Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Anthem X cracked frames.

132K views 395 replies 122 participants last post by  Lopaka 
#1 ·
With the Anthem X having been around for a couple of years now and with the recall on the Anthem X 29'r because of cracks at the top tube/seat tube junction, I thought it would be a good idea to see how many Anthem X 26'r owners have had a problem with their frame developing a crack at the same place as the 29'r.

Out of the three AX owners, myself included, that I know in my area, two have had to get their frames replaced due to the frame cracking.

How many others in this forum, if any, have had the same problem?
 
#7 ·
Well, if they have changed the warranty, they haven't updated their FAQ on their website...

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/page/175/

Quoting from the above:

"Giant Bicycle, Inc. ("Giant") warrants the frame and rigid fork of each new Giant brand bicycle and Giant brand frameset to be free from defects in material and workmanship for as long as the original purchaser owns the bicycle."

Now, I can see how they could get around that by saying something along the lines of "you must have crashed it or been doing 5 foot drops on an XC bike...warranty DENIED!" But on the surface at least it appears that the lifetime warranty is still in effect.
 
#9 ·
743power said:
Surprised to hear about cracked ax's. I have about 3k miles off road on mine and our shop has sold a few dozen over the years, with some 250+# guys on them without any issues.
This is good to hear. I was hoping that there would not be a whole bunch of cracked frames, but with the two out of three frames cracked in my area I was concerned that maybe Giant had a design problem with the Anthem X.

With the hassle I and others here in Canada seem to have getting replacement frames, I was contemplating selling my new frame and buying something else. I really like the bike though and didn't really want to do that so I will hold on to mine and hope that the first cracked frame was just an unfortunate occurrence.

Thanks all for your input.
 
#11 ·
Problem of cracking Anthems X (26 ones) exists in Poland and is getting bigger.
I own 2010 X2 size M, and today i purchased longest Thomson Elite post (410mm) hoping that it will prevent my frame from cracking- now OEM post sits in minimum insert of 5 inches...

Frames are cracking at seat tube top tube junction under 70-75kg (155-165lbs.) riders with seatpost inserted 5 or more inches in frame.

The problem is that Polish Giant distributor refuses to replace frames under warranty, infact Giant is known in Poland that they build good frames in decent price but when it will crack they won't replace it on warranty.
 
#13 ·
I have already had one frame replaced and am awaiting the outcome of my second frame failure, both developing cracks on the top tube seat tube junction next to the weld. Both frames less than 12 months old. First frame replaced no problem currently being told the second frame failed due to damaged bearings??????? so not covered by warranty! personally I'm not sure how a bearing should affect the structural integrity of a frame, you would have thought they would have taken these things into account during development.
I have been offered the second frame for a third of the retail price but am not happy with this as I believe its a warranty issue and they don't. Do you think I have a case for argument?
I live in the UK and both frames are standard 26" wheels.
 
#14 ·
DanB1978 said:
I have been offered the second frame for a third of the retail price but am not happy with this as I believe its a warranty issue and they don't. Do you think I have a case for argument?
Try to find "customer right representative"- loose translation from polish ;), he should help You with your problem. In Poland they are helping with preparing paper work free of charge,
 
#17 ·
DanB1978 said:
I have already had one frame replaced and am awaiting the outcome of my second frame failure, both developing cracks on the top tube seat tube junction next to the weld. Both frames less than 12 months old. First frame replaced no problem currently being told the second frame failed due to damaged bearings??????? so not covered by warranty! personally I'm not sure how a bearing should affect the structural integrity of a frame, you would have thought they would have taken these things into account during development.
I have been offered the second frame for a third of the retail price but am not happy with this as I believe its a warranty issue and they don't. Do you think I have a case for argument?
I live in the UK and both frames are standard 26" wheels.
Sounds to me like they are looking to shaft you on the replacement. Was the first frame replacement just the front triangle and if so who did the tear down and rebuild?
 
#18 ·
icy said:
I was told they should have a warranty replacement frame available by the end of March. I was offered a trance x frame immediately but declined and will have to wait. Hopefully they will be in soon as the snow is melting quickly around here.
So it has been about 20 weeks so far? Even though it is winter that is still unacceptable. I hope you do get it in time for riding once the trails dry up.
 
#19 ·
Mikhs said:
Sounds to me like they are looking to shaft you on the replacement. Was the first frame replacement just the front triangle and if so who did the tear down and rebuild?
No the first replacement was a complete frame, new shock etc. This time my bike has been stripped down to the frame by the shop and the frame then returned to Giant UK for investigation and what I mentioned in my original post were their findings.
I've emailed them direct over the weekend but still awaiting a reply.:madman:
 
#20 ·
I found a crack at the seat tube-top tube junction on my '09 Anthem X today. I stopped by the shop where I bought it and I should be getting a new one soon. I'm just wondering what replacement options I'll be getting. If they offer me a current frame, I'm not sure how I'll go about adapting my fork to the newer, tapered head tube or the cranks to the newer press-fit BB.
 

Attachments

#22 ·
dont need a new fork. just need a lower reducer cup, and possibly upper reducer cup if you get a 2012 frame with the 1.25 upper.

dont need new cranks, just a press in BB.

should be less than $100 for both parts and the lbs should do the work for free along with swapping your parts over

pretty sweet deal for getting a newer lighter stiffer frame for just $100
 
#21 ·
Mine (2010 Anthem X frameset) cracked at the seat/top tube junction as well, I'm 75-78 kgs, ride an XL with a 400 mm seatpost pretty far extended, but still with enough in the frame. Giant was great with replacement, within a week I had a new 2011 frame, the new frame has a sticker at the junction warning about seat post insertion. Getting a headset to fit my conventional fork in the tapered headtube was quite a nuisance as I needed the bike back in order quickly. Also I was running square taper cranks on my old AX so had to buy new cranks, I can't really complain though :)
For what it's worth, two riding buddies also have "old" AXs and they also cracked them in the exact same place, but again, Giant does an admireable job around here. I see plenty of guys riding AXs around here and from what I understand the problem is pretty limited, but those using their bike a lot and riding it pretty hard seem to have a great risk of cracking their frame.
 
#27 ·
Thanks for the photo, thats clear, thats cracked ...

I run a smaller dia post, and it flexes a lot, hopes this helps.
I do a kind of rough riding in the Alps, an I am not light.
If this for me great fitting frame survive 5 yrs, I am happy to buy a new one.
 
#28 ·
sort of... they may give you a crash replacement deal, which will be cheaper. That's the risk you take with buying any used bike. I'm not aware of any companies honoring a warranty for a 2nd owner.
I would be happy with a crash replacement deal. It just discouraging, before I bought my 2009 Anthem X frame I Googled and searched the forums for frame problems with the Anthems and found none...except with the 29er models. So I pulled the trigger and bought it, then this post shows up and now it seems my frame is developing the same crack as illustrated by CRogge.

Guess I'll be flushing $700 dollars down the drain after having it for a whole 2 months and I'll be back on my hardtail:madman:
 
#29 ·
Update on the warranty: I received a new 2011 Anthem X2 frame within less than a week of finding the break! It took a little while to get in the lower headset and press fit BB, but it was well worth it! I picked up a new, tapered Sid fork to make the most of the frame. I've put about 30 miles on it since I finished the rebuild on Friday and I have to say that the new frame is a great improvement. I never thought the old frame had too much flex, but the new one definitely seems to track better and inspire more confidence, even with a 9mm QR in the front.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top