HMMM .... suspicious punture after 'free 6 week service'

MRLEON83
MRLEON83 Posts: 42
edited August 2011 in Commuting chat
so, after getting advise on this very forum about my brakes acting funny, I took my bike back to the store to get the free 6 week service,

It came back pretty much the same, I guess I'm going to have to take it to a more reputable shop (it was cycle king)

however the really strange thing is, i go for a ride (only about 30 miles) and get a puncturein BOTH tyres, does that sound suss to you?
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Comments

  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    Not really.

    If the bike came back from the shop with punctured tyres then yes, but I doubt they planted some delayed puncture device in your wheels. Maybe you just rode through a patch of glass.
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • davis
    davis Posts: 2,506
    I blame Wiggle.
    Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
  • kelsen
    kelsen Posts: 2,003
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    however the really strange thing is, i go for a ride (only about 30 miles) and get a puncturein BOTH tyres, does that sound suss to you?

    No, for two reasons:

    Why would they touch your wheels/tyres for a free service?

    How would you sabotage a tyre to puncture 30 miles into a journey?

    The moon landing and Diana's death on the other hand...
  • Mr Plum
    Mr Plum Posts: 1,097
    kelsen wrote:
    The moon landing and Diana's death on the other hand...

    Wiggle again.
    FCN 2 to 8
  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    Thisshould be your first port of call.
    FCN 4 PX SL Pro SRAM Red
    FCN 8 Scott Sportster '05
  • MRLEON83
    MRLEON83 Posts: 42
    yeah, I just took it as coincident and due to my newbieness I took it back to get the puctures repaired, and paid the same price as the free service.... either way the brakes are still acting weird, the gears are still 'clunking' ... so I might take it somewhere else any way...

    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?
  • sketchley
    sketchley Posts: 4,238
    MRLEON83 where are you based? I'm sure someone on here could recommend a good LBS that'll sort the brakes out for you. You might even want to have a go at adjusting them yourself, Sheldon Brown is your friend for that. What type of brakes are they
    --
    Chris

    Genesis Equilibrium - FCN 3/4/5
  • kelsen
    kelsen Posts: 2,003
    Rule 1: Keep hassling them until they sort it. It's a new bike. Sale of Goods act and all that.

    Rule 2: Learn to fix your own punctures pronto.
  • MRLEON83
    MRLEON83 Posts: 42
    Im' in nortampton,

    Yeah I was going to get a repair kit, pump etc, but when both went I was thinking that maybe they'd overinflated the tyre and the inerrtube may have split... as i say im very new to this will learn ... eventually,

    the brakes are hydraulic discs, tektro?
  • bails87
    bails87 Posts: 12,998
    What's the problem with the brakes? Posting on the MTB forum might get you some useful help, seeing as most of us over there have hydro disc brakes.

    And don't plough through potholes and a roadbike will be fine :wink:
    MTB/CX

    "As I said last time, it won't happen again."
  • Phil_D
    Phil_D Posts: 467
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    yeah, I just took it as coincident and due to my newbieness I took it back to get the puctures repaired, and paid the same price as the free service.... either way the brakes are still acting weird, the gears are still 'clunking' ... so I might take it somewhere else any way...

    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?

    If you paid the same price as your free service then you should continue to take it there when you get a puncture. Even if it will only save you the cost of not very much glue and a small patch.
  • mudcow007
    mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
    what's up with the brakes? lacking power? juddering?

    disc take a while to "bed in" basically keep using them they will become more powerful

    puncture repairs are easy peasy, take a look at this

    happy cycling, welcome to the darkside!
    Keeping it classy since '83
  • MRLEON83
    MRLEON83 Posts: 42
    Yeah the brakes judder, oh and the free service would normally be £25 , which is what I paid for the puncture repair, I feel very silly now.....
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    MRLEON83 wrote:

    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?

    Where did this myth come from. No, potholes won't damage a roadbike if you are sensible (i.e don't charge straight through them). In fact, a decent road bike is probably far tougher than a hybrid.

    Find a better bike shop, get a road bike, flog the hybrid.
  • mudcow007
    mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    Yeah the brakes judder, oh and the free service would normally be £25 , which is what I paid for the puncture repair, I feel very silly now.....

    OK likely culprits are:

    calliper is loose (check all bolts are tight)

    rotor (brake disk) is loose on the hub (tighten all 6 bolts)

    rotor is bent - spin the wheel to check this

    headset is loose - headset is the bearing that connects your forks to your frame an handlebars

    or oil or something else has gone on the brakes an contaminated them
    Keeping it classy since '83
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Agree....

    And £25 to fix 2 punctures is outrageous, even Halfrauds only charge the cost of a tube per puncture!

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    My LBS charges £10 to fix a puncture, but I think they throw in a tube. I only know 'cause I overheard a conversation with a customer when I was last in. Anyone riding a bike with any regularity needs to learn how to do this for themselves. With practice it takes only a few minutes.
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?

    You'll be fine.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEjbyRlTR3A
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • shouldbeinbed
    shouldbeinbed Posts: 2,660
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    Yeah the brakes judder, oh and the free service would normally be £25 , which is what I paid for the puncture repair, I feel very silly now.....

    I wouldnt feel too silly
    I assume they repaced the tubes with new which would account for the cost ~£6 or so for each tube and ~£10 for the 'labour' but...

    Time 10 minutes, reusable raw materials (tyre levers) £3 ish & last for ages, 1 off consumables (cycle repair kit usually good for 10 or so punctures) ~£1. & right sized spanner if you don't have quick release wheels of course.

    buy a cheap tube or two and put a hole in them. have a go at repairing them to get used to the technique - when its airtight do it again and so on. Don't forget a bit of practice taking the wheel and tyre off getting the tube in and putting them back on the bike properly again.

    Novice mistake with putting tubes in tyres is 'snakebite' punctures - 2 little holes very close together indicative that you've trapped the tube between the tyre and the rim by not seating the tube inside the tyre fully or by relying too much on tyre levers to get the tyre back on, its always best if you can get the full tyre on the rim by fingers and thumbs alone. Also pump it to 1/3 full in the first instance and make sure that the tyre is seated and clinching properly onto the rim - look and feel round sides of the tyre to make sure that it is evenly seated (usually you can see the little lines around the tyre rim are evenly showing out of the rim) so it is not going to blow off as you fully inflate it.

    As for roadside repairs my advice would be to buy a few decent tubes and carry a new one (or two) with you, that way if you get a puncture (they usually come in 1's) you can just whip a new tube in and do a proper repair at home. Think a 6am or 5pm commute in December, cold, dark, raining etc - do you want to be faffing with glue and patches at the roadside?
    The puncture fairy never visits on warm sunny days when you've got all the time in the world and nowhere else to be.

    As for the brakes, they do take a bit of use to bed in but it is usually extra stopping power that you notice, they may also squeal a bit in cold or particularly wet weather. give it 100 or so miles and that should do.

    If it is more than bedding in issues, it sounds like misalignment - the caliper housing will have screwable leeway to ensure a properly centered gap for the disc to run in = the pads strike and press with even pressure on both sides simultaneously. Could also be theres air/ not enough hydraulic pressure in the system (or cable stretch/crud fouling if a mechanical system) to hold the pad properly to the disc when you pull the lever, or the dics rotor(s) might not be 100% true and the pads are slapping on and off little undulations.

    If you have a pal with a bit of bike nouse or can find a Northamptonite on here, might be worth takng them back with you if you're still not satisfied. Sounds like the shop either doesn't know or care what they're doing or see you as a bit of a rube that they can tell anything to and you'll be none the wiser.
  • byker_dude
    byker_dude Posts: 10
    Oakley cycles is the only decent bike shop I can think of that I would go to, down lutterworth road, unless you can get to pitsford cycles - they always seem to give good advise.
  • MRLEON83
    MRLEON83 Posts: 42
    Thanks for ure help guys, I'm gonna persevere then go road next spring....
  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    ...
    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?
    Potholes are more likely to damage your wrists than the bike, and the hunched riding position on a road bike places a lot of weight on your wrists.
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,633
    snailracer wrote:
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    ...
    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?
    Potholes are more likely to damage your wrists than the bike, and the hunched riding position on a road bike places a lot of weight on your wrists.

    You are leant forward more on a road bike. If you are 'hunched' you are doing something wrong.

    When I go over a pothole I either

    - Don't, go round it instead
    - Take the weight off my hands and butt almost completely, still steering obviously but not leant on the bars at all. All weight on the pedals with knees bent.
    - Bunny hop over it

    You just automatically do one of the above soon without even thinking about it. No-one sees a pothole, thinks 'oh well' and ploughs into it leant on the bars, eyes shut and shouting 'IF ONLY I WAS ON A MTB'.
    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    shouldbeinbed wrote:
    buy a cheap tube or two and put a hole in them. have a go at repairing them to get used to the technique - when its airtight do it again and so on. Don't forget a bit of practice taking the wheel and tyre off getting the tube in and putting them back on the bike properly again.

    Possibly slightly silly advice imho! Just have a few spare tubes in stock and wait to do the practice until you get a puncture. As long as you carry a couple of spare tubes with you when you ride, the likelihood of having to fix a puncture in the field is very low. And there really isn't any skill to learn in the process unless you are inherently cack handed (in which case the practice before hand advice probably is good!)

    As for snakebites - nothing to do with how you put the tube in. Simply down to underinflated tyres. You go over a bump and the tyre compresses the inner tube and pinches it between tyre and rim. Hence you get two matching holes, on either side of the tube and equally spaced from the centre line.
    shouldbeinbed wrote:
    The puncture fairy never visits on warm sunny days when you've got all the time in the world and nowhere else to be.

    Last Friday - a warm day in the Dales, ambling my way back home from an assault of the South face of the Malham Cove road and I got a puncture. Replaced the tube leisurely enjoying the warm sun on my back and the stunning scenery. It can happen :lol:
    Faster than a tent.......
  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    pangolin wrote:
    snailracer wrote:
    MRLEON83 wrote:
    ...
    on another note,... this bike is a hybrid, but i've well and truly got the bug and was thinking about getting a proper road bike, my route has lots of potholes would that damage the bike?
    Potholes are more likely to damage your wrists than the bike, and the hunched riding position on a road bike places a lot of weight on your wrists.

    You are leant forward more on a road bike. If you are 'hunched' you are doing something wrong.

    When I go over a pothole I either

    - Don't, go round it instead
    - Take the weight off my hands and butt almost completely, still steering obviously but not leant on the bars at all. All weight on the pedals with knees bent.
    - Bunny hop over it

    You just automatically do one of the above soon without even thinking about it. No-one sees a pothole, thinks 'oh well' and ploughs into it leant on the bars, eyes shut and shouting 'IF ONLY I WAS ON A MTB'.
    OK what if the pothole is covered by rain? What if your attention is on the traffic instead of staring down at the road? On my commute, I pass about a hundred of them, too many to memorise, and new ones can literally pop up overnight, so every now and then I will plough right through one and I don't think it's avoidable.
  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,633
    Do you ride a road bike? Yes every now and then I miss one (and I have made no effort to memorise them all!), but it hasn't damaged my wrists. Don't see many other people riding road bikes with splints or casts to protect their wrists either...
    - Genesis Croix de Fer
    - Dolan Tuono
  • Torvid
    Torvid Posts: 449
    pangolin wrote:
    Do you ride a road bike? Yes every now and then I miss one (and I have made no effort to memorise them all!), but it hasn't damaged my wrists. Don't see many other people riding road bikes with splints or casts to protect their wrists either...

    as above, if your locking out your arms, your bikes not fit correctly, you shouldn't have any real weight on your hands there just there to help keep you ballanced over the BB so your center of mass is in the right place.

    If the bike fits you can bomb over cobbles, yes you'll feel it but it's not going to break anything and a decent set of 36 spoke rims will take the odd bang and stay true.
    Commuter: Forme Vision Red/Black FCN 4
    Weekender: White/Black - Cube Agree GTC pro FCN 3
  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    pangolin wrote:
    Do you ride a road bike?...
    I don't ride my road bike much since I moved to bumpy Surrey - the mountain bike with the stem riser/moustache bar/sprung saddle gets more use now - the bar on it has been raised precisely high enough so my wrists don't go numb during my commute.
    pangolin wrote:
    ..Yes every now and then I miss one (and I have made no effort to memorise them all!), but it hasn't damaged my wrists. Don't see many other people riding road bikes with splints or casts to protect their wrists either...
    Padded gloves and gel bar tape are very popular, though.
  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    Torvid wrote:
    as above, if your locking out your arms, your bikes not fit correctly, you shouldn't have any real weight on your hands there just there to help keep you ballanced over the BB so your center of mass is in the right place.

    If the bike fits you can bomb over cobbles, yes you'll feel it but it's not going to break anything and a decent set of 36 spoke rims will take the odd bang and stay true.
    I agree there should be little weight on the hands if you are pedalling hard, as the torque reaction at your hips/lower back helps to suspend the weight of your leant-forward upper body - but not everyone pedals hard all the time. If you coast over cobbles, your wrists still get hammered. If you pedal hard over cobbles, it takes the weight off your wrists, but your back gets hammered. Now most peoples' backs are much stronger than their wrists, but eventually your back may start to complain if you hammer it hard and long enough, or, like me, old and decrepit :(
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Hang on, hang on...

    What?

    Of all the time I've spent on a roadie, I've not once thought 'ohhh my wrists my wrists'... Riding over cobbles or potholes (yeah, you can't always avoid them), I seem to automatically 'soften' my knees and elbows to absorb the bumps, and lift my bum off the saddle. No biggie. If your wrists are killing you, re-assess your handlebar setup.

    And the carbon dream machine hasn't exploded into shrapnel yet. I have brought it indoors though, it's raining out there and we all know it's water-soluble.

    ETA: OP - I've paid £16 to a LBS to fix one puncture. Time is money when it's raining! Carry two spare tubes with you, along with 3 co2 cartridges, one of these and some levers. Fixing tubes is for indoors.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.

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