Bought new bike, wheel slightly out of true...

Blade180

Hi all

Yesterday I bought a bike from "Halfords"

I did not realise when I left the store that the front wheel was slightly out of true and is touching brake pad occasionally. It is quite noticeably when cycling and looking at front wheel.

I have already had a bad experience with them yesterday this will be my first and only time buying a bike from them.

Now should I take it back and get them to true the wheel? Will they do it for free?

As well knowing if I give them the bike I probably won't see it for 2-4 weeks.

What should I do?

cougie

Anyone with a spoke key could sort that in about 30 seconds. They should do it while you wait.

mattyfez

Truing a wheel is a quick job provided the person doing it knows what they are doing.
Halfords should do it while you wait, whether the person on hand knows what they are doing is another matter.

Lagrange

People suggesting repairing the wheel is bad advice. Maybe it is not the spoke, just the wheel not set in the forks correctly. Take it back and say it is not fit for use. Consumer Protection Act is on ypour side. Get a new one or your money back.

Halfords generally is not a bad store. Don't dismiss them. Good luck.

billycool

Lagrange wrote:

People suggesting repairing the wheel is bad advice. Maybe it is not the spoke, just the wheel not set in the forks correctly. Take it back and say it is not fit for use. Consumer Protection Act is on ypour side. Get a new one or your money back.

Halfords generally is not a bad store. Don't dismiss them. Good luck.

Both responses above have suggested taking the wheel back to the shop for them to resolve, whether it is the spoke or a.n.other issue.

Whatever the cause, it goes back to the shop.

Having worked in retail, I always laugh when people start mentioning Consumer Rights when you've not even had a chance to understand the issue or offer to resolve it.

JBA

What make and model is the bike?

Before taking it back to the shop have a quick check that the wheel is in the drop outs correctly and the qr/axle is tightened properly.
Taking it back to the shop and claiming it is not fit for purpose is stupid if it is a simple fix you can sort out yourself.
If you can’t do it yourself then take it back to Halfords and politely ask them to check it for you and rectify.

The Rookie

What bike?

If it's a rim brake pad on an MTB that suggests a pretty cheap bike and you need to manage expectations if buying cheap.

timothyw

I hate to piss on anyone's chips but a wheel not sitting properly in the dropouts will not cause it to touch brake pads "occasionally".

Take a moment to consider the geometry of the wheel rotation and this should become obvious - with a wheel not sat properly it will be touching the brake pad on one side constantly.

If it is occasionally touching the brake pad it either means the bearings are completely fucked and the wheel is wobbling all over the place (unlikely) or that the wheel is out of true, probably due to a spoke coming loose.

This is very common on cheap wheels that come as standard with cheap bikes, especially if you are on the heavier side (I most certainly am, and so know a lot about this subject...)

If you take it back to halfords they will sort it, but it is likely they will sort it in the most basic manner - by tightening the loose spoke(s) to true the wheel.

It is likely however that the wheel has been built to inadequate tension and this is why the spokes are coming loose, so a better solution would be to find a competent local wheelbuilder who is willing to tension the wheels for you - a decent local bike shop should have someone who can do this, and it might be worth spending a few quid as you will likely end up with wheels that last much longer than they otherwise would.