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http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64915
It would appear Commencal are not alone ?
So the answer is a Zesty, right 
Northwind WINS!
Where might one look if they wanted a good price for a 5?
grantway- None of the above is your first hand experience. You are just repeating and stuff you have read on the Interweb. If you are going to berate Commencal as veraciously as you have, you need hard facts and figures.
Try Googling "Grantway Commencal". I don't know about crack, but "chip" springs to mind.
P.s. Were you pissed when you posted above? It reads like wot a 4 yer old wot dun it.
Wasn't someone highlighting that fact that Commencal don't have as bad a failure rate as Cotic though (based on failures per units sold)?
Some disclosure on percentage of failures is what needs to happen. I directly asked one of the admins on the owners club website who claimed he had info from the company. He said he wasn't at liberty to disclose. It was at that point I lost faith in him and his posts.
I rode an 08 medium VIP which had no problems at all, in fact it's currently hanging up for sale in my LBS.
I replaced the 08 medium with an 09 large. Two failures in different places and not great QC; I'm currently waiting on a 2010 frame coming out to me. Apparently, as suggested above, they've changed the design and the manufacturer for next year.
I'm perservering because I think the bikes ride really well. I tried an Orange 5 a little while ago - I can't really tell you why, but I just didn't get on with it (think this was in 2007/8). Maybe it had a higher bottom bracket and I prefer them a bit lower - although can't remember now...
dont mind me asking but how much is the meta up for sale for and what bike shop please....
Sorry, it's wasn't a blatant ad (although reads like it in retrospect), I was just trying to point out that it must still structurally sound if it's in a shop...
Do you want to email me for details (address in profile) so I don't upset the mods?!
ygm
web_toed wrote, "Try Googling "Grantway Commencal". I don't know about crack, but "chip" springs to mind."
Nah, fair play, I know where you're coming from but I don't think there's any real doubt that there are issues with these frames. They're hardly snapping like wet twigs- I know some people did that by fitting oversize forks, but, well, duh. That'll happen. But the other cracks are pretty consistent even across different frames, and common enough to be a worry. Arguably they could all be caused by people not using long enough seatposts, but how likely is that?
Northwind, I agree that there is definitely a problem with these frames. What I don't agree with is a pointless one man crusade to misinform.
The company needs to produce statistics about the failures.
I think it's worth adding that Madison have been excellent with warranty claims. It's not the fastest turnaround (in my case because I was at the start and end of a model year), but there have been no silly quibbles from them. Top marks.
The company needs to produce statistics about the failures.
As 2009 Meta owner (frame OK for now...) I couldn't agree more.
Perhaps they will when the 2009 frames debacle has been sorted by replacement 2010's...
I'm going to stick with the company for now 'cause they ride so damn well. If it turns out that the issues aren't sorted with the new frames then it will be adios commencal.
The 2010 warranty frames hit the shores on Friday and are probably in the shops now so if you're one of those waiting and haven't heard anything yet - get in touch with your shop to see what's happening.
Arguably they could all be caused by people not using long enough seatposts, but how likely is that?
Well lets face it, most of the people that can get away with a 350mm seat post up until the limit will do. None will buy a 400 mm seat post just for the piece of mind.
IIRC there use to have a fair amount of people who had experience bad warranty services with orange too. Personnaly I have seen only one meta broken, a 66, but not sure it's a valid point as the bloke who borke it also broke:
a RM6 front triangle
a Raceface carbone/alloy crank set (the isi one)
every single fork in 32 mm (or at least the insides)
a gravity dropper
a stinky
actually make it 2
and so and so.
I think it's going to be a case of money/test ride.
Thanks everyone.
Mark no nofreaking useles froggy, I don't want my bike to loose its nut down the trail 😉
Mr Toast has a XL 2008 Meta 5.5, it's been ridden fairly heavily over the past two years with no cracks. He loves it to bits - with all the other bikes he's had, they've had bits swapped in and out or been sold on, but the Meta's pretty much as it was bought - new wheels and grips, and I think that's about it. Think the only gripe he has with it is that he wishes it was a bit lighter.
He did have to claim one frame on warranty, due to a crack caused by a manufacturing fault. That was his carbon GT Zaskar though...oh, the irony!
Actually, is that ironic? Ever since that Alanis Morrisette song, I can't tell the difference between what's ironic and what's merely unfortunate...
Ever since that Alanis Morrisette song, I can't tell the difference between what's ironic and what's merely unfortunate...
LOL! 😀
LOL too
"Well lets face it, most of the people that can get away with a 350mm seat post up until the limit will do. None will buy a 400 mm seat post just for the piece of mind. "
Yup- not just Commencal users though, is the thing.
northwind this was a problem on the RM switch rm5-6-7 as well. Most of the weld have cracked because of that.
However I can't see anyone saying RM bikes are naff.
If commencal says you need to have 12 cms of seatpost inside, well maybe there is a reason.
But that doesn't give me any inside about how the commencal/orange rides 😉
but people who rode bot prefer the meta 5 am I right?
Actually I found the Meta nervous, fidgety and with a rear end made of jelly... sometimes felt like the rear wheel was loose or the tyre was going down...
Would this be a bad time to mention that my 2006 model Orange 5 cracked at the top tube / seat tube junction last month? 😆
I replaced it with a new 2010 Orange 5 frame, but like someone earlier mentioned, things do break.
B. 😉
Don't say that, Grantway will become wroth. And you don't want that.
LOL Northwind
I do accept frames can and do break or get broken.
Regarding the 5, Orange recieve upto three a year returned.
I would'nt say thats ironic but for those whom returned them
as being unfortunate.
Just have to wait for next years tests.