider (Jul 8, 2012)

Sorry, but I agree with jsedlak. I've been riding a Defy Advanced 0 for a year and weigh 200 pounds and it is hard for me to believe that damage just happened. The bike looks like it's been run over by a truck.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

Picture #2... is that a dent?


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## Uphill70 (May 11, 2013)

I guess I am biased being that :
1) I know nothing happened to it.
2) I have the advantage of seeing the whole bike - so it is clear that there is no damage/scuffs etc.. that would indicate being hit by anything.

There is no dent in pic no.2 - the G of Giant is out of position since the crack is running right along the letter - so it appears out of whack.



> Sorry, but I agree with jsedlak. I've been riding a Defy Advanced 0 for a year and weigh 200 pounds and it is hard for me to believe that damage just happened. The bike looks like it's been run over by a truck.


I am glad that your bike is performing as it should - I assume most are - but that doesn't mean that there are no failures whatsoever.
A quick google brought this up to the top where there are talks of multiple frames failing.

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bi...one-else-have-issues-just-my-luck-248635.html


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## Opus51569 (Jul 21, 2009)

Sure, I'll be a jerk...

If you don't want opinions, OP, don't ask for them.

The pics look like impacts to me as well, but I'm certainly no expert. Is it possible somebody or something hit your bike without your knowledge?


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## Sun Rider (Jul 8, 2012)

Uphill, please let us know how things work out.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Opus51569 said:


> The pics look like impacts to me as well


Could be impacts, but could also be excessive clamping force. Repair stand, bike carrier, something like that?


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## Hooben (Aug 22, 2004)

The damage somewhat looks like a bike that has been driven through a low garage entrance while on a roof rack. The paint is delaminated in that way. 

I think that we are trying to prepare you. Any bike rep from any major bicycle company will have the job of accessing the damage and trying to second guess you and your story. The job of your LBS is to back your story up and try to get Giant to replace your frame. 

I own a 2009 Giant TCR Advanced and I weigh 210lbs. To this day everything is fine. Please let us know what they say and I hope you get a replacement.


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

you come onto this forum and you ask for opinions. You say nothing happened (who doesn't say this) and you automatically expect us to believe you? Personally if this happened to my bike, the first place I would be is at the LBS to have them deal with the situation. Instead you're coming online to see if this is a known problem? I find that to be quite questionable. 

Your link that you posted has nothing to do with the cracks that you are experiencing. That particular problem was LBS's and riders not tightening the seat post clamp tight enough.

I hope all works out for you, no matter what story you feed anyone here or at your LBS. Giant's carbon layup is top notch as they control 100% of their own manufacturing, but I guess there's always the odd few that might not hold up well.


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## Uphill70 (May 11, 2013)

r1lee said:


> you come onto this forum and you ask for opinions. You say nothing happened (who doesn't say this) and you automatically expect us to believe you? Personally if this happened to my bike, the first place I would be is at the LBS to have them deal with the situation. Instead you're coming online to see if this is a known problem? I find that to be quite questionable.
> 
> Your link that you posted has nothing to do with the cracks that you are experiencing. That particular problem was LBS's and riders not tightening the seat post clamp tight enough.
> 
> I hope all works out for you, no matter what story you feed anyone here or at your LBS. Giant's carbon layup is top notch as they control 100% of their own manufacturing, but I guess there's always the odd few that might not hold up well.


not sure why your post has such a hostile tone?

The lbs is replacing the fork under warranty - it is a giant corp store btw. The manager and head mechanic took a look and was surprised to say the least. His words were - as soon as someone brings in a problem like this they check for tell tale signs and there was absolutely nothing indicating any damage to the bike. 
Hopefully it will be problem free from now on. Thanks to the advice I've read here as well as the art of road bike maintenance that I inspected my bike before taking a ride today or it could have ended badly.


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## AndyMc2006 (Oct 27, 2006)

I bought a Defy Advanced SL 1, I weigh 255, and love the bike. I have the same CF concerns and was given the same reassurances. I ended up putting on beefier wheels at the recommendation of LBS and Giant Rep, so far so good.
I am glad they honored there warranty, I guess I will be sure to frequently inspect my frame.


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## Uphill70 (May 11, 2013)

Andy,
I am a complete Noob to all this stuff - I was just looking over my bike after having read through some of "The Art of Road Bike Maintenance" - so glad I decided to heed the words to inspoect prior to riding. My enthusiasm to ride has gotten the best of me so far and prior to going on a ride - I just would check tire pressure and go. I even forgot my HR strap a couple of times in haste.
I hate to think of what the outcome could have been - that was playing w.my head all day yesterday - not to mention - even if I were to walk away unscathed(relatively) - how would I then be able to prove that it happened without an accident after the bike would have looked trashed?
What wheels did you put on your bike?


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## AndyMc2006 (Oct 27, 2006)

The wheels are Profile Design Armada 30, he said the ones that came with the bike were about a $600 set and these were. $500, I had never heard of them but I like them. Profile Design is one of our team sponsors which probably had and impact on his decision. They look awesome on the bike, he upgraded the tires to Vittoria Rubino Pro Slicks, 25 mm. I like those as well. Overall I love the bike, fits like a glove. I can't wait to ride it. I did buy a basic Ritchey Tork wrench as well, so I don't get carried away and over tighten stuff. Good luck, just ride it and have fun, after you check it over of course.


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## Italianrider76 (May 13, 2005)

r1lee said:


> Instead you're coming online to see if this is a known problem? I find that to be quite questionable.


Ummmm....isn't that what online forums are for???


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## Uphill70 (May 11, 2013)

I got my bike back - complete with a loose headset from the guys at the corporate Giant store. 
Fwiw - I did a little searching and came up with this:
IMPORTANT SAFETY NEWS-GIANT RECALLS 2012 DEFY ADVANCED AND AVAIL ADVANCED BICYCLES | Giant Bicycles | United States

there was a recall on 2012 defy advanced for the very problem I had. Forks cracking.


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## AndyMc2006 (Oct 27, 2006)

Im glad you caught it and it sucks they are having a recall. I wonder how many Giant dealers actually know about it and are reminding there customers to bring there bike in to get the fork replaced. Its a pretty serious recall, if I was a Trek or Specialized dealer I would use it to my advantage to questions Giants quality vs whatever brand...im just sayin.


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## Sun Rider (Jul 8, 2012)

Bought my '12 Defy Advanced 0 last June. I asked about the recall on forks and the dealer said the problem had been taken care of in the first 3 months of 2012.


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## Sven_Nijs (Jul 14, 2011)

Sun Rider said:


> Bought my '12 Defy Advanced 0 last June. I asked about the recall on forks and the dealer said the problem had been taken care of in the first 3 months of 2012.


My wife's 2012 Defy (her 2011 Christmas present!) was held back from being released (for a couple of months) to have the fork replaced so I'd be very surprised if there are still bikes out there without 'v2' forks.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

AndyMc2006 said:


> Im glad you caught it and it sucks they are having a recall. I wonder how many Giant dealers actually know about it and are reminding there customers to bring there bike in to get the fork replaced. Its a pretty serious recall, if I was a Trek or Specialized dealer I would use it to my advantage to questions Giants quality vs whatever brand...im just sayin.


That wouldn't be a smart move for a Trek dealer, since Giant makes their bikes....


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## r1lee (Jul 22, 2012)

Italianrider76 said:


> Ummmm....isn't that what online forums are for???


Yes, but wouldn't your lbs be the first place you went to? The advantage of the Internet is exactly this, but to use it as ammunition to prove something that your lbs would have said yes to, defeats the purpose. 



Uphill70 said:


> I got my bike back - complete with a loose headset from the guys at the corporate Giant store.
> Fwiw - I did a little searching and came up with this:
> IMPORTANT SAFETY NEWS-GIANT RECALLS 2012 DEFY ADVANCED AND AVAIL ADVANCED BICYCLES | Giant Bicycles | United States
> 
> ...


Glad everything worked out, but how does that recall have anything to do with the downtube? I'm curious. Did they give you a reason?



AndyMc2006 said:


> Its a pretty serious recall, if I was a Trek or Specialized dealer I would use it to my advantage to questions Giants quality vs whatever brand...im just sayin.


A dealer shouldn't talk bad about any brand, it would suck that one day they would have to carry them.

Giant does its own manufacturing so they have very tight controls. I've seen less recalls then from any other brand. Check this link out, if you're talking about specialized and their recalls. 
https://www.google.ca/search?q=spec...t=safari&redir_esc=&ei=PVDbUaj_HcnHqQHmwIH4CQ


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## darwinosx (Oct 12, 2010)

Sun Rider said:


> Bought my '12 Defy Advanced 0 last June. I asked about the recall on forks and the dealer said the problem had been taken care of in the first 3 months of 2012.


They didn't have bikes until the middle of the year so that's wrong. I have a 2012 Defy Advanced 2 and I'm bigger than the OP but I have no cracking issues.


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## wthensler (Aug 26, 2012)

I have a 2012 Defy 0 and I'm just a bit smaller weight wise than the OP. I ride hard on roads covered with chipped asphalt. It vibrates the bike quite a bit and I have worried about cracks from time to time.

However after about 600 miles the frame is pristine.


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