Win!

Hello,

Firstly, allow me to introduce myself; I control all of the spares for cycles exclusively available from Halfords. I’m sorry for the late reply as I had some issues with setting up an account with Singletrack, an issue that they very quickly rectified.

I am sorry that you have had an issue with the 2009 Boardman FS, however we do stock the spares for you and as a result should be able to rectify this issue very quickly.

Flanesnm – Would you please PM your contact details so that I can speak to you directly and arrange the parts to be sent to any store of your choice.

Again, I am sorry for any inconvenience that may have been caused by stores or customer services but I’ll endeavour to get the spares to you ASAP.

Kind Regards

Halfords Technical Support

Now that is great customer service. 🙂

Mr halfordstchnicalhelp,

You need to put an e-mail address on your profile, there’s no PM function.

great customer service, +1.

Hi halfordstechnicalhelp

That’s certainly a great response, and I certainly hope you can help.

I’ve been given a part number and called Dorking H/fords ( where I ordered the bike, not my local store ). We had a chat and we’re pretty sure it’s the wrong part number ( 125578 ) as that appears to be a bearing kit and from the description doesn’t appear to contain the pivot bolt I need.

Just to clarify, here’s a couple of additional photos. The first shows the lower suspension arm in place ( down and right from where the bottom bracket would mount )

The second photo shows where the lower sus arm attaches to the frame and the hole where the pivot bolt should go to hold the sus arm to the frame.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7282943@N05/7181467071/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7282943@N05/7366696158/in/photostream

Added email to profile

Hi flamesnm,

The Frame Pivot Kit does include most of the replacement bolts for the suspension linkages. However, I would prefer to check this first with the Distribution Center where our spares are held.

Alternatively, I believe I can obtain the correct bolt for you by other means.

I will return to you ASAP with an answer on this.

Unfortunately, due to the security filters applied to all Halfords Email accounts I am unable to receive direct messages from outside the business unless these have been cleared by our systems department, a process that can take an extended period of time. A security measure which I’m sure you can all understand.

In the mean time I have setup a temporary email account which will be deactivated as soon as an official Halfords account can be created.

Please PM me your details to:

halfords.technical.help@gmail.com

Kind Regards

Halfords Technical Support

Just a final note on my search for this part. Halfordstechnicalhelp has been as good as his word and sourced the part for me. Should be in the post today.

Halfords do stock spares for all the boardman bikes, so the advice to follow is to be persistant in the shop. If their system says the part is not available, get them to phone the contact number above ans stay with them while they do it.

Now to get a torque wrench…..

due to the security filters applied to all Halfords Email accounts I am unable to receive direct messages from outside the busines

That’s not really ideal for a customer service department is it?

Halfords specialise in whole bikes and do not have the systems set up for spares.

They have bikes in their warehouse waiting months for parts.

It’s not profitable to run a spares system.

Basically the shop is $hit for buyers in need of spare parts.

I’ve got a similar problem with a Boardman Hybrid Comp, needs a new bottom bracket ( 9 months old) & Halfords seem unable to supply or even manage to pick up the phone to update me, as promised…..

I’ve got a similar problem with a Boardman Hybrid Comp, needs a new bottom bracket ( 9 months old)

Surely your LBS would be able to sort you out with a new Botton Bracket? As a ‘consumable’ part I doubt you would get a replacement under warranty.

Neilsea, I think thats pushing customer service, BB’s are rubbish unless you either buy really expensive or maintain the part.

9 months is just normal wear and tear.

What last 2 posters said. BB is generic item and 9 months is 9 times longer than raceface typically last. Get a shimano.

My local bike shop has a nice side line servicing and repairing Boardman bikes for this very reason. Buy from Halfords then go elsewhere to get them fixed seems reasonable to me. I like the guys in my local Halfords shop, and happily buy stuff there, but I’d never consider taking anything in to get it fixed. You want a bike shop for that 😛

They’re doing it under warranty, it’s just getting the part that seems to be the problem.
If I’d known it was going to be so difficult I would have taken it to my LBS. I might still do, if they can’t sort it.

Bike back. New bottom bracket fitted FOC. Hope it lasts a bit longer than the original. Also got two new tyres FOC as the ones fitted cracked around the edges.

Fantastic service that… TBH I wouldn’t have even asked, I’d expect just about any bike shop in the world to say bugger off 🙂

To ‘halfordstechnicalhelp’, if you are still out there……

I too am having major problems getting Halfords to supply me a part for my 2012/ 2013 Boardman MTB Team FS suspension. I am so glad that I am not on my own.

The whole saga can be summarised as follows:

After 6-8 rides, my rear chain stay pivot bolt just dropped out while I was out riding. Halfords have stated that:

1. They don’t stock the bolt (or a ‘kit’ that includes the bolt).
2. Boardman don’t stock (or supply) spares.
3. They can’t give me the name/ company info on who does (as it all goes through Halfords H/O).
4. They won’t give me a contact at Halfords H/O.
5. According H/O, there are no kits available.
6. Their Plan B would be to replace the frame…….. but having got hold of H/O, guess what, there are none available – in the UK.
7. Their Plan C would be to replace the bike…….but, guess what, there are none available – in the UK.

All the time I am without the use of my (EXPENSIVE – to me!) bike.

Although they now think that they have found a bolt (they haven’t told me where from), I can just see piles of grief coming:

– Immediately…….. the inconvenience of having to fetch and carry it to the shop (and return/ after god knows how long?)!
– Long Term…….. if I can’t get Halfords to perform while it is under warranty, what chance have I got when it breaks down afterwards?

Bolts should not just drop out after 8 rides – no matter how hi-tech/ thoroughbred a bike is!

They say it should have been checked before it was handed over to me…. but, on that too, I have a serious issue with the mechanics tightening up the bolts as they hand over the bike (Halfords much vaunted ‘Safety Check’!)……. all this does is break the loctite (assuming the manufacturer put some in in the first place!!) allowing the bolts to work loose later! If they insist on doing this, they should completely remove and re-loctite – every time, bolt by bolt!

What, exactly, is it with the FS……. I now see that there are none for sale on-line – not Halfords, not Boardman, not Wiggle. Mine is the 2012/ 2013 model – it can’t not be available in July 2013, can it?

Is the problem with the bike itself – as some Halfords staff have led me to believe?

Has it been discontinued – as some Halfords staff have led me to believe?

Have Boardman/ Halfords fallen out with one another?

Have Halfords fallen out with the manufacturer/ supplier?

Has the introduction of Wiggle (for the worldwide sales – as I read the situation) alienated Halfords?

Is it the (American) patent issue with the ‘horst’ link?

Is it just that Boardman are targetting the world and neglecting their users in the UK?

There is definitely something going on, I wish I knew what it was and yet, ALL I want is a 2-bit bolt…….. so I can ride my bike!!!

Is it just that the youngsters that Halford employ just don’t know how to deal with issues and are not strong enough to tackle H/O to get what they need…… or identify to H/O to extent of the problem (as some Halfords staff have led me to believe)?

Is it just that Halfords don’t care?

I feel sure that if Boardman knew the ‘state of the union’, that they would call it quits with Halfords!!!

Frustrated, I am!

Please help, in any way you can.

Cheers.

ttfunrider – I think that the 2014 models are due out soon, which is why there is nothing in stock. Same thing happened a couple of years ago when they changed the line up.

As a balance, I have an original Full Sus Boardman, bought in 2009 which is still going strong, with pretty much all original parts.

I think that the 2014 models are due out soon, which is why there is nothing in stock. Same thing happened a couple of years ago when they changed the line up.

basically this, September from what i was told a couple weeks back.

ttfunrider – Member

Bolts should not just drop out after 8 rides – no matter how hi-tech/ thoroughbred a bike is!

Er… Had it been serviced or checked since you bought it? Bolts do loosen as you run the bike in, it’s essential to check it over after a few rides. (Halfords offer a free service with every new bike, did you use it?)

ttfunrider – Member

If they insist on doing this, they should completely remove and re-loctite – every time, bolt by bolt!

I don’t think you’ll find many shops (or mechanics) that do that tbh.

ttfunrider- I’ve got one of these myself and have just replaced the bearings on the back end after 13 months of riding. As you can guess i didn’t get replacements from Halfords as they are “obsolete” to quote the staff. When I pointed out they still had one in stock not 10 feet away from where I stood they said they would ring head office and get back to me. They didn’t.
Not to upset about how long the bearings lasted as 12months seems to be about all I get out of most of my bikes bearings, but it seems to me you are best off sticking to hard tail bike if you do buy from Halfords as the back up required to keep a fullsus’ bike on the trail isn’t there, if you want fullsus’ look elsewhere, shame really as its good bike otherwise.

markrh – I can live with replacing the bolt (or the full bearing set – whatever is necessary) & excluding Halfords completely, if I could source them…….. From where did you source your replacement kit? Did it include the bolts?

didn’t need any bolts just the bearings which are pretty standard and easy to source (£28 for a full set), got mine from a local engineering shop in stafford. that bolt from the back end thats fallen out on yours seems specific to the frame, i’ve not come across one quite like it on any other full suspension bike which is a bit worrying when Halfords are the suppliers… going to put plenty of thread lock on mine.
Have you tried the email link to Halfordstech yet? could be your best bet
mark.

markrh – Tried the e’mail….. no response, which is why I posted here too! Not sure if he’s still out there.

northwind – Ridden it 8 times & thoroughly cleaned & checked all each time. Admittedly, last ride was long – fun until it broke!

Only had it 6 wks so was bang on the 6 wks free service time.

You miss the point w.r.t. loctite…. I’m saying that Halfords staff shouldn’t think that cracking the existing loctite is doing ANY good keeping the bike together (or safe)…. quite the opposite! I agree with you that there is no chance of getting them to remove & re-loctite – as you would a racing motorcycle etc.

I’m saying that, that’s why they shouldn’t be messing with things they don’t understand!

ttfunrider – Member

northwind – Ridden it 8 times & thoroughly cleaned & checked all each time. Admittedly, last ride was long – fun until it broke!

Did you check the bolts? Because you see, there’s a contradiction here, you’re complaining that Halfords said the bolts “should have been checked”, and then you’re saying that checking them causes problems, but then you’re saying you checked it youself? So which is it?

You’re wrong to think that loctite stops working if you retighten- it’s not glue, it loses a little effectiveness if adjusted after it cures but it still provides a lot of bolt retention. But correct torque is better than a freshly threadlocked, wrongly torqued bolt.

I just spoke to the guy at halfords, he gave me a code for the bolt kit and said to quote it in store. The code is 360013 for the boardman fs bolt kit. Hope this helps you.

No contradiction & not wrong; you take a key to them and check for obvious (or developing) looseness each time….. you DON’T crack them to tighten a little bit more (as Halfords, in their ignorance, do!)…. If YOU tighten yr fixings a bit more each time, beware….. that is a slippery slope to you shearing a fixing/ rounding a keyway…… but, as is the way of the world, Northwind; how you do it is totally up to you!

If it is loose, you remove & re-loctite….. to the right torque!

I get your point, though, that checks ought to have picked up if there was a loose fixing…. but there wasn’t, so they didn’t. After 7 lengthening rides, no bolts were loose. However, I would bet that (even) you don’t check bolts (except inadvertently or by sheer luck) mid-ride.

Going forward, if or once I resolve the spares stocking issue (my only real gripe!), I will be removing & re-loctiting all (& regularly)…. and maybe even check them mid-ride!

As you say, if properly torqued & loctited initially, by assembler/ manufacturer and checked, as above, all should have been good!

Oh & it is just a glue….. an acrylic adhesive, to be specific!

Give over, you’re complaining that Halfords checked it, while saying you checked it yourself, yet also claiming the bolt loosened and fell out in half a ride. Fooling nobody frankly. Your check, if all you do is check for movement (ie total looseness) is useless- though tbf I doubt you checked it at all.

Get the toys back in the pram, get Halfords to fix it, and then look after it properly. Any bike will let you down if you let it down.

ive taken disc rotor bolts out numerous times and reused the original loctite and havent died yet, so long as there is still some loctite on the threads there should be no problems, using the right torque settings is more important than loctite, ive yet to see any bike mech re-loctite a thread ,just because they tightened the bolt, all bolts on bikes will slacken off a bit due to vibration, thats why as a user you should regularly check all bolts, specially vital areas, loctite helps, but ive still seen bolts slacken off even with loctite, especially on pivot bolts, they take such a hammering.

markh – superb, thanks….. I’ll tackle them, with that little gem, on Saturday!

steviecapt – not what Henkel advise, but at least I now know how much of a ‘hammering’ the pivots take.

Northwind – if I, eventually, get the bit, I will do it my way…. tara!

ive made a few pivot bolts for friends in the past as im a tool maker by trade, if you talk nicely to some people on here, im sure some one would gladly help and make you one up, the main problem ive found with some of these oem parts, is that the thread tolerance is not that good, so sometimes even with threadloc these bolts will in time loosen off, especially on full sus bikes, where the linkage takes such a hammering, all it should take is a quick check over the main areas, ive had no problems with re-tightening of bolts with loctite on them, then coming loose due to breaking the loctite hold as you put it, loctite is used to help stop bolts vibrating loose, its not used as a glue,ive found using plumbers p.t.f.e. tape works just as good, especially on some of these cheaply made parts, where the threads are not exactly made to tight tolerences.