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What does a "guarantee" mean for a new bike?
I recently purchased a new XC bike for my son. A great deal with Sram X9 running gear amongst other goodies, a real bargin for just under $2K from a Sydney bike shop.
All was great but in our first run out at Wingello the rear hub developed this horrible clicking noise (wheel removed from frame so no brake rub) with no where near free rotation.
Our first visit back to the bike shop and the hub was repacked with grease, and we thought this was worth a try before claiming replacement. The problem recurred with an audible screeching noise coming from the rear hub, and hey, I can even ride faster than my son!
Several visits to the bike shop later and the bottom line is that to make a claim on the hub, the hub has to be removed from the bike to be sent to the manufacturer of the hub, and that involves labour costs. If the wheel is sent to the hub manufacturer then they will use plyers to cut the hub out, which doesnt sound like a very good option to me and will obviously involve costs.
So is there any such thing as a guarantee on a new bike?
I've always felt better buying bikes from the local store because of a guarantee, as opposed to the internet.
Is this a "typical" experience?
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if it were me at our shops you would send the whole wheel not cut it out and send it back, then ask the customer to pay for labour costs, sounds like you are getting your leg pulled./
+1 to send the whole wheel back before making the decision to replace the hub. It is simply stupidity to suggest effectively destroying the wheel before you know if there's really anything wrong!
By the way, your statutory warranty (as opposed to the frame/components warranty) is with the retailer and not the hub manufacturer or distributor, so I'd suggest telling them that your "experienced mates" (that is, us
) are pushing you hard to get Fair Trading involved but you'd prefer to give them a chance to do the right thing first.
And the name of this store rhymes with............?
I hope it's not the same shop! until now I haven't got any respond from them??
same thing happened to my mate, took bike back to local shop where it was bought (bike addiction) and was replaced with a new wheel on the spot, no questions asked. if anything, they were embarassed and apologetic...
Thanks for your stirring words. Of course the warrenty is not just for the frame as offered by the frame manufacturer, but the bike is guarranteed by the place that sold it.
The problem in this case is the shop denies there is a problem. The hub never really does the same thing in the workshop as it does after its been ridden hard for a couple of hours. It even seems to free itself if you just let it sit for a few days.
It never runs completely smoothly. We know that there doesnt have to be much drag on a wheel for it to have a big impact on performance. My son falls of the bike because it doesnt roll when you expect it to roll - as in through rock gardens.
Yes its time to start writing letters. Anyone with any ideas of how to diagnose a problem with a hub - as in is there a simple test to measure performance?
Sounds bizarre that it would be fine when cold but goes stiff when hot/used for a few hours. That said, I have had it happen in another application where a thrust bearing would be fine when cold but bind up when hot, affecting performance. The cure was to skim a thousandths of of an inch of each side of the bearing cage. Worked perfectly for the duration thereafter.
You need to let the shop know that it is doing this or they'll continue to disbelieve you... one of the problems with intermittent faults, unfortunately. Until they can reproduce it, it isn't a fault.
My thoughts:
Wrong grease?
A plastic or other part with too close a tolerance rubbing on another rotating part getting hot and binding?
Would help to know what the brand of hub is.
Yeah it is hard for the workshop guys to fix a problem that isn't there when they are looking.
Couple of things to check.
Plastic spoke guard behind the cassette.
Aussie standards say a bike is suppose to have one so most kids/lower end bikes have them fitted. In my experience they cause more trouble then what they are worth. Double check that it isn't loose and occasionally binding on the cassette. If in doubt cut it off and see if that fixes the issue.
Cones. I'm sure the shop guys would have check but make sure they aren't too tight or loose. make sure all the balls are still seated in the cups and haven't got flat spots or grit
I had a similar problem with the rear hub on my Reign. Took the wheel back to my LBS (BA) they sent the wheel back to shimano, about 3 days and $20 P&H all sweet. ( the $20 was because I didn't want wait for the rep to come back next week)
The way these things usually work is as follows.
(1) In addition to any specific or voluntary warranties given by a particular retailer, the law implies certain terms into a sale of goods contract between a retailer and a consumer. Importantly, a bike has to be of merchantable quality and reasonably fit for a particular purpose made known to the retailer. Provided a mountain bike sold by a retailer meets those requirements, then strictly speaking the customer probably has no legal recourse against the retailer and the retailer is not under a statutory obligation to assist the customer further. Of course, a good retailer worth its salt likes a happy customer and will typically try to work something out, and if the retailer has given a further voluntary warranty, then that will also be part of the contract and should be considered.
(2) Conventionally, a purchaser of a new bike will also be offered a warranty from the manufacturer, or several different warranties for different components. The manufacturers prefer you to register the purchase to claim on a warranty, but provided a customer can prove purchase within the required timeframe, most reputable manufacturers will honour a warranty regardless of whether the purchase is registered with them. The question is, what are the terms of the warranty? What is covered? What is excluded? Most bike manufacturers offer varying forms of warranty (often up to 12 months) for manufacturing or design defects. Some cover parts only but not labour, some cover both.
(3) Typically, if a customer returns a bike to a retailer with an issue which the retailer regards as something that should (or could) be covered under a manufacturer's warranty, the retailer will help (although you the customer may be required to cover costs such as shipping). On the other hand, there's nothing stopping a customer simply contacting the manufacturer direct, but for a range of reasons it makes a lot of sense for the retailer to deal with it if possible (e.g. ease of shipping, relationships in the supply chain an individual customer does not have, reputations etc).
Hope this helps.
SW
This all sounds wrong to me, I snapped a part of my XTR hub lately and shimano just asked for the whole wheel to be sent in and it cam back sorted. No cost at all if I remember correctly. I wasn't even thinking replacement when I went it expecting to have to buy a new hub (and wheel build) but the LBS (Active Cycles in Raymond Terrace) went into bat for me.
a final note on the hub fiasco.
Shimano saw it as a very simple problem. Get the wheel to them and they will replace the free hub, and since the hub doesnt have to come off to do this, there is no complication about removing the hub from the wheel.
So Shimano get 2 thumbs up for being easy to contact and discuss a problem. The only catch is that it had to come via Avante.
Emailing Avante they said to take it up with the store it was purchased from, or if this doesnt work take it to another Avante dealer.
So another 2 thumbs up for Inner City Cycles in Glebe, who processed the claim even though they didnt sell the bike.
A few days later new free hub in wheel and bike fixed. There was a $20 labour charge because the shop fit it, but I had no problem with that because they didnt sell the bike.
As far as the more local store. Probably a case of "grumpy bike mechanic" syndrome. Thanks to help from the forum I knew I could have taken it up with them but sometimes its easier to go around a problem then confront it. Possibly a letter to the proprietor - I have had a lot of good experiences with the store and it is very convenient, so maybe a letter is enough.
Thanks everyone who contributed to the forum. Bike is fixed and my son is pleased, so a good outcome.