Giant Contact Dropper not extending

[agentninety3]

So, after a few months where life(tm) got in the way of riding I got out on Trance this weekend to find that the Giant Contact dropper (came with the bike) won't fully extend when the switch is flicked - it gets to about 4-5cm from full extension, kinda like the Trail position on the Fox DOSS. I can fully extend it by holding the switch down and manually pulling it out. Any thoughts on how it can be fixed?

 

[moorey]

I confess I don't know how the contacts work, but have you at least tried a bit of slicko under the head? You haven't clamped it in the seat tube too tight?
Cable doesn't need changing/adjusting?

 

[ftblemon8]

I'd suggest taking the thing apart. It's not too difficult, I used to have do that to mine every few weeks or so, you need to unscrew the lower using a pair of needle-nose pliers or similar. Clean, lube everything and reassemble. If that doesn't fix it, the gas strut that might have sprung a slow leak, in which case take it to the shop I reckon.

Here's a thread that talks through the maintenance: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/giant-contact-switch-servicing

 

[agentninety3]

I confess I don't know how the contacts work,

Neither do I, but I've always thought of them like a gas lift office chair.

but have you at least tried a bit of slicko under the head?

I don't think it's a problem with sliding - I can easily move it through the entire range manually. It's like there's not enough 'gas' to push it all the way to the top.

You haven't clamped it in the seat tube too tight?

Nope. Happens outside the frame too.

Cable doesn't need changing/adjusting?

Probably does, because the switch doesn't return after release. However, with tension on the cable, and nothing on the saddle it doesn't extend fully. Drops fine with pressure, just the return is the problem.

 

[agentninety3]

I'd suggest taking the thing apart. It's not too difficult, I used to have do that to mine every few weeks or so, you need to unscrew the lower using a pair of needle-nose pliers or similar. Clean, lube everything and reassemble. If that doesn't fix it, the gas strut that might have sprung a slow leak, in which case take it to the shop I reckon.

Worth I shot I suppose... cheers for the link.

 

[Bryce88]

So, after a few months where life(tm) got in the way of riding I got out on Trance this weekend to find that the Giant Contact dropper (came with the bike) won't fully extend when the switch is flicked - it gets to about 4-5cm from full extension, kinda like the Trail position on the Fox DOSS. I can fully extend it by holding the switch down and manually pulling it out. Any thoughts on how it can be fixed?

Hey,

I had similar issues with mine. It ended up just needing the cable adjusted.

If you manually need to pull the seat up the last couple 40 -50mm it probably means the cable is too slack. You should have a barrel adjuster on your bar lever. The further it's unscrewed the more tension is on the cable. Hopefully it just needs a tweak to get it running right.

If there isn't enough play in the barrel adjuster you can tighten the cable under the seat by taking the seat of, loosening the grub screw (2mm) and using a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the cable through another few millimetres or so and re-tightening the grub screw.

Hope that helps...

In saying this, if it's a new bike take it back to the LBS and get them to adjust it.

Edit: to check if it's a problem with the gas strut, take your seat off and manually pull the lever located under the seat all the way back (imitating the same action as to if you were going to raise the seat using the bar lever). If it goes all the way up you know its only a cable issue. If it still only goes halfway up you are probably out of gas...

 

[Bryce88]

Gas cartridge?

Has anyone replaced the gas cartridge inside the Giant contact dropper? If so, where do you get them? I think the trigger is buggered on mine

 

[agentninety3]

If you manually need to pull the seat up the last couple 40 -50mm it probably means the cable is too slack. You should have a barrel adjuster on your bar lever. The further it's unscrewed the more tension is on the cable. Hopefully it just needs a tweak to get it running right.

Long time since I posted originally but coming back to my problem, that one there was the solution. Barrel adjust fixed it.

 

[spiderpig]

Bit of a thread dig, does anyone know where to get the replacement cartridges from? Mine is shagged.

Alternatively a reasonably priced complete replacement for the Giant post? Has external cable routing.

 

[Nautonier]

Bit of a thread dig, does anyone know where to get the replacement cartridges from? Mine is shagged.

Alternatively a reasonably priced complete replacement for the Giant post? Has external cable routing.

You can get a replacement cartridge from any Giant dealer. Only problem is, the 125mm ones are out of stock until May. I'm trying to get a 150mm one, so hopefully they are still available - will find out tomorrow.

The Giant posts only cost $270, but in my recent experience (which I started a thread about), they're simply not very good posts. I was in a Giant shop today trying to get mine replaced under warranty and the guy compared it to a new one on a bike in the shop, which had heaps of side to side and up/down play! Rubbish. Spend the extra $130 and get a KS LEV.

 

[wkkie]

You can get a replacement cartridge from any Giant dealer. Only problem is, the 125mm ones are out of stock until May. I'm trying to get a 150mm one, so hopefully they are still available - will find out tomorrow.

The Giant posts only cost $270, but in my recent experience (which I started a thread about), they're simply not very good posts. I was in a Giant shop today trying to get mine replaced under warranty and the guy compared it to a new one on a bike in the shop, which had heaps of side to side and up/down play! Rubbish. Spend the extra $130 and get a KS LEV.

So they knocked back your warranty because it was similar a bike they had in stock? How many seats / bikes were jiggled?

Also how much did they say a replacement cartridge is?

 

[Nautonier]

So they knocked back your warranty because it was similar a bike they had in stock? How many seats / bikes were jiggled?

Also how much did they say a replacement cartridge is?

They haven't rejected the claim yet, just pointed out that a shit-load of play on these posts is 'normal'. Mine actually rattles when I'm riding, which I tried to communicate is unacceptable. A lesser concern for me, but a better chance of warranty success is the occasionally failing cartridge, which I think was actually attributed to the awful lever design more than anything else. Now I've got a Wolftooth lever, the problem seems to be gone. I hope they don't just replace the cartridge, as the rattling thing really gives me the irks. They didn't mention a price for the cartridge and I didn't ask.

 

[wkkie]

They haven't rejected the claim yet, just pointed out that a shit-load of play on these posts is 'normal'. Mine actually rattles when I'm riding, which I tried to communicate is unacceptable.....

Yeah, that should be unacceptable. Out of the 2 I have, both have small amount of play, no more than the x-fusion post I had before, and neither rattle, ever... No matter what riding over. I'm not exactly the smallest of riders either (105+ kgs).

 

[spiderpig]

Yeah i had herd they were fairly rubbish posts but was trying to avoid paying 3 to 400 clams for a new one for now.

 

[spiderpig]

Cartridge removed and replaced with a 330mm length of al billet rod for now. Atleast i can ride the bike until i find a cartridge or cheap post

 

[MarioM]

I know its not a giant one but i put a spare xfusion hilo on the XC bike for the jet black 24 . It was repaired under warranty after only 6 rides ( how often I ride the XC bike ) which was probably 9 months . Came back solid but sat in the spares box until I built the new XC bike . It has side to side thats Ok i can live with that but at the jet black on my night laps there developed a horrible creaking that felt like I`d snapped a seat rail . Checked everything with a torque wrench and all was good . Day laps and all good but a little more side to side but still functioned well .

The DNM on the AM bike which I`d thought I`d killed but a rebuild proved otherwise has been faultless . No side to side also . Its just a bitch to get the right air pressure in but once set its awesome .

I guess now with all the droppers available you don`t have to spend a fortune to get reliability . The CRC Brand X are proving good . The new Crank Bros highline has very good reviews , the Fox doss also as well as KS and Thompson although they are more $$ .

Sometimes cheap is not cheap or you get what you pay for , its just the market that determines a " brands " worth and with the internet now you can do plenty of informed research before you spend your hard earned .

Perhaps Giant are going through a dramatic increase of production with everything that some quality control is going out the window in order to meet supply quotas in the worlds ever demanding more more more culture .

 

[XYGTHO]

You can get a replacement cartridge from any Giant dealer. Only problem is, the 125mm ones are out of stock until May. I'm trying to get a 150mm one, so hopefully they are still available - will find out tomorrow.

The Giant posts only cost $270, but in my recent experience (which I started a thread about), they're simply not very good posts. I was in a Giant shop today trying to get mine replaced under warranty and the guy compared it to a new one on a bike in the shop, which had heaps of side to side and up/down play! Rubbish. Spend the extra $130 and get a KS LEV.

Bugger, my 125mm post is in for a warranty claim. Been week and a half now. I aint waiting that long, anyone running a 150mm post on a medium trance? I wasn't sure if I could get it low enough without it bottoming where the frame bends.

 

[XYGTHO]

New cartridge for 125mm post in and dropper better than ever. I think it must have been playing up or not 100% for a while. Was always quite slow to return. No shoots up quite fast.

 

[Nautonier]

New cartridge for 125mm post in and dropper better than ever. I think it must have been playing up or not 100% for a while. Was always quite slow to return. No shoots up quite fast.

Good to know that the info I received about the cartridges being out of stock was incorrect. Mine is also really slow to return - was like that from new. I like a fast return, just not a ball-slapper like the Command Post, which, in all its iterations, has ever been fixed.

 

[teK--]

Good to know that the info I received about the cartridges being out of stock was incorrect. Mine is also really slow to return - was like that from new. I like a fast return, just not a ball-slapper like the Command Post, which, in all its iterations, has ever been fixed.

Since the first version you can adjust the air pressure depending on how fragile your nuts are lol.