Any Grapil owners managed to find a supplier of derailleur hangers, please? I’m struggling to find them…. seems quite a complex shape.

Any Grapil owners managed to find a supplier of derailleur hangers, please? I’m struggling to find them…. seems quite a complex shape.

Your LBS (with a madison account) can get them for you, I never found another source for them. The Hanger is part of the dropout for the thru-axle, so they aren’t the cheapest.

Cheers catfishsalesco

If they bend, rather than snap, it is possible to carefully straighten them out again. Done it a few times now.

Just replaced the 60mm stem with a 35mm…

So so much fun. Quick blast tonight around lady Cannings

Go on then: changes since last time, new/old saddle, reverb, 10*11-42 cassette, 34 tooth chain ring, 800mm bars, xt mech, zee shifter, tyres…….

Photo at the top of the lawson park descent, Grizedale which this thing loves, flat out drops and flat corners, BRAAARRRP!

After reading about the changes cp has made to his and the impact they’ve had on the handling, I’m just putting together a spec for a new Grapil frame I have in the attic (my third Grapil build to date).

Given I’m going to be slackening both ends as well as running longer forks in a similar manner to cp, I’m now giving serious consideration to running it with 27.5’s, I know when Cycle Gear/UK Bikes Depot were flogging these frames on the cheap, they said it’d take a 650b rear wheel with a 2.1/2.2 tyre, but I’m just wondering if anyone has actually tried running or even test fitted one to check for clearance etc (I’ve not got a 27.5” so I can’t check it myself…). Given the other proposed changes, quite fancy trying this one too to be honest. 🙂

Depends what you want to use it for. given you’ll only be able to fit a small width 650b tyre in, and your mods suggest it might be a looning around on bike, i’d stick with large volume tyres on a 26 wheel.

Edit, do you have your forks sorted? Obviously they’ll need to be 27.5…..

My last two Grapil’s were conventional 26” builds, I think I just fancy trying something a little different, a little more playful this time around.

I removed the dropouts earlier so I could fudge the wheel as close to the stay as possible to check clearance with a relatively voluminous 26” 2.35 DMR Moto Digger, and the width clearance certainly seems sufficient, as does the clearance under full compression.

I’d be looking at running a 2.2 Trail King out back, I THINK I’d be fine with that (I suspect a 2.4 Trail King would rub, not from the additional width, but because they’re relatively tall tyres), not that I’m looking to run that size out back, I’d be wanting to run one up front however, so new forks yes. 🙂

After 15 months (800 miles) my Genesis Grapil has broken at the chain stay in the same place as others. I bought it from Cycle Gear in Halifax. As far as I know, this was fitted with the ‘updated’ rear triangle. I did check that there was a warranty when I bought it, so I had some reassurance there. The frame was relatively inexpensive, but I did spend around £1400 on new parts to build a bike.

I looked online to get some idea of how many had broken:-
One by samcivilised
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12936538
Two by daveH
One by baseta26
One by robbonzo
One by albino
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/has-anyone-still-got-a-broken-grapil-in-their-shed-need-a-favour
One by markrashton
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/genesis-grapil-any-one-spent-some-time-riding-one
One by catfishsalesco
One by TroutWrestler
One by totemblack
One by jamesoz
One by welshfarmer
One by Ribena
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-genesis-grapil-frames
Two by gordy90lpg
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2014-saracens

Add mine to the total reported online, and that is 16 bikes that have broken frames. About 4 of these seem to be bikes that were purchased at the same time as mine. This was a quick survey of those mentioned on 2 Internet forums. I think it is safe to assume that not everyone with a problem with their bike reports it on an Internet forum.

Are you sure it’s cracked? I can’t see anything in the pictures. Think it’s just the paint.

On a serious note that is shocking. It could happen at a catastrophic moment so not much of a joking matter. I’m sure the warranty will come good.

2 of mine broke :p

2 of mine broke :p

That’s 17 then. What happened in the end? Did you get a different frame?

Mine failed really quickly, the warranty took something stupid, 4 or 5 months. The welding is poor on the chainstay and I think the quick failure was down to riding the local man made Bermy trails putting lots of side loads on the crap weld. The thing is chances are it the chainstay snaps, the rest will bend. I got a replacement Saracen Aerial with some slightly rounded off pivot bolts by way of replacement after a catalogue of errors. Built it rode it once and just keep it as a spare bike for the gf.
I know it was cheap but Madison really are shite.

the warranty took something stupid, 4 or 5 months

You only find out how good (or bad) after sales service is when something breaks. The day it broke I sent some photos to the shop asking what I should do. I drove down to Halifax to drop the frame off the following Saturday. The shop has had the frame since May 28th. Despite repeated calls and emails to Madison-Genesis and the shop, I am still waiting for an outcome. I really hope I don’t have to wait 4 or 5 months. Why it takes so long to respond to such a clear example of frame failure after 15 months of use is anybody’s guess. You really would think that this was the first time this has happened, but that’s clearly not the case.

Well I have given mine fair abuse since repairing it and it is holding up fine. Mind, I mainly ride my Liteville now and keep the Grapil as a spare for when forks are serviced or mates need a ride.
Good luck. Hope you get a satisfactory resolution

Paradiso, it may have been 6 months. Things moved very quickly when I asked politely on Madison’s Facebook page why the delay. The shop kindly lent Me a nice carbon cube so as not to ruin a bike holiday.

I found Cycle Gear and Madison really good when mine broke. Got a choice of Ariel or Kili Flyer. I went for the Kili and been really happy with it ever since.

Involved a bit of buying/selling parts to change to 650b, but that was the way everything was going anyway so I didn’t mind too much.

I found Cycle Gear and Madison really good when mine broke

That’s encouraging. My main concern so far is how long it seems to be taking.

Wahey!!! I’m in the Snappy Grapil Club!!!

Still got a bit of this in before it went at the bottom of Garburn (before having to push back round to Dubbs)

and we met Tim Farron out for a fell run, twice

Snapil

Crapil

Evil

I hope your experience of a warranty claim is better than mine. Dealing with Madison Genesis was, without doubt, the worst customer service experience I have ever had. There is clearly a problem with this frame, but Genesis doesn’t want to take responsibility for it. Even though there is lots of evidence of breakages, they really did try to act as if this was the first time they had heard of it.
It was only after I repeatedly posted photos of my broken frame on their Facebook page that they showed any interest in offering a solution. Eventually I was offered an older 650b Kili Flyer frame, some Suntour forks and some 650b wheels. They tried to fob me off with any old bits they had lying about and refused to discuss any alternative or discount on an alternative frame.
In the end I arranged to buy a new frame from the shop with a discount for the broken frame and a bit of extra discount. I then had to buy new forks and wheels. The Grapil frame was cheap, but if they were willing to sell them after being aware of the problems, they should be willing to recompense owners for breakages.

I hear you mate, I’ve always quite fancied a kili but will keep your advice in mind when I’m on the phone tomorrow!

Another one bites the dust.

IMHO the Saracen Ariel looks good, but whatever you choose hope it’s sorted soon.

It’s such a shame Madison are so slow/crap. When mine cracked they sent back the frame with a new back end but didn’t use any of the original packaging I had sent it back in, so the head tube got squashed in the post. Apparently they replaced the front end, then it was discovered the back end was seized.
I was then offered a Killi or Ariel, chose the Ariel as it was 26″.
The Ariel turned up with partially rounded pivot bolts, I’m guessing because they are a reverse thread and had a bushing update by a hamfisted spanner monkey. It’s ok but not really the same sort of frame as the Grapil and a bit on the small side. I built it up as I didn’t want to deal with them again.

I know it was cheap but there is no excuse for the terrible service.

TBH looking back they should have sold them for £250 a pop with a warranty waiver as just knocking them out cheap they’ve still kept the same liability – durrrr.

I’m not sure you can waive warranty, but yep, I agree that they probably should have sold the shocks on ebay and popped the rest in the recycling bin or just kept them as spares for those they’d already sold before the problem was obvious.

Evening fellow Grapilists

I’m currently trying to source a shock bolt for my Grapil after it decided it wanted to part company with my still unsnapped frame ….. Ive been trying to source the part through the helpful guys at Alpine Elements at Glentress but Madison and Genisis are useless.

What have all you unfortunate souls been doing with your knackered frames? Do you send them back to the dealer or do any fellow single trackers have an old damaged frame lying about just waiting to be broken up and sold for Spares and repairs

Ariel or Kili, Ariel or Kili………….

Ariel – 15X BOING!

Another one bites the dust. Gutted as it rode well.

Riding along the flat, hear a loud bang, look down and the frames cracked

Currently waiting for Genisis to respond with an offer of a replacement frame

Reading other posts it seems likely to be a Saracen Ariel or Kili? Any feedback on what’s best ??