Halfords... don't do it!

Lazarus42

Here's the review i just posted on their site...


Ordered bike + computer bundle yesterday for pick up today at 4pm. Gave my old Carrera Subway to my son and set off on foot . (commuted on it for a year... need something quicker!) Got there bang on time. Waited by the counter for some ten minutes 'till the single member of staff present had finished with others. So, this young kid wheels out the bike and as if by magic a girl appears to take the cash.

Would you like the cycle computer in a bag? Well, it was raining but i'd hoped they would be waterproof. Turns out it hadn't been fitted so me and this young kid struggle to read the instructions and finally after half an hour fiddling about on the floor (he's never fitted one either!) it worked.. ish. The sensor had to be so close to the magnet on the spokes i was worried a little vibration would end in contact and disaster... so, not really happy with that but thinking i'd sort it out at home.

So, out into the car park to see what's what. Thought one of the cables on the down tube looked a bit baggy but thought they must know what they're doing. Then..
How the bloody hell do the gear shifts work? Split brake levers.. huge amount of travel like four or five inches, no way would i like to have to do that in traffic let alone try and get smooth changes out of it!.
So.. is it one way for up, opposite way for down? Nope... ok, looks like both for up, just one for down but same direction. Or maybe the opposite of that?

Then the chain came off pedal side of the chainset. Didn't think it should have the travel to do that. So i took it back in the shop.

Aware they close at five and it's now five to five I know they must think i'm the customer from hell. "Can you check the adjustment of the front mech please? And showed the younk kid what had happened. He started by adjusting the tensioner on the cable up by the handlebars... nothing, sounded like a sherman tank and the chain came off again. So, he got the screwdrivers out and turned two screws on top of the actual mech to maximum adjustment and it still wasn't right.

By now i'm thinking I don't want the bloody thing, sound of chain graunching against metal coming from behind the counter. That can't be doing it much good...

The kid says "I wouldn't be happy letting you have this bike, we may need it overnight to fix it." So i'm looking at walking home in torrential rain, no bike, no bike to get to work in the morning, no bike to get home either. Then another walk to Halfords to pick up what already feels like a decidedly second hand machine what with all the grinding and scraping the front mech has gone through!

Just got home, walked it. Absolutely soaked... not happy at all!

Taxi to work tomorrow too...

Lazarus42

I think that's what i'll be doing... i'll see what they come up with first tomorrow night. First bike off them a year ago was perfect...

chris_bass

how do you think the front mech shifts the gears? magic? it pushes the chain up from one chain ring to the other, so the scrapping won't have done any damage, its what its made for!

second hand? you took it once round the car park! once its set up you'll be fine, i know its annoying but halfords arent exactly the greatest when it comes to setting up bikes so shouldnt be 100% shocking!

if i was you i'd learn a bit of maintenance and you'll be able to sort the gears and brakes out yourself and wont have to be taking it back to halfords every time you need the gears indexing.

davegore2005

my boardman comp was stolen earlier in the year, so insurance organized replacement with a voucher from halfords.

called into the store, ordered the bike, picked mudguards, bar ends, tool bag, computer and everything else needed which was on the other bike and the insurance were replacing.....had a phone call from the store to tell me it was ready when agreed, picked up, absolutely no issues, everything fitted, all working brilliant.

i know some people on here have issues with the store and the staff, but maybe i have been lucky with the store i use (Aintree near Liverpool), but everything has been good.

obviously different stores different issues.

Dave

apreading

Golden rule - dont get them to build you a bike at the weekend - seems to me that many stores only have one person who is properly trained, and if they arent around you may have the weekend kids build your bike!!!

Lazarus42

Golden rule - dont get them to build you a bike at the weekend - seems to me that many stores only have one person who is properly trained, and if they arent around you may have the weekend kids build your bike!!!

Been told the same thing about the Paignton one... wekdays are best. Sale ended Monday... leapt in quick. Plus... a quick tour around the bike would have been nice. Never seen gear shifts like it. Stopped riding at 16, started again with a hybrid last year. Dropped four stone commuting... now wanted something quicker and less draggy.

Nice set up, quick tour of the bike, jobs a good'un.

To the dude who said "If I was you... etc. etc" These statements are just like "I'm not racist but...." in their ability to get me going. I shouldn't need maintenanance of bloody anything 20 seconds after handing over the cash for a new item. Bike, toaster or anything else.

awavey

apreading wrote:

Golden rule - dont get them to build you a bike at the weekend - seems to me that many stores only have one person who is properly trained, and if they arent around you may have the weekend kids build your bike!!!

that was part of the Boardman bikes thing wasnt it ? they are meant to have at least one Cytech qualified mechanic at each store that sells them,but who obviously isnt there 24/7 and the rest just have basic cycling maintenance training.

Which isnt the same thing as bicycle putting together training and some of the stories you hear (ok I know they probably sell hundreds more that are totally fine) but forks back to front seems to be another popular construction mistake.

though weekend staff can be problematic at LBSs as well, its not as simple as just saying go elsewhere. but I am curious to to know if anyones bought a Pinarello off them yet

CiB

Personally I'd have taken it home in whatever state Halfords (or Evans, Wiggle, CRC etc) had handed it over to me and then spent a part of the evening setting it up properly. Up to you if you want to trust your bike and your own safety & well-being to the abilities of a disinterested school-leaver but I'd much rather do it myself and know that it's right. Same applies to setting up the tv, the PC, laptop at work blah blah blah. Bikes are trivially simple to work on, and 2 hours of my time is likely to produce a better return than a quick try by a third party at 5 minutes to closing time on a Saturday evening.

Learn basic bike maintenance. It's a win win win win win win win situation. Or rely on bored teenagers to get the best out of your cycling, if you prefer to do that.

slowbike

Lazarus42 wrote:

To the dude who said "If I was you... etc. etc" These statements are just like "I'm not racist but...." in their ability to get me going. I shouldn't need maintenanance of bloody anything 20 seconds after handing over the cash for a new item. Bike, toaster or anything else.

Sorry - you went in to Halfords and parted with some money for a bike that you had NO IDEA how the gear shifts work?! Really?!

Ok, when you went to pick it up it was obviously only part built - but you should have some idea how this stuff works. Afterall, when it goes wrong 1/2way to work - what are you going to do? Sit on the curb and cry? or get the multi-tool out and get yourself back on the road.

Would I be happy with a crap build from Halfords? No - of course not - but having seen the way the lad couldn't fit a bike computer (1/2 hour! wtf did you do for 1/2hour? the kettle boils in 2 minutes!) there is absolutely no way I'd trust him to adjust anything on the bike.

6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other.

dilemna

Slowbike wrote:

Lazarus42 wrote:

To the dude who said "If I was you... etc. etc" These statements are just like "I'm not racist but...." in their ability to get me going. I shouldn't need maintenanance of bloody anything 20 seconds after handing over the cash for a new item. Bike, toaster or anything else.

Sorry - you went in to Halfords and parted with some money for a bike that you had NO IDEA how the gear shifts work?! Really?!

Ok, when you went to pick it up it was obviously only part built - but you should have some idea how this stuff works. Afterall, when it goes wrong 1/2way to work - what are you going to do? Sit on the curb and cry? or get the multi-tool out and get yourself back on the road.

Would I be happy with a crap build from Halfords? No - of course not - but having seen the way the lad couldn't fit a bike computer (1/2 hour! wtf did you do for 1/2hour? the kettle boils in 2 minutes!) there is absolutely no way I'd trust him to adjust anything on the bike.

6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other.

^^^ Wot he said.

The Rookie

^^^^^^+2

BMKN

Well if he hadnt of taken the bike from you and you had gone in to work and the chain slipped causing you an accident you would be on here complaining about that too, he was doing his job by taking the bike in and not rushing it, but on another note dont by bikes from somewhere that deals with mainly cars. Go to a local bike shop, I bought from halfords had my bike a year was a great bike and great service If you can get a refund and support your LBS they will usually do you a discount if you are part of a club also

chris_bass

Lazarus42 wrote:

To the dude who said "If I was you... etc. etc" These statements are just like "I'm not racist but...." in their ability to get me going. I shouldn't need maintenanance of bloody anything 20 seconds after handing over the cash for a new item. Bike, toaster or anything else.

how is that in any way like saying i'm not racist but....

you might not need it 20 seconds after but you will a few weeks later when everything settles down and the cable housing find their place and bed in. but by all means don't learn how to do something that takes about 1 minute of research on how to do it and kart it back to halfords for them to do it and probably charge you for the pleasure!

supersonic

The bike should be set up - but they do bed in which is why they offer the follow up service (free).

But the basics need to be learned as bikes require routine maintenence.

fossyant

Buying a bike from Halfords - take it away in the box then build it yourself.

Lazarus42

Well, how'd it go?

I got picked up from home by a very apologetic guy who didn't understand much. "I don't understand why the bike wasn't built correctly!" (I'd say poor training or didn't give a toss or both.) "I don't understand why no one gave you a lift home!" (Really? You think that even entered their heads?) "I don't under...." You get the drift. I should have been sold a bike care package too, the computer should have been fitted etc etc. Answer to all this is staff training, selection, monitoring, incentives and swift admonishments like any firm.

I spoke to a guy at work who used to work in a halfords bike dept years ago. First job, no training, building bikes for customers.. in his own words "I didn't have a clue!" So it's been the same for a while i guess.

On the way he told me they'd unboxed a new bike and had their head bike builder put it together perfectly, he's due to go home but he stayed on to make sure you're happy. So into the shop, introduced to everyone (Sorry, we don't understand, shouldn't have happened....) and out come the bike. Nice explanation of the brake lever / gear shift, they put some standard pedals on it for me instead of those awful strap / clip things and adjusted the saddle height. They've thrown in, free of charge, a £20 bike care package for one year. free labour and at the end of the year I get a £40 service. I asked if it had to be their parts and he said "Nah..."

I'd picked the TDF as it has the mounting holes / screws for panniers, mudguards and told them i was going to turn it into a fast winter commuter and said "...you know, decent set of lights, (as i looked at a set reduced to £16, should have got them but i want my 10% off and didn't have my British Cycling membership card) nice tight skimpy mudguards that hug the wheels, panniers, helmet light, water proof breathable jacket, sunglasses with the day / dusk / night lenses, work stand, wall hanger... I'd had a list in my head as I had no idea what was going to be offered to make up for three days sans bike and a lot of walking about in the rain. They might have given me a trolley supermarket sweep stylee? Who knew... be prepared!

So I asked for an adapter from schrader valve to presta as i didn't have a pump that fitted, got that, thanked them all (Grace Bros. scene... "You've all done very well!" Felt a bit like that!) and wheeled the bike out. Thought i'd be cheeky and test the limit of their largesse I picked a water bottle holder off their racks, took it to the till, gave it to the guy who said "£7.99 please". So i'd found the limit...

Outside I took a few pics of the bike, a guy came out and said "I notice you haven't got a water bottle for your holder, would you like one?" I said i was going to use a lucozade bottle or something. He agreed, said Oasis bottles were pretty good, and I rode home.

So, in the hallway at home. Put the lights on as it's dark out there already and got a chamois out to get the rain off the thing. Found the rear, left hand brake block sitting vertically instead of hugging the wheel rim. Allen bolt loose enough so it just rotated. Now i know why thei bike care package is only £20!

Got to work this morning fine, front derailleur rattles and scrapes even with the little "half click" adjustment available so on the way home tried the local bike shop.. closed! Bugger... So tonight i'll find the manual for the front and rear mech and the shifters. Hope they're on the Shimano site as they don't come with the bike. You get a very generic pamphlet that covers their whole range and none. Not much use for maintainence / set up info.

They said "Any problems just bring it back, don't be a stranger even if there's nothing wrong, we just love to see our customers pop in!" (This was feeling creepy now, Stepford Bike Shop?) but with the dangling brake block on a bike that if i was running the Dept. would have been gone over with a fine tooth comb and by more than one person, i'm not confident. I'll teach myself... all the data should be online.

I'd asked if they could fit the bike to me... I know some bike shops offer this service and it's quite involved. Angles, heights, reach, posture... takes someone who knows what they're doing and seeing as it's taken me ages to get my old Carrera Subway about right it would have been handy. "Well...", he said, "...it's such a personal thing..." so another thing to be learned. For me it needs a little short stumpy riser i think as the bars, even when riding on the hoods, are miles away. Seems to be a Carrera trait. Perhaps their designer has abnormally long arms? I'll have a look on amazon for one.

So there.. got me bike. Few niggles to sort but it's in the hall and I can get to work again )

markhewitt1978

I think you need a bit of bicycle education -- it's a steep learning curve - rather than blaming Halfords for everything.

You need a short stumpy riser thing? You mean a headset spacer? Actually that's not the solution for bars being too far away, usually you'd want a shorter stem.

The Rookie

Or a frame the right size!

CiB

Re the front mech, are you not able to put the bike in a well-lit kitchen and just look at it for 5 minutes to figure out how it all works? All this Youtube, Park Tools, d/l manual from Shimano etc is a bit overkill isn't it? I remember trying to go on Youtube when I first had to sort out my bike but it was 1976 and no-one had thought of it so it was a case of needs must, and it didn't seem too difficult then. Not much has changed in front mechs since, unless you've gone all electric.

Here's a nudge in the right direction.

The mech pushes the chain off the ring that it's on. There are only two options, up to the big ring and down to the smaller one. Maybe you've got three rings, in which case ignore the middle one and only trouble yourself with the other two.

To move the mech the lever on the bars transmits its movement along a cable to shift the mech in the same direction. If the cable is too slack or too tight, it needs adjusting. It's easiest to do this with the mech on the smaller ring. If you're running out of movement on the lever before the change completes, change the tension on the cable, either at the barrel adjuster by the hoods or by undoing the clamp bolt at the mech to pull/release the cable a bit.

To stop it going too far either way there are two screws to limit the movement, which are intriguingly named limit screws. Adjust the one that's stopping your mech changing properly, if that's what the problem is.

That's it. Lever. Cable. Spring loaded cage. Joined together. How hard can it be?

spankwilder

If I bought a bicycle from a shop that builds it for me, I would expect it to be serviceable until it requires adjustment at it's first check - and would accept that gears/brakes etc during first use are likely to go out of adjustment IF, I was made aware that such issue are likely. It's likely the limit screw was missed as setting up bikes can be start/stop in a shop which is staffed with one person and interruptions from someone asking for some windscreen wipers can cause such mistakes. I'm guessing the OP has moved from Shimano to Sram hence the issue with the levers - again staff should explain operation at point of sale and collection. Sounds to me that Halfords need to part with some profits and get more staff and training into their stores.

Not really sure why the OP needs to know how to setup up a bike? sure it's handy knowledge but ultimately some people just want to ride the bike and couldn't give a toss how to maintain it - that's what the guy at the bike shop is for.

CiB

Not knowing and relying on the LBS is fine until it breaks on a Sunday evening and you want it for work the following day, or some problem occurs mid-ride. It's The World's Most Tedious Cliche now, but you wouldn't take your guitar to the shop to have it tuned; why are bikes considered so complex that only trained personnel can look after them properly?

rubertoe

I buy stuff all the time from halfords,

I then go home and fit it myself. Not that I wouldnt trust the people that work in my local, just like has been mentioned a 1000 times before, I need to know how things work and to be able to fix them (and save money) myself so I dont have to rely on a LBS - I am completly self taught and have built up bikes from scratch (my first bike was halfords bought bike).

It really is a peice of Pish and is really satisfying.

slowbike

spankwilder wrote:

If I bought a bicycle from a shop that builds it for me, I would expect it to be serviceable until it requires adjustment at it's first check. Sounds to me that Halfords need to part with some profits and get more staff and training into their stores.

Not really sure why the OP needs to know how to setup up a bike? sure it's handy knowledge but ultimately some people just want to ride the bike and couldn't give a toss how to maintain it - that's what the guy at the bike shop is for.

I don't disagree with your first statement - Halfrauds can be a bit hit'n'miss when it comes to bikes - for all we know that store could've had a top notch bike mechanic who knew his stuff but happened to be on holiday that week. Not the customers fault at all.

Should the OP know how to set up a bike? Well - I'm surprised about his apparent lack of knowledge - eg gear shifts - that should've been part of the research - or did he just buy it off the web for pickup in store? I think my observation was quite accurate - you've had some youth trying to fit a computer to the bike for 1/2hr and you expect him to know how to adjust brakes & gears? You don't need to know how to set up a bike to know that this kid isn't going to get it right. Anyway - the OP had a bike before - so he should have some idea of setup - even to just a "get me home" stage.

markhewitt1978

To be fair the likes of the OP is just the sort of person who does buy from Halfords and needs things like gear changes explaining.

slowbike

markhewitt1978 wrote:

To be fair the likes of the OP is just the sort of person who does buy from Halfords and needs things like gear changes explaining.

I don't have an issue with the need to have gear changes explained - but I would think it more appropriate BEFORE you purchased the bike ... ie as part of the research?
Halfrauds don't do themselves any favours here - perhaps they should cut out the bike setup/maintenance section from the stores where they don't have suitably trained staff.