Halfords can't build bikes properly

Pennywise

Anyone buying a bike from Halfords, please check that they've built it correctly before you ride it.

We've just bought a new one for our son. First time out, he couldn't change the gears properly because they'd not been set right, but I told him just to leave them as they would be reset when we took it back for its 6 week check.

Second time out, yesterday, he was braking hard and one of the front brake pads jammed under the wheel rim. At first, I thought it just hadn't been set properly, but when I jiggled the wheel to try to release it, I was astonished to see the front wheel was very loose. When I looked at the wheel nuts, neither were tight, they were both very loose. I lifted the bike frame and the front wheel fell off! It was clear that whoever had built the bike in store had forgotten to tighten the wheel nuts!

I took it back, and to say the store manager couldn't care less was an understatement! He just said to leave it and that they'd repair it. No apology, no explanation. I told him I wasn't happy as my son could have been badly injured, and he just shrugged!

Wouldn't be so bad, but this is the second time a Halfords bike has been built incorrectly. First time, when he was a toddler, they fitted stabilisers onto a small bike upon purchase, and first time out, one of the stabilisers fell off, causing my son to fall off and graze his leg.

Just a warning to others - check the bikes thoroughly yourself - Halfords seem to be using inexperienced (or couldn't care less) staff to build bikes!