returning a bike

mat777 · 5 July 2009 at 10:07AM

in january i had my bike stolen and so went a bought a new one from a reputable cycle shop. having not insured the last one i didnt have much money to spend and so instead of buying a big name brand i tried a budget brand created by the store chain in question. since i bought the bike i have had continuous problems with the crank arm working loose on the bottom bracket spindle and now matter how often i tighten the bolt up it wont stay tight. i have already taken the bike back once and the shop fitted a new (better) crankset free of charge, and now the problem has returned. as i use the bike every day to get to college i have put up with the problem for a month and a half or so by stopping and tightenting it whilst riding.
my question is, can i take the bike back to the shop and get a full refind on the grounds that, having had the problem twice it is not fit for purpose?the shop did say when i took it in before that they had had some problems with the standard crankset.
however, i have used the bike for commuting 5 miles a day since i got it so it is understandably used, dirty and not really re-saleable. also, the manual does recommend that you check how tight each bolt is before every ride, which i didnt before the problem started - but in practice who does this anyway?
so do you think the shop should take it back?

maninthestreet · 5 July 2009 at 10:35AM

Does the bolt in question have a shake-proof washer??

mat777 · 5 July 2009 at 10:43AM

maninthestreet wrote: »

Does the bolt in question have a shake-proof washer??

no, like all the other bike cranks i've seen its a simply a bolt that screws into the spindle, supposedly holding the crank arm onto the spindle by interferance fit. There are no washers or loctite etc involved.

I should point out that the last bike i had covered many hundreds of miles without even checking this bolt once and it never came loose or gave a problem, could i use this against the shop in the absence on having checked the bolt as recommended by the manual?

Chippy_Minton_2 · 5 July 2009 at 11:16AM

mat777 wrote: »

I should point out that the last bike i had covered many hundreds of miles without even checking this bolt once and it never came loose

How do you know if you never checked it?

Sounds like your new bike isn't fit for purpose, how long have you had it? and what make/who did you buy it from?

mat777 · 5 July 2009 at 11:25AM

you dont need to check the bolt to know if its coming loose, because the crank arm will make a terrible metal-on-metal creaking sound as it starts to work loose, and if left long enough without re-tightening it will work so loose that it can be wiggled from side to side. also, shortly before my last bike was stolen i had to replace one of the crank arms for another reason (i stripped the pedal hole thread) and when i undid it the bolt was still done up nice and ight and certainly wasnt going anywhere

the problem bike is a pinnacle peak 1.0 purchased from the manchester store of evans cycles. pinnacle is evan's own brand supposedly to give quality bikes at lower prices than big name brands like scott or specialised. i've had it since early january, and the first time i took it back as mentioned in my original post was about late february

Chippy_Minton_2 · 5 July 2009 at 12:18PM

What have Evans said about the latest problem?

mat777 · 5 July 2009 at 12:31PM

i havent contacted them yet, i was going to ask your advice first so i can go in there with the best possible argument and knowledge of my rights

Chippy_Minton_2 · 5 July 2009 at 8:48PM

Well a product needs to be fit for purpose and from what you're saying it's not.

Lorian · 5 July 2009 at 8:51PM

Loctite blue threadlocker on the bolt before doing up the nut? Thats pretty standard in such instances.

goldspanners · 5 July 2009 at 8:57PM

i had this problem years ago on a raleigh i bought from presumably the same chain as yourself (halfords) and after 10 attempts at repalcing,tightening the bottom bracket,and numerous faults with the rear mechanism i asked if i could have a refund or at least pick a different bike, i got myself a new bike from them i chose a diamond back instead which lasted years and thousands of miles without fault.