Incompetent mechanics? Help Please

Fixxxer87

Evening all...

I picked up my Langster today from my LBS (Cycle Surgery). Happily rode it home on the freewheel, where (with the help of a mate who has been riding fixies for years) I switched it on to the fixed axle side.

So here comes the drama...after about 1hr of riding around fairly casually, mostly using the legs to break, I hear a popping sound. Looking down I see that the lockring has popped off and the fixed axle is starting to unscrew. :shock: I've checked the components and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them, it just seems to be a case of the lockring being far too loose when the bike was built. Fortunately this didn't happen in busy traffic, but I'm mightily p*ssed off about the whole thing :evil:

My question is this...I want to complain to the shop about the quality of their build (not the components themselves). Unless someone on here can tell me otherwise, AFAIK the lock ring wasn't on tightly enough, so when I started back-pedalling, it forced it off. Now I'm a bit worried about getting them to put it back on, too. Other than complaining about the tighness of a fairly integral component, is there much else I can do? I'm not looking for compensation really, and I wasn't hurt...but I feel like this was such a stupid thing to happen (not to mention the danger I could have been in had that been in busy traffic).

cjcp

I'd give them a call and see what they have to say.

eltonioni

The phone rang, the kettle boiled, the dog needed a pee. Predictable human error is more likely than sheer incompetence though that's cold comfort as you watch your wheel overtake you Wil E Coyote style.

Oddjob62

Axle? Do you mean sprocket?

nicklouse

so this is a new bike?


or did it go in for some work?

or was the reason it was in the shop was to have the fixed cog fitted?

Fixxxer87

Oddjob62 wrote:

Axle? Do you mean sprocket?

Indeed I do!

nicklouse wrote:

so this is a new bike?

Yep, brand spanking new bike, bought 4 hours prior that post being written.

I appreciate that human error is a fact of life, and it probably sounds like I'm coming across as a right moaning git!

Like I said, I'm not even going to ask for compensation as I don't think it would be justified or help anything. I'm just a bit frustrated that such a fundamental part of the bike could leave a bike shop (the place isn't exactly Halfords, afterall) in that state.

I was planning on phoning them anyway, I'll play it by ear depending on what they say.

nicklouse

Ok, new bike but this was an add on that you asked for?

as if it was a standard fitting it would not be checked as like you the shop would expect it to be fitted correctly from the factory (sorry dont know if the fixed cog is a standard fitting or not).

but if it is an add on I would also be a bit put out.

Clever Pun

seems to me that you asked for a SS bike with a fixed cog on the other side right?

they'll have tightened it enough for it to be on, but surely when you flipped it over you should have checked it was ready to go???

imo you wont get jack from them...

Clarion

I picked up my new bike a couple of days ago. I took a lot of tools with me, and checked the safety-critical issues. Fortunately, the worst I found was a tyre only half-inflated, but I'm glad I tightened the nuts etc.

After some bad experiences with a well-known S London lbs, I don't really expect things to be done properly, and always check.