Warranty issue – minimum seat post insertion

Just a thought……you’re asking a number of different questions in your, admittedly very nicely worded, email; maybe the guy is struggling to understand, thinks he’s answering them & is confused as to why you keep emailing him. Maybe. But probably not.

That was the question I forgot to ask last night…

Is there anywhere that sells the full builds or anyone who has a full build in your size with their standard post that can confirm it was supplied with a seat post that is too short ?

I’ve tweeted him a link …Hope it gets sorted.

Would never touch them

Munrobiker can’t believe you’ve got one! It’ll end up in a million pieces

Commencal were very good to me when my Ramones cracked in a similar way:

It was around this time in 2012 and I got a new frame, Leisure Lakes transferred all the bits and I was back riding again with minimal faff

Stw *is* social media.

Very true, what I really meant was *their* social media.

I’ll possibly start a new threat with a slightly more SEO friendly title at some point though I’m sure if someone searches “Cracked Commencal Meta HT” this should turn up.

Just a thought……you’re asking a number of different questions in your, admittedly very nicely worded, email; maybe the guy is struggling to understand, thinks he’s answering them & is confused as to why you keep emailing him. Maybe. But probably not.

That did cross my mind. I think the language barrier may being used by them though I’m sure if my email was about something more positive they’d make the effort.

Is there anywhere that sells the full builds or anyone who has a full build in your size with their standard post that can confirm it was supplied with a seat post that is too short ?

They ship the bike with a 350mm static post according to their website, so to comply with their 165mm rule would leave 135mm of exposed post max which I’m pretty sure wouldn’t be enough for their size range. I’ll measure what I was having to run tonight.

Thanks for the Tweets/support/commiserations.

Rocketman that’s very interesting!

Just a thought……you’re asking a number of different questions in your, admittedly very nicely worded, email; maybe the guy is struggling to understand, thinks he’s answering them & is confused as to why you keep emailing him. Maybe. But probably not.

I’ll bet that by the time its been through google translate for the warranty bloke to read, its indecipherable.

I’m pretty sure wouldn’t be enough for their size range. I’ll measure what I was having to run tonight

Pretty sure doesn’t cut it mate. You need definition.

If you can show that running a large with the seatpost provided and inserted the required length would mean you’d have to be 4’11” to ride it then you have something… if it shows you can be 5’11” then you’re struggling…

but without knowing fully, you’re just using guesswork and blind hope.

HOLD FIRE!!

Following a slightly shittier email last night requesting contact details for their warranty manager/customer service director I’ve received the following…

Hi James,

We didn’t write it anywhere because it seems logical to insert your seat tube that deep (deeper than the top tube). Obviously, we were wrong.

That’s why we’re going to replace your frame, but be sure your seat post will be correctly inserted on this new one.

You can choose a 2016 Meta HT frame which exists in yellow or red, or, if you think you need an XL size, we have one last listed as second hand but in perfect conditions with clear protect already installed.

Please tell me which one you are interested in. I also need you to fulfill the attached form and to send us a picture of the serial number engraved under the bottom bracket.

Best regards

If your frame requires a stupidly long seatpost to fit riders of the specified size (due to bad design or otherwise) I’d say it seems bloody logical to inform buyers of said frame!

Either way it’s a result and would imagine the Tweets and links to this thread have helped so thanks again to all.

I’d start a MTBR thread too. We are a relatively small market, the USA isn’t.

Happy days…

Either way it’s a result

Good news. Hope you get it built up OK

Commencal were fine with me. I think we both knew the seatpost wasn’t in that far (beyond the brace but not beyond the top tube/seat tube junction) but they swapped it anyway

Hope you get it built up OK

You’re kidding right?

It’ll be on eBay or in the classifieds before the box is opened! Still debating keeping the V3.

Ah, good news, finally!

in the classifieds before the box is opened!

May I suggest a different user name if you pop it in the classifieds 😉

Ok, just eBay then – can’t see it being exactly snapped up on here 😉

Glad you’re getting sorted OP, it’s just a shame it took so long, tweets etc. and battling through their stinky attitude first 🙁

now, time to research 500mm seatposts? 😉

back of the net

Hi James,

We didn’t write it anywhere because it seems logical to insert your seat tube that deep (deeper than the top tube). Obviously, we were wrong.

lolz, they called you stoopid

OP – the reason I asked where you were was if you were near enough we could’ve got on the phone to them directly.
Not backing them – but a lot of the time things like live translators really cock up the phrasing or verb layout with spanish.
So whilst your email was bang on for us reading it – trust me, google translate made no sense!

Doesn’t matter now as I’m guessing either the tweets, etc worked or they took the time to translate/read it better and understood what had happened.

Result.

legend – Member
Hi James,
We didn’t write it anywhere because it seems logical to insert your seat tube that deep (deeper than the top tube). Obviously, we were wrong.

lolz, they called you stoopid

May I suggest: 😆

That’s great news. I think your sensible well worded emails payed off there.

It seems logical not to require a stupidly long seatpost. It seems logical to be able to use standard dropper posts. It seems logical if you’re going to add a brace that it should be sufficient to support the seat-tube. Obviously I was wrong.

Glad to see the right result – I’m sure I’m not the target market for Commencal, but I’m sure some on here are, and they’ve doubtless lost sales through this anyway (I wouldn’t be buying one now if I was the target market) which they could have avoided by handling it better in the first place. For me that is a combination of them admitting to poor frame design and poor customer service.

Make sure you get the replacement frame in medium- it’ll sell quicker as 650b.

James, that is great news, really glad you got it sorted although it shouldn’t have taken this much effort.It does still leave a few issues though for any current owners:

1) The fact a manufacturer thinks it’s ok to say something is “logical” but the information in their literature is explicit in its contradiction

2) They openly admit to not writing it down yet feel it’s ok to quibble over this point

3) My own Meta HT is an XL, my height and inseam are perfectly within the recommended measurements according to the geometry chart on their website and yet the bike came with a 350mm post, (again this was detailed in the web spec). I measured up my bike and in order to comply with their “unwritten logic” I would need a 450mm seatpost, which in 31.6mm seems somewhat difficult to come by!!

Where it needs to be, (which complies with the literature and 9cm insertion):

Where it should be according to Commencal “logic”:

Logic…..my ar5e!

Ace. Polite persistence pays off 🙂

I would need a 450mm seatpost

But as someone with long legs for my height I’ve always had to run/buy a longer seatpost than ‘standard’. My Reverb for example has a 150mm drop and has the 420mm post.

Good work!

Is there a general consensus on these “braced seat tube” designs then?

I’ve got one, Saracen Kili Flyer, and the top tube joins the seatube in the same place on all sizes, with the brace being larger on the bigger sizes. Saracen didn’t say anthing when i asked (“insert about 4 inches”), but i’d rather avoid the hassle of a warranty return etc..

Seems like a waste of time having the brace if you have to use a longer seatpost anyway.

But as someone with long legs for my height I’ve always had to run/buy a longer seatpost than ‘standard’. My Reverb for example has a 150mm drop and has the 420mm post.

That’s not the point. The bike was supplied with a 350mm post which I can use with the minimum insertion point inside the frame. If the reality (“logic”) is that you need to run a longer one so as not to stress the frame then that’s what should be supplied.

My specialized is also an XL, stock bikes in “L” or “XL” tend to have bigger rotors, thicker handlebar grips, longer cranks, longer seatpost etc. All totally “logical” but actually implemented by the manufacturer, not left for the buyer to guess after the sale.

Pleased that the OP got it sorted, but really dissapointed in the behaviour of Commencal – I don’t care how great the bike is, no-way I’d buy from a company that tried that hard not to honour the warantee. I know that they “got there in the end”….. but there are plenty of other options for buyers

Obviously, we were wrong.

Nope, not a language barrier. First rate put down skills at play there.

That’s not the point. The bike was supplied with a 350mm post which I can use with the minimum insertion point inside the frame. If the reality (“logic”) is that you need to run a longer one so as not to stress the frame then that’s what should be supplied.

I’m agreeing with you, just that I’ve found that I’ve needed to buy longer ones than supplied as my legs are that bit longer (than average).

Nope, not a language barrier. First rate put down skills at play there.

Could still be a language thing – many other languages don’t have the level of sarcasm we do.

Irony is that the new design drops the continuation of the top tube to the seat tube and only runs the upper ‘reinforcing strut’

They came good in the end and it might well have been a combination of the emails and maybe even a glance or two on here . But I have to admit I don’t like that new design ^^ . It’s like ground hog day……

This is my Meta AM. How much seat post do I need in there, I don’t even think it will go down 50mm below the top tube and if it does it’ll be hitting the shock!!

[/url]Meta AM [/img]

I suspect they’ve found this thread by now. Hi Max!

Irony is that the new design drops the continuation of the top tube to the seat tube and only runs the upper ‘reinforcing strut’

Different forces though.

In the OP’s bike the seatstays are pushing the seatube forward, in the FS version there’s nothing pushing on the seatube (well, the pivot, but that’s going to have far less load on it than a rigid stay).

As Brant pointed out, there’s a difference between a dropped top tube and an extended seat mast.

jamesfts – Member

HOLD FIRE!!

Following a slightly shittier email last night requesting contact details for their warranty manager/customer service director I’ve received the following…

Hi James,

We didn’t write it anywhere because it seems logical to insert your seat tube that deep (deeper than the top tube). Obviously, we were wrong.

Think they’re on thin ice there talking about being logical considering they’ve supplied a large sized frame with a seatpost only suitable for a manlet.