Bloomin Halfords

matrices

So after mooching around the forum and reviews, I got myself a nice shiny new Carerra Kracken on C2W last week. Hooked on the extra bits and bats i'd bought, checked everything felt nice and tight, and took it out over the weekend down the canal to get a feel for it prior to startring out to work on it this week.

About 2 miles from home, heading down hill and think, "wow! I'm getting a nice bit of speed up" and switch over to the large cog on the front gears......... except I don't, I switch to the cog that actually wraps the chain around my ankle and take a nice spill. :oops:

Luckily nobody aruond to laugh but managed to completely screw the front brake control pulling the handle out of the housing, wripped my shorts, pretty badly sprained my wrist and got a rather large scrape down my arm.

Put the chain back on and checked the gearing and it happened again, so all I can figure is that the gears were never checked that they'd cycle through properly before I picked up the bike. Now granted they've sorted everything out so I could be back on the road this morning, but gear movement is deffo something i'll be checking in the future. Just glad it was on the tow path and not the road when it happened or could have been a lot worse.

M

dondare

Halfords isn't a bike shop.

Sorry to hear about your accident. And glad that you're not too badly hurt.

matrices

Well I suppose, but I was stuck with there for the cycle to work vouchers. I've just never thoguht about having the check if the chain would come off on a change on a brand new bike. Will now though :P Suppose I just put too much faith in their "checklist" that came with the manual

M

Tobiwan

In comparison, I recently purchased a Specialized Sirrus Elite from my LBS (De Ver cycles near Streatham), and everything was setup just right. Gears all clicked smoothly, breaks right in line etc - plus they offer a free checkup in 6 weeks. No, I don't have a vested interest

I should have checked it myself of course too, but didn't think twice either and just rode off on it. The excitement of a new bike I guess Fortunately for me there was nothing wrong but it's a good lesson for us all to check over any new bike before riding it. Not just gears but brakes, wheel nuts etc too

Hope you heal up soon and things go a bit smoother from now on!

Bikerbaboon

halfords are a bike shop. But like all shops you get good ones and bad ones . Im sorry about the off, No matter on who has been working on my bike you need to make shure its safe to ride. If you are not shure what to do to maintain your own bike get zinn's book as that covers every thing and you will find that the cost of getting matinance and repairs done in a bike shop will normaly work out ant about the cost of the tools needed so if you buy as you need then you should be sorted.

hope hte wrist heals ok.

dondare

They sell car stuff as well.

matrices

Think I'm more annoyed at myself really, though I'm quite impressed I missed the canal . I'd checked all the fixings for the wheels, bars, seat etc. Tested the brakes and cycled through rear gear system (more by default trying to learn the new gearing controls than actually thinking about it) before I got off the estate. Just didn't think to check the front gears, and typically was going a fair clip when I did Not gonna miss of the gear changing as a pre ride check again :P

ChrisLS

...it's always Halfords that seem to be giving awful service...they need to train their staff...they sell some good bikes and kit but their service and product knowledge is poor...

will3

It's a good job they don't operate in the US.
Their 'censored ' would be well and truly sued over an incident like this.

always_tyred

There's about 5 Evans cycles, 3 Edinburgh cycles and 100's of Halfords around the country. Of course Halfords appear to be responsible for more of this sort of thing than anyone else!

But they are hopeless on the whole. A good part of the problem is that they sell beginner bikes to beginners, assembled by beginner mechanics. I go in there to get cheap disposable odds and ends, or when I need to get on the road in a hurry and its after 6pm. Once in a while I'll encounter a smart cookie. I figure they'll be working in a bike shop soon, or at uni.

The typical LBS is staffed by cycling enthusiasts and proliferated by a good number of keen and fussy cyclists.

mailmannz

Halfords is Halfords, you get some good staff and you get some not so good staff.

Its a real pitty my work does their C2W scheme through them instead of a reputable bike shop, but then again at the end of the day my work is concerned about the cost of the scheme and Halfords probably gives work some back passage action for the priviledge of running the scheme through a vendor who has nation wide reach.

Mailman

DevUK

Halford's sponsor the Dave freeview channel and has various snippets of "we do this!" and "we do that!" at the start and end of every friggin advert break. One of them actually states that all bikes are checked before you take them away as one of their services (or words to that effect).

alan_sherman

censored service from Halford but how the hell did you manage to crash as a result of the chain coming off the front rings?

always_tyred

Oh, man, its the least dignified way of crashing. If you've not tried it, you haven't lived.

I call it the "nut cracker manouever".