Trance E Freehub issues

[Browna41]

Hi! I think I have the same problem and my bike is just 1 day old! (although it was manufactured in 2018 I guess) Can you please take a look at these videos and tell me if you think that this is the infamous freehub problem? Thanks!!!


Regards,
Luis

That sounds worse than mine but the bike shop did not change my hub but only does it once and a while. Yours needs replacing I reckon

 

[KuRi]

Thanks for answering. Do you think that Giant would give me a new full wheel? I don't want to have a repaired wheel from day one

 

[Browna41]

Thanks for answering. Do you think that Giant would give me a new full wheel? I don't want to have a repaired wheel from day one

You can ask for a replacement bike, your within your rights

 

[KuRi]

One more video, can you please tell me if this is the same problem you are talking about? I need some more comments to show to GIANT, thanks:

 

[Browna41]

I personally think best speak to your LBS for another opinion..

 

[Skv1878]

Hi everyone,
I've currently got a trance E2 and was wondering if the hub issue is relevant to that model as well?
Thanks

 

[KuRi]

I talked to my local LBS and they talked to GIANT, and GIANT says they have never seen anything similar...

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

Hi everyone,
I've currently got a trance E2 and was wondering if the hub issue is relevant to that model as well?
Thanks

Hiya!

Great bikes aye! hope you're enjoying it

Yes exact same hubs I believe but the issue seems to be patchy and most giants seem to be absolutely fine. I heard it was a bad batch of improper greasing that causes the issues. The grease was too thick and the pawls weren't fully extending and only catching by minimal amount causing them to shear off under pressure. Hope this doesn't make you nervous.

you kinda have 3 options at this stage.
-ride the bike as is and if it fails, go through the LBS/Giant process of replacing hub(s) with the same one
-proactively get a new aftermarket hub/wheel and relax
-regrease the hub yourself or get your LBS to do it. won't garrauntee the hub won't fail but improves your odds.

 

[KuRi]

Hi! I have unmounted the wheel (this is something I had not done before) and the wheel is perfectly ok. The second clak that I hear and feel is from the motor engagement.

Can you please tell me if this also happens to your bikes? Mine is Sport Motor (not pro) and I know they are different, but can you please tell me if you feel the motor engagement as well as the wheel engagement (two claks instead of the classic cassette single clak when you start pedaling)?

Thanks.

 

[KuRi]

Ok... so wheel checked. Wheel is perfectly OK. The noise and feeling is coming from the motor when pedaling. It happend when the motor engages and it is completely normal (some makes it harder than others). Case Closed

 

[Skv1878]

Hiya!

Great bikes aye! hope you're enjoying it

Yes exact same hubs I believe but the issue seems to be patchy and most giants seem to be absolutely fine. I heard it was a bad batch of improper greasing that causes the issues. The grease was too thick and the pawls weren't fully extending and only catching by minimal amount causing them to shear off under pressure. Hope this doesn't make you nervous.

you kinda have 3 options at this stage.
-ride the bike as is and if it fails, go through the LBS/Giant process of replacing hub(s) with the same one
-proactively get a new aftermarket hub/wheel and relax
-regrease the hub yourself or get your LBS to do it. won't garrauntee the hub won't fail but improves your odds.

Thanks makes me feel a bit better. No issues so far and loving the bike ?

 

[Rawry]

Freehub broke today just going up a climb on a fire road and clunk, 5 miles from home lucky it was down hill for most of the way back. It was first ride out since getting it back from the LBS who have been excellent by the way so that's a new controller a new battery and now a new hub

 

[Dorismorris]

Freehub broke today just going up a climb on a fire road and clunk, 5 miles from home lucky it was down hill for most of the way back. It was first ride out since getting it back from the LBS who have been excellent by the way so that's a new controller a new battery and now a new hub

Can I ask what was wrong with the battery?

 

[Rawry]

Can I ask what was wrong with the battery?

It was losing charge so they replaced it with a new one all ok now.

 

[Dorismorris]

It was losing charge so they replaced it with a new one all ok now.

Has the range improved with a new battery?

 

[Rawry]

Has the range improved with a new battery?

Yes it has a lot better

 

[friartuckshop]

Well i have busted my third hub now. Got 6 months out of the third hub, so better than the first 2. This time i will demand an aftermarket replacement, as i now definitely have no faith in the giant hubs. rims are great, wheels are still as straight as the day i brought it. back to the LBS to start the process once again

 

[Farmernz]

Well i have busted my third hub now. Got 6 months out of the third hub, so better than the first 2. This time i will demand an aftermarket replacement, as i now definitely have no faith in the giant hubs. rims are great, wheels are still as straight as the day i brought it. back to the LBS to start the process once again

3! You must be unlucky, or they aren’t up to the job. Mine broke on day 2, and was replaced aftermarket with a dtswiss hybrid ratchet hub. I’m not sure if giantnz or my local bike shop paid but I’m sure giant were contacted about it.

 

[Evolution Stu]

Can you guys advise if you have personally, with your own eyes, seen what damage actually occurs?

I ask, as mine was stripped in front of me and I know what th issue was with mine. But I find it hard to believe anyone could have multiple occurrences of the same thing, or even long waits for components as mine was fixed while I drank coffee...
so maybe there are more issues than just the one...

Can anyone with multiple failures comment?

 

[friartuckshop]

3! You must be unlucky, or they aren’t up to the job. Mine broke on day 2, and was replaced aftermarket with a dtswiss hybrid ratchet hub. I’m not sure if giantnz or my local bike shop paid but I’m sure giant were contacted about it.

i was one of the first people to get one of the in NZ, had it on order months before it was released here. So the first hub failed after 5 weeks, waited almost 4 weeks (happened over the christmas break) for the parts to arrive from Taiwan, rebuilt the internals, then this failed 3 days later. Another 2 weeks while a new hub was shipped in, so this one has actually lasted less the 5 months. I think you were lucky in the fact that i believe now they must just be upgrading with after market, rather than keep warranting a defective part. I will ring giant NZ on monday to and see what the deal is, as i dont want to take the bike back to where i brought it from, as i have had nothing but dramas from torpedo7 mt wellington

 

[friartuckshop]

Can you guys advise if you have personally, with your own eyes, seen what damage actually occurs?

I ask, as mine was stripped in front of me and I know what th issue was with mine. But I find it hard to believe anyone could have multiple occurrences of the same thing, or even long waits for components as mine was fixed while I drank coffee...
so maybe there are more issues than just the one...

Can anyone with multiple failures comment?

The freehub internals were not strong enough to deal with the extra torque of the motor. Giant claims that the hubs are built by DT Swiss, but i believe they must be built at a price point. With yours, it may have just been a replacement of the pawls, which would be a simple strip down and re grease. But some like mine the pawls and ratchet teeth chewed out on the first hub i blew out, the second was a result of the damage that was done to the ratchet gear not being replaced, as they didnt have the correct parts. So this third one will be very similar to the first i think, because its felt like the first time it blew up

 

[Evolution Stu]

The freehub internals were not strong enough to deal with the extra torque of the motor. Giant claims that the hubs are built by DT Swiss, but i believe they must be built at a price point. With yours, it may have just been a replacement of the pawls, which would be a simple strip down and re grease. But some like mine the pawls and ratchet teeth chewed out on the first hub i blew out, the second was a result of the damage that was done to the ratchet gear not being replaced, as they didnt have the correct parts. So this third one will be very similar to the first i think, because its felt like the first time it blew up

Hi,
When I called them up (big Giant dealer) they said the only problem they have seen is the incorrect grease applied in production that sticks the pawls down out of engagement, and he offered to strip it with me there and show me as I told him I’d lost faith as I travel alone of the mountains and was now worried they were unreliable.

As he thought. mine literally needed cleaning and re-greasing in front of my eyes. No damage, to anything. Got me wondering if anyone has “personally” seen the damage, or are some dealers making you wait for a replacement hub and the associated rebuild time.

 

[friartuckshop]

Hi,
When I called them up (big Giant dealer) they said the only problem they have seen is the incorrect grease applied in production that sticks the pawls down out of engagement, and he offered to strip it with me there and show me as I told him I’d lost faith as I travel alone of the mountains and was now worried they were unreliable.

As he thought. mine literally needed cleaning and re-greasing in front of my eyes. No damage, to anything. Got me wondering if anyone has “personally” seen the damage, or are some dealers making you wait for a replacement hub and the associated rebuild time.

i saw the bits of broken pawls and metal slivers from my first hub, that was more than just a grease issue. It still seems to be a matter of when, not if the hubs will fail. They have been offering people with a dt350S hub upgrade apparently, so obvious there is still an issue there with their newer wheelsets

 

[Evolution Stu]

i saw the bits of broken pawls and metal slivers from my first hub, that was more than just a grease issue. It still seems to be a matter of when, not if the hubs will fail. They have been offering people with a dt350S hub upgrade apparently, so obvious there is still an issue there with their newer wheelsets

Cant beat personal experience pal. If you saw it broken, then it broke.
think I might accelerate my plans for a stronger rear wheel... but first I need to fix the ride control problem it has today!

 

[friartuckshop]

Cant beat personal experience pal. If you saw it broken, then it broke.
think I might accelerate my plans for a stronger rear wheel... but first I need to fix the ride control problem it has today!

I contacted Giant today, and they have agreed to replace the hub with a DT350s. So now its waiting for the hub to arrive, and wheel to be rebuilt. I also brought a Halo vortex rear wheel as a back up, but wont see that for a few days. So not sure which one i will run first up, think will keep with the giant rim to start, then swap when the summer finally comes back. Did you get the controller wet? Mine went a bit haywire after riding in downpour, would start out fine, then would freeze i what ever the last power mode was. They just replaced, and not had any issues since. Get the LBS to swap the controller out, and see if that helps

 

[Evolution Stu]

Thanks for the reply,
Good to hear Giant are playing ball with you. Any chance you could tell me what UK contact details you are using for them, in case I need to escalate this past the shop.

It was raining on the way home from work the night before, so you could argue that yes it got wet.

How the hell can someone like Giant manufacture a MTB that can’t get wet? Mountains are by their very nature the wettest parts of our planet! ?

 

[friartuckshop]

Thanks for the reply,
Good to hear Giant are playing ball with you. Any chance you could tell me what UK contact details you are using for them, in case I need to escalate this past the shop.

It was raining on the way home from work the night before, so you could argue that yes it got wet.

How the hell can someone like Giant manufacture a MTB that can’t get wet? Mountains are by their very nature the wettest parts of our planet! ?

Sorry Stu, i live in NZ. It maybe just moisture in the connection plugs, spray from the wheels gets in behind the battery covers, and may get in to the little push on connectors for the control panel. You could try pulling the connectors apart and giving the a spray with WD40, then maybe a bit of Vaseline to keep the water out in future. It sounds like your LBS is very good, they should sort it in no time

 

[Evolution Stu]

Ah I see. Sorry.
Yeah, I’ve no doubt they will sort it, and indeed were it not in warranty I’d sort it myself but do not want to dismantle anything and risk voiding the warranty.

The problem is I dont want a temporary fix, I want this bike reliable for mountain use. I don’t want to hide in a cave if it rains. ???

 

[friartuckshop]

Ah I see. Sorry.
Yeah, I’ve no doubt they will sort it, and indeed were it not in warranty I’d sort it myself but do not want to dismantle anything and risk voiding the warranty.

The problem is I dont want a temporary fix, I want this bike reliable for mountain use. I don’t want to hide in a cave if it rains. ???

apart from the hub issue, and the one minor glitch with the ride control, its been a super strong bike. It kills it on the chunky native stuff i ride around my neck of the woods. Also hits drops and jumps pretty well

 

[Pdoz]

Ah I see. Sorry.
Yeah, I’ve no doubt they will sort it, and indeed were it not in warranty I’d sort it myself but do not want to dismantle anything and risk voiding the warranty.

The problem is I dont want a temporary fix, I want this bike reliable for mountain use. I don’t want to hide in a cave if it rains. ???

If the lbs is a long way away, try talking to them and getting permission to do the basics - mine was perfectly happy for me to open / close plugs / add dielectric grease etc, run the multimeter over it, they even accepted emailed pics of faulty parts so they could have replacements available when I arrived ( so far, a snapped sprocket and leaky evo screen on my full e pro )

The leaking early gen switches are a known problem, so hopefully it'll be enough to provide a photo of the faulty version ( underside with serial number?) - worst case scenario they don't know you well enough yet and insist on doing the work themselves - which is probably easiest when you consider how hard it can be to get the plugs out from in the frame.....

Btw, I've found giant fantastic with warranty issues - the leaky evo screen had obviously taken a few beatings ( deep scratches ) , but they replaced it with an updated version. They wanted pictures of my bike - it doesn't look anything like stock, with aftermarket bars / stem / chainwheel , obvious signs of usage including enough chips and scratches that they could call anything fair wear and tear. I was fully expecting to pay for a new screen - giant have been fantastic ( and so have my lbs) .