A riders rear wheel was replaced by the bike mechanic but not properly in the drop outs even though it tight.
The rider didn't notice until we rode up hill and his rear freehub was slipping so we thought and the chain went straight into his spokes snapping 2 of them.
Checking his mech I pointed out his rear wheel was not in the dropouts properly as he fiddled with his mech. Quick release adjustment and bike was running fine again except for broken spokes-sorted by another LBS round the corner.
Talking to the pal today, he's miffed and blaming the mechanic who put a new quick release in for him but probably used a stand with the bike in the air.
I told him he should check his bike for safety before any ride which annoyed him (Sorry T!)
I reckon it was 10% mechanic and 90% bike user not checking bike before an epic 50 mile ride I organised!
Who's to blame?
(Ok I might be a bit harsh on him? but I check my bike the day before!)
rider
Rider's fault for needing a mechanic to fit a new QR (!)
he should check his bike for safety before any ride
+1
Riders fault.
Basic stuff.
never! the mechanics fault 100%!
the rider might have no idea about bikes, went in to fix a puncture and come out and the bikes has now broken after not installing a wheel properly.
if i had done that on someones car and put only 2 wheel bolts back in loosely, im pretty sure if you crashed or wheel fell off youd come running or limping back!
my dad had a puncture other day, walked the bike back home and took it to the lbs who sorted it for him. he hasnt got a clue about the bike mechanically so took it to someone who does. he pays them to fix it and give it back in a safe condition not just bash it back together cos hes late for corry!
thats piss poor im sorry
Lol
shop clearly at fault.
Hark at thee "I can fit my own qr, what a hero" idiots.
FFS
i'm with Nick.... Yes he/she should know about the bike but often they dont and take it to someone who does!
He has no mechanical knowledge and had a new wheel or QR put on under warranty!
But at least he saw it early.
I think he assumed the techy sorted but yes if it was a car you'd be suing the garage for causing a pile up.
But it was a QR badly put on.
You realy are a c*ck aren't you al.
Someone thinks different to you so their an idiot.
🙄
So we are 100% sure that no one touched the rear wheel/QR between the LBS and the hill - if so then I'm afraid I'd be having a chat with the Manager/Owner.
But TBH I'd have checked it before riding anyway - rode a demo at the weekend, and double checked the QR's along with bars/stem etc.
LOL at Al - rider goes on 50 mile epic with no mechanical knowledge - yeah right.
Classic.
@Hamish - thats why I was organising as I can fix most things that go bang and get the beginners home at least.
I do think ppl should still check their bike over before a ride.
Ok point taken some ppl don't have any mech knowledge.
I think Zaskar is on the money. It's mainly the mechanics mistake, but a check of your bike before a big ride is a must, and every new bike comes with a booklet telling you how to do that.
I'm surprised the brakes worked properly if it was that far out of the dropouts that the mech ****ed up...
who organised the ride?
where there is blame there is a claim.
Assuming this epic ride was the first proper outing for the bike then the mechanic is to blame. Duty of care to either leave the bike in a safe, usable condition or inform the customer that the bike isn't safe.
I organised the ride...can't sue me for a mechanical but I do have CTC insurance...
The mechanic didn't do his job properly. End of.
Not getting into the issue of whether anyone can do or can't do their own bikes but if you took your car get a new tyre fitted and they put the wheel back on wrong and you had an accident - who's fault would that be??? It's exactly the same - just a different vehicle. I'd be having words with the shop - you paid them for a job to be done right and it wasn't.
The mechanic should have put the bike back together correctly. That is his duty and responsibility. However I trust no other mechanic so always would check it myself.
Rider should have checked/noticed IMO but that doesn't change the fact that it's the mechanic's error.
as a mechanic i would say its the mechanics fault. thats a school boy error. get back to that bike shop.
I strip my bikes down after every ride and check every component for cracks using an electron microscope, of course with all the practice I get I don't need a mechanic to blame for not putting it back together properly.
I stand corrected but still think y=he should have checked it quickly but we had riden 2 miles no probs but it showed up when he was riding up a hill.
One side of the wheel in ok and the other was way off. I'm suprised it didn't give him chain slip but only showed up under greater force.
The rest of the ride he was fine btw.
And I've been texted "told you I was right" lol
Call me whatever names you need to stu, but no way is the shop not to blame.
Do you check everything on your car after it's been in the garage?
Some folk (rightlyy in law, whether you agree or not) apply the same reasoning to bikes.
Can you fix/pre-empt every fault in everything you use?
Did he have a duty of care? Did his conduct fall short of that which you would expect from a trained mechanic? If the answer is yes to both these things and IMO it is then the mechanic is [i]legally[/i] at fault.
Want to expand al? Duty of care and person professing to have that skill and so on?
Mechanics fault all the way ,he was paid to do a job and failed .The riders prowess at bike mending has nothing to do with this .Plenty of us drive cars and know nothing about them so what's the difference?
I called you a cock for the simple reason that you think anyone that dares to disagree with you is an idiot.
"BLAME!" That's such a BBC word 🙄
Clear breach of duty IMO. He didn't do his job properly.
Test is Hunter v Hanley 1955/6
it can be argued that the bloke should have checked it but what is he paying for?
Stu I answered the q from a legal perspective.
It seems to me plenty folk on here want to slag off the noob just because they have a modicum of skill that he lacks. That seems a bit pathetic to me so yes I call them idiots.
If the OP thought that he wasn't capable to fit a part and took it to a specialist bike repairer (LBS) then they should be responsible for there mistake.Thats why he took it to them in the first place.
I think it was cynic-al's fault and they're now trying to worm out of it. We need Fentons!
Rider may well be a numpty for not knowing his arse from his elbow but can't be held responsible for a ham-fisted grease monkey not putting his bike together properly.
Seems to me that you just like trying to play the big man calling people idiots on a fairly regular basis.
(Though you came across different when you mailed me with a question a while ago)
Guilty of doing that where something seems obvious to me. More tactful and scaredy in real life of course.
stu you idiot, don't you know that's how you need to be on the 'net. Now shud up you slag.
More tactful and scaredy in real life of course.
Just as i thought then. 😉
The mechanic should have put the bike back together correctly. That is his duty and responsibility.
Absolutely correct, if I had done that as a mechanic I would without hesitation put everything right at no charge. I wouldn't expect anything less from a shop. An apology should also be given.
However I trust no other mechanic so always would check it myself.
Why not?
Oh no I'm being picked on by the STW bullys now. 😉
Previous posts may not reflect real attitudes or ideals of poster and should not be relied upon to be factual or acccurate.
For anyone to moan about it I find disturbing. It's the shops fault (they worked on it last, they should leave it in a fit state to ride unless they inform the owner otherwise). But as a rider I'd hope anyone would know how to check their QR and ensure it's safe, so ultimately I'd say 50:50.
I have no idea what any of you are talking about but if the rider needed a shop to fit the QR for him, would he know what to look for when checking everything was working ok? I wouldn't have checked the bike either to be honest because I trust the mechanic to know better than me, so I sympathise
Having an internet connection is a pass for being a tool.
I bet even glupton is ok in real life. Even TJ makes a reasonable attempt.
Where's Kasae when you need him? I bet he's have something sensible to add to this.....
Pffft, QRs are for gert big poofers anyway.
Leave Al alone or your all banned. 😡
Bollocks, wrong forum...
Someone who knows how to check their kit probably wouldn't have had to take it to a bike shop in the first place.
If I'd been on the back of that mechanical I'd blame myself, but then I build my own bikes up.
If I didn't know how to fix a puncture/swap a QR out (not sure what it was in for) then I would be relying on the LBS.
Ultimately they have to get it right because they can't assume I know what I'm doing.
Think I'm roughly agreeing with Tandem Jeremy.
ziggy - Member"However I trust no other mechanic so always would check it myself."
Why not?
Too many bad experiences with bike shop mechanics. From wheels built with too loose spokes to hubs rebuilt with missing spacers and 1/2 inch of play to wheels with the lacing of the spokes wrong to being told a special tool is needed to fit a SFN etc etc.
Having said that I cannot build wheels ( apart from a basic rims swap) but if and when I have a wheel built I stress releive it and check tension myself before using it.
Obviously it's the bike mechanic's fault, any fool can see that.
Not sure what difference it makes though, might make the rider feel a bit better but I'm guessing the shop/mechanic is unlikely to fess up to something they don't have to even if they secretly conceed they might be at fault.
The only answer is to never trust the mechanic again, find another shop.
Pffft, QRs are for gert big poofers anyway.
hmmm, I take it from the user name you were a bauhaus fan? which means that you are by default a side buckled pixie boot wearing old goth who minces across a sea of dry ice whilst reading the collective works of HP Lovecraft.
You sir are in no position to accuse anyone of being slightly light in their loafers! 😀
tazzymtb - MemberPffft, QRs are for gert big poofers anyway.
hmmm, I take it from the user name you were a bauhaus fan? which means that you are by default a side buckled pixie boot wearing old goth who minces across a sea of dry ice whilst reading the collective works of HP Lovecraft.
You sir are in no position to accuse anyone of being slightly light in their loafers!
You're obviously right about being into Bauhaus, but the default position is slightly awry. I'm actually 6'2" and built like a brick shit-house, was often seen bare-torso'd, wearing a pair of Walkley's clogs and was usually at the base of a human pyramid in the pit of New Model Army gigs. I also prefer Tolkien.
And, being rather heavy in my 5:10s, I advocate the durability and fat-bastard-proofness of bolt-through. 😆
often seen bare-torso'd, wearing a pair of Walkley's clogs and was usually at the base of a human pyramid in the pit of New Model Army gigs
I've probably stepped on your head at some point in the early 90's then with a big pair of cloggies as well 😀
Should always check your bike before you ride it, QR are the most obvious things to check to make sure your wheels stay on !!!!
tazzymtb - MemberI've probably stepped on your head at some point in the early 90's then with a big pair of cloggies as well 😀
Hmmm *thinks back* unlikely. I was in my pomp in the mid to late 80's. I stopped bothering after the Impurity tour, when my eldest was born. Mind you, if it wasn't you, some other clumsy ****er usually managed it!! 😀
OP states
A riders rear wheel was replaced by the bike mechanic but not properly in the drop outs even though it tight.
That suggests that it was the wheel not just the QR that was replaced, ie, cassette, tyre, tube etc, so the mechanic should have checked gears and brakes work correctly after replacing parts. Surely end of discussion! Mechanics fault for not installing correctly and checking everything is working correctly, but also user should have checked before doing '50 mile epic'
i wouldnt even no where to start to check my bike, i get on it and if its all feels ok i carry on...
so if i walk into a bike shop and ask them to bleed my brakes and i then drive down the big hill out side it and brake then smash into a car. thats my fault for not checking if they had air in them?? because i need to check them in the shop after?? 😉
as i posted before... BIKE SHOP MAN YOU SUCK!!!
Definitely rider.
Unless.
You rode it straight out of the shop and up the hill. Then its the mechanic.
Factors such as transporting the bike/in a car etc etc etc mean you should always visual/readjust after a journey somewhere IMO.
Lolshop clearly at fault.
Hark at thee "I can fit my own qr, what a hero" idiots.
FFS
It has to be said I'm with Al on this one. Not everyone is mechanically minded. Some just like riding bikes and have no skill or intertest in fixing them, which is fine, and how mechanics make money for shops. To scorn someone for little or no mechanical knowedge is, at least, very narrow minded
As to the fault itself, I know that if I've put a wheel back in up on the stand, the very next thing to do is drop it to the floor and reset the QR. That really is schoolboy error on the mechanics part, no doubt about it.
Me? Well, it's fixed now, so I'd go back to the original shop and complain about it in a sensible manner. If they're any good, they'll apologise at least, and maybe you'll use them again. If they come out with a line of excuses, well, that's their loss, there's plenty more LBSs around....
not read most of the comment but a couple of things.
Do we assume here that the bike has not been "bump" put in the back of the car, got in and out a shade between the moment it left the LBS and the ride. I only says that because that's an easy way to move the wheel from the QR. Second what troubles me is that a badly placed wheel in a QR would have lead to brake rubbing, ghost shifting. Third are we sure of the way event have occured (bad fitted wheel that invovled the chain to pop over the cassete)? Could it be that the screw that fixes the upper limit of the dérailleur (see that is the correct spelling of it btw) may have got loose during the ride due to the vibrations (happened to me) thus leading to the chain going over tha cassette twisting the wheel at the same time.
There is a lot of things that bothers me here. So even if the LBS mecanics did not fit the wheel correctly, the user should have noticed something in the first couple of wheel spin. So I would say 50/50 as if it was the lbs error just a look at the rear wheel would have told you that something was wrong (wheel not align with the seat tube).
OR tis is a very good troll
A little old lady rides out of the shop on her hybrid, having had a puncture fixed. Mechanics refitted the rear wheel, but it's not done up correctly. Whose fault is it?
Just because the op has posted this on a specialist forum, where we assume he should/would have the knowledge to check over the bike before riding it doesn't absolve the mechanic of responsibility.
I'm with tj here- it's the mechanics responsibility, but it is sensible to check the bike before riding.
Some QR's can never be made tight enough to work, they are just cheap crap. Also some drop outs are at such an angle that is makes the problem worse. I worked in a shop once that had this problem with a whole model of bike. If you put any power down at all the wheel would twist out the drop out resulting in the same problem. I also have this problem with an old Cinelli road bike i own, i've gone over the bars twice going up hill on it, and it's done it about 6 times, even changing the QR didn't help and getting it proper tight.
Just throwing this into the mix, but from experience it is something that can and does happen, no matter what common procedure is run on assembly.
As Juan says: is everyone 100% absolutely certain that the q/r or wheel weren't moved while the bike was being taken to the start of the ride (eg was it in the back of a car under three other bikes)?
only the OP knows.
Mechanics fault. Especially as you say the replacement was a warranty repair.
I agree that people should "check" their bike before riding, but you can't check every nut, bolt and fastener - you'll just do a few high level safety checks. A wheel clamped into the dropouts would appear firmly attached if you just perform a cursory check.
I'll bet the rider tried out the new QR before going for the ride.
Rider. Always check youre bike before you ride.
Shop's fault, without a doubt. A paying customer has a right to expect his bike to be returned in a safe and rideable condition, surely. Different if he'd has his bars tweaked and the wheel had failed, but the shop fitted the part that failed inadequately.
Paodwan I agree, but just a LOOK would show the wheel is badly aligned.
So as much as it MIGHT have been mecanics error on the first place, the user is as much to blame.
The mechanic is responsible for the the bike leaving the shop in good working order.
The rider is responsible for checking over their bike to ensure that it is in good working order before setting off on a 50 mile ride.
If the bike rider is not 'mechanically minded' as someone posted earlier, what would they do if they had a puncture half way round the ride?
:::sifts through thread,chortles and moves on:::
Anyone I know that's not a 'biker' and buys a bike with Q/R I always ask if they know how to use it, Q/R that is. Most treat it like a big single sided wing nut.
No consensus here, but I bet the rider will check on the next ride
How about having a chat with the LBS, trying to get the broken spokes fixed for free and walking away with lesson learnt from both sides?
I don't think he will go back... 😛
Thing is, it never showed any probs till he was going uphill and the wheel was not completely in- 3-5mm off?
He did drive home using his cycle carrier and then cycled to my house and off we went to meet the rest but swears he never touched it.
I've checked it over for him before we set off and all seems ok and LBS sorted the spokes pretty quick.
I'm popping round to check it for him but doubt he will moan to bikeshop and moan about me if something goes wrong.
It's a bit of both, but mainly the user. Firstly the shop has provided a service that does not meet basic expectations, however the user should also check their equipment prior to use.
Simple way of looking at it is:
'A person has new tyres fitted to their car, the tyre fitters explain that the correct pressures are in said tyres and the nuts have been done up, but that also the user should check the nuts after say 50 miles and also check tyre pressures weekly'.
Driver is involved in RTC where they skid into the back of another vehicle, the police will check the tyre pressures as part of their investigation, if found to be outside of acceptable limits - the drive can be found negligent and charged with "driving without due car and attention"
The tyre fitter has nothing to do with it.
In your example you don't say what time has elapsed between the repair and the accident.
If the driver pulled out of the garage and collided with someone at the next junction because the work had not been completed properly and was the cause. Then the insurance claim for repair would be against the garage. Although the driver may well also face a charge of driving an unroadworthy vehicle.
If the collision happened three weeks / 500-miles later then the garage wouldn't have any liability.
I should've included "At a later date the driver is.........."
Sanity / Tazzy: I saw Ed Allen Johnson (sp?) busking in York last weekend. Gave him a quid for Vagabonds 🙂
I think in this case even a well-meaning mechanic is going to be reluctant to fess up to a mistake because of the length of time/opportunities for it to have come loose since it left his hands. But if this happened while pedalling away from the shop then it'd be a no brainer.