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Giant Bikes Refuses Delivery to Buyer Heavier Than Max Payload, and He’s Shook

It’s been said before, but it needs saying once more: one of the few good things to come out of 2020 was that it inspired people to get out more, usually on a bike. One Canadian is among those feeling inspired, so he bought himself a Giant bike.
Giant Halifax denies delivery of Giant bike to owner whose weight exceeds maximum payload, he goes to the media in anger 1 photo
Photo: Alexa MacLean/Global Halifax
Giant Bikes sells a wide variety of bicycles, from regular ones to motor-assisted variants, for a variety of budgets. Canadian Sebastien Barsetti tells Global News that he weighs a bit over 300 pounds (136 kg), so he wanted something to support that weight. He also says he “saved up” for the bike, so we’re to understand he didn’t go for the cheapest model.

Like millions of people in 2020 and 2021, Barsetti spent many hours online looking for his perfect bike. Once he had the cash, he placed an order with Giant Bikes and was told his bike would be delivered at Giant Halifax for pick up. However, once the bicycle arrived, he called the dealer to ask for possible alterations to the bike, given his weight and height.

You probably see where this is going: Barsetti was over the 300-pound (136-kg) maximum payload of the bike. Owner Barry Misener informed him that, as such, he couldn’t deliver the bike because it wasn’t safe for him to be riding it. If he decided to take this risk, he would have to sign a waiver saying he’d been informed of it.

“I will not compromise anybody’s health. I just can’t do that, I can’t live with that,” Misener tells the media outlet. “So, he fully understood that the bike is not safe to ride. It’s not designed to support his weight, it would void the warranty. And at that point he hung up on me.”

Barsetti refused to sign the waiver and went to the media instead. He argues that he was somehow being discriminated for his weight when he made it clear to Misener that he didn’t plan on riding the bike until he would have lost some pounds—enough to make the payload limit.

Giant Bikes Canada issued him a refund. More importantly, it also issued a statement saying that payload limits are not discretionary: they represent limits that, once crossed, compromise the product’s integrity and endanger the rider. The phrase “catastrophic failure” is thrown in. “We would rather disappoint a consumer by clearly stating those design parameters than put them at risk of a worst-case scenario,” the statement adds.

Still, Giant offered to keep one bike for Barsetti on inventory for when he’s already lost the weight and can ride it safely. He says he’s looking for other options—which, by the way, he has plenty of.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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