LBS serious dilemma. Need advice please.

[Burrito Eater]

So I am looking for a new frame to replace the XL 1x1 that I decided was too big after riding it a year. I call a LBS which is about a half hour from my house and tell them what I am looking for. They have it in stock so I drive down with my XL bike so they can swap the parts off it. Fast forward a few days and I pick up the bike. I jump on it real quick and throw it in the car because I am running super late because it took them a half hour to find my frame. I get home later and look at my bike.

The first thing I noticed is that they did not cut the steerer tube down on the fork they transfered over from my old bike. Just spacers under the stem and about an inch over also. They charged me 70$ to swap the parts over, and that was fine. I don't know if that price included the fork being cut or not as I just let it go and did it myself. Regardless if the build included the fork being cut or not, wouldn't you call a customer to see what they wanted to do? Also they did not adjust the brakes, they left them super mushy and did not touch the pad angle.

I go out of town for awhile and then get back and ride my bike. I notice that the chainring, which was fine on my XL frame, obviously rubs on the chainstay of the smaller frame, and has rubbed off some of the paint that was brand new.

That was yesterday, today I go to replace the pedals and I find that my left pedal had not even been tightened, it was barley snug. This could be an oversight so whatever.

Finally I am backpedaling the cranks and I notice there is a serious hitch in the motion. I thought it was the chainring rubbing but it is not. Every time I pedal backward something is catching, and it sounds like something is grinding in the bottom bracket. First I was annoyed but now I am getting pissed.

First, what do you guys think the hitch is? Also what should I say to this shop? I have had the bike for a couple weeks but I was out of town most of the time. Sorry for the long rant.

[myron]

Sounds like the mechanic doesn't check his work well, or is hurried about it. I would take it back and give them the chance to correct the problems. A friendly phone call to schedule the visit might speed things up. The manager or owner may have no idea shoddy work is being turned out by the tech. People come and go,so he might even be a new employee. Either way the shop owner or manager has the right to know about it and have the chance to correct it. Most shop owners are genuinely concerned about your satisfaction as a customer.

The trouble? If the chainring rubs the chainline is likely off. A bent or damaged chainring could also cause a hitch. Look to see if the chain tension changes a significant amount as you rotate the cranks. That could indicate a bent chainring. A little bit of change is normal. A damaged BB may be possible,but it would be hard to damage one during install or removal.Other than the threads and cups.

[gti2k2000]

The hitch could also be a tight chain link. They would have had to take the chain apart for the swap and may have pressed in a new pin too tight.

[LeeMcGough]

I feel your pain, Burrito Eater. I had a bike where the bb decided to make a break for it within the first hour of my taking ownership of the bike. I also noticed that my front disc brake was getting rather noisy. Turns out that is because the disc mounting hardware was loose, putting a rather large warp in the rotor on the first (maybe second) pull of the lever. The problem was a communication breakdown between staff. One guy was building the bike up for me, and when he finished for the day, he told the guy taking over for him, "the bike isn't finished", but the second guy thought he said, "the bike is finished". The second guy should have looked it over, (as should I), but they fixed the problems when I brought it back the next day.

[Jay13]

Hearing stories like these make me realize how lucky I am to have a good friend who owns an LBS.

I think you have every right to complain if things aren't right with your bike. Burrito Eater- My ony thoughts about the head tube, it's not such a bad thing if it is a little long. Cause you never know, if you put the fork on another bike, it might need to be longer. That may not be an issue since you just got a new frame but...

[RepublicanSS]

I'd personally return the bike to the LBS and have them address the issues. I doubt you'll have any problem getting satisfaction.

A good rule to know for marketing purposes if you are happy with a product or service on the average you tell approxitmately three people, if you are unhappy you inform on the average 21 people. So, it makes sense for them to correct the problems.

Good luck.

[Jay13]

A good rule to know for marketing purposes if you are happy with a product or service on the average you tell approxitmately three people, if you are unhappy you inform on the average 21 people. So, it makes sense for them to correct the problems.

Good luck.

Kinda funny, in the restaurant business we call it the "Rule of 10" (1 disatisfied customer will tell, on average, 10 of their friends...)

[rockyrider]

people who go to restaurants don't have as many friends?

[bitchslapmadman]

you paid 70 bux to swap parts.
He did the right thing not cutting down the steerer tube. Cutting it may kill it for future rigs and you allready changed your mind.
You DID NOT pay for a tune up. I know this might sound lame but when taking anything into any shop you MUST specify what needs to be done and you must pay for that service.
Any chainline, rubbing may be addressed by the mech. He/she should have mentioned it. As far as loose pedals, etc....meh.
check your rig and learn how to do all repairs yourself. Then and only then will you know how to do a pre-ride check.

Sorry for being so cold but...........you sound like you got what you ordered...a swap out.

[Burrito Eater]

you paid 70 bux to swap parts.
He did the right thing not cutting down the steerer tube. Cutting it may kill it for future rigs and you allready changed your mind.
You DID NOT pay for a tune up. I know this might sound lame but when taking anything into any shop you MUST specify what needs to be done and you must pay for that service.
Any chainline, rubbing may be addressed by the mech. He/she should have mentioned it. As far as loose pedals, etc....meh.
check your rig and learn how to do all repairs yourself. Then and only then will you know how to do a pre-ride check.

Sorry for being so cold but...........you sound like you got what you ordered...a swap out.


I see what your saying. However I do know how to work on bikes, and did it professionally in the past, but simply did not have the time to do this parts swap. When I worked in shops before if there was a question about anything, like cutting the steerer tube, I would call the customer to find out what they wanted to do. That's common sense to me.

As far as the other things, like the loose pedal, its not a big deal but when taken together with this chainline problem and super loose brakes it becomes indicative of a mechanics sloppiness.

So yeah I did pay for a swap out, and then I had to do it over myself, which is lame. If I would have gotten what I paid for I wouldn't have had to touch the bike. I think the thing that bugs me the most is everybody says this shop is the best, and I am having a terrible time finding any other decent shop in the area. I just ordered a repair stand for my balcony so I don't have to go through this crap again.:rolleyes:

[bitchslapmadman]

that is the skinny but in a real nice world.....with a real LBS you should have been consulted if anything was seen that is odd.
This time of year is a tad early to use the "we're busy doing tune ups" excuse so really the shop should have done a better job.
My treal question is do you intend to go back to said shop? and.....did you use them before?

my LBS has had some hacks working there over the years and some stuff has gone wrong. It can happen anywhere. Point is you need a relationship with a good mech and use him/her loyally.

[Burrito Eater]

that is the skinny but in a real nice world.....with a real LBS you should have been consulted if anything was seen that is odd.
This time of year is a tad early to use the "we're busy doing tune ups" excuse so really the shop should have done a better job.
My treal question is do you intend to go back to said shop? and.....did you use them before?

my LBS has had some hacks working there over the years and some stuff has gone wrong. It can happen anywhere. Point is you need a relationship with a good mech and use him/her loyally.

No, its kind of far from my house. I went there because they had the frame that I wanted in stock, on sale. I honestly think it was because my bike is a surly 1x1 with pretty basic parts and when I was in there the only other bikes I saw were the super expensive freeride/downhill types. Plus guys from the Kona dirt jump team were in there broing it up. Oh the joys of Orange County. :rolleyes: I won't be going back, this just gives me and excuse to spend more money on tools.

[gti2k2000]

you paid 70 bux to swap parts.

You DID NOT pay for a tune up. I know this might sound lame but when taking anything into any shop you MUST specify what needs to be done and you must pay for that service.
Any chainline, rubbing may be addressed by the mech. He/she should have mentioned it. As far as loose pedals, etc....meh.


Sorry for being so cold but...........you sound like you got what you ordered...a swap out.


Taking your theory to a logical conclusion, if you pay a shop to install anything , they are not obliiged to make proper adjustments. That's just ridiculous. When you pay for a job to be done, you should get the whole job done. I've been an automotive mechanic for 35 years. You don't install anything without making sure it works properly. A bike mechanic that would settle for less should be working at WalMart assembling Next and Mongoose junk for $7/hr.