Road bike issues

MoneySaverUK

I purchased a road bike worth £1400 in January and have experienced quite a few problems with the bike since that time.

I paid cash and managed to haggle the store down to £1200 which seemed pretty good. However, the bike was a display/demo model and although the store assured me that the bike was as new, I'm beginning to have doubts over its history or that maybe it was assembled inadequately.

There have been issues with the chainring, bottom bracket, wheels, headset as well as unacceptable wear to certain components. The chain needed replacing after less than 2 months usage with just a few hundred miles cycled which I and everyone else I have spoken to has found astonishing. I have taken the bike back to the shop a number of times to ask that certain issues be rectified but in the case of large amounts of play in the wheel hub, they refused to tighten this as they told me it was normal for the type of wheels I was using. I know other cyclists who use the same brand of wheels and have not experienced the same issues so I found their advice a little worrying.

They also refused to replace the chain for me after I had supplied a brand new chain. They cited that I should wait until the chain and cassette both needed replacing. I argued (politely of course), that in order to preserve the cassette and other drivetrain components, I would like the chain replaced before any damage to other components happened. On collecting the bike, they then told me I needed a new cassette which I found staggering as the cassette itself looked in excellent condition with no obvious signs of wear.

I then took the bike to a recommended third party mechanic who put the new chain on and agreed that the cassette looked fine. He also adjusted the wheel hub to remove the play. He also demonstrated just how off alignment both wheels were as well as identifying other issues.

By this point I had also been in phone contact with the bike shop's head office to air my concerns over the bike and my interactions with the store.

One of the directors got in touch with the store and got back to me and basically echoed all the stuff the store's manager, mechanics and assistants had told me which left me feeling disappointed. They did offer to look at the bike again in order to put things right but as I no longer had any confidence in the store to do that, I was reluctant to agree. By this time, the bike had been back to the store on a number of occasions already.

I started to think about returning the bike and asking for my money back. There had just been far too many issues, the bike felt unsafe to ride and I felt that it wouldn't be long until I was forking out hundreds of pounds to replace more failing parts. I took the bike back to the shop and asked the manager for a refund and gave my reasons for wanting one. He refused, I thanked him and went on my way.

I then sent a letter off to the head offices asking for a full refund, stating my reasons and the SOGA. They replied and once again offered to look at the bike but no mention of a refund. They also included information which supported their point of view with regards to play in the wheel.

I contacted the wheel manufacturer on social media and they advised there should be no play.

I'm in the process of putting together a new letter to once again ask for a refund and include the info about the wheels but I'm expecting it to fall on to deaf ears.

I've contacted CAB for advice and they advised I may have to take them to court which I'm ok with but I would like to make sure I have all bases covered. I also contacted the bike manufacturer and I'm currently waiting for them to get back to me. I will call Trading Standards tomorrow to see what they say.

With all that lot in mind, does it sound like I have the right to request a refund and whether I have a reasonable case for court?

Is it reasonable that I'm not allowing the store to put things right as imho, they have had so many chances to do so already?

Thanks for any help

NotRichAtAll

ok here is what i think, if the bike was a demo/display model then chances are that it has not been assembled as securely as a bike should have had it been ordered for a customer.
what i feel you have failed to do is inspect the bike fully prior to handing over your wad of cash so you have technically accepted it as is. Almost like "sold as seen" also sounds like you have used it for 2 mths and a few hundred miles prior to inspecting if it was even road worthy so you have probably played a part in the wear to certain components.
test drive a car do the same with a bike. Would i go to court over this, probably not as i think you in some respect are to blame aswell
hope you get it sorted.

robotrobo

NotRichAtAll wrote: »

ok here is what i think, if the bike was a demo/display model then chances are that it has not been assembled as securely as a bike should have had it been ordered for a customer.
what i feel you have failed to do is inspect the bike fully prior to handing over your wad of cash so you have technically accepted it as is. Almost like "sold as seen" also sounds like you have used it for 2 mths and a few hundred miles prior to inspecting if it was even road worthy so you have probably played a part in the wear to certain components.
test drive a car do the same with a bike. Would i go to court over this, probably not as i think you in some respect are to blame aswell
hope you get it sorted.

usually you change the cassette & chain together ,as it can slip cogs if not done together, but if only 220 miles you may get away with it.

Cycrow

robotrobo wrote: »

usually you change the cassette & chain together ,as it can slip cogs if not done together, but if only 220 miles you may get away with it.

thats not true at all. if the bike is looked after properly, a cassette will outlast a number of chain changes.

The only reason you would need to change a cassette earlier is if you continued to ride with a worn chain, as it would start to wear down the cassette as well.

im on my 3rd chain on the bike, and still on the original cassette, and its showing no sign of wear.

each chain had close to 5000 miles on it. Although i do clean and relube the chain twice a week

JJ_Egan

Soga you need to bear in mind that a third party has repaired this .
An independent report from this mechanic may well have helped your case .

NotRichAtAll

robotrobo wrote: »

usually you change the cassette & chain together ,as it can slip cogs if not done together, but if only 220 miles you may get away with it.

and you quoted my reply for what reason?

MoneySaverUK

Cycrow wrote: »

thats not true at all. if the bike is looked after properly, a cassette will outlast a number of chain changes.

The only reason you would need to change a cassette earlier is if you continued to ride with a worn chain, as it would start to wear down the cassette as well.

im on my 3rd chain on the bike, and still on the original cassette, and its showing no sign of wear.

each chain had close to 5000 miles on it. Although i do clean and relube the chain twice a week

This is my take on things too.

I also keep the bike in tip-top condition with regular cleaning, degreasing and lubing with the appropriate lube for the conditions.

MoneySaverUK

NotRichAtAll wrote: »

ok here is what i think, if the bike was a demo/display model then chances are that it has not been assembled as securely as a bike should have had it been ordered for a customer.
what i feel you have failed to do is inspect the bike fully prior to handing over your wad of cash so you have technically accepted it as is. Almost like "sold as seen" also sounds like you have used it for 2 mths and a few hundred miles prior to inspecting if it was even road worthy so you have probably played a part in the wear to certain components.
test drive a car do the same with a bike. Would i go to court over this, probably not as i think you in some respect are to blame aswell
hope you get it sorted.

Thanks for the reply.

I did inspect the bike before purchase but I didn't have any tools at hand to measure chain wear, torque on bolts or wheel alignment etc.

I even took the bike for a quick test ride but 5 minutes around the block didn't reveal any problems. I also didn't have a helmet with me so I didn't go that fast.

MoneySaverUK

As a compromise, I've been thinking about suggesting to the bike shop head office that due to having no confidence in the local bike shop to rectify the issues, I will be happy if another one of their stores looked at the bike.

I will make it clear that if any unacceptable issues arise within a certain amount of time after they sort out the problems, I will continue with my plans to take action.

At least that way, a judge can see that I have acted in a reasonable manner and given the store every chance to put things right.

How does that sound?

NotRichAtAll

I did inspect the bike before purchase but I didn't have any tools at hand to measure chain wear, torque on bolts or wheel alignment etc.

do people do that then? if a wheel spins round then surely its aligned you can see when they are buckled a mile off, torque on bolts wow i have not heard that before, it sounds like you know your stuff so you could really fix it yourself.

I am kind of struggling to take your side in this, you bought the bike in jan 2015, its now july 2015 you have ridden a few hundred miles.
It sounds like you have a few cycling buddies and a 3rd party mechanic close by, most bike maintenance can be done by the owner its not rocket science i recall as a kid making bikes out of mix n match parts, Simply give the shop the middle finger and put it down to experience, fix your bike yourself or with the help of your mates and enjoy it before the winter is here.
is it a racer road bike or mountain bike? i am a keen mountain biker myself love bombing round trails like a teenage lunatic (am 54 now )

MoneySaverUK

NotRichAtAll wrote: »

do people do that then? if a wheel spins round then surely its aligned you can see when they are buckled a mile off, torque on bolts wow i have not heard that before, it sounds like you know your stuff so you could really fix it yourself.

I am kind of struggling to take your side in this, you bought the bike in jan 2015, its now july 2015 you have ridden a few hundred miles.
It sounds like you have a few cycling buddies and a 3rd party mechanic close by, most bike maintenance can be done by the owner its not rocket science i recall as a kid making bikes out of mix n match parts, Simply give the shop the middle finger and put it down to experience, fix your bike yourself or with the help of your mates and enjoy it before the winter is here.
is it a racer road bike or mountain bike? i am a keen mountain biker myself love bombing round trails like a teenage lunatic (am 54 now )

I was being slightly facetious regarding tools

The inspection of the bike didn't set off any immediate alarm bells but as explained in the first post, the issues started soon after purchase. The first issue was noise from the headset which turned down to the bearing not being greased properly, if at all, when the bike was setup. Other issues on the bike bring into question the durability of components.

I could very well give the middle finger to the shop and then try to sort out the issues myself but on a bike with a groupset which is worth around £500, I could be leaving myself even more out of pocket in the long run.