When can I start losing it? (bicycle relatedand guarantee options)

C

Cheech

Global Moderator
Jan 13, 2000
3,454
4
38
48
Montreal, Canada
So I bought a mountain bike... nothing professional, just something to pass some time. I paid it 200$, on special from 400.

Brought it home on day 1, went for a bike ride. The gears were all messed up, tires weren't straight, and the shocks needed lubricant. brought it back, they readjusted everything.

Brought it home again, went for another bike ride. wheels were straight this time, but the gears still skip on both front and back. Shocks were still missing lube.

Brought it back a third time, (slowly losing my patience now) and I got it back yesterday.... I went for a bikeride again yesterday, and again, the gears were all sloppy, skipping, etc.

The store wasn't willing to change the bike as it was the last one they had in stock, but they keep saying they'll fix it. however, this will be the 4th time I'm bringing it in a span of 2 weeks, and I've only ridden it those 3 times. During those 3 bikerides, the bike has gotten a little dirty, and it has a couple of knicks here and there.

How many chances should I give the store to fix the bike before I get fedup and tell them it's a piece of crap and I either want a different bike, or I want my money back? I'm sure if I use this approach, they'll say the bike's been used already, but how am I supposed to ficure out whether the bike works or not if I don't use it as it's supposed to be used?

I'm sure when I bring it back this week they'll bring it in the shop, again, "fix" it, and the same thing will happen. The gears are messed up on that stupid bike.

Would it be unreasonable to ask for a new bike? Or an upgrade that I'll pay the difference for?

I'm starting to get fedup, going back and forth, and I'm sure the people at customer service are starting to get fedup of seeing my face. lol .
 
Keep bringing it back. You paid $200 for the bike and the service, don't stop making the store work hard until you're happy with your bike.
 
If the gear slipping problem happens on flat ground then test it out in the parking lot of the store before you accept it back again. They likely just stick it up on one of those rigs that holds the bike off the floor so they can work on it, do their adjustments, and call it a day. You may need to get someone from the store to actually ride it to see the problem. It doesn't matter how much you paid for it, if it doesn't work right then they need to make it right or give you your money back.

Q
 
Is it a dedicated bike shop? An LBS, similar to the LFS?
They should have better service and quality than that if they want to stay in business.
Bring the bike back again and tell them that you want the following:
New cables
Fix the shocks
And get a complete tuneup.
And, of course, you are not going to pay for any of it :)

Make sure to test it out in the parking lot before you leave. If you are not happy with it, bring it back in. When you bring your bike in to get fixed, and they are doing it while you wait and it takes only a few seconds, they arent actually fixing anything...just screwing around with the cables.

Cables will stretch over time with use causing funky shifting, this happens over the period of a hundred miles, not 3. bikes purchased from the LBSs in my area always come with a free tune up or two in the first year of ownership in order to fix the stretched cables and various woes that might occur.

When I bring my road bike to my LBS, I never expect to get it back within 5 days...mostly due to volume that they do. but mainly because they take along time going over the bike.
 
yeah, my biggest mistake was not trying the bike in the lot. It isn't a dedicated bike shop... More of a large chain store that has a large bike section. And it's guaranteed for 5 years... (apparently)...


I'll give them the benifit of the doubt, again, bring it back, and this time I won't assume that they actually have trustworthy employees who are take their work seriously... Instead I'll try it in the lot and bring it right back in if it's not up to par.

Thanks for the advice.
 
With it being a box store, chances are it is an employee and not a technician. I agree that testing it in the parking lot prior to accepting it would be the best move.

As a box store, chances are that even another bike purchased there may have the same problems. I would seriously consider demanding a refund and go to a shop that deals only with bikes.

FWIW - I bought a bike from a LBS and have never regretted it. It was worth the extra money. It is petty close to an inexpensive bike yet the quality exceeds the box store offerings. I opted for a combination bike and is serving me well.
 
just a word of biking advice.....
Take the reflectors OUT of the spokes. I have seen many a biking accidents because that reflector breaks and then gets caught in the spokes/gears etc.... bad news bears for the rider. MOST bikes have enough reflectors that you don't need the wheel ones. IMO they just aren't safe. Same with kick stands, imagine that little sucker popping down when you're peddling....ouch
 
excuzzzeme said:
I would seriously consider demanding a refund and go to a shop that deals only with bikes.

FWIW - I bought a bike from a LBS and have never regretted it. It was worth the extra money. It is petty close to an inexpensive bike yet the quality exceeds the box store offerings. I opted for a combination bike and is serving me well.
Click to expand...

This is the best advice, the saying "you get what you pay for" is very true when it comes to cheaper bikes.

I paid $850 for my "entry level" mountain bike from an LBS. I have had 0 problems with it in over 18 months of use, I took it back once for a free service, in and out in a few minutes with everything adjusted. Same with my wife's bike, her gears were having issues, I took the bike in, the mechanic came right over, took the bike, put it on the stand, adjusted the gears while I wait and charged me nothing. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, yes I had to pay a little more for my bike, but the service I get makes it well worth while.

Probably explains why I am looking to go back there and pick up a road bike, despite knowing I can find something online cheaper.
 
^^ I know what you mean, and I don't expect an awesome mountain bike for 200$... however, the last bike I purchased was the same type of bike I bought this time, and I absolutely loved the bike. It's a schwinn btw. nothing great but it did the job. very solid, never had problems with gears slipping. I serviced it once in the 2 years I bought it. Left it out in the rain, but it kept going...

That bike was stollen a few weeks ago, which is why I settled for the same bike (slightly different model, as the one I had was discontinued)... And so far, it's nothing like the one I had.. Feels flimsy, too delicate, gears slip, shocks don't feel as good...


Hopefully one day i can afford something decent, for the time being I just want to ride a bike without slipping every time I change gears. lol..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom