Hey guys. 2017 Ibis Ripley Ls 3.0. 3 months old. 220 lbs riding on the rough trails of Phoenix Arizona. I just noticed 1 crack right underneath the seatube/toptube junction and another crack which looks like delaminating on the yoke where it meets the shock. I haven't wrecked it (yet). Nothing higher than 2 feet drops. Mostly aggressive XC and all mountain. I don't hear much about Ibis frames failing so I'm really surprised. I'm not worried about getting my warranty covered because the frame is 100% clean not crashed. Just bummed because my riding season just started.
Aww man.... my new Ripley frame is cracking.
Bike Therapy
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Definitely looks like an impact break. I roached a seatstay on a downed tree a while back,crack looked very similar..
The Ibis warranty covers material and workmanship defects. If this is not a material defect one could certainly argue it is a workmanship defect (design deficiency). Personally I would be lawyering up and fighting it. Hiding behind this lame 'no defect' excuse is the kind of thing that can turn a brand into an Ellsworth in short order.
Haha, pretty sure a crash replacement deal would be cheaper, faster and less expensive to the soul than 'lawyering up'.. Gross!
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True, but it could very well be the principle of the matter. Then if you take it step further into the shady direction one could argue that is what Ibis is hoping people will think and then they get paid to fix their own warranty issues. Not saying that is what went down, but just playing devils advocate here.
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Are you some known fraudster on the FBI's ten most wanted list? If not, then if there are no scratches around the crack indicating there was some type of impact, then how can Ibis say it was an "external force"? An external force is you sitting on your bike. An external force is you riding your bike. Is Ibis claiming that if you actually try to ride one of Roxy Lo's works of art and the frame cracks, then it's your fault? Based on what you've posted, Ibis's denial of your warranty claim is inexplicable and disturbing. I expect to be able to do 4 foot drops on my Ibis HD3 without anything cracking.
If Ibis uses one layup of 0.5 mm of carbon in that area and it cracks when you do a 2 foot drop, then is that the carbon's fault or the frame designer's fault? The frame was manufactured according to spec, but because the frame wasn't designed to be strong enough--then no manufacturing defect, so your fault? Wtf?
Could be hidden by the rubber protector. 2nd photo appears to show crack is larger near where it meets protector.
I've seen aluminum frames sheer with no obvious signs of external force applied - one was on the seat tube about halfway between tt and bb; occurred off a small roller (maybe 2' of air to sloped landing). Frame cracked from some sort of external force, but no impact. No discount on replacement...
That would be a pretty neat trick to have a crash impact that was directed from the inside of the chainstay at the rubber protector.
Let's be specific with terminology - all failures are from external forces. The warranty question is one of are the forces expected and designed for (i.e. use case) or are they out of the ordinary (e.g., crash, 20 ft huck, driving into an underground garage, etc).
Any crash or accidental related failure should be accompanied by witness marks. Pure overload (e.g., big huck or chain loads in excess of design) will not bear witness marks.
The companies that recognize the value of their brand lean toward leniency in these decisions in the interest of Goodwill (e.g., Santa Cruz, historically Ibis). Other companies such as Ellsworth reject any claim and drive the value of their brand into the toilet.
I have no idea what the Ripley was designed to withstand before failure in this part of the chainstay, but I'd think we'd be hearing a lot more about this sort of failure if there was a design defect. I have impact marks from falling onto this side of the bike in a rock garden in almost the exact same location on my Ripley. No cracks, just "witness marks". It's unlikely, but not impossible, that an solid object got kicked into the space between the cassette and chainstay with enough force to damage the swingarm... not a crash impact, but an external force on the area in question.
Maybe I'm too trusting, or a kool-aid drinking Ibis fan-boy, but if they cut open the swingarm and didn't find any manufacturing defects, I'd believe them. Yes it sucks for rider that he didn't get a free swingarm, but he probably got it at cost.
Whatever Ibis did to you must have been terrible.
Ibis hasn't done anything to me - but reading stories of folks getting taken advantage of with bait and switch warranty really annoys me. The cost of brand damage is far greater than the COG of the failed item.
I'm actually an Ibis fan and would just hate to see them start down this slippery slope.
I'm actually an Ibis fan and would just hate to see them start down this slippery slope.
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...and I think the good people at Ibis are certainly aware of this.
IMO, that is not what we're seeing here. Ibis has not changed hands, and AFAIK, the same people are there doing what they do best; making great bikes and backing them up with great CS.
Keep in mind, they recently moved to a 7 year warranty, so that may mean that they're being particularly cautious right now, who knows, but let's give them some benefit of the doubt. This may literally be one of the only CS stories I've seen or heard where Ibis didn't clearly come out going above and beyond the call.
I'm not going to question their amazing customer service until I hear a few instances of clear shitte behavior. Too many examples over the years of Ibis doing The Right Thing. :thumbsup:
New development on my personal story.
I won't go into all the details but let's just say that Ibis got in touch with me and more than made things right. Sort of torn about posting this since I don't want to give others the feeling that by simply complaining online they can get their way.
I do understand where they are coming from. They can't just be replacing frames for every bozos that crashes. It is already very nice that they have a crash replacement program that is way cheaper than having to purchase a brand new frame.
I won't go into all the details but let's just say that Ibis got in touch with me and more than made things right. Sort of torn about posting this since I don't want to give others the feeling that by simply complaining online they can get their way.
I do understand where they are coming from. They can't just be replacing frames for every bozos that crashes. It is already very nice that they have a crash replacement program that is way cheaper than having to purchase a brand new frame.
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61 Posts
Quick update. The lbs said my warranty frame has shipped. Hopefully ill get it before Thanksgiving so i can build it up again and go ride soon.
The seatstay above certainly seems to have plenty of witness marks and it's also pretty clear the area that is cracked was wiped down because the rest of the bike visible is dirty. Why do people do nothing but jump to conclusions on the internet...? 'Ibis is a witch, burn it with LAWYER!!!" SMH
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IDK, I usually clean an area of damage to best show that damage........
The Ibis is all knowing and all powerful.
Maybe all manufacturers have employees lurking on their brand forums to keep an eye on this sort of grumbling, maybe they don't.
The fact that somebody from Ibis reached out to you speaks volumes about the type of company they run.
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5,245 Posts
I'm sure some do, although not always for the better:
If you're short on time, just scroll down to the response from Niner and read from there.
http://forums.mtbr.com/niner-bikes/bit-unfortunate-niner-warranty-drama-1058690.html
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