Bottom Bracket Life

[GrumpyGregry]

2000 miles is terrible. BBs do vary in quality, but no BB should die that quickly - and with a sealed unit, I really can't see how the season comes into the equation. Nor do I understand how Trek get away with fitting a BB that bad to a £500 bike - if they did. You might expect it with some £99.99 BSO from Argos, but not a £500 bike from a proper 'name' maker.

UN26's, and other penny pinching entry-level components, some of which may well be unbranded/oem to hit the price point, are not renowned for the their longevity or the quality of their sealing and, unsurprisingly, may not always get fitted with the same degree of care and attention than higher quality kit on higher quality bikes does. ime.

 

[BigBadBrian]

I picked up the fixed bike last night and begrudgingly paid £52.50 thinking to myself that this is the last time you see me. Then I received this email from TREK this morning:

"Many thanks for your email.
I am sorry to hear of the issue you have had with your 7.3Fx.
This morning I have spoken with Fabio and Charlie in the store and I have agreed that Trek cover this . If the bike was closer to a year old then yes we would be looking and a wear and tear item, but after 6 months usage then let’s get this sorted for you
The store should be in contact with your shortly to organise a credit."

Excellent service from Trek but its pretty strong evidence that Action Bikes in Sheen were trying to pull a fast one.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Your bike shop person is talking crap, it's unacceptable for a BB to fail within such a low mileage.

Don't worry about whether something is covered by a warranty or not, you already have the protection of the Sale of Goods Act and any warranty is just an additional benefit provided by the retailer or manufacturer. As the saying goes, "your statutory rights are unaffected".

Speak to your local Citizens' Advice Bureau for clarification of what you're entitled to from the retailer. They should not be charging you a penny for this fault, they should be apologising!

I'd tell them they have the option to repair it free of charge or I'll have it repaired elsewhere and chase them for the costs.


GC

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I've just seen your post with the email from Trek, great result and it confirms for me that the LBS is not to be trusted. It certainly wouldn't get any more business from me.

Edited to add: Make sure it's a refund not a credit!

GC

 

[Pale Rider]

It might be possible for a dishonest bike shop to charge the customer and claim for the repair from the maker.

 

[Mile195]

I bought a new Trek 7.3 from Action Bikes in East Cheam in January this year. Since then I've done about 1500-2000 miles on it and the bottom bracket is now clunking and there is quite some side-to-side movement. I took the bike back to the shop on Sunday but they are now refusing to fix it under warranty saying that they would expect the bottom bracket to need replacing after that time due to normal wear and tear. They offered to service the bike and "tighten" the bottom bracket for £55.

Any advice?

What a load of rubbish your bike shop is feeding you. Mine is only just ready for replacement now. I've done 12'000 miles on it.

Manufacturing defect for certain.