Bike repair dispute and advice

leeboy105

My sister purchased a secondhand hybrid and D lock for £155 from a bike recycling centre and workshop on 19th November 2016. The bikes are fully serviced and have a 3 month guarantee. She used it for commuting, so it would cover about 10 miles per day on average. Bike seemed in good condition when it was purchased. Bike was stored in a shed at home and a bike shed at work so was kept dry and stored properly.

She left the country on 21st February 2017, so the bike was in proper use for about 3 months. After this, I used it occasionally on weekends for short journeys.

Fast forward to Tuesday 2nd May 2017, when I started to us it for commuting. The first day was fine, but on the journey home on Wednesday 3rd May, I noticed some grinding/scraping noises from the back wheel. I used it on the Thursday and Friday and then took it to Go Outdoors to see if they could fix it.

They called me to say it wasn't economically viable to fix it as the back tyre and brake pads needed replacing. The bearings in the hub were pitted and he said it was completely dry so the rear wheel needed replacing. He also said the chain was stretched and worn, which was affecting the cassette.

I took it back to where the bike was purchased on 12th May 2017. He kept insisting it was out of guarantee so they had no obligation to do anything. I stated that less than 6 months had elapsed since the bike was purchased and that it had only really been used for just over 3 months. I questioned if it was reasonable for a back tyre to only last for such a short period of time. He stated although the bikes are serviced, the hub of the back tyre may not have been inspected. Anyway, he said he would have a look at it, but would make no promises.

He called me later that day to say that there was considerable wear on the brake pads and that the chain was worn. He stated this was evidence the bike was used considerably. I queried what the definition of 'considerable usage' was as I knew it wasn't used that much. They offered to replace the back tyre and waive the labour costs. Therefore I would have to pay £32 for the replacement tyre. I said I would get back to him, so they have the bike at the moment.

Should I just pay the £32 and be done with them? Is there anything I can do and is there any recourse regarding the guarantee? Based on what I've said about the usage, should I expect the rear tyre to last longer?

wongataa

A tyre is a wear item and would not be covered by any guarantee. Just buy a new tyre. Some tyres wear out quickly, some don't. Wear will depend on where and how the bike is ridden as well. Also, if the tyres are not kept the correct pressure that will affect wear rates.

leeboy105

wongataa wrote: »

A tyre is a wear item and would not be covered by any guarantee. Just buy a new tyre. Some tyres wear out quickly, some don't. Wear will depend on where and how the bike is ridden as well. Also, if the tyres are not kept the correct pressure that will affect wear rates.

Sorry, it's £32 to replace the rear wheel (I was incorrect with my terminology). The tyres are both new as we wanted more puncture resistant tyres.

Is £32 for a new rear wheel a decent price? Someone suggested buying one of my own and getting them to fix it. I don't have the bike so don't now the size of the wheel, but it's an adult bike.

[Deleted User]

Wheel: £15 - £500
Tyre: £8 and upwards
Chain: £7+
Brake pads: £2+
Labour: Dunno, I've never paid for any.

You might find you need a sprocket as well if the chain's badly worn.

They're all consumables, so whether it's reasonable to be replacing them now would depend on how worn they were when you bought the bike.

keithmac

I paid £45 for a rear mtb wheel not long back so it looks a good price for the wheel and he's fitting it for nothing.

To be fair you've owned it for 6 months so how does he know it was only used for 3 of those..

parking_question_chap

Sounds like you wanted new bike condition at a second hand price.

Doesnt work like that.

System

I cannot believe that we have come to this standard where someone cannot change a tyre, mend a puncture, oil a bearing or find a willing neighbour to do this easy work without resorting to a shops high repair prices..
Everyone used to repair their own cars when I was brought up.We all possessed ramps, axle stands spanners etc. Push bikes are an absolute doddle to repair. Three small tyre levers will remove the tyre and a tin of 3 in 1 oil for any bearing .Bikes are mostly made in China nowadays....so they are rubbish..expect things to fall apart pretty quickly

leeboy105

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Sounds like you wanted new bike condition at a second hand price.

Doesnt work like that.

A few people have made this point, so I'll address it. I'm not expecting them to fully fix my bike. The crux of my issue is how long should the back wheel reasonably last for? Before I posted here, I believed it was reasonable to expect it to last longer. I thought a serviced bike meant the rear wheel would last longer. I'm not expecting them to cover all repairs, brake pads etc or expect a new bike for a the price of a secondhand bike.

I've read a little bit about warranties and guarantees and the sales of goods act in the past. I understand it's different because this is a secondhand item. However, just because an item breaks after the guarantee expires it doesn't mean the shop have 0 responsibility. The crucial point is how long should them item reasonably last for.

Anyway in this case, the consensus seems to be to suck it up and pay. I think I'll contact the workshop and check what type of wheel they're giving me (old or new) and just pay it.

macman

A 3 month warranty means just that. It doesn't get extended for another day for each day you don't ride it.
The tyre has done at least 600 miles through the peak winter months-did it get pumped up regularly during that time? Was the chain cleaned and oiled regularly?
You are expecting a great deal from a used bike. Such a machine would not have the wheels rebuilt when refurbished unless there were obvious issues with them.

leeboy105

macman wrote: »

A 3 month warranty means just that. It doesn't get extended for another day for each day you don't ride it.
The tyre has done at least 600 miles through the peak winter months-did it get pumped up regularly during that time? Was the chain cleaned and oiled regularly?
You are expecting a great deal from a used bike. Such a machine would not have the wheels rebuilt when refurbished unless there were obvious issues with them.

I'm not expecting the chain and brakes to be undamaged, I'm not concerned about those.

What it boils down to is, should the rear wheel last longer than it has done? Has it lasted a reasonable amount of time?

The bike is here btw:

twitter.com/cardiffwheels/status/796820024866574336

agrinnall

leeboy105 wrote: »

What it boils down to is, should the rear wheel last longer than it has done? Has it lasted a reasonable amount of time?

Without knowing the age of the wheel and it's life before it was bought by your sister it's impossible to say. As you've been told, it's a consumable item, so it will have been wearing out since the day it was first used by it's previous owner.