Front wheel came off whilst cycling

andygb

Nasqueron wrote: »

The way bikes are designed a wheel cannot just fall out as the frame has a sort of C shaped bit around the axel/QR which fits in like C-. By riding it, you are pushing the frame down onto the axel preventing it coming out.



Given the OP had a failure of metal, they should be given a replacement and potentially compensation for injuries or damage to clothing etc, buying a new bike when the frame has failed is laughable, they should replace the bike or tell them you'll be taking it to a solicitor.


@Pennywise - the wheel fell out because your son was doing a wheelie or lifting the frame up off the axel e.g. to hop up a kerb, again the wheel cannot come out even if there are no bolts at all unless the weight is lifted from the front allowing it to drop out. Again, poor from shop but should be a basic safety check for any rider, I can immediately tell if the wheel isn't properly tight when I lift my bike out of the shed as you can feel it when you put it down so I check the QR straight away.

Exactly this.
I have been a cyclist for over forty years, and a bike less than six months old should not have a catastrophic frame/fork failure as this has.
The vendor should be providing you with a brand new bike or giving a full refund, and compensate you for any injuries/damage to clothing.
You will need to get a solicitor involved.
Best of luck.:beer:

parking_question_chap

Suggest taking a slightly more formal tact, send recorded delivery to the store manager. Make sure you address them by name as they might then be inclined to take a bit more personal responsibility.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/taking-legal-action/small-claims/making-a-small-claim/

Or perhaps if they have a social media page you can make your complaint on there, people sometimes get results that way as the business wants to avoid bad publicity.

BananaRepublic

I would ask for a like for like replacement, or equivalent. This is a big chain, not a small shop, so they have the financial muscle to replace it without blinking which they should do. Writing to the CEO or MD is worth doing, even if it gets passed down the food chain. Be polite but firm. The post by parking above is good, and worth following, plus send a duplicate to the CEO.

Keep_pedalling

andygb wrote: »

Exactly this.
I have been a cyclist for over forty years, and a bike less than six months old should not have a catastrophic frame/fork failure as this has.
The vendor should be providing you with a brand new bike or giving a full refund, and compensate you for any injuries/damage to clothing.
You will need to get a solicitor involved.
Best of luck.:beer:

You do not need a solisitor to make a claim through the small claims court. If they refuse to replace repair or refund, then issue them with a letter before action. You then hit them with a small claims as per the following link.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/taking-legal-action/small-claims/making-a-small-claim/

I would be looking for a full refund and getter a replacement from a proper bike shop. However the retailer has the right to offer a replacement, repair or refund.

Gonzodooda

maisie_cat wrote: »

Most bike shops ask you to bring the bike back for checking/servicing after 2 or 3 months, did you do that? A warranty may require that service and most do.
In the same way that car drivers are supposed to check tires, oil levels etc every journey so are cyclists.
Wheel nuts or QR need to checked regularly, the constant vibration does make them come loose sometimes.
I'm glad you weren't hurt

I think the point is that the bike snapped not that something came loose. I agree we need to maintain our bikes (and cars!) properly but I wouldn't expect a fairly new bike to experience a catastrophic failure like that so soon. Maybe after a decade but inside a year of ownership...?