New Bike Prep !!!!
mr_eddy
Posts: 830
Ok so I have been privileged to be able to purchased a few new bikes over the years (all in the £100's rather than £1000's tho) and I am always amazed at how BADLY they are setup. I have had bikes from main retail stores and also online and I frankly find it shocking to see how little work is done prior to collection.
Take my latest acquisition a Raleigh Mustang Gravel Road bike at a sale price of £495 (price should be irreverent tho). I ordered online rather than test ride / collect in store as they only had a few left and it was £150 off the sticker price.
2 days later the bike arrived and whilst understand that a boxed bike needs some basic setup I was not expecting the following issues:
* Front brake totally un-adjusted - pulling the lever to the bar and the front wheel still spins freely.
* Chainset / BB Bolt only finger tight
* Rear brake cable frayed so badly that the rear brake was only held by 2 strands of the frayed cable - Also not adjusted as per front
* No grease at all on the seat tube or in the BB shell - Totally dry
* Headset/Top cap nut and stem bolts loose meaning the fork was loose in the headset
As a keen cyclist I would never trust a big online bike shop's 'safety check' anyway but imagine if I was just someone who got a C2Work voucher and was new to cycling they would get on it and start riding only to find out moments later that the brakes don't work that is if the chainset has not fallen off before then.
It goes without saying that I have already logged a complaint with the the shop. Anyone else notice this ? Maybe its time for a name and shame campaign.
Take my latest acquisition a Raleigh Mustang Gravel Road bike at a sale price of £495 (price should be irreverent tho). I ordered online rather than test ride / collect in store as they only had a few left and it was £150 off the sticker price.
2 days later the bike arrived and whilst understand that a boxed bike needs some basic setup I was not expecting the following issues:
* Front brake totally un-adjusted - pulling the lever to the bar and the front wheel still spins freely.
* Chainset / BB Bolt only finger tight
* Rear brake cable frayed so badly that the rear brake was only held by 2 strands of the frayed cable - Also not adjusted as per front
* No grease at all on the seat tube or in the BB shell - Totally dry
* Headset/Top cap nut and stem bolts loose meaning the fork was loose in the headset
As a keen cyclist I would never trust a big online bike shop's 'safety check' anyway but imagine if I was just someone who got a C2Work voucher and was new to cycling they would get on it and start riding only to find out moments later that the brakes don't work that is if the chainset has not fallen off before then.
It goes without saying that I have already logged a complaint with the the shop. Anyone else notice this ? Maybe its time for a name and shame campaign.
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Comments
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Yes, name and shame, lets show up some of these cowboys.0
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My son stopped by and dropped off a bike for some adjustments (Box Store Bike). As I was going thru it, I thought to myself, "This bike is in pretty good shape considering how far out of adjustment it was" I thought that it was an old bang around bike that he had kicking around in his garage. Come to find out, He had just purchased it a week or so earlier. It was un-ridable from the store.
I felt bad for those families who buy their child a birthday / holiday present and then it does not work.0 -
that's how they arrive at the bike shop from the factory ..... sounds like they have just picked a box up and given it to you.
Had you had the store build I, they would have done all these, given it to you and you could have redone the shoddy work
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I would not mind if they admitted that they are just box shifting but its the fact my bike came with a hand written 'safety check list' and things like 'Brakes working' was ticked. Clearly they just tick these forms without actually doing anything. If they admitted it then at least unaware buyers could budget for a LBS to sort for them.0
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FYI my bike came from CRC0
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When I ordered my new bike from on of the big online stores in August I was notified it was in stock and that I should make an appointment to collect it. I asked to collect it in the box as I always like to check it / tinker and was told I could but it would invalidate the warranty!
I asked how and didn't get an answer, but I did get to collect it with poorly adjusted brakes and gears later that day. Needless to say I didn't go back for the free service.....0 -
I've had a couple of bikes from Planet X and have found them to be set up perfectly. One even had the seatpost at the correct height - more fluke than psychic powers really - but I can't fault them.
Then there was the bike my mate took into his LBS and they fitted his brake blocks backwards....0
