Known Issues & Problems with Giant Products + Help, Solutions & Fixes

[jabberwocky]

Hubs fail or can be faulty. In Giants defense its unlikely they made it; hubs are commodity items that they probably source from all over. The good news is that its pretty simple to fix (or inspect and declare faulty and warranty). Did you buy the bike from this shop? Are they close enough that you can just walk in with the wheel and ask if they can look at it?

 

[conix67]

Hubs fail or can be faulty. In Giants defense its unlikely they made it; hubs are commodity items that they probably source from all over. The good news is that its pretty simple to fix (or inspect and declare faulty and warranty). Did you buy the bike from this shop? Are they close enough that you can just walk in with the wheel and ask if they can look at it?

They may have sourced it from another manufacturer but surely they should be the one who should have checked everything thoroughly as part of PDI, if such thing exists on bicycles. This might be the lower end of their E-bike lineup but it's still pretty good sum of money, so my expectation was high but not unreasonable.

The store is not within the walking distance but it's very close (10min drive). They don't accept the walk-ins so I do need to speak with someone in the service department before I bring anything to them (make sure they are actually in the shop, looks like last two days no one was there).

If this was the only problem I had on this bike, I wouldn't be so bitter about the whole experience so far. I was ready to let go everything as long as the bike performs well but unfortunately that did not happen. Now, I'm just struggling to make the bike perform to my expectation.

 

[drewberz]

@conix67 Park Tools makes quality wrenches. Do you have a recreation store nearby, like REI or Sports Basement? Otherwise, if you have a grinder, you can grind one down to fit. May be easier than printing?

As for OEM wheels, they tend to be tight on cup and cone from the factory. It's a generalization but I've heard this from a fair amount of people. But I don't know why.

 

[conix67]

@conix67 Park Tools makes quality wrenches. Do you have a recreation store nearby, like REI or Sports Basement? Otherwise, if you have a grinder, you can grind one down to fit. May be easier than printing?

As for OEM wheels, they tend to be tight on cup and cone from the factory. It's a generalization but I've heard this from a fair amount of people. But I don't know why.

No recreation stores nearby. I do have a grinder, but I'd rather wait for a delivery from Amazon than grinding down a regular wrench. 3D printing is easy but didn't work, PLA too flimsy for this job.

At this point, I just hope the bearings are still ok. If I do get hold of my local Giant service, I doubt they'd check the conditions of bearings/cups/cones for damages.

Anyway, this has become quite a learning experience.

 

[drewberz]

No recreation stores nearby. I do have a grinder, but I'd rather wait for a delivery from Amazon than grinding down a regular wrench. 3D printing is easy but didn't work, PLA too flimsy for this job.

At this point, I just hope the bearings are still ok. If I do get hold of my local Giant service, I doubt they'd check the conditions of bearings/cups/cones for damages.

Anyway, this has become quite a learning experience.

I hope so too, best of luck!

If you do have bad cups/cones, it should be covered under warranty. They would send out a new wheel in that case. So best to check that wheel's bearing resistance (if it comes to it).

 

[conix67]

I hope so too, best of luck!

If you do have bad cups/cones, it should be covered under warranty. They would send out a new wheel in that case. So best to check that wheel's bearing resistance (if it comes to it).

I picked up my wheel today. It has been "adjusted" to correct the issue, and it was covered under warranty.

As I have said earlier about being afraid to contact the Giant dealer for service, they did not disappoint. I get through someone to speak to if I call all day. Every time I do speak to someone, they take my name and number says someone will call me back. At the same time, I was trying their email address for service to see if it would be any better, but it was not answered until 2 days later which was on Wednesday. In the email I clearly asked for a check on the wheel bearing on my brand new bike which should be covered under warranty, but the response I got was "rear wheel hub repack $xx, front wheel hub repack $xx, we have xxx and xxx available...?"

It is clear they are not interested in making sure customers receive the product they deserve. To me the product is in defective condition, even though it's adjustable the customer (me) have no skills or tools to do so.

In the end I just left a message saying I'll drop it off for someone to have a look and went to the store without an appointment. This is not their process but at this point I ran out of patience. Even that did not go smoothly but eventually their mechanic at service department took a look and I was told (indirectly) that the wheel is not in a condition for use. All this was possible only after telling the store manager about my whole experience with the bike.

Anyway, it's good that it's been adjusted and in a good working condition now. I'm very happy for that. I tried it out and the bike feels so much lighter with less drag, with motor OFF. All this time I thought the bike was difficult to pedal without power assist just because it's heavier. That was clearly not the main cause.

However, I don't think they examined it thoroughly to assess if there were any damages caused by this. I'm sure it's damaged, even though it rotates freely as expected I could feel a bit of grit. I don't think they care so I may not push this through them anymore..

 

[drewberz]

I picked up my wheel today. It has been "adjusted" to correct the issue, and it was covered under warranty.

As I have said earlier about being afraid to contact the Giant dealer for service, they did not disappoint. I get through someone to speak to if I call all day. Every time I do speak to someone, they take my name and number says someone will call me back. At the same time, I was trying their email address for service to see if it would be any better, but it was not answered until 2 days later which was on Wednesday. In the email I clearly asked for a check on the wheel bearing on my brand new bike which should be covered under warranty, but the response I got was "rear wheel hub repack $xx, front wheel hub repack $xx, we have xxx and xxx available...?"

It is clear they are not interested in making sure customers receive the product they deserve. To me the product is in defective condition, even though it's adjustable the customer (me) have no skills or tools to do so.

In the end I just left a message saying I'll drop it off for someone to have a look and went to the store without an appointment. This is not their process but at this point I ran out of patience. Even that did not go smoothly but eventually their mechanic at service department took a look and I was told (indirectly) that the wheel is not in a condition for use. All this was possible only after telling the store manager about my whole experience with the bike.

Anyway, it's good that it's been adjusted and in a good working condition now. I'm very happy for that. I tried it out and the bike feels so much lighter with less drag, with motor OFF. All this time I thought the bike was difficult to pedal without power assist just because it's heavier. That was clearly not the main cause.

However, I don't think they examined it thoroughly to assess if there were any damages caused by this. I'm sure it's damaged, even though it rotates freely as expected I could feel a bit of grit. I don't think they care so I may not push this through them anymore..

Glad it was (mostly) resolved.

To play devil's advocate, some shops will charge for labor on a warranty repair. However, Giant's warranty covers labor rates for the first 60 days (snapshot attached). But I think a good shop would stand behind what they sell and use wise discretion here, even if they are busy selling products and services to other customers. Again glad you can move on and ride!

 

[conix67]

The warranty statements are different up here in Canada. There are some vague statements but looking through it I get an impression not much is covered under warranty.

In large scale manufacturing, things happen and defects can occur. Warranty is there to cover those unfortunate situations. Quality assurance is there so that it limits the defects from being delivered to the customers in the first place.

I feel that Giant is lacking on both. Along with offering the paid service for hub repacking, I was told that the hubs need to be repacked every 100-200Kms. (no way I'm going to follow that schedule) This is why they didn't consider this a warranty claim in the first place. From their eyes, this is a normal wear and tear since I've had the bike for almost 2 months now.

If they had asked me to prove that the hubs were in this condition when the bike was delivered, I would not have the answer. Next time I purchase a new bike from someone, I now know a few things that I should check before taking the delivery.

 

[drewberz]

The warranty statements are different up here in Canada. There are some vague statements but looking through it I get an impression not much is covered under warranty.

In large scale manufacturing, things happen and defects can occur. Warranty is there to cover those unfortunate situations. Quality assurance is there so that it limits the defects from being delivered to the customers in the first place.

I feel that Giant is lacking on both. Along with offering the paid service for hub repacking, I was told that the hubs need to be repacked every 100-200Kms. (no way I'm going to follow that schedule) This is why they didn't consider this a warranty claim in the first place. From their eyes, this is a normal wear and tear since I've had the bike for almost 2 months now.

If they had asked me to prove that the hubs were in this condition when the bike was delivered, I would not have the answer. Next time I purchase a new bike from someone, I now know a few things that I should check before taking the delivery.

Sorry I completely overlooked that you are from Canada! Looks like they don't cover 'labour' up there, but I do believe a quality shop would waive it.

Suggesting to repack every 100-200km is a joke. Perhaps if you were aware of water ingress (i.e. river crossing) or an extended romp on the beach. Sounds like you would be best served finding a shop that cares and provides good information.

I haven't visited factories, but acceptable tolerances seem to not be acceptable (see Giant's ongoing motor mount struggles). I suspect most QA/QC is minimal at best.

Bottom brackets were historically threaded, but then moved to press fit to allow for wider tolerances so cost of manufacture could decrease. Hopefully e-bikes will eventually be viewed differently and treated more critically.

 

[conix67]

Sorry I completely overlooked that you are from Canada! Looks like they don't cover 'labour' up there, but I do believe a quality shop would waive it.

Suggesting to repack every 100-200km is a joke. Perhaps if you were aware of water ingress (i.e. river crossing) or an extended romp on the beach. Sounds like you would be best served finding a shop that cares and provides good information.

I haven't visited factories, but acceptable tolerances seem to not be acceptable (see Giant's ongoing motor mount struggles). I suspect most QA/QC is minimal at best.

Bottom brackets were historically threaded, but then moved to press fit to allow for wider tolerances so cost of manufacture could decrease. Hopefully e-bikes will eventually be viewed differently and treated more critically.

I think it's assumed. It's just that everything is written somewhat vaguely. I believe there's acceptable common sense around the warranty in general. In the end, they covered whatever they had done on my wheel. I wouldn't be surprised if it were just a 15 second job in the end.

To this date, I've not had a single issue with what I worried the most about in the beginning - the eletronics part. Everything just worked, the app sucks but torque sensing hybrid system works exactly what I had expected, which is why I did not consider lower priced alternatives. However, problems develop over time and my bike is relatively new. I have no idea if I will have the bracket or mounting issues on my bike. I should research more on that.

Anyway, I really wanted to fix the front wheel also so I don't feel the "grit". It was nowhere as bad as the rear so I wanted to look after the rear first. The front requires 13mm cone wrench. I ordered this one from Amazon but it will be another 2 weeks (comes from US it seems). I decided to try 3D printed wrench for this job, my own simple design to make it a bit more sturdy.

and this funny looking object actually does the job. It's not ideal but I think it worked..

I could have tried this method on the rear but I really wanted them to tell me if there's damage to the bearing or not..

 

[04fuxake]

I find with cones, you want to tighten it down using the outer lock nut so it feels like it's too tight. Then holding the outer lock nut with a wrench, loosen the inner cone nut to relieve the pressure. This also tightens the inner to the outer lock nut and should leave you with a smooth, not loose cone setup.

 

[conix67]

I find with cones, you want to tighten it down using the outer lock nut so it feels like it's too tight. Then holding the outer lock nut with a wrench, loosen the inner cone nut to relieve the pressure. This also tightens the inner to the outer lock nut and should leave you with a smooth, not loose cone setup.

This is a good idea. One question though, while doing this, how do you keep the axle from turning either direction? There's the axel, two inner nuts and two outer nuts in this assembly. With one side loose, the other pair will be holding the axle. I guess this is where some trial and error is required?

 

[04fuxake]

Yeah it can take a few goes to get it right.

I only tighten one side of the axle so I can use the other side to grip with a spanner/wrench to stop the axle rotating. If you have a bench vice, you can grip the non-adjusting cone nut in the vice and then you are free to work on the other side with both hands.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Second day of trying to reach my local dealer for service. Their phone line is either busy or no one is receiving the call so it goes to the voice mail which starts with "Do not leave a message". Due to covid-19 restrictions, can't visit the store in person. Can't leave a message. Phone call's not answered. Email requests don't get replied to.

Actually, I finally did get through to speak to someone (sales guy) yesterday afternoon, and I was asked to call back today since the service manager was not in.

Sorry for the rant, but this is the reality I'm facing. I'm sure if I'm buying a new bike now, they will be all over it.

Not cool. My Giant LBS is good with visits. I think I'd go there.

 

[RS700]

Hi all, it's been a while since I've looked at this thread. I have a Giant quick E hybrid bike 2018 model. I use it for my work commute and it is chipped, I've covered approx 10k miles in all weathers, I had the unable to power on after getting wet, the control switch replaced under warranty solved that. Apart from that it's been reliable, obviously I've replaced chains, cassettes, brake pads etc.. a number of times now. I'm also getting the grinding from the wheel bearing on the rear, they are cup and cone. I've replaced the ball bearings and cones but the hub is also worn so eventually it will need a new rear wheel
Also my motor is loose, my video showing the movement is earlier on this thread, but it's got worse now, time to repair it. I plan to ream the holes for the mounting bolts and fit bushes to tighten everything up.
I'll post pictures when I get started.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Hi all, it's been a while since I've looked at this thread. I have a Giant quick E hybrid bike 2018 model. I use it for my work commute and it is chipped, I've covered approx 10k miles in all weathers, I had the unable to power on after getting wet, the control switch replaced under warranty solved that. Apart from that it's been reliable, obviously I've replaced chains, cassettes, brake pads etc.. a number of times now. I'm also getting the grinding from the wheel bearing on the rear, they are cup and cone. I've replaced the ball bearings and cones but the hub is also worn so eventually it will need a new rear wheel
Also my motor is loose, my video showing the movement is earlier on this thread, but it's got worse now, time to repair it. I plan to ream the holes for the mounting bolts and fit bushes to tighten everything up.
I'll post pictures when I get started.

Sounds like it's stood up well for you so far. Interested to hear how you get along!

 

[RS700]

A short showing my loose motor:

Since the video I have reassembled everything, and tightened the bolts as much as I dare without rounding the heads. So far no movement, but I can't imagine that is ideal, I know on a roadbike you can flex the frame when standing on the pedals out of the saddle, and a motor's torque adds to the stresses. Not my favourite part of the design.

Now I'm looking for suitable tubing to make a sleeve. Progress post soon.

 

[conix67]

A short showing my loose motor:

Since the video I have reassembled everything, and tightened the bolts as much as I dare without rounding the heads. So far no movement, but I can't imagine that is ideal, I know on a roadbike you can flex the frame when standing on the pedals out of the saddle, and a motor's torque adds to the stresses. Not my favourite part of the design.

Now I'm looking for suitable tubing to make a sleeve. Progress post soon.

That is terrible. How was things holding together without the movement/rattle when the bike was new? I can't imagine the mounting holes getting wider like that over time due to normal wear and tear.

Not sure what thickness the sleeve needs to be but 3D printing that sleeve part is a possibility.

 

[RS700]

I think probably the problem started when I fitted the dongle, you have to drop the motor to get it in and connected. A few weeks later I noticed the creaking when pedalling, and later the whole motor moving. The mounting holes in the motor are nearly 9.5mm or 3/8" in old money, quite a lot of clearance for an 8mm bolt.

 

[Greatrex]

Any advice on a very difficult to release battery on Stance E+. Its a brand new bike and the dealer is a long way away so I can't easily take it back. The key will turn a bit but not release, after lots of attempts it eventually engaged and I was able to release the battery. I lightly lubricated the catch and put it back and now i can't get it to release again.