The Dangers of Using Halfords:Boardman Bikes

Frannybobs

zx6man wrote:

Dont wiggle do them?

No, not the official Cyclescheme, which is what my employer participates in. Wiggle do their own.

It may have changed by next year....you never know. There are other bikes out there I guess, but I had seen it in Cycling Plus and had it on my shortlist!

cookdn

zx6man wrote:

Dont wiggle do them?

Yes, but not for the UK market. Halfords have exclusivity in the UK apart from the Elite series. Bit of a bummer as there are models such as the MTB 29ers that are only available to international markets.

Best regards

Big_Paul

Well, definitely nit happy with the Decathlon bike, found out why the bottom bracket kept coming loose, it has been cross threaded from the factory and the threads have been wearing away, I took the BB out on Saturday and the thread was hammered.

Best thing is, according to the Decathlon website, the warranty does not cover bikes used on "dirt" which for an MTB is a bit like a pair of football boots not being covered for kicking a ball...... :roll:

cookdn

Big_Paul wrote:

Well, definitely nit happy with the Decathlon bike, found out why the bottom bracket kept coming loose, it has been cross threaded from the factory and the threads have been wearing away, I took the BB out on Saturday and the thread was hammered.

Best thing is, according to the Decathlon website, the warranty does not cover bikes used on "dirt" which for an MTB is a bit like a pair of football boots not being covered for kicking a ball...... :roll:

I'm not sure this clause of Decathlon's warranty is of much use to them as the fault is effectively a manufacturing defect rather than premature 'wear and tear'. What did Decathlon have to say about it?

Iamnot Wiggins

Frannybobs wrote:

Awww gutted. I didn't know Boardman Bikes were exclusive to Halfords and they aren't on the Cyclescheme. I've bought my last two bikes through the Cyclescheme, it's fantastic if you can't afford to shell that amount out in one go (which I can't). I was looking at women specific road bikes for next year and Boardman fi one was on my list - guess I'll have to cross it off

But why? A bolt wasn't done up by the person who built it and it's suddenly the fault of the brand? I think not. The guy could've bought a £7,500 from a top notch shop and had it not of been checked prior to leaving the shop, the same thing could've happend. Again, not the fault of the manufacturer!

Paulj123

My Boardman Team FS from Halfords:

1. Deep scratch in the frame
2. Gear indexing not setup at all
3. handle bar end cap missing
4. valve cap missing (wtf?)

Then to top it off, the crank came lose AS I WAS RIDING IT which nearly had me off it - the bolts had come lose

Big_Paul

cookdn wrote:

Big_Paul wrote:

Well, definitely nit happy with the Decathlon bike, found out why the bottom bracket kept coming loose, it has been cross threaded from the factory and the threads have been wearing away, I took the BB out on Saturday and the thread was hammered.

Best thing is, according to the Decathlon website, the warranty does not cover bikes used on "dirt" which for an MTB is a bit like a pair of football boots not being covered for kicking a ball...... :roll:

I'm not sure this clause of Decathlon's warranty is of much use to them as the fault is effectively a manufacturing defect rather than premature 'wear and tear'. What did Decathlon have to say about it?

I went to Decathlon with the intention to complain and saw two youths "assembling" a bike in a manner that made me want to go over and bang their heads together, I retreated and bought a threadless BB instead.

Der Kaiser

When I was quite new to cycling I used them for a few things.

I thought "how can you afford to service a bike for 15 quid?"

I later realised you can't. Pump up the tyres, oil the chain and immediately it rides better.

My LBS sold me my current bike and they set it up to my exact needs. I will always use a decent LBS over Halfords.

I bought my daughter a bike from Decathlon and the guy putting it together just couldn't do the brakes.

I gave it a good check at home before she rode it which included sorting the brakes out. It's a decent bike for kids but I think the quality of mechanic varies from store to store.

My LBS is The Bicycle Hub in Telford.

DanDax1990

Paulj123 wrote:

My Boardman Team FS from Halfords:

1. Deep scratch in the frame
2. Gear indexing not setup at all
3. handle bar end cap missing
4. valve cap missing (wtf?)

Then to top it off, the crank came lose AS I WAS RIDING IT which nearly had me off it - the bolts had come lose

What kind of idiot buys a new bike and gives the shop cash when its damaged? Really?

I know there's a lot of newbies to cycling but seriously. Would you buy clothes that were torn? Or even with a bit of muck on them?

Halfords is like a game of bingo. If that particular store had good mechanics then there are some good products for newbies. They do need to up their quality of staff without a doubt though. Most people who buy from them probably won't go back. Not because of the product but because of assembly.

MrChuck

Odd title- sounds like you're saying Boardman bikes are one of the problems with Halfords?
As mentioned already, nothing wrong with the bikes, but the best bike in the world needs to be put together properly.
I'd happily buy a Boardman but the first thing I'd do would be to check it over very, very carefully before riding it anywhere.

muzzan

My own experience was that on my 1st journey after getting my cx team one of the cranks came off. Was harmless as it happened, but could easily have happened in busy traffic. Some on here pointed out I should have checked every nut & bolt before riding the bike (wouldnt have caught the issue anyway). To me this is like saying if your house gets burgled & you dont have an alarm then it is your fault. Sure you have a responsibility to yourself to reduce the chance of failures, but this does not in any way absolve the supplier of their responsibility.

My experience with Halfords/Boardman has been terrible. They try to help but make far too many mistakes. For a new bike its ridiculous how often its been back in the shop. The latest thing is the freewheel which has gone. They tried to put this down to wear & tear after 6 mths of use. Chap explained that they use some cheaper components to keep the cost down! I know this is maybe boardman rather than halfords, but really I just dont care, I just want the bike to work!

supersonic

Is the freewheel servicable? If so, have you tried? Maybe be a simple 'fix'.

I still agree with checking bikes over, however if you have a signed and listed PDI checkform I would expect it to be ready to ride. Though as bikes bed in quickly, i would soon be checking it over anyway. Shops should tell people about stuff like this.

muzzan

supersonic wrote:

Is the freewheel servicable? If so, have you tried? Maybe be a simple 'fix'.

Well ,it was making noise firstly & then when I last had it on the stand the wheel was not catching when turning the pedals a lot of the time. If there is a simple fix I dont know what it is & they will replace it under warranty now I've had a chat (again!).

AnotherUsername

I haven't got the first clue about bike maintenance.

What checks should I be making before riding off on a new bike?

father_jack

AnotherUsername wrote:

I haven't got the first clue about bike maintenance.

What checks should I be making before riding off on a new bike?

Check every important bolt is tightened to proper torque recommendations.
Check chain does not derail on extremity chainring/sprocket
Check stem, handlebar, wheels are tightened
Check brake inner are clamped down
Check brake levers are tigthened to frame.

ooermissus

Father Jack wrote:

AnotherUsername wrote:

What checks should I be making before riding off on a new bike?

Check every important bolt is tightened to proper torque recommendations....

So every cyclist needs a torque wrench?

father_jack

If you don't have a clue about right torque then can do more harm than good..