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Genesis Bikes

20 posts & 13 voices | Started 10 months ago by DJ | Latest reply from glenp

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DJ - Member

I have a Genesis Core 20 which has been going well have a couple years but I recently took it in for a service and they found a crack in the frame! When they phoned and told me, I was thinking 'this is gonna be expensive' but as it turned out they frame had a lifetime guarantee so Genesis agreed to replace the frame! As a replacement though I got a Genesis Core 50 and it's a year newer so that was a real result. So I now have a much better frame! Good work Genesis.

Anyway, just wanted to hear if anyone else had any strokes of luck like this? Or if anyone else had issues with their Genesis?

Posted 10 months ago #
steve_b77 - Member

On a similar vein I cracked my Raleigh Airlite Race (road bike) the other week round the BB shell where the carbon stays are bonded to it.

I got it in 2009 and a phone call today says a new full carbon bike with Ultegra groupset is on it's way, awesomeness in the extreme

These here "British" bike companies are ace for warranties.

Posted 10 months ago #
Kryton57 - Member

I called Genesis once for advice about treating my Steel Frame. They said, "don't worry, if it fails you can have a new one".

Nice.

Posted 10 months ago #
IdleJon - Member

I'll cut and paste this from a thread a few days ago:

I've raved on here about my 2yr old Genesis Altitude many times. Excellent feel to it - I have no doubt that the Latitude feels just as good.

However!

About a month ago my rear mech hanger folded up wrecking the rear mech. I was climbing a short section of fairly steep stuff, didn't hit anything. As far as I'm aware I haven't bent the hanger previously, and the gears were fine up until the point the hanger went.

And of course it's not replaceable.

Now back in the 90s I had this happen to 2 steel frames (after actual collisions with roots/branches). I had the hangers straightened but they both folded irreparably soon after, so I'm aware that it can be repaired but rather annoyed that I can't trust the frame anymore.

The day after the frame bent, I sent a message to Genesis through their website asking if they would consider covering this on their warranty. I wasn't very hopeful, but you can only try.

I didn't get a reply to that message for 11 days. ELEVEN! Of course it was just a fob-off, saying take it to the retailer.

By this time I had already spoken to the LBS who basically said, 'fat chance, it's a 2 yr old frame, they won't warranty it'.

I have now had the frame straightened, but don't know whether this will bend again. One 853 frame which is now worthless.

So, to summarise, it's a steel frame with an integral mech hanger which may not be strong enough to cope with normal riding. I'd question why it doesn't have a replaceable hanger, or why Genesis haven't made this area strong enough to cope.

Secondly, I won't be buying a Genesis again, simply because of the terrible customer service. 11 days to reply to a pretty simple email is appalling. I'd be feeling a lot less aggrieved if they could have fired off a quick, sensible reply.

So, good bike, but be careful.

Posted 10 months ago #
steve_b77 - Member

Did you contemplate contacting them by phone or even sending another message after a short period of time of no reply from the initial one?

Posted 10 months ago #
IdleJon - Member

steve_b77 - Member
Did you contemplate contacting them by phone or even sending another message after a short period of time of no reply from the initial one?

Good grief, why didn't I think of that!

Still waiting on the last message which was sent 5 days ago, steve.

No phone number on their website.

Edit:
I sent the initial message to their warranty dept. 2 working days later, with no response, I sent the same message to both the warranty dept and tech dept.

I am now waiting on a response to one which points out how appallingly bad their customer service is. I'm not expecting a reply, but it's now been 5 days.

I think that you can class that as poor customer service?

Posted 10 months ago #
TurnerGuy - Member

Fire a welding torch, or even a heat gun, at the mech hanger. 853 hardens with heat, so it might help ???

Posted 10 months ago #
woody2000 - Member

Genesis = Madison AFAIK, so 0870 034 7226

Posted 10 months ago #
glenp - Member

Can't comment on the steel hanger etc, except to say that nearly all steel frames have an integral hanger, and if you have cracked the hanger without knowing it then the force of changing gear can be enough to put the mech in the spokes. They should have replied though.

Anyway - we have rather a lot of Genesis Cores, and I really like them. They get ridden by all-comers and haven't let us down yet.

Posted 10 months ago #
DJ - Member

To be fair, I think the crack in mine was there from the start as I did mention it to them when I picked it up and they said it was just the lacquer, but it was only little and lasted two years. I'm presuming it was the same crack as I didn't actually see it, cos the shop sent it back straight away.

The new frame did take 3 weeks to get delivered though which was poor.

IdleJon - Keep hassling them, I'm sure they'll come up with the goods.

Posted 10 months ago #
samuri - Member

I've not snapped my Day One yet but it's clearly only a matter of time, I'll let you know how the replacement process goes when that happens.

I'm very happy with it up till now.

Posted 10 months ago #
IdleJon - Member

IdleJon - Keep hassling them, I'm sure they'll come up with the goods.

No I'll leave them alone now.

I've raised my concerns, they responded eventually and in a manner which I was expecting. I was very disappointed that such a competent bike would bend in that way, and even more disappointed that Genesis were so slack that they couldn't send an email back within a reasonable time. Even one that said 'tough cheese, you're out of warranty'.

Lesson learned, my next steel frame will be a different brand, one with a replacable hanger. I was thinking about a road bike, but now it's unlikely to be a Genesis.

Oh, and the Altitude is now straightened, rebuilt and ready to go. I'll have a shakedown ride when I've got over this lurgy. Do I take it to Dartmoor next week, where I'll be riding on my own? Where can I expect the hanger to bend again? The very middle of the moor, I'd guess.

Posted 10 months ago #
wwaswas - Member

you can get a new drive side drop out welded on for about £40.

Posted 10 months ago #
IdleJon - Member

Yep, thanks wwaswas. Already priced up.

Posted 10 months ago #
mboy - Member

IdleJohn, mech hangers don't just bend of their own accord. And steel ones don't need to be replaceable as steel is an easily repaired metal. Just get and ride it, now it has been repaired, it should be fine for ages.

Just a side note, I've had a Genesis Altitude 853 for a couple of years, and now have an Altitude Ti. Great bikes, for me they're about the best hardtails going. Also, I met and got chatting with Dom the Genesis brand manager at the Singletrack Weekender last weekend, top guy, couldn't have been more enthusiastic about the brand and helping customers IMO. And I was in email contact with James, the previous brand manager there before, also a top bloke.

Posted 10 months ago #
slimjim78 - Member

I want to like Genesis, but seriously, Phil Collins is a drummer not a lead singer!

Posted 10 months ago #
Marin_Maketh_The_Man - Member

I presume the warranty is only valid with the original owner?

I bought an Io singlespeed last year off the bay and its been perfect for commuting, but I noticed a hairline crack down the drive side dropout a couple of weeks ago.

Im still riding it and the crack doesnt seem to be getting any worse, but I'd be interested to hear where I could get a new dropout welded on (wwaswas). Based in Manchester it it helps.

Posted 10 months ago #
Rusty Spanner - Member

Im still riding it and the crack doesnt seem to be getting any worse, but I'd be interested to hear where I could get a new dropout welded on (wwaswas). Based in Manchester it it helps.

Neil Orrell?

Clicky.

Posted 10 months ago #
IdleJon - Member

mboy - Member
IdleJohn, mech hangers don't just bend of their own accord.

No they don't. But as I said in my intial post - the gears were fine and I didn't make contact with anything. Having said that, the reason why hangers are replacable is obvious, so Genesis either need to make them replacable or strong enough to cope with a normal MTBing existence. My Klein HT still has the hanger pointing in the right direction - it's roughly 15 years old, and has plenty of metal around the integral dropout, and when being used was treated in exactly the same way as the Genesis.

And steel ones don't need to be replaceable as steel is an easily repaired metal. Just get and ride it, now it has been repaired, it should be fine for ages.

I'll beg to differ, based on painful experience - stuck in the middle of Snowdonia with a bent mech hanger that had been previously straightened. Yes, if the hanger isn't badly bent, it can be straightened and should hold. The key point is in how badly bent it was. Any bend will weaken the metal.

Anyway, my main annoyance, as I've said a few times is the lack of response.

But in your post:

Also, I met and got chatting with Dom the Genesis brand manager at the Singletrack Weekender last weekend, top guy, couldn't have been more enthusiastic about the brand and helping customers IMO. And I was in email contact with James, the previous brand manager there before, also a top bloke.

Well, that's great, they are REALLY enthusiastic with people who are about to buy the bikes, but when you ask for some help it seems they aren't so enthusiastic.

A post from last weekend:

dukeduvet - Member
I have tried contacting genesis myself recently and have had no replies, their facebook page also has a few customers complaining about slow replies.

james-o of this parish was very good at responding to emails, forum posts but I think he said he had left the company (as geoffj confirms). Cotic were just amazing in helping with my enquiries.

Good luck with your Ti frame - I hope you don't have any problems with it.

Posted 10 months ago #
glenp - Member

I think it would be sensible to separate the two issues here.

1. You had a bad thing happen with that individual frame - there is nothing at all to say that this is somehow intrinsic to Genesis in general, or all Genesis steel frames.

2. Your experience of customer service was poor - different thing, and not good.

Posted 10 months ago #

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