WWSTWD? Bike shop mangled bb cup thread

Investigating a pedalling creak, I removed my cranks and bb, and found the left cup, which has never been out of the frame from new, looked like this…

This bike is just over a year old, from a UK brand where they build up the bike themselves to custom spec, rather than a big name who builds them in a factory.  It’s obviously been cross threaded, then removed and put in straight. The bb shell is perfect, I ran another identical bb cup in by hand almost all the way. Only needed nipping up with the tools as it should.

Now, it’s only a 16 quid part, so I’m not too fussed about putting a new one in myself. But on the other hand I feel like the brand should know that one of their bike builders failed a very basic job.

So what would STW do?  Do I mail them the photo with a polite “I think your spanner guy/gal could do a better job”? Should I put on my Daily Mail Compo face?  Or just bung another bb in and forget about it?

BTW, in case anyone feels like naming the brand in the thread, please don’t. Not without me contacting them first to see what, if anything they decide to do. 

Email them with the pic

Don’t accuse

Just use fact

No “I think”

Hi

Removed my BB and the threads are damaged. The shell is fine. It’s not been touched until now since it was built by (inset company and), can you help me please?

Signed

X

And seeing as you have a bb that went in by hand, shove that in and ride your bike

And seeing as you have a bb that went in by hand, shove that in and ride your bike

Then I’d have to put a new bb in the bike that one came out of 🙂  But that’s what I’m erring towards.

Just refit a new one and go ride, trying to ignore intrusive thoughts about what else that mechanic did to your bike during the assembly process…

yup, replace BB, it would be due soon anyway

and who knows why the thread was damaged, perhaps the female thread wasn’t ideal, the short and tall of it the mechanic fixed the situation at no real detriment to anything

Just refit a new one and go ride, trying to ignore intrusive thoughts about what else that mechanic did to your bike during the assembly process…

I’ve already had every other part of the bike apart for one reason or another, either upgrades/changes or servicing. Surprised I hadn’t had the bb out before now. Up till this, I’d been pleasantly surprised at how well it had been put together. Everything torqued right, grease and anti-seize used appropriately.

Email them with the pic

Don’t accuse

Just use fact

No “I think”

Hi

Removed my BB and the threads are damaged. The shell is fine. It’s not been touched until now since it was built by (inset company and), can you help me please?

Signed

X

This. Although I’d probably leave off the kiss at the end. 😉

I would message them and tell them that they did a great job of building your bike. Just one small problem is that it had a minor creak . On inspection the bb cup has been cross threaded during assembly . Is there any chance that you can send me out a replacement. Thanks

Ordered a new bb but also emailed the photo to the brand with pretty much what @bikerevivesheffield wrote above. Worst case, they say piss off, best case I end up with a spare bb. Can’t be bothered to take it in to their nearest branch for them to deal with it, it’ll cost me more in parking than a new bb.

Tell us who it is so we can go and hammer frozen sausages in their lawn…

Edit: wrong thread possibly 🤔😉

Let’s see how they respond. I’m not going to name and shame if there’s nothing to shame.

Customer service isn’t about not making a mistake, it’s about how you handle it when you do.

TBH this appears no harm, no foul. I’d just change it out and forget about it. Particularly when you’ve used the bike so much that you’ve had pretty much everything else on the bike apart, and winter and spring this past year has been especially minging.

It’s only the first couple of threads. The next 4 or5 will have held it fine in my view.

Seriously, don’t waste your time.

It’s only the first couple of threads. The next 4 or5 will have held it fine in my view.

Oh, absolutely, I know it’s not affecting it mechanically in any way. Just I think a pro bike builder should do better. i wouldn’t have been comfortable sending a bike out to a customer like that, I’d have put another bb in.

Not saying you are wrong, but I’ve had threads like that before where the first few threads have seized up, and ripped out some of the tread when removing the bolt.

Life is too short to worry about that when you’ve still had a year’s use out of it and if there’s no damage to the frame.

If the creak has only just started after a year, I’d not assume there was any practical problem with the BB cup.

But if the damaged threads are an incidental discovery (and the creak was something else) and it really bothers you, just send them a neutrally worded email as suggested.

Put a new BB in now. You’ll have to get one at some point. It’s good practice to keep one in stock FYI

Ask on here for the CEO contact details.

Ots the only way.

If count yourself lucky, Balfes set up my Trek with the Knock lock misaligned so the handlebar rotated about 160 degrees to the right but only about 3 degrees to the left!

Would have been utter nightmare if I hadn’t spotted it whilst trying to get the damn thing through the front door

Well the frame is fine, the bb held fine as there was plenty of thread left. I would just go, ‘pfft’, put a new one in and crack on.  No point worrying over the ‘what ifs’.

After a year, with no damage to the frame they will probably laugh you out the door tbh. Not saying they didn’t cock it up, but given you’ve worked on every other part of the bike since then, are they honestly going to believe/not argue you haven’t also had the bb out as well?

for a 16 quid part I wouldn’t even waste my time with a trip to see them

Total non-issue IMO

If the creak has only just started after a year, I’d not assume there was any practical problem with the BB cup.

Yeah, it’s not that  whilst the threads have been damaged, the cup was in fully and tight.  The drive-side, however, was only hand tight  so it could have been that

But if the damaged threads are an incidental discovery (and the creak was something else) and it really bothers you, just send them a neutrally worded email as suggested.

Which is what I’ve done and fitted a new bb myself.

After a year, with no damage to the frame they will probably laugh you out the door tbh. Not saying they didn’t cock it up, but given you’ve worked on every other part of the bike since then, are they honestly going to believe/not argue you haven’t also had the bb out as well?

They don’t know that.

for a 16 quid part I wouldn’t even waste my time with a trip to see them

I’m not, as I posted earlier.

Honestly how do you expect companies to improve their practices if customers can’t be bothered to complain about stuff, I’d personally be ashamed of myself if I did that to a BB and would definitely put a new one in, I think it’s a case of “they won’t notice so sod it”, that’s bad attitude and disrespect to the customer, a future customer might not be so lucky and have bigger issues. Plus it’s always worth complaining, the amount of free stuff and vouchers I’ve received is quite impressive and not just bike related stuff, their response is also an important gauge of whether they deserve your future custom or not. And it’s not exactly an exhausting effort to send an email with a couple of pics attached so I don’t get the attitude of it’s not worth the effort, ironically from people who go to the effort of replying to forums and probably this comment too 😀. Rant over.

That’s how I’m seeing it partly. As stated above, I’m not worried about fixing it, or putting in a a new part.  It’s more about feedback to the brand that one of their builders (who they should be able to identify from the order number) was a bit lax and might need a pointer. That pointer being, run a bb in by hand so you can feel if it’s skew, don’t use tools to start.

Feedback is important, sometimes because they may even suspect that there is a problem but lack enough evidence to do something about it.

Also how they respond to it gives you a great idea of what sort of company they are.

I fed back to Muckynutz about an issue with their rear mudguard and got a reasonable response from them about the problem, which I believe they’ve now fixed. Though they did miss an opportunity to turn me into a loyal customer and now I use a different brand.

New (purchased) BB arrived yesterday, and that went in by hand with ease as it’s supposed to and just needed nipping up with the spanner.

But it’s now 48 hours since I emailed Ribble to let them know about it, and Ribble have not responded other than an auto reply. So I think it’s only fair to now name Ribble as the brand with a slightly sloppy builder. If Ribble would like to get in touch and provide a new BB I’d be more than happy to accept a spare. But mostly I’d just like Ribble to train their bike builders a little better.

I think it’s only fair to now name Ribble

Gentlemen. Prepare your frozen bangers!

Not responded to an email ion 2 days it not really that bad is it.  Why don’t you phone them up if the matter is urgent to you?

Can’t work out if this is a joke or not

Gentlemen. Prepare your frozen bangers!

If the first one goes in damaged make sure it’s removed and another fully intact sausage hammered in!

Not responded to an email ion 2 days it not really that bad is it.  Why don’t you phone them up if the matter is urgent to you?

a) it’s 2024. If you provide a customer service function via email, you should respond to it

b) did you read the thread?

Can’t work out if this is a joke or not

It’s not. Are you happy to have £6000 bikes delivered with damaged parts?

Gentlemen. Prepare your frozen bangers!

Sounds painful.
#

Are you happy to have £6000 bikes delivered with damaged parts?

I agree it is poor, and I agree I would not have pulled a BB to check – that is what the £6k is for.

What I would have done if I had the luxury of £6k is go to one of my three LBS’s rather than online. I know this is after the fact, and it is not a dig, but having had poor online bike buying experiences I personally now prefer to do it locally with folk I know the name of.

£6k for a Ribble? Oof!

You’re being a bit dramatic with the name and shame though OP.

It’s not putting me off, because I wasn’t gonna buy from them anyway. I’ve not liked their attitude in previous dealings.

What I would have done if I had the luxury of £6k is go to one of my three LBS’s rather than online

A not unreasonable point of view. However, I had quite specific requirements for this bike (titanium gravel/endurance bike, full Ultegra DI2) that very few people do. The only option from my LBS was Enigma which was out of my price bracket.

I think it’s shoddy workmanship, and you’re right to bring it to their attention, but as you’ve no doubt pointed out to them in your comms, that it’ not damaged the frame, I don’t suppose they’re treating it massively urgent. It would be nice to get a reply sooner rather than later, I agree, but it’s not the end of the world.