I bought a new bike at the begining of the summer (mid June ish) in a sale, £1400 down from £1800, very happy with it, just what I wanted etc etc etc. Rode it 5 or so times in June.

Then I went away for work, and it followed me about a month later, about 5 rides later in early August the rear hub bearings siezed, not wanting to bother with sending bits back to the shop, waiting on replacments etc I chalked it up as one of those things and bought some SKF replacements. While bored one night I striped the bike down to make sure everything was greased, torqued up etc, etc. The headset was looseball and siezed, the BB took some perswadeing to free up but did move again if a little notchy, everythign else seemed fine.

Now the rear brake mysteriously pulled to the bar on a downhill (not overheated, not lost a pad, just lost all pressure, at the bottom of the hill on the fireroad it pumped up again and seemed fine, although the bite point now seems a bit inconsistent and migrates in/out over a ride. The free hub went on the same decent (about 15 rides old now), locking the rear wheel, ironic seeing as the back brake didn’t work!

E-mailed the shop early this week saying I want a refund as for the money I didn’t expect to have to spend as much time as this fixing it and I’m not prepared to spend half the value of the bike again on reliable wheels/headset/BB/brakes when it’s only had a months use! The list of faulty parts is longer than most bikes I’ve owned for years!

Am I within my rights demanding a refund? Or could they claim they’re minor faults and they’ll fix them*. They’ve not got back to me despite usualy being really quick on the e-mails so I’m going to follow it up with a phonecall on Tuesday if nothing happens and just want to be sure I’m not being unreasnoble.

*[edit] I don’t want another looseball headset and craply designed rear wheel which’ll fail again, especialy with winter on the way, hence wantign a refund.

So you have bought a cheap to mid range bike gave it some use and the cheaper components are now wearing. You now decide you would like your money back and maybe get a newer more in vogue model to match the ones your mates are getting, that’s nice and new and shiny!

Thats how I read it and I’m not a retailer trying to make a living in the harsh times. Looking at the above if that’s what I would have to deal with I’m glad I’m not a bike shop!

If you did not want a crappy headset and cheaper hubs and bottom brackets then it would have been up to you to upgrade straight away from new or go for a higher spec model. I’m sure you will know though that most big brands use cheaper headset, hubs and wheel builds to keep the cost down and then stick and X9 XTR XO rear mech on. Then stick a £5 loose ball headset on and some loose ball bearing no brand hubs.

You should have build a bike up if you are going to be giving it serious use and stick. You can’t expect the shop to rectify your laziness in that respect. Its a bit like buying a people carrier and then using it as a van for work.

So you have bought a cheap to mid range bike

£1800 is mid range? Which plannet do you live on?

gave it some use

15 rides is considdered the lifetime of a product costing that much?

wearing

failed would be a better decription

newer more in vogue model

Nope, I’d just not buy from that manufacturer again.

match the ones your mates are getting

Actualy, was thinking of doing the oposite, the singlespeed is due a replacemnt so the next bike will probably be another SS, but 29’er, none of those in our group IIRC. And bessides, no one in the club had one of these bikes anyway, so hardly keeping up with the Jonses!

that’s nice and new and shiny!

It’s 15 rides old, it’s still very new and shiny on the outside.

loose ball bearing no brand hubs

actualy they’re cartridge bearing, if they’d been cheepy shimano like my other bikes they probably still be going!

You’ve already spent money and only now you’re going to give them a call for authorisation? No chance, they’ll more llikely ask for the original parts back to see what the problem is (as they should)

Also, you’ve managed to ruin basically every bearing on the bike?? Pressure wash much? and how are they supposed to refund you for part of a bike anyway?

The back brake just sounds like it needs a bleed.

I don’t buy into the ‘hard times’ stuff above, but if you buy a bike you really need to deal with the shop before going off and doing your own thing when it comes to warranty issues

Better ask a medical professional for advice on this one, no point speaking to a bike shop!

😉

if you buy a bike you really need to deal with the shop before going off and doing your own thing when it comes to warranty issues

+1

£1800 is mid range? Which plannet do you live on?

one where top of the range bikes cost £4k 😉

Pressure wash much?

nope, nothing more powerfull than a bucket of water.

one where top of the range bikes cost £4k

yes and a ferrari costs £1million, should my focus last 5 minutes as it ‘only’ cost 5k?

You’ve already spent money and only now you’re going to give them a call for authorisation? No chance, they’ll more llikely ask for the original parts back to see what the problem is (as they should)

No, I did the hub bearings myself as someone else pointed out, its somewhere they might have save money. The fact the freehub then failed and isn’t serviceable is what pissed me off!

Do people really spend the best part of £2k on a bike then say “ohh well it was cheep, I’ll just spend another £300 on some hope hub’d wheels” 15 rides later?

that wasn’t the question though was it? And yes, I would expect my Ferrari to last much longer than my Focus

Do people really spend the best part of £2k on a bike then say “ohh well it was cheep, I’ll just spend another £300 on some hope hub’d wheels” 15 rides later?

again, if you read higher up, I said that you should’ve contacted the shop before spending your own money – at no point did I say that the problems were acceptable at this point

Oh ok you are correct! I’m sorry, the shop should give you another bike or hand you 1400 quid back! I’m sorry but I find your post some what ludicrous in regard to what you are expecting or wanting. £1800 for a full suss bike is peanuts in modern terms. Like I said most 1800 quid bikes come with cheap headsets its common knowledge in the bike world. Also like I said cheap hubs and wheel builds too.

15 hard rides on some of the moors I have rode on is more than enough to expose a cheap headset or wheel build. Even bottom brackets the modern out board bearing ones can easily fail in that amount of use from new.

Its hardly the shops fault. You choose the spec and must have known a loose ball headset is a pile of cak and will be a weak point, just the same as a mass produced wheel set made on a machine with cheap bearings. You are not going to get Hope hubs on top qaulity DT, Stans or Mavic rims or a top spec factory wheels set like a Crossmax etc for that price point.

The best you could hope for is getting a year out of them and moving onto some better quality components in those key areas.

THe very best I would do if I was the shop is stick you a headset in the frame have a look at the brake and maybe change the bottom bracket. That is all you can expect with in reason to have done. Anything to the contrary is nothing short of you just trying it on as a Mr Victor Meldrew type of consumer.

I have as much sympathy for you if you think any thing other than I do for Colonel Gaddafi being ousted out of Libya!

Best not click on this then

I would expect my Ferrari to last much longer than my Focus

Given the same usage? Personally I’d rely on the Focus.

Better ask a medical professional for advice on this one, no point speaking to a bike shop!

😆

The best you could hope for is getting a year out of them and moving onto some better quality components in those key areas.

Exactly, they didn’t last August, let alone a year, or even a winter!

Well, since most bike shops offer a tune up a month or so after purchase, and that instead of doing this you’ve chosen to try and do it yourself… I reckon you’ve got no chance

if you have a potential warranty issue, you go to the shop and ask them to have a look – if you decide to pull something apart yourself, buy parts and try to fix it (more likely than not, getting it wrong) then its no good going to the shop afterwards and blaming them.

Well that’s the very best you could hope for. I would expect a cheap no name loose unsealed headset to last about 15 rides to be honest. I have had a few do this on some of the cheaper Bikes I used to have. I never even moaned about it. I just expected it to happen like the sun rising in the morning.

Also I get the feeling that you may be wanting the shop to stick a Chris King headset and hubs on for you too as a good will gesture!

Expect the same components if they do agree to swap them out for you

I think where it is not an obvious wear item such as brake pads it should be replaced/fixed during the warranty period as it is not fit for purpose, regardless of cost. Unless you have broken a manufacturer set maintenance regime.

Full refund, not sure as you have not suffered a great loss such as being without a rideable bike for long periods while waiting repair?

Your position is weak IMO. Go to the shop see what they can offer you. I think after the length of time you have had it to look for a replacement is too much

Full refund, not sure as you have not suffered a great loss such as being without a rideable bike for long periods while waiting repair?

Well it’s now all but a week, so out of a the month I’ve actualy had it with me that’s 25%

Maybe I’m in the minority that expects a brand new bike to function straight out of the shed with nothing more than routine maintenance untill at least the winter!

First port of call should be to return the bike to the bike shop to allow them to rectify the faults.
If you are still not satified that the bike is still not fit for purpose and have satisfied your obligations, you probably have good reason for a claim.
If your first email contains a demand for a refund, you should expect the bike shop to go on the defensive as you’ve probably lost something in the game of negotiation.

Hmmm, maybe I’ll go for the “send them monthly parcels of busted headsets, BB’s, hubs and brakes untill they give up” option.

Id say (as a shop owner) that you should have gone to the shop when you first discovered the problems.
They have a duty of care to customers (if they want to keep you as a customer) If the individual failures are a result of component failure as opposed to maintenance, etc then Id expect a good shop to replace them FOC and then the shop to take up a claim with the manufacturer.
At least strike a deal on replacement parts/upgrades at trade or something.
But speak to the shop and see what they say, you have no recourse to the manufacturers at this point, your warranty is with the shop.
Though having dealt with customers botched repair attempts two years down the line from purchase and having had trading standards shoved in my face, and threats of being sued, to ranting about fit for purpose, etc then Id suggest a polite conversation with the manager will get best results.

Its hardly the shops fault. You choose the spec and must have known a loose ball headset is a pile of cak and will be a weak point, just the same as a mass produced wheel set made on a machine with cheap bearings.

The sale of goods act would tend to disagree with you. Something sold as a “mountain bike” for a price which would have most ordinary people (jurors/judges) gasping and suggesting you could get a car for that much shouldn’t have bits wearing out within a couple of months in the summer (with the obvious exception of wear items like brake pads). Quite clearly not fit for purpose.

The question is how far are you prepared to pursue it. I’d think you have a very weak case for replacement – a rather stronger one for getting all the worn out bits replaced.

So has your bike been with the shop for a week getting repaired or has it been a week since you reported all the failures to the shop with no action on their part?

I don’t think you are wrong to expect a new bike to work but the vendor should be informed of issues and given the chance to deal with them.

2 words:

Wear and tear.

2 words:

Wear and tear.

That’s 6 words, mate. 😉

😀

The OP is right to be disappointed with how the bike has held up.

He has gone about things incorrectly by taking matters into his own hands but should bearings and headsets be failing after 15 rides?

I doubt we’re talking Gee Atherton levels of riding here, probably the normal off roading that 99% of us do most of the time….i’d be hacked off too.

For comparison my £600 Trek 4-series has had nothing fail despite living outside and having been cleaned 3 times since May….i’m gobsmacked that people think its acceptable for the components on an £1800 bike to fail this early into its lifetime.

When I used to sell Japanese motorcycles for a living, road bikes came with a 1 or 2 year warranty. Moto X Bikes came with no warranty due to the operating environment.
Even road bikes had a wear and tear clause as you’d be surprised how many people ride around with their foot on the rear brake and expect pads and discs for free.
The OP has the added complication of repairing the “faults” without involving the supplying dealer and then expecting a refund after several other issues have occurred. Personally, I feel that he should have returned the bike to the shop and asked them to make repairs. At this stage I would have negotiated to upgrade the parts that I believed were not up to my style of riding.
A reasonably prudent person would not expect a £200 bike to survive a day at Cwm Carn but may think that an £1800 bike would be fine. Only the OP knows what sort of riding/maintenance he has done but I would say if you are capable of fixing the problems you should be aware that some low end components will fail faster in use than better spec components.
When making a purchase we all look through the spec and make a mental note of what parts are ripe for an upgrade or you just go the other route and build your own bike knowing what type of riding you do.
IMHO the chances of a refund here are slim unless you want to drag it through the legal system. The “faulty” parts all appear to be wear and tear items. I’d wait and see what the retailer offers and try and work a compromise to get the bike to the spec that you now know you need. This will involve some cash from you.

Matt24k pretty much hit the nail on the head, the only previous bikes I’ve bought complete were halfords brands (a saracen and a carrera 12 and 8 years ago respectively), one costing 10% of what this did, the other 20%, both made it through their usefull lives without much more than drivetrain maintenance and 6 monthly greasing of the hubs! Yes if I’d been to Cum-Carn and thrashed the new bike mercilessly in the rainand welsh grit day in day out I’d be more inclined to accept wear and tear. In reality it’s had what 99% of other bikes get,1/3 on the road going to/from trails, 1/3 its life winching up fire roads, and only 1/3 actualy ‘off-road’!

Apart from the reason I fixed the rear bearings myself was it was a £10 set of bearings Vs £120 in petrol for the round trip to the shop!

had you complained (and possibly had rectified) each problem as it came up you would be in a better position.

From the shops point of view (from what you’ve said) you buy a bike, go off, bit later you go back and say it’s had loads of problems – which i fixed and now i want a refund. at no point have they been given the opportunity to fix the list of faults.

Deviant-acceptable no, but experience suggests this is normal. Raceface external bottom brackets spring to mind, even their higher end 40quid retail stuff often dies after half a dozen rides. As others have said bottom brackets headsets and hubs are often cost cutting areas on otherwise decent bikes

You are on sticky ground here as many of the faults could relate to a poorly assembled or repaired rear hub. A rear hub moving will knock the pads back from the disc giving the brake fault you describe for example. The difficultly will be proving it was knackered before you repaired it and your repairs did not cause the subsequent faults.
The headset could have failed due to poor PDI and assembly or it could just be sub standard manufacture. The BB, as stated above, could just be one of those crappy Raceface units so you’d want something better.
If I were you I would wait for a response from the retailer and then negotiate. I would ask that they have the bike collected and returned if you purchased it via mail order or take it back if you collected in person. Tell them clearly what you believe the faults to be and let them have a written list as well. Keep it pleasant and business like and do not make it personal as it will only make matters worse.
Once they have appraised the situation see if you can come to an arrangement where they replace the faulty parts with better quality items and offer to meet some or all of the additional parts cost but not labour as that will be the same what ever they fit.
Your only other alternative is the reject the bike as not fit for purpose and demand a refund but I don’t think that you’ll get far with that without a load of time, hassle and legal expense.
Out of interest what make, model and year is the bike? I’d be interested to read the spec on it.

Make sure you are nice and calm and feeling rational and a step removed from your justifiable anger

AND THEN

go into the shop and chat to them about what has happened

There are undoubtedly some LBS out there who couldn’t give a toss, or who are plain mad, but I think that most would be concerned that a purchase made from them had let a customer down, and I think most would want to try and put it right for you.

to the OP, a question..

are you a professionally trained, Cytech 2 / 3 qualified bike mechanic?

if not, with all due respect, its always best taking any problems that arise with your bike (within the warranty period) back to the retailer that sold you the bike, and letting a trained mechanic diagnose and resolve the issue

rather than, taking matters into your own hands by doing bearing replacements at home, potentially damaging your hub (freehub failure?) and having the knock-on effect of rear brake issues

as a professional bike mechanic, I have seen first-hand in 20+ years of work, many issues caused by “home mechanics” or “engineers” ‘having a go’ at repairing their bikes 🙁

best course of action is to go back to the retailer, be honest about the work you have already done on your bike, explain the issues, and see if you can reach an agreeable resolution 🙂

thisisnotaspoon keeping his bike dry

All broken bits currently winging their way back to me from the bike shop 🙂

Sweepstake on the new rear hubs life expectancy? I reckon with a couple of wet* Peaks rides planned christmass seems optimistic/pesamistic depending on your POV 😀

*I’m being optiistic, realisticly I’m expecting a bad combination of mud, snow and ice!