Visit to LBS leaves bike in worse condition?

[128K]

I'm new to biking; only been at it 5 months now, but i'm sure that my bike is worse since i had it serviced by the LBS.... Maybe i'm mistaken, and this is how a bike feels when it's set up correctly, i just don't know.

After five months of commuting to work (and the occasional weekend ride) on my Hybrid, i decided to get it serviced by the LBS, now i was happy I had 'bedded' it in. I bought it from Wiggle, and it was pre-assembled, so i thought it would be a good idea to get a pro to check it out and make sure it was set up right. After all, the gears weren't indexed properly (It was a real pain to get up onto the third ring on the crank) and i wanted to make sure they and the brakes were working properly.

So, i paid my £50 for a full strip-down, re-assembly and re-grease, and then two weeks later i picked it up. I was on holiday for 10 days after that (Luckily i just got to pick it up before i left), and i've been riding it for a few days after that. Now, it seems to be a lot more wobbly/handles a lot poorer. At first i put this down to the fact that they tyres were pumped up a lot more than i had had them, but then i noticed a few other things:

• The front wheel is kind of not straight on its axle, if i spin the wheel and hold the bike off the ground, it doesn't run parallel all through one revolution, it kind of wobbles a bit if viewed from above.
• The handlebars (The clamp that holds the bar to the headset) creak like hell when i stand while pedalling.
• There's a wierd metallic rattling sound coming from somewhere near the crank/back wheel (Sounds like the luggage rack on my dads old bike when he hit a bump).
• The gears are hard to shift through some gears; I can now shift up onto the third ring, but it is really hard to get back down. Also, in a lot of gears the gears will often suddenly slip/jump to the next one down even though i haven't changed gear.
• The tyres aren't round anymore - where the valve goes through the rim the tyre bulges outward from the rimmore than the rest, by about 3/8". Its noticable when going along a flat surface.

Now, i know i'm new to this, but some of these things really worry me. I'm guessing a couple are just a result of the bike being put back together, but others i'm not too sure. The thing is, if these are majot issues, i'm not that trusting of taking it back to the shop so they can sort it. Are these the kind of things i could resolve myself?

 

[smokeysmoo]

Take it back, point these things out and give them a chance to put things right, be polite and see how you fair. Although you shouldn't need to wait 2 weeks, that's crazy for a simple service.

If they are a decent reputable LBS they should rectify things, if they are indeed problems that have arisen since they serviced it. If not you might just have to take it on the chain and never darken their doorstep again.

There are plenty of excellent LBS's around, ask on here for one in your area. Unfortunately there are also a lot of bad ones.

I hope yours turns out to be the first but maybe had a bad day, (it happens). God luck and remember to be polite, people are fair more responsive if you are, (generally speaking).

Other than that you'd be surprised what you can achieve with some basic tools, a bit of time and patience, and a few YouTube videos. There's nothing quite like repairing something yourself and sticking two fingers up at the LB in the future

 

[Izakbar]

Front wheel could just be not in the QR properly. Just pop it out and back in. Unless of course it does not have Quick Release... I'd release the QR.. wiggle the wheel and re-tighten - see if it's resolved. If it is the QR not being spot on - would not worry about it once fixed

Handlebars creaking.. could be anything prolly out of my depth on that one - however noise does travel in odd ways on a bike... so it might not be coming from there.... (maybe crank is not tight?)... I would hope not to have creaks like this after a service :-/

Metallic rattling sounds like rear mech is having "fun"... not doing gearshifts properly says same... you could try the barrel adjuster (where this is depends on mech/shifters - on my X4's the are on the shifters). Small adjustments make big difference. Would advise against touching the screws on the mech unless you know what you are doing (or think you do! and are willing to spend a long time figuring it out)... also might be the b-adjuster is not pushing mech out enough from hanger.... TBH this _SHOULD_ be right when getting bike back from service.

Harder shifting could be new cables overtight expecting stretch.. worth going back to LBS to get checked.

Don't like the sound of bulges in tyres :-/ could be tube not in right I guess, or tyre not in rim properly.. would not like to test it at 40+mph

BTW - if they don't resolve your concerns - get a different LBS !

 

[fossyant]

The rattling and ghost shifts will be bad indexing - this should have been sorted. Is it the rim that is wobbling or the tyre - spin the wheel and check the rim. I doubt truing is in a first service.

With the bulge near the valve, let the tyre down, and check the tube isn't caught under the tyres bead (push tyre in, if you can see tube sticking out, then make sure it's pushed in). Easy with the valve as you push that in and pull back out when tyre deflated. Now pump back up.

 

[Tasker]

Simples: either find a better bike shop or (even better), learn to do it yourself.

If that sounds a glib reply, then there's several places that offer (at ridiculous prices), day/weekend courses.

You will never be happy with you and your bike until you know her intimately. Ooh! I'm going all one sheet here!

Sufficient to say that until you've learnt to dominate your bike - in that you know every intimate bit of it, you'll never get to take off.

Oh. And meant to say. Fall in love with it.

 

[xpc316e]

Simples: either find a better bike shop or (even better), learn to do it yourself.

If that sounds a glib reply, then there's several places that offer (at ridiculous prices), day/weekend courses.

You will never be happy with you and your bike until you know her intimately. Ooh! I'm going all one sheet here!

Sufficient to say that until you've learnt to dominate your bike - in that you know every intimate bit of it, you'll never get to take off.

Oh. And meant to say. Fall in love with it.

This is excellent advice. If you really get into cycling and do things like regularly commute, then when you develop a problem you can deal with it immediately instead of waiting two weeks. Bikes are not hideously complicated and their ways can easily be mastered. There are some good videos on Youtube; check out Bicycle Tutor.

 

[BluesDave]

Ok you have taken your bike to a bike shop and in accepting it and taking your money they have entered into a contract with you to service it and return it to you in a roadworthy condition. They have failed to do so. Rendering them in breach of contract. I suggest that you take this to a different bike shop, ask them to make a list of all the faults and get it in writing if you need to pay them to do this then get a receipt. Take both back to your local bike shop (the one that did the service) and tell them politely that you want the faults rectified, that you had paid for a service and that they did not return the bike to you in a serviced condition and also that they owe you money for having to go somewhere else to get the faults rectified. If they refuse tell them ploitely again that you will issue a notice of legal intent and leave the shop. When you write this remember to head it Notice of Intended legal action. List all costs and circumstances and tell them that if they do not service your bicycle to an acceptable and professional standard within seven days then you will refer the matter to the county court. Remember to add a £25 administration charge.
Go to MoneyClaim.Org. Or your local County Court. That will cost you £15. They will be liable for that cost and also interest accruing. It would be useful to put that in your letter as well. I suggest that if possible you obtain statements from other local people who have been dissatisfied with their service and submit them with your claim for the attention of the district judges.
You don't deserve to be ripped off. Nobody does. I never rip off my clients so I get very annoyed by dishonest businesses that do.
Good luck.

 

[400bhp]

The above advice is wayyy OTT at this stage.

As has been mentioned just take it back and see how you get on.

 

[captainhastings]

Take it back and be nice and see what they say. If they don't seem that great then maybe try some where else next time.
I am lucky I have found an excellent bike shop near me I have taken him two old bangers off ebay and he has turned them into perfectly working machines. Prices are superb and he goes out of his way too be helpful

 

[Glover Fan]

Contrary to most types of businesses, I find the longer the wait, the busier they are and the poorer the service you get implying it was a rushed job.

Just my experience with bike shops.

 

[buggi]

Just take it back, give them a ring first if you're feeling a bit shy about complaining. i have found with the flower wholesalers when i had a serious complaint that ringing them to discuss it first was appreciated more than me going in to complain, as it wasn't done in front of other customers, and this resulted in me walking out with shite loads of free flowers next time i went in as they said they appreciated the fact that i rang, and gave them the opportunity to put it right.

As said, if they are worth their weight, they will put it right. If not, use another LBS.

 

[TheCharityShop]

Take it back

I took my bike in to these muppets to have my bottom bracket replaced only for the bastard to be looser than when i took it in

And it creaked and clicked on every turn of the pedals

The muppet had the nerve to chage me in excess of over £50 and suggested i wear a ****ing walkman if i didnt like to hear the creaking

utter scumbag, and i noticed when i walked back in the shop (as had went for a walk round while the peb "repaired" it) he was banging the crank with a ****ing mallet

ive seen the dork round and about this dork mechanic and a really felt like throwing my bike at the ****er for taking my money and the piss at the same time

my advice learn to do as much as you can in terms of repairs

 

[totallyfixed]

Just seen this, you have had mostly good advice so far and you must definitely take it back. What I would do if I were in your shoes is try and find [maybe on this forum] someone who is experienced with bikes to give yours the once over and confirm what the problems are. With this knowledge, even better if they could come with you, go back to the shop. Be polite, but this time you will have knowledge on your side and you won't so easily be fobbed off.
Good luck and let us know the outcome, if it is unsatisfactory then name and shame.

 

[128K]

Thanks for all the advice and help so far guys. Looks like i'm taking it back then! One of my work colleagues is really into biking, so i'll see if i can get him to have a look over it. I'm glad i wasn't worrying over nothing then.
I do hope to be able to sort all this stuff out one day, i love riding my bike, and i do agree that really you need to be able to repair and set it up yourself. I'd never thought of looking on youtube for guides though, i had been thinking more along the lines of books and stuff. At least now i have somewhere to start!

 

[Tasker]

Take it back

I took my bike in to these muppets to have my bottom bracket replaced only for the bastard to be looser than when i took it in

And it creaked and clicked on every turn of the pedals

The muppet had the nerve to chage me in excess of over £50 and suggested i wear a ****ing walkman if i didnt like to hear the creaking

utter scumbag, and i noticed when i walked back in the shop (as had went for a walk round while the peb "repaired" it) he was banging the crank with a ****ing mallet

ive seen the dork round and about this dork mechanic and a really felt like throwing my bike at the ****er for taking my money and the piss at the same time

my advice learn to do as much as you can in terms of repairs

Oh! Tut,tut. All that bad language Timothy.

I refer you to my previous post.

NOT helpfull at all. Apart from your advice to do the whole (censored) thing yourself. Well done in that the penny's dropped in that you want to kick arse back at 'them' that try and convince us that we can't do a damn thing for ourselves.

On a simple ******g bike for God's sake?

Viva that there CHEY!