Hall of Shame. And you thought Halfords were bad?

[mercalia]

I came across this file when looking around. And you thought Halfords were bad?


http://bicycleshapedobject.wordpress.com/hall-of-shame/

[LollyKat]

[edocaster]

Facepalm. It's mostly back-to-front forks and other assembly errors, isn't it? That's largely what separates a supermarket BSO from an entry level 'groupset? what groupset?'-type bike.

The problem is the actual bike shops/mechanics and the BSO vendors are basically at a stalemate. Bike shops can moan about BSOs, but they will still be sold by the truckload. And those mechanics aren't exactly going to fix all of (for example) Asda's bikes - not unless Asda pays them quite a bit. There's little incentive for Asda to do that, unless legislation is invoked.

The other problem is that bikes seem to be ruddy resilient. That any of those poorly assembled/set up bikes could ride is a testament to the basic design of the bicycle... although the brake discs on the wrong side would hamper the end of a ride somewhat...

[mercalia]

I suppose we should be grateful that Tescos dont sell mopeds! Long time ago Woolworths did - I started out my motor cycle career with a Tomos moped bought from them lol It in fact wasnt a bad mchine went long dstance on it.

[Mark1978]

When my LBS first opened I asked why they didn't sell 'cheap' bikes (their cheapest was about £350), they said that it just wasn't worth their while, the profit margins were tiny but the workload was high because they'd have a customer who'd bought a cheap bike coming back to get it fixed so often, so better left to the likes of Tesco.

[blackbike]

Halfords aren't bad.

I've had two basic, cheap bikes from them recently ( not for me) and they are perfectly OK.

And they sometimes, not often, come up trumps as the cheapest place to buy a spare part or a tool on the internet.

I'm not saying that Halfords are good, but they aren't bad.

[Drake]

Halfords aren't bad.

I've had two basic, cheap bikes from them recently ( not for me) and they are perfectly OK.

And they sometimes, not often, come up trumps as the cheapest place to buy a spare part or a tool on the internet.

I'm not saying that Halfords are good, but they aren't bad.

Have to agree with you. Never purchased a bike from them,only spares. At my local branch the staff are helpful and spares quality is ok. The staff at Halford are a lot more customer friendly than my LBS.

[Grumbleweed]

Halfords are okay. It's just their mechanics are weaned on two hour training courses with meaningless certification.

Experience is everything !

[reohn2]

Halfords are okay. It's just their mechanics are weaned on two hour training courses with meaningless certification.

Experience is everything !

I think it depends on the individual store,I know the mechanic at our local store(Leigh),he's knowledgeable and conscientious.
However another one in another local town is an absolute dork and I've wondered how he's employable
Someone assembling/maintaining something which will be used on the roads needs a high degree of competence.

[yakdiver]

You have to be careful with "forks facing backwards" my Pace forks on my MTB the brakes faces backward there suppose to be like that

[Brucey]

the reason BSO forks end up the wrong way round is that they are often that way round when the bike is in the box; it packs down smaller that way I think. Obviously you need to be a half-wit to assemble a bike like that (and perhaps ride it too...) but the instructions often say that you just need to 'turn the handlebars and fit the pedals'.

Ho ho ho...

cheers

[MikeF]

Obviously you need to be a half-wit to assemble a bike like that (and perhaps ride it too...) but the instructions often say that you just need to 'turn the handlebars and fit the pedals'.

Ho ho ho...

cheers

Like everything, it's easy when you know, but until you do then it's not always obvious. If something will "fit" in two ways then without further guidance how do you know? Some people will deduce the correct solution, but not everyone will. I've never ridden or assembled a bike with forks reversed, but I'm sure over the years I've puzzled over the assembly of parts (not necessarily bike ones) and wondered which was the correct direction of fitment - possibly reversed them after reflection, and I think I'm reasonably "mechanically minded".

[Si]

Like everything, it's easy when you know, but until you do then it's not always obvious. If something will "fit" in two ways then without further guidance how do you know?

True, if some parent buys a bike in a box that has rubbish instructions and no picture then we shouldn't really berate them just because this is our specialist area. But you'd hope that they'd do their best to check it was right.

On the other hand, shop staff should not be allowed to assemble bikes unless they have had the proper training, and I'd expect bikes to be safety checked before sale. To do otherwise is unforgivable.

[Raph]

One Friday afternoon years ago when I worked in a bike shop, I was assembling quite a fancy bike for a customer- who thankfully wasn't there watching. A workmate commented "You're not going to leave it like that are you?" - I didn't know what he was on about, i carried on... next time he passed by he said "that's a great joke but the customer's not going to be so amused"... eventually I actually had to ask him what tf he was referring to. I'd fitted the cranks at 90 degrees to each other. Obviously I would have noticed eventually, but it was like that for a good half hour as I was doing other stuff. I pleaded tiredness.

[RickH]

...I'd fitted the cranks at 90 degrees to each other.

I put my cranks both facing the same way a couple of times for a lark when I was a student (late 70s). It worked OK with toestraps & was fun to watch the slightly puzzled looks as I rode along. A lot seemed like they were thinking "there's something odd here but I can't quite figure out what!".

Rick.