How Stupid Am I?

Mitze90

A few weeks ago somebody stole my Diamondback Outlook FS, I paid £225-300 a year and a half ago. Back then I bought it with no knowledge of bikes except that 15 years ago DB BMXs where all the rage, so it was like reliving my childhood. I was quite impressed with the bike, and it held together lovely, but was starting to creek and groan a bit before it got pinched. No idea why someone want to pinch it, but I think I must have left it unlocked.

For the last few weeks I've been lurking on bikeradar, reading and digesting lots of information. I thought before the DB was a great bike, now I realise it was in fact pretty low on the MTB food chain.

After reading so much i in the end decided to buy a cheap bike with mountain bike with no suspension so as not to get rubbish parts that fall apart and as I only would be riding it 2 miles a day along the road and a spot of riding well trode footpaths in the countryside. Why I didn't stick to that I dont know, in the end I bought a Ammaco Chicago from CycleKing http://www.cycleking.co.uk/FERRARI-CX-6 ... t-247.html (that link sounds a bit misleading I didn't get a ferrari bike!)

In the shop it looked nice, and I was probably won over by the shiny disc brakes, I stupidly didn't try out the bike. When I came to ride it the first thing I noticed was both discs where scrapping on the brake pads pretty bad and stopping the wheels from spinning freely. The whole bike also felt cheap and nasty compared to my old diamond back.

Hopefully I'll be able to get a refund on the fact that the disc brakes rub so much, if not who knows, but I definitely feel like an idiot.

cooldad

Not sure when you bought it but

Unwanted goods

We will refund all unwanted and incorrectly ordered items, including the original postage, if you notify us within 7 days of receiving the goods, and provided that they are returned to us in a perfect saleable condition.The return postage costs in these instances, are the responsibility of the purchaser. Should you wish us to arrange for our courier to collect the goods, our standard charge for this is £15.A full refund will be given to all faulty goods returned to us, provided that you notify us within 7 days of receiving the goods, and provided that the goods have not been abused. After the initial 7 days, if any goods are returned which you feel are faulty and not repairable, and covered by the manufacturer's warranty, these must be returned to us for inspection, together with your purchase receipt. If it is found to be a genuine fault of manufacture (not accidental damage, misuse, abuse, neglect, normal wear and tear, something that can be adjusted, or a part that can be changed), we will usually either repair or replace it free of charge. In some cases we may offer a full refund. Your standard postage costs will usually be reimbursed, but we will not reimburse any additional postage costs you paid for services such as priority delivery.

Mitze90

cooldad wrote:

Not sure when you bought it but

Unwanted goods

We will refund all unwanted and incorrectly ordered items, including the original postage, if you notify us within 7 days of receiving the goods, and provided that they are returned to us in a perfect saleable condition.The return postage costs in these instances, are the responsibility of the purchaser. Should you wish us to arrange for our courier to collect the goods, our standard charge for this is £15.A full refund will be given to all faulty goods returned to us, provided that you notify us within 7 days of receiving the goods, and provided that the goods have not been abused. After the initial 7 days, if any goods are returned which you feel are faulty and not repairable, and covered by the manufacturer's warranty, these must be returned to us for inspection, together with your purchase receipt. If it is found to be a genuine fault of manufacture (not accidental damage, misuse, abuse, neglect, normal wear and tear, something that can be adjusted, or a part that can be changed), we will usually either repair or replace it free of charge. In some cases we may offer a full refund. Your standard postage costs will usually be reimbursed, but we will not reimburse any additional postage costs you paid for services such as priority delivery.

I only bought Thursday (yesterday), pushed it a mile, rode it a mile.
My phone links to the Ammaco Chicago Disc Brake (even tho it says Ferrari in the link).

Yeah I read that as well, BUT, that's there online policy and I bought it in store. I'm hoping it still applies or I've wasted £190.

I still can't believe how cheap it feels tho, I've got Rockrider 5.1 or .2 in Spain which was €120 and doesn't feel as nasty as the Ammaco.

Keith1983

The Rockriders have good reviews and are considered good value for money. Ammaco on the other hand aren't! The fact that they even charge £190 for a bike is bewildering. Unfortunately it looks as though you've bought a turd and are going to have to live with it.

Mitze90

Keith1983 wrote:

The Rockriders have good reviews and are considered good value for money. Ammaco on the other hand aren't! The fact that they even charge £190 for a bike is bewildering. Unfortunately it looks as though you've bought a turd and are going to have to live with it.

Yep, i know, I feel so stupid as I knew what not to buy and what I needed, but threw it ain't the window. Which will leave me with two options flog it on eBay at not to much of a loss or replace the parts that bug me the most (grips, seat and disc brakes) but I think option one is the best option.

cooldad

Sorry I didn't notice it said online only.

turnerjohn

even more worrying.....check out the "Ferrari" bike OMG

Keith1983

Your problem is that you'll do well to get £50 for it on fleabay let alone anything near what you paid for it.

Mitze90

Any ideas of what cycle shops returns policy normally is? I'm sure walking in and saying "I'd like my money back as it feels cheap and nasty" isn't the best idea.

And is it normal for disc brakes to stop the wheel prematurely when you spin it?

1mancity2

Pretty sure your not covered with normal selling laws, but check the shops return policy.

Returning items to a shop
Keep your receipts

You will need 'proof of purchase' to return faulty items to a shop
You will need some ‘proof of purchase’ to return faulty items to a shop such as:

•a receipt
•a bank statement
•the shop’s packaging
•a witness – someone who saw you buy it
If there is nothing wrong with the item, you don’t have the legal right to return it. Some shops may let you return the item if you provide the proof of purchase that the shop wants, eg a receipt. Check the shop’s returns policy before you buy.

pj101

Wow. Just checked out the Ferrari hardtail. £900 - they're havin a laugh.

Lookin at the rest of the bikes on the site - the quicker cycle king goes out of business - the better.

Horrendously overpriced junk.

Mitze90

Yeah, just spoke to them and I can swap it if I don't like it. They guy on the phone said it's normally for disc brakes to rub a bit, is this true?

Markmjh

pj101 wrote:

Wow. Just checked out the Ferrari hardtail. £900 - they're havin a laugh.

Lookin at the rest of the bikes on the site - the quicker cycle king goes out of business - the better.

Horrendously overpriced junk.

Ha ha, just looked at that! Have you seen the spec you get for £900?????
Are they taking the pi$$?

cooldad

Mitze90 wrote:

Yeah, just spoke to them and I can swap it if I don't like it. They guy on the phone said it's normally for disc brakes to rub a bit, is this true?

Trouble is they don't really have anything worth swapping it for.

Mitze90

Markmjh wrote:

pj101 wrote:

Wow. Just checked out the Ferrari hardtail. £900 - they're havin a laugh.

Lookin at the rest of the bikes on the site - the quicker cycle king goes out of business - the better.

Horrendously overpriced junk.

Ha ha, just looked at that! Have you seen the spec you get for £900?????
Are they taking the pi$$?

Yeah, could've been worse I could of got one of those. I think my best bet will be swapping it for one of the cheap bikes and either get a partial refund or a load of accessories.

Mitze90

cooldad wrote:

Mitze90 wrote:

Yeah, just spoke to them and I can swap it if I don't like it. They guy on the phone said it's normally for disc brakes to rub a bit, is this true?

Trouble is they don't really have anything worth swapping it for.

Really? Sounds like I found one of the worst places to get a bike lol

bobbyg81

I hope you get something sorted. They should have something better that you can get. I wouldn't hang about though or they might refuse a swap at all.

Regarding the Ferrari bikes. Yes they are pricey for the spec but they're made by Colnago. Are they not an excellent manafacturer? Perhaps the frame is great? Be good to see a review from MBUK.

supersonic

You've ridden it outside - very unlikely they will accept a return. Maybe partial refund.

The bike will need setting up, parts bedding in and readjusting, so rubbing is normal to start. The bike will work absolutely fine once set up. Not the best for the money, but seen far, far worse.

Pru

I had an Ammaco Chicago for about a Year. Yeah it's not a great bike but the only horrific fault I found with it was the tires; if you're keeping it, you'll want to be replacing those asap, sooo many punctures, I actually wore a hole through them in under a year doing 12 miles a day.

EDIT: Needless to say, I got a new bike now.

Mitze90

Pru wrote:

I had an Ammaco Chicago for about a Year. Yeah it's not a great bike but the only horrific fault I found with it was the tires; if you're keeping it, you'll want to be replacing those asap, sooo many punctures, I actually wore a hole through them in under a year doing 12 miles a day.

EDIT: Needless to say, I got a new bike now.

Now you mention it those tires did seem extremely plasticy, like the seat, grips and gear/brake levers lol.

I think the main thing I've learnt is TRY the bike before you by!

Mitze90

Ok I've just noticed something else, on the website it says it has 18 speeds, but on the crank there's 3 cogs and on the back there's 7, and the gear levers say 3 and 7, surely that's 21?

supersonic

Yep, 21 then!

cooldad

That would be right.