I also loved my AL GG Smash! And I had good experiences with GG and salute their business model.
That said, I share Carmel's experience in that my first set of bearings lasted forever and then after that I went down a rabbit hole of nightmares related to both alignment and angular bearing seating challenges.
I broke a chainstay right as they were transitioning to the new modular setup and I think the new AL seatstays (designed for the new carbon front triangles) didn't mate well with the older frames. I also know they had a bad batch that created headaches for quite awhile.
Anyway, I went through 3-4x new chainstays that either broke or created issues @ the main pivot bolt or rear pivot bolts. On top of which, two shops had challenges getting the angular bearings to align correctly and while that may have been a result of the chain/seat stay compatibility, it eventually resulted in me saying goodbye to one of my favorite bikes.
GG was great through it all, but there was only so much they could do without selling me a new frame.
Feb. 3, 2023, 6:14 a.m. - Harry Precourt
I also loved my AL GG Smash! And I had good experiences with GG and salute their business model. That said, I share Carmel's experience in that my first set of bearings lasted forever and then after that I went down a rabbit hole of nightmares related to both alignment and angular bearing seating challenges. I broke a chainstay right as they were transitioning to the new modular setup and I think the new AL seatstays (designed for the new carbon front triangles) didn't mate well with the older frames. I also know they had a bad batch that created headaches for quite awhile. Anyway, I went through 3-4x new chainstays that either broke or created issues @ the main pivot bolt or rear pivot bolts. On top of which, two shops had challenges getting the angular bearings to align correctly and while that may have been a result of the chain/seat stay compatibility, it eventually resulted in me saying goodbye to one of my favorite bikes. GG was great through it all, but there was only so much they could do without selling me a new frame.