Ribble Ale - Failed Freehub, what's a reasonable response?

[Dogtrousers]

They have bearings in them,and moving parts , bearings have a limited life, albeit you'd expect them to last longer than brake blocks or chains etc.

I wouldn't buy from Lancastrians anyway ....

*although I once try on some Lanx shoes....

Kind of begs the question whether there is anything that isn't consumable. Pedals, hubs, bbs and headsets have bearings so they're out. Crankset teeth wear down. Derailleurs and brake levers or shifters have pivots that will wear out. Hub gears are just a disaster waiting to happen, so many bearings and springs and bits and pieces to go wrong, you might as well just bin them now. Definitely consumable. Disc brake mechanisms - discs obviously but all the other bits will wear out. Even rim brakes have pivots. Saddles don't last long - consumable.

That leaves the frame, fork, handlebars and seat post.

 

[T4tomo]

Kind of begs the question whether there is anything that isn't consumable. Pedals, hubs, bbs and headsets have bearings so they're out. Crankset teeth wear down. Derailleurs and brake levers or shifters have pivots that will wear out. Hub gears are just a disaster waiting to happen, so many bearings and springs and bits and pieces to go wrong, you might as well just bin them now. Definitely consumable. Disc brake mechanisms - discs obviously but all the other bits will wear out. Even rim brakes have pivots. Saddles don't last long - consumable.

That leaves the frame, fork, handlebars and seat post.

yes indeed....Most cycle warranties are on the frame and forks only. You then have recourse Consumer rights act is its supplied with an obvious fault elsewhere

 

[Alex321]

The warranty is a red herring and your contract is with Ribble not the manufacturer of the freehub. Rely on the Consumer Rights Act and do go to court if necessary. It will mess them around more that it messes you around. And maybe exploit social media a bit and/or leave a review on Trustpilot. Future customers won't like it that Ribble wash their hands of legitimate problems so readily.

Go to court for something specifically excluded from the warranty as being a consumable?

Most moving parts on bike wear out. 5,000 miles may or may not be a reasonable wear period for a freehub, , but it is unlikely you would win a case after that much usage.

 

[alicat]

Go to court for something specifically excluded from the warranty as being a consumable?

Yes. Read my post and Newts' post - they expressed it better than me.

 

[Alex321]

Yes. Read my post and Newts' post - they expressed it better than me.

The chance of winning would be pretty well nil.

If it had failed after a few months or a few hundred miles, maybe. But not after a year and 5K miles.

Freehubs ARE consumable, in that you expect to have to replace them every now and then. How long is a reasonable interval between replacements is very variable, and will depend a lot on riding conditions and style. But showing that the product was inherently faulty after that much use will not be easy.

Remember, after 6 months, the onus is on the buyer to show the product was faulty, not on the supplier to show it wasn't.

 

[alicat]

^^^ Oh if I'd known the point of this thread was to prove you were always right @Alex321 than to help the OP, then I wouldn't have bothered to it.

 

[Alex321]

^^^ Oh if I'd known the point of this thread was to prove you were always right @Alex321 than to help the OP, then I wouldn't have bothered to it.

So how, exactly, is suggesting he takes it to court when he would have hardly any chance of winning any more helpful to the OP than pointing out he would have little chance of winning?

It is NOTHING to do with proving I'm always right.

 

[wafter]

Your issue is having used it for 10 months and 5000 miles, the fault wasn't there at the time of purchase, and I have some sympathy with Ribble that it is a consumable part.....ah with linky above:
View attachment 748439
from Ribble's page, so you don't have a leg to stand on. A freehub probably should last more than 5000 miles, but at the same time its not that unreasonable, I dont know if Ebikes are harder on free hubs than normal bikes are. Suck it up and get it replaced.

I thought the same. On the one hand it's crap that it's worn out after less than a year; on the other 5k miles in a non-trivial amount.. I'd personally expect one to last a lot longer than this however as per your post who's to say relative to ebikes.

It would be interesting to know more about the failure mode as that could suggest a difference between legitimate wear andfailure through poor manufacturing..

 

[mjr]

Freehubs ARE consumable, in that you expect to have to replace them every now and then.

What the actual? It used to be that one selling point of freehubs was that you could replace the bearings, ratchet and sprockets independently. If that's no longer true, they've basically replaced freewheels with a larger, more expensive, more wasteful consumable where you're forced to change the bearings when the ratchet fails. Ratchets last longer than sprockets, but bearings can last longer than ratchets.

 

[mjr]

I had the small claims track of the county court decline to take my £140 case. They advised that while there is no legal minimum threshold it's at the courts discretion, no further explanation.

I can guarantee now they won't roll for a £60-£80 part.

Was that before the online service?

And I was assuming there were probably associated costs incurred. If the tools can be accessed elsewhere and it's really just the £60-80 part then I agree it's not worth court. No harm in sending a so-called "letter before action" but then I'd probably chalk it up to experience and leave appropriate reviews around the place.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

What the actual? It used to be that one selling point of freehubs was that you could replace the bearings, ratchet and sprockets independently. If that's no longer true, they've basically replaced freewheels with a larger, more expensive, more wasteful consumable where you're forced to change the bearings when the ratchet fails. Ratchets last longer than sprockets, but bearings can last longer than ratchets.

Don't you just love companies that do this

several easy and cheap bits that can be replaced by the user
changed to a smaller number of proprietary things that can only be replaced by dealers at big cost
if you are lucky - often easier and cheaper to replace the whole thing

When I was a kid if the element on a kettle broke then you went to the hardware shop on the corner and got a new one and your Dad replaced it in 5 minutes
now you go to Curry's and replace the whole kettle and, if you are responsible and have a car, take the old one to the electrical recycling at the counsel tip - which is full of other things that are being replaced because the broken bits are designed to be non-replaceable!

 

[craigwend]

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/c...if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good evening,

Thanks everyone for the thoughts.

My good luck continues and I have just (ish) been punted off my bike on a roundabout, so don't really feel like reading and thinking too much.

It was a minor off in the scheme of things, no broken bones, I could see that I was going to be hit so changed direction and got hit from the rear not the side.

Bye

Ian

p.s. For sale, one Fulcrum 900 wheel only a couple of hundred miles use.

 

[Dogtrousers]

What the actual? It used to be that one selling point of freehubs was that you could replace the bearings, ratchet and sprockets independently. If that's no longer true, they've basically replaced freewheels with a larger, more expensive, more wasteful consumable where you're forced to change the bearings when the ratchet fails. Ratchets last longer than sprockets, but bearings can last longer than ratchets.

I don't think I've ever had a problem with a freehub. I mean, apart from it being the wrong size. I've never done any maintenance on one either - they just work.

Consumable my arse

 

[mjr]

Consumable my arse

It's a kind offer but no thank you!