2 Broken DS frames in under a year...

[Wayne Potgieter]

Mojo.

 

Claim from your insurance and walk away.

 

Even if they replace the frame, you wont trust the bike.

 

Good luck

[Mojoman]

I am 92-93 kilos, weight restriction is 120kg I think.

 

My GT avalanche 1 has well over 15,000km, is 4 years old and was with me from the start when I weighed closed to 110kgs! And has given no problems.

[Mojoman]

Mojo.

 

Claim from your insurance and walk away.

 

Even if they replace the frame, you wont trust the bike.

 

Good luck

I think I am going to, not sure where I stand with all of this. Would they then pay out on the whole bike or just on the frame? I remember BBT saying that Ghost did not sell frames, only built up bikes.

[Skylark]

If thats an option Id rather get another frame and then sell that.

Claiming from insurance means higher premiums , higher risk category etc, so for me that's the option of last resort.

[stringbean]

I think you need to read the fine print on the warranty of your bike first.Something no one does at time of purchase,only once they have a problem they get pissed.I say this because many manufacturers do not consider the rear triangle as part of the frame on a DS bike.Whether this is right or wrong is not important.If that's what it states in the warranty they don't really have to help you at all and you basically have to take what they give you.

[Meezo]

I think you need to read the fine print on the warranty of your bike first.Something no one does at time of purchase,only once they have a problem they get pissed.I say this because many manufacturers do not consider the rear triangle as part of the frame on a DS bike.Whether this is right or wrong is not important.If that's what it states in the warranty they don't really have to help you at all and you basically have to take what they give you.

 

The sad reality. Nobody reads it

 

I never ever read anything i bought for my bike. but probably a great thing to do.

 

I reckon see what the Manufacturer says, worst case claim from insurance. With that bike you could probably sell here on thehub to someone who will/can fix

[stringbean]

Another misconception is maximum weight.This is calculated by rider,bike and all the cr@p you are carring with you.

SB

[stringbean]

It's like medical aid,no one reads anything and then gets pissed when you got to pay in.

We presume far too much in life.Presumption is the mother of all FU.

[Mojoman]

Another misconception is maximum weight.This is calculated by rider,bike and all the cr@p you are carring with you.

SB

From the Ghost manual

 

MTB incl. DOWNHILL, NORTHSHORE, 4X, DIRT: 120 kg

CROSS, SPEEDLINE, RACE: 120 kg

 

So even with all my stuff we are still 20kg shy of the max weight.

[Mojoman]

Its definately a manufacturing fault, you can see the frame cracked right where a cable guide has been welded on so I should imagine the structural integrity of the metal at that point was compromised by the welding process.

 

Below is the warranty as taken from Ghost's manual:

 

Warranty, Guarantee

18.1 General

The warranty for GHOST bikes is fundamentally subject to the statutory provisions or any

agreements reached with the respective dealer. Contact person for warranty claims is the dealer from whom

the GHOST bike was purchased. If a fault or defect covered by the warranty occurs in a GHOST bike within

the warranty period, please contact the respective dealer who will deal with all the next steps for you.

 

18.2 Stability guarantee on frames from model year 2011

In addition to the statutory warranty, GHOST-Bikes gives a stability guarantee of 3 or 5 years on the frame,

depending on the frame type, if you as the ultimate customer complete the guarantee card accompanying

the new bike and return it to the firm GHOST-Bikes. Alternatively you can also make an online registration.

The guarantee period starts with the purchase of the new bike by you as ultimate customer from an au

thorised

dealer. If the guarantee card is not returned to the firm GHOST-Bikes or the bike is not registered

online, no guarantee will apply. This guarantee does not infringe your warranty entitlements.

106

The following guarantee periods apply:

1.

 

The 3 year-guarantee is possible in the case of Enduro, Northshore, Downhill, 4Cross and Dirt frames.

2. The 5-year guarantee is possible for all frames not falling under the above categories.

The guarantee applies only to the frame construction and not to the paintwork and decoration.

The guarantee does not cover:

•

 

Faults and damage attributable to a failure to observe the instructions and tips given in the user manuals.

•

 

Faults and damage attributable to force majeure, accident, improper use, incorrectly performed repairs, lack

of maintenance and care or to wear and tear.

•

 

Faults and damage attributable to original spare parts not being used when replacing parts.

• Changes to the product without the prior agreement of the firm GHOST-Bikes, insofar as defects and dam

 

age

are attributable to these.

In the event of a complaint within the above guarantee period but outside the statutory warranty period, only

the defective frame will be repaired or replaced. Costs for any necessary modification of components or the

shipping of a frame within the stated period will not be assumed or refunded. The frames concerned therefore

have to be dismantled and sent carriage paid to the firm GHOST-Bikes. In cases where the frame is replaced

within the guarantee period, the guarantee period begins again for the new frame from the time of replacement.

Should a frame of the same type no longer be available if it becomes necessary to replace a frame,

GHOST-Bikes reserves the right to supply an alternative frame which may differ in form and colour from the

original frame, but which is of an equal or higher quality.

The warranty entitlements continue to apply alongside this guarantee.

[stringbean]

I hope you filled out your warranty card. There is always a loophole somewhere for themselves.

[Mojoman]

I hope you filled out your warranty card. There is always a loophole somewhere for themselves.

Ja, I did! And the warranty 'resets' itself on a new frame.

[stringbean]

Hope you come right Mojo.As with eveything in SA i've found you only get good results when you become hardass otherwise manufacturers will try their luck.

[Mojoman]

Well thankfully Outsurance paid me out so I am finally shot of that Ghost (some wit said it would haunt me...)

The bike looked nice, rode well but let me down too many times, funnily enough while making calls to find a bike this week another LBS confirmed that they had also had a comeback with a Ghost bike and a broken chainstay on the DS.

 

So bike shopping it is this week! Couldnt have come at a better time as well!

 

Th only problems I encountered was that I was under insured for a couple of thousand but thats my fault as I only insured on the price I paid for it and not at replacement value. Lesson learned.

 

And the second problem is that you are kind of forced into buying a bike from Cycle Lab as the insurere generally pays the amount over to Cycle Lab. This bothered me greatly as the sales guy from Cycle Lab indicated that they had nothing available in my price range and I would have to pay in to get something. I raised these concerns with Outsurance and they agreed that I was right (Cycle Lab had quoted on a bike that was over my budget) and seeing how I had been claimfree for 10 years (some kind of record I should imagine in RSA!) they paid directly into my account.

 

Now I am going to see if Giant can make the cut. Was think of Scott till I saw theyactually only offer 3 years on the frame (5 if you have it serviced by a bike shop with a stamp to proof it).

[rouxtjie]

Eish mojoman...tough luck man. I have broken two frames before(one silverback, one trek) and to be honest I think its really just the nature of the beast...mtb'ing. We buy frames made out of fakolaminium, unobtainium and tupperware and ride the crap out of them expecting them to last. I constantly fall into the same trap the whole time cause we always want lighter and faster. What if we took a step back, bought stuff that weighs a bit more, but made out of materials that are meant to last and make peace with the fact that the bike won't weigh 10-11kg anymore but rather 13-14kg.

 

I am just throwing it out there since you are buying a new bike now so be smart about it. Hope you find an awesome bike

[Mojoman]

Eish mojoman...tough luck man. I have broken two frames before(one silverback, one trek) and to be honest I think its really just the nature of the beast...mtb'ing. We buy frames made out of fakolaminium, unobtainium and tupperware and ride the crap out of them expecting them to last. I constantly fall into the same trap the whole time cause we always want lighter and faster. What if we took a step back, bought stuff that weighs a bit more, but made out of materials that are meant to last and make peace with the fact that the bike won't weigh 10-11kg anymore but rather 13-14kg.

 

I am just throwing it out there since you are buying a new bike now so be smart about it. Hope you find an awesome bike

Thanks, the bike was originally a RT5700 that was being sold at a special price, after that one broke Ghost couldnt match the same colour swingarm so they upgraded me to a new RT7500 frame. It wasnt a particularly light bike (was around 14kg with all the crap on it) but I think they are built for fancy smooth european grassfed bike trails rather than our way of just gunning across the veld to see where you can go but at the end of the day I would have expected a broken frame along the way but not 2 in less than a year! Going to have a look at some 'old' model Anthems and Trances, when I say old they are 26-ers.....!