# Bloody Halfords. Inept - no - Damn Dangerous. And Ham-Fisted.



## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2019)

Picked up the new Carrera Crixus today and it is - or could be - a lovely bike for a bargain price.

I know how things get confusing so I'm not grumbling about the long wait for them to sort out the price match agreed by their customer service on two separate emails. For £240 a Claris equipped CX is a good deal worth waiting around for.

HOWEVER....I do know halfords so I took my multitool along with me when I walked down to pick it up and ride my "professionally built" bike home tonight.

Now this isn't a grumble about the individual but the first thing I noticed was the young lady running the workshop on her own wes the same person I interviewed for a cycle store/workshop position a month ago. SO I know that (a) she was new to the job and (b) her exact level which was, and she was quite open about this, very much trainee hobbyist and Halfords seem to have overlooked this and just left her to get on with it. The company's fault not the employee, let me be very clerar about that. I also know it's not her name on the build sheet BIT...first alarm bells rang when she got the ratchet and 5mm hex and swung on the top cap bolt to tighten the bars.

So first job when I got the bike outside - loosen the almost rigid steering and actually tiughten the very much loose clamp bolts. Will have to check the star nut and see if that's still as it should be because it was swung on significantly - but may be a moot point..more on that later...

Ridden like that would have been dangerous, hard to steer and if I hit a pothole the bars would have turned. I'd have been off. 

Next thing I notice when they are faffing around trying to put the price match through....bike builder has left off the front refelector. Not only a legal requirement (being fussy) but on a CX with cantis and a straddle wire. Nothing to catch the straddle wire if something goes wrong with the main cable. Again - significantly dangerous.

Noticing the bell is loose the guy who has since taken over serving since the price match needed a more senior staff member goes to tighten it up but it's already as tight as it gets. Mutters about "you'll probably take that off anyway and they always come with the wrong size" - Nah mate, it's in the wrong place you just need to loosen it, move it to the centre and it'll fit perfectly, but I said nowt since I'm thinking I don't want these people near my new bike.

Also notice the cable hanger is off centre, pulling the bridge off centre and the cantis are not centred. I can sort all this myself no worries, plus the slightly maladjusted front mech so just a minor irritation really. Otherwise it rode fine on a little pootle (I might swap the freewheel for a 32T - think it's a FW, not looked too closely)

BUT....arrive home and fit the nice new red composite bottle cages I bought that match the decals and have a good look round...

THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE ON A NEW BIKE, budget or otherwise! What ham fisted moron has ragged the stem round without loosening off the bolts?

Dangerous build and clearly "don't give a s**t" attitude to workmanship. These photos are off to Halfords, I want new forks for this level of gouging out of the steerer, especially so visible.


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## I like Skol (5 Mar 2019)

2 questions.

Why did you buy a bike from Helfrauds, knowing what you already knew?

Why didn't you insist on having the bike boxed so you could do your own assembly/Pdi?


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## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2019)

2 answers

1) Lot of bike for £240
2) Ease of getting it home plus warranty issues. I've seen a few issues with Claris shifters, no "oh well you built it wrong" argument
Also I expected better from that branch but looks like the guys I know from working with in the 90s who did know their stuff, must have left or not been on shift for my bike

I expected to have to re-PDI it myself, not the steerer to be gouged to bits.
Also doesn't help others who wouldn't have a clue that the bike had been set up dangerously. I wonder how many bilkes like that go out


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## Elybazza61 (5 Mar 2019)

Pays yer £240 and makes yer choice,,,,

Not wishing to sound flippant but why didn't you just order it online and build it yourself? I would presume they would come mostly built only needing a few things doing(that's certainly the case with most Ridgebacks).


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## Elybazza61 (5 Mar 2019)

Apologies (sort of) just seen the above post.


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## Elybazza61 (5 Mar 2019)

Claris can be a bit agricultural but not had any issues with Claris bikes from our end.


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## Smokin Joe (5 Mar 2019)

I think the OP is indicating that he is perfectly capable of sorting the problems himself, but anyone with no experience of cycling would have trusted the store to set it up properly and ridden off on a dangerous machine that could have cost him or her their lives. A bike sold with those faults is inexcusable.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2019)

Elybazza61 said:


> Claris can be a bit agricultural but not had any issues with Claris bikes from our end.


Had a couple of failures on Galaxies recently so googled and saw some grumbles on Claris STI's. Not just that. Everyone thinks that they are a bicycle mechanic so in any warranty issues, Halfords don't know I'm not a numpty whereas if it's something caused by their numpties it's their problem.

I have plenty of experience at the retailer side of mail order / self-build bikes and some customers do have some intriguing ways of building bikes....then blaming the product


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## sheddy (5 Mar 2019)

I wouldn't leave a Halfords store with a bike and expect to ride it home. Maybe walk or carry.


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## roadrash (5 Mar 2019)

sheddy said:


> Maybe walk or carry.



but would you have enough hands to carry all the parts that would probably fall off it


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## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2019)

I thought it felt small but with all the faffing around, and currently riding a Giant that lives up to its name and far too big, just figured it was me just feeling the difference from an oversized bike

It's even the wrong bloody size, 48 not 51

Which makes taking it back for the forks issue more straightforward....


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## Racing roadkill (5 Mar 2019)

I’ve had one or two issues when Halfords have let the Saturday till boy loose on a built bike, and friends have asked me to give their bikes a once over, before they rode them “just to make sure”. Including, but not limited to, a star nut wedged into a Carbon steerer, an expanded plug in an alloy steerer ( not in itself a massive problem, but I’d prefer a star nut was in there), jockey wheels in the wrong positions ( G pulley at the bottom, Tension pulley nearest the sprockets in the cassette ), and gear cables used in the brakes ( no wonder they felt “spongy”). I was picking up some inner tubes at a Halfords a few years ago, and I noticed one of the guys in the workshop was using a torque wrench on a top cap, on a Carbon bike ( which I knew had a Carbon steerer). I had to feign interest, to see if he could explain what he was doing. “I’m torquing the headset up to the correct setting” came his reply, okay, it’s possible he was using a manufacturer supplied setting, rather than just going on finger tight feel / point of play elimination, so I asked where he got the value from, so he kindly removed the top cap, and pointed to the steerer, and said “it’s there mate”. No, you muppet ( I thought ) that’s the max Torque setting for the expander plug / anchor point in the steerer. I’ve also seen forks on back to front. I know the knowledge and experience of the staff can be variable, but wow.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2019)

Actually what irks me most is that we struggle to get footfall at work with some decent "everyday" bikes (Raleigh, Dawes) losing out to Halfords a couple of miles away*. We probably have a worse perception as a "leisure shop that also sells bikes" - public probably think "go to Halfords, they know what they are doing". Yet the budget "Tiger" MTB with no-name cable discs that went out today was built with far more care and attention. Yes, the brakes are low end. I take that to mean not that "well, they'll just be a bit naff" but rather "well, they'll need a lot more attention to setting up to make them work as well as they can"

Maybe I'm just fussy

Maybe my view that what goes through my hands and has my signature on it is a reflection of me and my ability so needs to be the best it can be, is just old fashioned these days

*price of course is a big thing hence my going to Halfords being cheaper than anything I could get even with perks


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## I like Skol (5 Mar 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> I thought it felt small but with all the faffing around, and currently riding a Giant that lives up to its name and far too big, just figured it was me just feeling the difference from an oversized bike
> 
> It's even the wrong bloody size, 48 not 51
> 
> Which makes taking it back for the forks issue more straightforward....


Perfect, get your money back and never return.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (5 Mar 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Perfect, get your money back and never return.


Nah, it's actually a nice bike for the low price. No issues with the bike itself. When I get the right size and build it myself.


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## Drago (5 Mar 2019)

I hear what you're saying, but it could have cost 10 pence and I still wouldn't have walked out of the store with the bike in that state. Being a bargain will be small consolation when something falls off/breaks/seaizes/spontaneously combusts and it kills you.


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## I like Skol (5 Mar 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Nah, it's actually a nice bike for the low price. No issues with the bike itself. When I get the right size and build it myself.


So basically, they might be clueless, dangerous, incompetent morons, but you are still prepared to hand over your money and deal with them?
In that case you only have yourself to blame! Vote with your feet (or wallet) and show them that they are in the wrong. Price isn't everything and if more customers chose quality and service over pure bottom line price then they would only have 2 choices, up their game or die.


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## Slioch (5 Mar 2019)

That story is quite shocking, especially the thought of someone riding away on a bike with loose handlebars.

I'm not trying to defend Halfords culpability in any way, but I have bought 3x bikes from them during the last few years, and all have been set-up ok. I had to do some minor fettling as you'd expect, but nothing that compromised their safety (this is the Foss Islands Road branch, York).

The question in my mind (and I don't know the answer to it) is where the hell in their process is their quality control at the point that a bike is handed over to a customer? Is it non-existent?

Presumably on my 3 bikes I must have had reasonably competent "mechanics" putting them together, so the "quality control" element would presumably be built in to their level of personal competence (as would be the case for any independent bike shop). But if the "mechanic" is inexperienced, and that is known to be the case, then how can they possibly think it is ok to hand a bike over to a customer without someone competent checking it first?


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## Drago (5 Mar 2019)

Aye, I'm all for a bargain but running the risk of death or serious injury to be able to enjoy one is a bit steep in my book. I draw the line at swollen plums.


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## SkipdiverJohn (5 Mar 2019)

Drago said:


> Aye, I'm all for a bargain but running the risk of death or serious injury to be able to enjoy one is a bit steep in my book. I draw the line at swollen plums.



I think unless the bike came from a proper bike shop, not just a shop that sells bikes - big difference, then it's best to work on the assumption that it wont have been put together right and needs a check over before riding.
I've only ever bought two bikes new, both back in the 1980's. One came from a real bike shop, the other one from the staff discount shop of a large company a relative used to work for. In both cases, all I needed to do to be able to ride home was to fiddle around with the saddle and bar heights until I found a comfortable setting. Nothing was missing, damaged or butchered on either bike. Mind you, old school bikes with proper headsets and quill stems are pretty idiot proof, unlike it seems modern bikes fitted with those horrible threadless steerers..


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## winjim (5 Mar 2019)

I like Skol said:


> So basically, they might be clueless, dangerous, incompetent morons, but you are still prepared to hand over your money and deal with them?
> In that case you only have yourself to blame! Vote with your feet (or wallet) and show them that they are in the wrong. Price isn't everything and if more customers chose quality and service over pure bottom line price then they would only have 2 choices, up their game or die.


We don't have much power in this life but in this capitalist society we can at least choose where we spend our money. It does seem a bit incongruous to criticise them on the forum yet endorse them with your wallet.


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## Slow But Determined (5 Mar 2019)

Why didn't you just nick one from where you work?

(Unfortunately I still can't get smileys to work before anybody gives me a morality lecture)


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

winjim said:


> We don't have much power in this life but in this capitalist society we can at least choose where we spend our money. It does seem a bit incongruous to criticise them on the forum yet endorse them with your wallet.



Not if the choice isn't an equal one. £240 on something basic entry level or £400 for something same spec from somewhere else. 
In this capitalist society we don't all have the choice because even £240 might be stretching things. That's how it works


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

Slow But Determined said:


> Why didn't you just nick one from where you work?
> 
> (Unfortunately I still can't get smileys to work before anybody gives me a morality lecture)



They might notice when I turn up on it the next day


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

Drago said:


> I hear what you're saying, but it could have cost 10 pence and I still wouldn't have walked out of the store with the bike in that state. Being a bargain will be small consolation when something falls off/breaks/seaizes/spontaneously combusts and it kills you.



Point being is that (aside from the gouged steerer) anything else was perfectly within my capabilities to resolve and set up better than a Halfords "technician". Buying built was purely for ease of not carrying a big cardboard box 2 miles on my shoulder, otherwise boxed would have been my preference

All that is irrelevant to me, it was always going to go straight on the workstand to set up properly. But to have loose bars and important missing reflector bracket under a canti straddle is unforgivable REGARDLESS of cost and not exactly needing full Cytech certification!

Richard next door might decide to take up cycling and go to a "reputable, well known brand" to buy a bike "put together professionally with x free services"
THAT is the major point. He wouldn't have had a clue about the issues. A friend talked about getting a bike to pootle round Derwent on. Those handlebars would have held on the top cap for a while until a pothole on a descent. THAT is the point. He would have considered the bike professionally built and safe to ride.

Would they only have themselves to blame?


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## alicat (6 Mar 2019)

Don't tell us, tell the Chairman of Halfords.


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## Heltor Chasca (6 Mar 2019)

This is such a strange thread. @Sheffield_Tiger you seem to be a bright individual who knows a fair bit about about the machine, but I just get the impression you have almost enjoyed this negative process knowing full well the pitfalls of Halfords and their staff. You even have a privileged insight into this member of staff. (Something about that doesn’t sit well with me) I can’t understand why you even got this far and why you parted with your cash. I don’t think ‘fussy’ comes into it. It’s just all so odd.

And it’s a bike that costs less than £300. I don’t want you to think I am judging you financially, but that isn’t a lot for a bike despite the good value you keep claiming. Nothing you have said upthread sounds like good value. You are buying into Halfords goods AND services. As others have said, take it back and get your money back. Forget this little episode and put it down to experience. Or lack of.


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## Johnno260 (6 Mar 2019)

I think the main point is the OP can find and fix these issues.

A novice/beginner could miss them and their enjoyment and above that safety could be compromised.

I bought a Boardman Hybrid from Halfords, fantastic bike, the warranty issues I had and the way they were handled were totally not acceptable, I handed the warranty paperwork back to them in the end and used the LBS and have never looked back since.

I bought my Boardman when I first got back into cycling and I was new to everything, I personally wouldn’t use them again.

I got my first roadie from the LBS, paid more but service has been above and beyond, shame the store has closed now as I love my Merida and would look to get another.


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## steveindenmark (6 Mar 2019)

Knowing all the faults why did you even take it and not just complain to Halfords head office by e mail. It would have had more impact.


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## CXRAndy (6 Mar 2019)

I always buy a boxed bike from Halfords. The staff are too busy to dedicate precious time to the finer assembly details. It shouldn't be that way. So If you've got an ounce of mechanical ability, assemble yourself.


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## Venod (6 Mar 2019)

I totally agree with the op and can see why he has posted this (to warn others) and I also agree with him still getting a replacement because the bikes a bargain.

But lets have a bit balance, not all Halfords employ crap mechanics, I usually build my own bikes and sometimes wheels and after 50+ years of doing so like to think I am capable., on a ride on new years day I had a crank come loose, I took it into Halfords, the lad replaced the bolt with a new one and torqued it correctly all for nowt, I have bought stuff off him before and I would have no worries if he a built a bike for me, I would still check it over though as I would a bike bought from a LBS.

Its a bit like saying all cyclists are idiots because you have seen one going through a red light.


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## wisdom (6 Mar 2019)

Just my take on this thread.
If the op finds a bargain at halfords, and it's not for us to comment on what peoples finances dictate their ability to pay are ,yes he may pay more elsewhere.however we all like a bargain.

He should expect a bike that was assembled by them to be.

Safe
Fit for purpose.
That is the real point I think he made.He has the ability to build a bike.That is not in question.The reality is the bike in question was sold to him,and was not fit for purpose.
I have only bought 2 brand new bikes and I chose my lbs.Not for cost,but because they had the ones I wanted and their advice and customer care was brilliant.And I want to support them.

For me its abike that was not fit for purpose, the bike was bought in good faith from a major retailer who many first time cyclists will go to.The cost is not the issue.The standard it was assembled is.
Thanks for posting it and I hope some new or potential customers of halfords read it and ensure they do not get the same issues.They may think that with all halfords advertising it is the best place to buy from.They after all do sell a lot of bikes.
Halfords need to be made aware of this problem at a higher level than the store in the hope that quality safety checks are put in place.
It is just not acceptable for a bike to be sold to anyone from anywhere that is wrongly assembled and not checked by a competent person.Yes an apprentice can assemble a bike but it must in my mind be signed off by someone who is competent.
When I served my apprenticeship I was allowed to service 38 ton lorries but my work was checked.


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## LeetleGreyCells (6 Mar 2019)

wisdom said:


> Just my take on this thread.
> If the op finds a bargain at halfords, and it's not for us to comment on what peoples finances dictate their ability to pay are ,yes he may pay more elsewhere.however we all like a bargain.
> 
> He should expect a bike that was assembled by them to be.
> ...


If a first-time cyclist bought a bike that was not correctly assembled and something happened, it could, at the very least, put them off cycling forever. That is a tragedy in itself. The worst that could happen... it’s the family of the new cyclist that would suffer.


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## rogerzilla (6 Mar 2019)

It's not Halfords in general, it's certain shops that are rubbish. Also, different bikes in their range come assembled to different degrees. My Boardman TC hadn't needed anything doing by the shop, since it was all pre-assembled and checked at the factory - I just stuck it in the back of the car and turned the bars when I got home. They offered me a bell and reflectors, which I declined.

To show that nothing changes, 35 years ago my parents bought me a new 10-speed from Halfords. The front brake lever exploded all over the road the first time I used it.


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## Banjo (6 Mar 2019)

I once bought a bottom bracket from Halfords .I knew what the spacers were for but just out of interest I asked a guy assembling bikes.He told me they were sealing washers and it came with 3 incase you lost one .

I find Halfords good for getting parts but no way would I let them fit anything on my bike.


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## mjr (6 Mar 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> It's not Halfords in general, it's certain shops that are rubbish.


Which means it's half ords in general, in that their quality control is to pot and a chain store is only as good as its weakest link.

Sorry but the OP knew what they were getting: £200ish quid off basically as payment for having the bike broken in store potentially to the point of illegal - for having the bike halforded, in other words. I'd have far more sympathy for a new rider being endangered by that shop and we should keep publicising these reviews in the hope of minimising their number. Friends don't let friends halford.


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## Cycleops (6 Mar 2019)

Like I've always said it's nearly always the case of "Kevin's our bike expert but he's not in today" at Halfords.


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## Paulus (6 Mar 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Point being is that (aside from the gouged steerer) anything else was perfectly within my capabilities to resolve and set up better than a Halfords "technician". Buying built was purely for ease of not carrying a big cardboard box 2 miles on my shoulder, otherwise boxed would have been my preference
> 
> All that is irrelevant to me, it was always going to go straight on the workstand to set up properly. But to have loose bars and important missing reflector bracket under a canti straddle is unforgivable REGARDLESS of cost and not exactly needing full Cytech certification!



I get the impression that although you choose to buy a badly set up brand new bike, you are happy to do the commissioning work yourself when you get home, knowing that the bike is sub standard along with the workmanship to put it together, because it is a bit cheaper. You shouldn't have accepted the bike in the first place. I have never bought a bike from Halfords, knowing that the professionalism of the bike shops I use can be trusted, so I can ride the bike home, knowing that it is fit for purpose before I wheel it out of the door.


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## KneesUp (6 Mar 2019)

I guess the problem with taking a boxed one home to assemble - aside from the issues of transporting a large and awkward box - is that if anything in the box is broken, missing or damaged, you're possibly going to have a hell of a job persuading the retailer that it was like that in the box, and any damage / missing parts isn't a result of your incompetence. Say, for example, that the steerer somehow left the factory like that - OP would have aright time convincing the retailer that it wasn't his fault if he'd taken a sealed box home. And the alternative is unboxing the thing in the shop, which would be a pain for everyone.

Expecting an assembled bike to be safely assembled is that absolute minimum standard one should expect from anywhere selling a bike. No-one buys a car and accepts that they might have to rebuild the gearbox, adjust the brakes and torque up the steering wheel (well, not since BL closed down anyway) and bikes (and all goods) should be the same.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

Paulus said:


> I get the impression that although you choose to buy a badly set up brand new bike, you are happy to do the commissioning work yourself when you get home, knowing that the bike is sub standard along with the workmanship to put it together, because it is a bit cheaper. You shouldn't have accepted the bike in the first place. I have never bought a bike from Halfords, knowing that the professionalism of the bike shops I use can be trusted, so I can ride the bike home, knowing that it is fit for purpose before I wheel it out of the door.



Without bike-snobbery, explain please how the bike (not the assembly) is sub-standard?


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## Paulus (6 Mar 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Without bike-snobbery, explain please how the bike (not the assembly) is sub-standard?


Because as I stated, the bike was not fit to be ridden.
Substandard, you wouldn't buy a new car, get it towed home and then decide to get it up to road worthiness.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

Paulus said:


> Because as I stated, the bike was not fit to be ridden.
> Substandard, you wouldn't buy a new car, get it towed home and then decide to get it up to road worthiness.



Nor would you take a car home in a box and build it yourself which is another thing I am supposedly at fault for not doing.... And I've never worked as a car mechanic. Apples and oranges.

The bike itself, is not substandard (the assembly is) and logically it made more sense to take home and set it up knowing that I could do so to a higher standard than Halfords can. Rather than let someone who couldn't fit a bell loose on it to wreak more havoc. And I would have done so quite happily if the steerer wasn't damaged (which wasn't noticed until I got home)

And again, missing the point, it's not really about my particular bike - this bike hasn't killed me or injured me because I could see the issues. Not everyone would. Not off the street and I am guessing, not necessarily on this forum!

It's not the customer's fault for the store releasing a dangerous bike and not the customer's responsibility to be a bike technician to buy a bike and inspect it.


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## vickster (6 Mar 2019)

Have you made a formal complaint to Halfords? Store and head office level. Do so or the staff will not be upskilled

I’ve not bought from Halfords, I did from cycle Republic and no complaints (other than I had to hang around for several hours while they built the bike properly / carefully as it wasn’t ready)


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## mjr (6 Mar 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> It's not the customer's fault for the store releasing a dangerous bike and not the customer's responsibility to be a bike technician to buy a bike and inspect it.


No, that's the shop's fault. It's the customer's fault in this case for still buying from a famously dangerous dealer. Whether it's a good bike or not is largely immaterial when they're the sole dealer - you know that every Carrera is at risk of being halforded before you get it. In this case, you get what you pay for.

Now please go complain, long, loud and hard, in the hope that they have to fix it and stop cutting corners. Edit: but of course, training properly and doing the work properly is likely to put their prices up.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

vickster said:


> Have you made a formal complaint to Halfords? Store and head office level. Do so or the staff will not be upskilled
> 
> I’ve not bought from Halfords, I did from cycle Republic and no complaints (other than I had to hang around for several hours while they built the bike properly / carefully as it wasn’t ready)



Yes, I will be doing so. I just thought that the almost farcical level of service deserved a review as I would certainly advise anyone without the skillset to spot and rectify issues to be extremely wary


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2019)

Lately, according to ads I see online, our local stores have been having bicycles assembled, as with other things, by a third-party place that does other assembly jobs. I have a friend who works at a local big box store, who asked me what i thought of the new bikes. We walked down the rack, and I pointed out backwards forks, brakes on the wrong side of the fork, missing hardware, etc. He showed me a dual suspension bicycle , impressed at the goods for the price. I told him it looked rather dangerous, as the brake cable braze-on was right where the rear suspension could mash it on a big drop, and lock up, or lock out, the rear brakes. The problem with retail, when it's not your name on the door, is the same with responsibility; it's not your name on the door. It is almost impossible, once you get past a half-dozen outlets or so, to know what is going on in any one store at any one time. And your customer service is only as good as your management. If you don't pay your help an honorable wage, how can you expect them to take the job seriously? This problem goes beyond Halford's. It's world wide.


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## fossyant (6 Mar 2019)

I'm outraged at all the outrage on this thread. 

I shall go sit in a quiet corner.


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## Globalti (6 Mar 2019)

This is why I will never allow some muppet in a shop near my bike.

Except the very excellent mechanic who built my bike and got it so right that I've never had to change anything but tyres, chain and brakes.


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## I like Skol (6 Mar 2019)

Globalti said:


> This is why I will never allow some muppet in a shop near my bike.
> 
> Except the very excellent mechanic who built my bike and got it so right that I've never had to change anything but tyres, chain and brakes.


I have had a few new bikes over the years and have always had to do something in the way of 'finishing' to get them up to my standard, some much more than others.
There was one exception however. The first roadbike I bought was from DJ cycles in Ramsbottom, and it was set up perfectly, straight from the start. No indexing adjustments needed, no stupid long cable housings flapping around, never even had to true the wheels on that bike, which is unusual for a GT so not sure if he had worked his magic on them as well? I think he might have shut up shop now, sure I heard something to that effect recently???


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## fossyant (6 Mar 2019)

Globalti said:


> This is why I will never allow some muppet in a shop near my bike.
> 
> Except the very excellent mechanic who built my bike and got it so right that I've never had to change anything but tyres, chain and brakes.



I've bought 3 bikes from Halfords - 2 came in a box, the other had been 'on display' and was shop soiled. Saved a bloody fortune, and expected to have to pay for something - the shop had somehow over tightened the chain ring bolts, stripping the threads on the chain ring (SRAM bolt direct into the chain ring). That cost me £50 for a new chainring as it was more hassle going back to the Halfords to drop it off, wait for a repair, then collect it - the store was 10 miles away and I'd impulse purchased the bike.


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## Sniper68 (6 Mar 2019)

There are only two people I trust to work on my bikes.....me and a friend of mine who happens to be a bike mechanic...at Halfords,Queens Road,Sheffield.He was a mechanic at JE James for many years before that.
There are many,many horror stories from other local Halfords though


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2019)

I see better stuff roll out of the bicycle co-op than at most department stores. but we have a checklist, and inspectors/test pilots.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

Sniper68 said:


> There are only two people I trust to work on my bikes.....me and a friend of mine who happens to be a bike mechanic...at Halfords,Queens Road,Sheffield.He was a mechanic at JE James for many years before that.
> There are many,many horror stories from other local Halfords though


And at Orbit Cycles before that in the early 90's? Yep, I think I know who you mean ;-)


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## Phaeton (6 Mar 2019)

Sniper68 said:


> He was a mechanic at JE James for many years before that.


No disrespect meant to your friend, but if my experiences with JE James's spanner monkey's are anything to go on, that is not a recommendation.


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## fossyant (6 Mar 2019)

Wills Wheels in Stockport build bikes up properly. Mine was perfect when it arrived.


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## Milkfloat (6 Mar 2019)

Phaeton said:


> No disrespect meant to your friend, but if my experiences with JE James's spanner monkey's are anything to go on, that is not a recommendation.



Assuming the spanner money is also the guy who reboxes the bikes then I agree. I had to send one back that was massively scratched and setup really badly.


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## Sniper68 (6 Mar 2019)

Phaeton said:


> No disrespect meant to your friend, but if my experiences with JE James's spanner monkey's are anything to go on, that is not a recommendation.


Same here.
I stopped using JE James Rotherham 13 years ago and haven't used the Sheffield branch in over 10 years.Had lots of issues including badly built bikes from them.One particular "mechanic" at Rotherham has a very poor attitude.


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## Moodyman (6 Mar 2019)

My local Halfords has an excellent bike mechanic. He had many years at renowned local bike shops - Chevin Cycles amongst others.

At Halfords he works in the car section and specialises in paint mixing.

Go figure.


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## fossyant (6 Mar 2019)

In the end, most of the jobs are retail sales - you rarely get to deal with a mechanic. I remember buying my wife's bike from Evans. The sales staff weren't that helpful, but the 'mechanic' was great (he was dealing with our sale). The only problem he had was that he couldn't work the till properly.


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## KneesUp (6 Mar 2019)

fossyant said:


> In the end, most of the jobs are retail sales - you rarely get to deal with a mechanic. I remember buying my wife's bike from Evans. The sales staff weren't that helpful, but the 'mechanic' was great (he was dealing with our sale). The only problem he had was that he couldn't work the till properly.


I used to train people to use EPOS systems, and I built my own bike up. I didn't realise this was a unique skill set :-)


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## Shearwater Missile (6 Mar 2019)

Reading the OP it reminded me of my first dropped handlebar bike which I had from new in 1972 as a 13 year old. It was a new Raleigh Olympus which I rode home the 13 miles or so from a one man bike shop in Stowmarket who had been in business for years. That bike I cycled miles on and never had to check anything except brakes, a bit naive perhaps. When I left the shop to cycle home I did`nt even think about checking anything. I put my trust in a man who knew his job. I am sure there are still good mechanics out there and of course this goes for car mechanics also. You put your trust and life in their hands. I am sure Halfords are not unique and sad that perhaps they are given such bad reviews. At the end of the day it comes down to staff attitude and training.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2019)

Schwinn, above and beyond the bicycles themselves, had a string of dealerships, in purpose built buildings, like a franchise. Staff had expertise well and above their cunning marketing efforts(which, for many years, led Americans to view a bicycle as a children's toy) and you knew, you were going to get a durable(extremely heavy) bicycle, well set up and adjusted. This was what put them ahead of Ross, Columbia, Huffy, etc. I did live close enough to Chicago that you never knew when a Schwinn family member might drop in for a spot inspection. What hurt them was lighter bicycles, and adults riding them more. An old track racer from town set himself up in business selling used and new, better bicycles, for less than Schwinns cost. But he knew his stuff. "Little" was an expert in all aspects of cycling, especially storytelling. He sold out to a friend of mine from school, and the shop is still going strong. Sales, selection, service, these three, but the greatest of all is service.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2019)

This last one shows the thinking behind this, a note to the dealers.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (6 Mar 2019)

KneesUp said:


> I used to train people to use EPOS systems, and I built my own bike up. I didn't realise this was a unique skill set :-)


It's not.

I started at my work as the cycle technician and currently I'm heading up the integration of a new omnichannel website/moto/epos system. The two must go hand in hand


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## Shearwater Missile (6 Mar 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> View attachment 456217
> View attachment 456218
> View attachment 456219
> This last one shows the thinking behind this, a note to the dealers.


 The Schwinn Mk 2 Jaguar looks the same shape as by first bike in about 1970 only it was a Puch, who used to make mopeds I believe from somewhere in Europe possibly Czechoslovakia ? It was a strong bike, judging by the times I fell off it. Never sure if it was a boys or girls bike as it had a curved top tube or tubes as I think there were two. My memory is a little hazy.
Just found out that Johann Puch was Austrian from Graz.


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## Rusty Nails (6 Mar 2019)

This is the Halfords I had my first 'proper' bike from in 1958.

You can just tell from the look of this man that he knew what he was doing.


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## Shearwater Missile (6 Mar 2019)

Rusty Nails said:


> This is the Halfords I had my first 'proper' bike from in 1958.
> 
> You can just tell from the look of this man that he knew what he was doing.
> View attachment 456261


It looks like the cycle shop equivalent of Arkwright`s !


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## classic33 (6 Mar 2019)

Rusty Nails said:


> This is the Halfords I had my first 'proper' bike from in 1958.
> 
> You can just tell from the look of this man that he knew what he was doing.



Manager Mr Joe Simmonds from Cromwell Street
View attachment 456261


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## Rusty Nails (6 Mar 2019)

classic33 said:


> Manager Mr Joe Simmonds from Cromwell Street
> View attachment 456261




Are you from Merthyr?


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## classic33 (6 Mar 2019)

Rusty Nails said:


> Are you from Merthyr?


Nay lad, Yorkshire. The West Riding.


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## Rusty Nails (6 Mar 2019)

classic33 said:


> Nay lad, Yorkshire. The West Riding.



Is there a way of searching photos online?


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## classic33 (6 Mar 2019)

Rusty Nails said:


> Is there a way of searching photos online?


Google, right click and select search for this image.

I went with "early halfords shops".


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## Phaeton (6 Mar 2019)

classic33 said:


> Nay lad, Yorkshire. The West Riding.


W.R.C.C. Now go wash your hands


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2019)

Shearwater Missile said:


> The Schwinn Mk 2 Jaguar looks the same shape as by first bike in about 1970 only it was a Puch, who used to make mopeds I believe from somewhere in Europe possibly Czechoslovakia ? It was a strong bike, judging by the times I fell off it. Never sure if it was a boys or girls bike as it had a curved top tube or tubes as I think there were two. My memory is a little hazy.
> Just found out that Johann Puch was Austrian from Graz.


We used to see a few Puchs' thanks to the Sears catalog, which offered them, and the mopeds. Puch was a buy-up from their regular 3-speed. My Dad had a Raleigh 3-speed, but, when I was a kid, he was the only adult male I saw riding a bicycle regularly, and he rode, and trained us to ride, not on the sidewalk, but on the street. My mother also had a bicycle, as she sometimes had to go farther than she could walk. Driving a car never crossed her mind.


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2019)

I still see a few Puch mopeds, mainly the 30 mph variants, around here. They sold well for Sears. Here's a guy fixing one up on YouTube

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_S4Tr0WhRU&list=PLZJS6Md1UOg0NLboAwLbwZH_wFvSVenYH


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## roubaixtuesday (6 Mar 2019)

People often ask for advice on what bike to buy. 

I always say:

1. Most important thing is the shop you buy it from. 
2. Then what sort of bike do you want
3. Then what's your budget. 

The OPs experience reinforces all my prejudices.


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## classic33 (7 Mar 2019)

Phaeton said:


> W.R.C.C. Now go wash your hands


Never played cricket.


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## Venod (7 Mar 2019)

roubaixtuesday said:


> People often ask for advice on what bike to buy.
> 
> I always say:
> 
> ...



In the ops case I suspect no 3 and 2 came before 1.

But for somebody with no knowledge of bikes I would agree with you.


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## Johnno260 (7 Mar 2019)

Shop you use is a huge factor, with my LBS I could drop in and little niggles were sorted there and then, also any advise he offered I would then purchase the parts/items from the store to support the shop.

I'm gutted the store is shut now, but he is now a mobile bike mechanic, so that's better then nothing.


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## Globalti (7 Mar 2019)

Rusty Nails said:


> This is the Halfords I had my first 'proper' bike from in 1958.
> 
> You can just tell from the look of this man that he knew what he was doing.



Wow, that's the shop window equivalent of a website!


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## Rusty Nails (7 Mar 2019)

Globalti said:


> Wow, that's the shop window equivalent of a website!



As a kid I haunted that shop for a year before I got my Raleigh Trent Sports for passing my 11+.


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## Shearwater Missile (7 Mar 2019)

Gravity Aided said:


> We used to see a few Puchs' thanks to the Sears catalog, which offered them, and the mopeds. Puch was a buy-up from their regular 3-speed. My Dad had a Raleigh 3-speed, but, when I was a kid, he was the only adult male I saw riding a bicycle regularly, and he rode, and trained us to ride, not on the sidewalk, but on the street. My mother also had a bicycle, as she sometimes had to go farther than she could walk. Driving a car never crossed her mind.


 I have searched for pictures of my 1970/71 Puch bicycle but can`t find anything similar other than the shape of the bike in your earlier post. All I remember was that it had a distinctive curved double crossbar I think. It was in dark red and purchased for the princely sum of £18 I believe from Groves Garage in Hadleigh, Suffolk. I suppose it is true to say that I cut my teeth on that bike and once I`d grown out of it (18months later) I moved onto my Raleigh Olympus 5 speed. Happy days of cycling before the roads got to the stage they are today and blighted with fast traffic. IMO


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## rogerzilla (7 Mar 2019)

I liked the Puch badge. It was a bit like a BMW badge.


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## Phaeton (7 Mar 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> I liked the Puch badge. It was a bit like a BMW badge.


Is that reason to like it?


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## confusedcyclist (8 Mar 2019)

I've met some very knowledgeable staff when it came to finding compatible derailleurs for my Frankenstein mixed group set drivechain, they sorted me right out. I've had a chain fitted in an emergency. They didn't cock it up.


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## Slow But Determined (8 Mar 2019)

To be honest this is not just a Halfords problem. In my mind it is symptomatic of Britain (and perhaps other countries) over the last 30 years where proper apprenticeships were shelved in a drive to put more money on the bottom line. 

If you couple that with the way all young kids were directed into computer based jobs you were left with a dearth of people with hands on mechanical / engineering skills.

When I started out in the motor trade (40 odd years ago) the apprentices would go through rigourous on the job / college / manufacturer training to achieve the required skill set.

As time passed the training got less and less and in the last 20 years or so I was constantly astounded by the people who were taking a spanner to a customer's 30/40k car. 

Such was the skill shortage, valeters, tyre fitters etc were given jobs as mechanics (or technicians which became the terminology)

Unfortunately we now have Blair's dream whereby most young kids are going to "university" to study (for a good many of them) courses that will not net them a decent job at the end.

I do worry for future skills in this country but I suppose the next generation won't be my problem!!


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## Shearwater Missile (8 Mar 2019)

I can echo the last posting. I served an apprenticeship from 1975 to 1980 in electronic repair (C&G) actually it was for TV and Radio and I loved the job. You never stopped learning especially as newer technologies came on the scene, remember Ceefax and NICAM and more recently Plasma and LCD ? The courses that were once run at the local college finished years ago, when the manufacturers started the training, either at their premises or would come to my employer`s workplace. Now and for several years training has been given over the internet.
When I retired early in 2017, three of my work colleagues also took early retirement, their choice I can assure you. We could see how things were going. Sadly the company lost many years of experience of which will never be replaced. When we finished we left one qualified engineer and lots of helpers, a bit like Santa really !


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## rogerzilla (8 Mar 2019)

There's a definite race to the bottom in skills. The UK cost of living is so high that the minimum wage was brought in, but employers can't always afford to pay experienced staff at, say, £25k and minimum wage staff at a higher rate of £15k (when they used to be on under £10k), but they still need the bodies to cover every location, so they just keep the cheaper people.


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## Shearwater Missile (8 Mar 2019)

You are quite right about keeping the cheaper people. The year before we all finished we`d gone to a 4 day week which the company were quite happy with, it kept their costs down and gave us more leisure time. I liked it so much that was when I decided to call it a day. Still got to wait a few years for the state pension that`s if they don`t put up the retirement ages again. BTW I never got to £25k, only in my dreams. Still I did 42 years with the same company so can`t complain.


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## SkipdiverJohn (9 Mar 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> There's a definite race to the bottom in skills. The UK cost of living is so high that the minimum wage was brought in, but employers can't always afford to pay experienced staff at, say, £25k and minimum wage staff at a higher rate of £15k (when they used to be on under £10k), but they still need the bodies to cover every location, so they just keep the cheaper people.



This situation cannot go on forever, because the companies who practice it are relying on the skills & experience of the more highly paid properly trained staff to prop up their increasingly shaky operations. Recruitment of new staff on lower wages coupled with minimal training is the new operating model in many industries. On paper, every time a high paid skilled worker with a final salary pension retires and is replaced be someone on less money and with a inferior pension, the employer _appears to be _saving money. It is only just about sustainable as long as there is still a critical mass of experienced staff left, who actually do know what they are doing. The company makes a bit more profit in the short term and the directors award themselves a nice bonus as a reward for their fantastic management abilities. A few years down the line all the experienced staff have gone and the whole operation will fall flat on it's face. The directors will leave with a golden handshake and go on to inflict their "abilities" on some other company, with the same predictable outcome.


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## Sheffield_Tiger (10 Mar 2019)

Picked up the replacement today. It wasn't scratched and was the right size.

Few minutes outside in the car park nipping up the seatpost and the handlebar clamp (would have slipped round on the first hill if standing on the pedals!!!!)

Had to nip to work to pick up a couple of project bikes I'd bought and bring them home in works van so had a gentle ride to work nursing the out-of-wack indexing, did my errands then at work got the Crixus on the stand. 45 minutes going over it and finally, a lovely ride home on a nice new bike all working as it should. Hurrah.

Now just need the hail to stop


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## James_York (1 Sep 2019)

I know this is an old thread, but I feel I have to add my 2p's worth... I am a Halfords cycle mechanic/techie/what-ever-you-want-to-call-it. I've spent a lifetime on bikes (being 42 now, having started cycling, in the true sense of the word, at 10 years old).
Every single bike that I build, as well as my colleagues, are double checked, once when they are built, and the second time, when they are delivered to a customer. We have a PDI check list that MUST be followed, filled in as we are building the bike, starting with unpacking from the box and ending with turning the handle bars at 90 degrees for storage.
When a customer comes to collect, we go over the bike again with a torque wrench, making sure that all bolts are correctly torqued, as per spec. And these specs get drilled in to us...

The fact that OP's bike left the store in the state that it did, actually disgusts me, for the very fact that someone can care so little, not only for their client, but also for what they do. And as has been said in this thread, it comes down to people just doing a "job". It's not a passion to them, so why care?

1 reason I'd like them to care, is because it makes all us "Halfrauds" mechanics who DO actually care, look bad!! And pi***s me off no end. I have one of those working in my store - I don't let any bikes that he has worked on leave the store without me having given it the once over...and he just doesn't get it, when I get so annoyed with him.

Anyway. To the OP, I'm sorry you had such a bad run in with a Halfords store, all I can say is, I wish you'd come to mine, I'd like to think you'd have had a different experience.


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## classic33 (1 Sep 2019)

James_York said:


> I know this is an old thread, but I feel I have to add my 2p's worth... I am a Halfords cycle mechanic/techie/what-ever-you-want-to-call-it. I've spent a lifetime on bikes (being 42 now, having started cycling, in the true sense of the word, at 10 years old).
> Every single bike that I build, as well as my colleagues, are double checked, once when they are built, and the second time, when they are delivered to a customer. We have a PDI check list that MUST be followed, filled in as we are building the bike, starting with unpacking from the box and ending with turning the handle bars at 90 degrees for storage.
> When a customer comes to collect, we go over the bike again with a torque wrench, making sure that all bolts are correctly torqued, as per spec. And these specs get drilled in to us...
> 
> ...


I've seen a bike, set up for front wheel drive, with the department manager one of those at a loss as to why there was no steering.

All convinced it was set up correctly, but unable to work out what was wrong.


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## Shadow121 (1 Sep 2019)

James_York said:


> I know this is an old thread, but I feel I have to add my 2p's worth... I am a Halfords cycle mechanic/techie/what-ever-you-want-to-call-it. I've spent a lifetime on bikes (being 42 now, having started cycling, in the true sense of the word, at 10 years old).
> Every single bike that I build, as well as my colleagues, are double checked, once when they are built, and the second time, when they are delivered to a customer. We have a PDI check list that MUST be followed, filled in as we are building the bike, starting with unpacking from the box and ending with turning the handle bars at 90 degrees for storage.
> When a customer comes to collect, we go over the bike again with a torque wrench, making sure that all bolts are correctly torqued, as per spec. And these specs get drilled in to us...
> 
> ...


Its the same in other jobs too, most don’t give a dam as long as someone is stupid
enough to keep paying their wages.
Halfords needs to incorporate a points based system into the employees contract,
x amount of failures means x amount of points and they are gone, 
it might sound drastic, but my local Halfords is a disaster, and it can only be a matter
of time before they close, would you rather see the store closed or the useless lumps
that are good for nothing sacked, I know which I would choose.


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## Shadow121 (1 Sep 2019)

Sheffield_Tiger said:


> Picked up the replacement today. It wasn't scratched and was the right size.
> 
> Few minutes outside in the car park nipping up the seatpost and the handlebar clamp (would have slipped round on the first hill if standing on the pedals!!!!)
> 
> ...


Annoying to say the least, having to basically build your bike after paying
someone else to supposedly do it.
I buy second hand now, or off Canyon, that way I know it’s put together right.
Sad when it would be nice to support the local stores but can’t trust them.


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## Globalti (2 Sep 2019)

I know I've posted this in CC before but this excerpt from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which is a book about quality, says it all: 

From Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. 

_I took this machine into a shop because I thought it wasn’t important enough to justify getting into myself, having to learn all the complicated details and maybe having parts and special tools and all that time-dragging stuff when I could get someone else to do it in less time – sort of John’s attitude.

The shop was a different scene from the ones I remembered. The mechanics, who had once all seemed like ancient veterans, now looked like children. A radio was going full blast and they were clowning around and talking and seemed not to notice me. When one of them finally came over he barely listened to the piston slap before saying, “Oh yeah, tappets.”

Tappets? I should have known then what was coming.

Two weeks later I paid their bill for 140 dollars, rode the cycle carefully at varying low speeds to wear it in and then after one thousand miles opened it up. At about seventy-five it seized again and freed at thirty, the same as before. When I brought it back they accused me of not breaking it in properly, but after much argument agreed to look into it. They overhauled it again and this time took it out themselves for a high-speed road test.

It seized on them this time. 

After the third overhaul two months later they replaced the cylinders, put in oversize main carburettor jets, retarded the timing to make it run as coolly as possible and told me, “don’t run it fast.” 

It was covered with grease and did not start. I found the plugs were disconnected, connected them and started it, and now there really was a tappet noise. They hadn’t adjusted them. I pointed this out and the kid came with an open-end adjustable wrench, set wrong, and swiftly rounded both of the sheet-aluminum tappet covers, ruining both of them.

“I hope we’ve got some more of these in stock,” he said.

I nodded.

He brought out a hammer and cold chisel and started to pound them loose. The chisel punched through the aluminium cover and I could see he was pounding the chisel right into the engine head. On the next blow he missed the chisel completely and struck the head with the hammer, breaking off a portion of two of the cooling fins.

“Just stop,” I said politely, feeling this was a bad dream. “Just give me some new covers and I’ll take it the way it is.”

I got out of there as fast as possible, noisy tappets, shot tappet covers, greasy machine, down the road, and then felt a bad vibration at speeds over twenty. At the kerb I discovered two of the four engine-mounting bolts were missing and a nut was missing from a third. The whole engine was hanging on by only one bolt. The overhead-cam chain-tensioner bolt was also missing, meaning it would have been hopeless to try to adjust the tappets anyway. Nightmare.

The thought of John putting his BMW into the hands of one of these people is something I have never brought up with him. Maybe I should.

I found the cause of the seizures a few weeks later, waiting to happen again. It was a little twenty-five cent pin in the internal oil-delivery system that had been sheared and was preventing oil from reaching the head at high speeds._


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## Randy Butternubs (2 Sep 2019)

I've encountered my share of crap Halfords employees but there have been a couple of good ones too.

One time I needed a specific tool for a roadside hydraulic brake hose replacement while on tour. I couldn't find anything suitable in the shop but one helpful guy found exactly what I needed in their back room. They'd just got it in so it wasn't on shelves or fully in the system yet.

Another time on tour, I needed a drive-side spoke replaced. I didn't have a freewheel remover and, at the time, I didn't know you could contort the spoke in without one. Took it to a busy Halfords where one of the mechanics sorted it out in seconds and didn't even charge me.


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## All uphill (2 Sep 2019)

Coincidentally just seen an eBay ad for a 2019 bike with forks on backwards. The poor vendor says in the ad "wanted to cycle but found I couldn't".

It would make you weep. 

I've sent a message trying to explain that he/she would not be able to ride it, nor would anyone else.

And yes it was an own brand bike from Halfords.


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## Phaeton (2 Sep 2019)

All uphill said:


> I've sent a message trying to explain that he/she would not be able to ride it, nor would anyone else.


Why? not why have you messaged why would you say that nobody could ride it?


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## derrick (2 Sep 2019)

I like Skol said:


> 2 questions.
> 
> Why did you buy a bike from Helfrauds, knowing what you already knew?
> 
> Why didn't you insist on having the bike boxed so you could do your own assembly/Pdi?


You hit the nail on the head. Not read the rest of the post. No need to.


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## All uphill (2 Sep 2019)

Phaeton said:


> Why? not why have you messaged why would you say that nobody could ride it?


Have you tried riding a bike with forks backwards? OK you may have the skill to do that, but not many could safely and comfortably.


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## Globalti (2 Sep 2019)

I dunno.... I was out in Lancaster with my wife and son and a girl rode past on a BSO with the forks curving backwards. I chased her down and explained then got out my hex key and set them right for her. When I asked "Who built the bike up for you?" she replied: "My boyfriend!" "Well he doesn't know much about bikes!" was my retort.


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## All uphill (2 Sep 2019)

Globalti said:


> I dunno.... I was out in Lancaster with my wife and son and a girl rode past on a BSO with the forks curving backwards. I chased her down and explained then got out my hex key and set them right for her. When I asked "Who built the bike up for you?" she replied: "My boyfriend!" "Well he doesn't know much about bikes!" was my retort.


Wow!

Now I'm a bit tempted to try it!

Must check my health insurance first


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## Phaeton (2 Sep 2019)

I never had a problem as a kid, we used to ride regular that way, only issue was wheel catching feet or sometimes frame when we put 26" wheels in frames designed or 24" wheels.


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## Richard A Thackeray (4 Sep 2019)

James_York said:


> When a customer comes to collect, we go over the bike again with a torque wrench, making sure that all bolts are correctly torqued, as per spec. And these specs get drilled in to us...



When I bought SWMBOs Boardman from Halfords in June, the mechanic did torque the bars, stem, seat-pin clamp, & cranks in front of me
However, I was too bemused to mention the tilted rack that I'd asked them to fit (so took it off at home, re-fitted it_ level_, after copper-greasing the bolts)




It was at a local (very) historic town, with a castle, & a racecourse opposite the branch


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## Drago (4 Sep 2019)

Shadow121 said:


> Its the same in other jobs too, most don’t give a dam as long as someone is stupid
> enough to keep paying their wages.
> Halfords needs to incorporate a points based system into the employees contract,
> x amount of failures means x amount of points and they are gone,
> ...



Or, even better, they could ensure all staff are correctly trained before requiring them to do something safety critical. A significant number of them have had no training, and most hold no formal industry recognised ticket.


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## Phaeton (4 Sep 2019)

Drago said:


> and most hold no formal industry recognised ticket.


Don't go down that route, Oh you can't tighten that nut & bolt up you have had the correct spanner training course, you're only certified up to 10mm & that bolt is 12mm. It's total brollacks, the whole of the HGV, Building, & Electrical industry now is being crippled because of the myriad of forms that have to be completed, most of it serves no purpose other than to keep trainers in work & have closed shop insurance schemes.


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## Shadow121 (4 Sep 2019)

Drago said:


> Or, even better, they could ensure all staff are correctly trained before requiring them to do something safety critical. A significant number of them have had no training, and most hold no formal industry recognised ticket.


Agree, it’s a complete mis management from start to finish,
no proper accreditation, and it has got to go all way up the
chain otherwise the jokers they have would never get employed.


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## Phaeton (4 Sep 2019)

Shadow121 said:


> no proper accreditation,


Total ballcocks, having a piece of paper saying you can do something doesn't mean you know how to, some of the most stupid thickest people I know have degrees I would not ride/drive in anything they have had a spanner to


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## HMS_Dave (4 Sep 2019)

I found this employee review on glassdoor. "Training is out of touch with the real world. New staff coming in are never properly mentored or supported. Pay low and turnover of staff is mind blowing. Career path hmmm. It is one of those places that will suit to pay your bills" 

The review further offers the Halford management some advice "Give new staff a mentor ! Don't make offers you do not intend to follow through on. Put bike hut mechanics through CYCTECH and not an in house course. Pay the right money to keep the right staff after all we keep getting told Halfords wants to be the best !"

He/she seems like the kind of employee Halfords might want to keep and take notes from!


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## Shadow121 (4 Sep 2019)

HMS_Dave said:


> I found this employee review on glassdoor. "Training is out of touch with the real world. New staff coming in are never properly mentored or supported. Pay low and turnover of staff is mind blowing. Career path hmmm. It is one of those places that will suit to pay your bills"
> 
> The review further offers the Halford management some advice "Give new staff a mentor ! Don't make offers you do not intend to follow through on. Put bike hut mechanics through CYCTECH and not an in house course. Pay the right money to keep the right staff after all we keep getting told Halfords wants to be the best !"
> 
> He/she seems like the kind of employee Halfords might want to keep and take notes from!


I guess if they don’t see the abysmal efforts of their staff, telling them is likely to
fall on the deaf ears of the same blind management they have, pointless, you will
not get out what’s not in there in the first place, sad really as there are ample stores
that could have lots of satisfied customers if they swept the floor and hired credible
mechanics, one good mechanic would do double the work of Two wasters,
yet the Two wasters will get rid of every customer they come into contact with,
and they get paid to do it, unreal outfit.


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## tom73 (4 Sep 2019)

Drago said:


> Or, even better, they could ensure all staff are correctly trained before requiring them to do something safety critical. A significant number of them have had no training, and most hold no formal industry recognised ticket.



You mean invest in your employees and value them as an important part of the business and not some disposable bit of packaging? 
That would never do it makes too much sense and would mean management letting staff get on with the job.


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## Drago (4 Sep 2019)

Phaeton said:


> Total ballcocks, having a piece of paper saying you can do something doesn't mean you know how to, some of the most stupid thickest people I know have degrees I would not ride/drive in anything they have had a spanner to



So you think providing no training would make them better staff?

Thick is as thick does and always will, but the most able person will struggle to master a technical discipline without being trained to do so.


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## Shadow121 (4 Sep 2019)

Drago said:


> So you think providing no training would make them better staff?
> 
> Thick is as thick does and always will, but the most able person will struggle to master a technical discipline without being trained to do so.


Proper training and certification is the way to go, that roots out the ones
who are not up to the mark, either they make the grade or they don’t,
then at least the employer has a chance of employing a suitably qualified person,
but why stop there, give them a contract that states they go when they have failed
at their tasks or their tasks have fallen to others to complete or correct.

There is no point in paying people to run your business into the ground.


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## tom73 (4 Sep 2019)

Running a business with a culture of fear won't help either. look after staff and on the whole you don't have to worry about running a business into the ground. Good business worked that one out long ago or had it hard wired in from the start. Often it's management that run things into the ground or greedy owners and or share holders creaming off every last penny.


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## HMS_Dave (4 Sep 2019)

Shadow121 said:


> Proper training and certification is the way to go, that roots out the ones
> who are not up to the mark, either they make the grade or they don’t,
> then at least the employer has a chance of employing a suitably qualified person,
> but why stop there, give them a contract that states they go when they have failed
> ...



I agree, there has to be certification and training. I understand that in some industries it can go too far but on the flip side, untrained and unskilled people could cause serious harm. Id put it this way, If there was no other way, who would you rather trust to build your elderly parents bicycle? a 20 year old 'dude' or a trained and certified bike mechanic? Until you get to know people, trust them and have proven themselves sometimes these pieces of paper are all we can rely on...


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## MontyVeda (4 Sep 2019)

Phaeton said:


> I never had a problem as a kid, we used to ride regular that way, only issue was wheel catching feet or sometimes frame when we put 26" wheels in frames designed or 24" wheels.


When i was a kid we used to reverse the forks because it was a problem... the twitchy steering amused us for a while. I guess it'll vary a lot depending on the forks... not all have the same castor angle. Reversing the fork can eliminate it altogether resulting in a very twitchy ride.


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## DCLane (4 Sep 2019)

James_York said:


> I know this is an old thread, but I feel I have to add my 2p's worth... I am a Halfords cycle mechanic/techie/what-ever-you-want-to-call-it. I've spent a lifetime on bikes (being 42 now, having started cycling, in the true sense of the word, at 10 years old).
> ...
> The fact that OP's bike left the store in the state that it did, actually disgusts me, for the very fact that someone can care so little, not only for their client, but also for what they do. And as has been said in this thread, it comes down to people just doing a "job". It's not a passion to them, so why care?
> ...
> 1 reason I'd like them to care, is because it makes all us "Halfrauds" mechanics who DO actually care, look bad!! And pi***s me off no end. I have one of those working in my store - I don't let any bikes that he has worked on leave the store without me having given it the once over...and he just doesn't get it, when I get so annoyed with him.





Richard A Thackeray said:


> When I bought SWMBOs Boardman from Halfords in June, the mechanic did torque the bars, stem, seat-pin clamp, & cranks in front of me. However, I was too bemused to mention the tilted rack that I'd asked them to fit (so took it off at home, re-fitted it_ level_, after copper-greasing the bolts). It was at a local (very) historic town, with a castle, & a racecourse opposite the branch



I know that branch 

 @James_York : in the Dewsbury branch there's a decent mechanic as well. Plus a couple of the alternatives. It's clear who is who when they haven't a clue what parts go where: I'd asked for a straddle cable for cantilever brakes and the pair of idiots looked at each other and said "we've never heard of those, they're not real".


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## FaustoCoppi (15 Jan 2021)

Sadly none of this is news. The level of competence is on a very long sliding scale in a bike hut workshop. The product, Boardman, Carrera, are sound and offer value for money, best advice is if you’re uncertain about any work needed then go to your LBS and have the bike checked over and assembled safely. This isn’t confined to Halfords, there is a concept store locally whose workshop has a bad rep . Find a trusted LBS and use them, cultivate a rapport with the owner/mechanic (s) it’s worth it.


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