Bike warranty

[brychan]

Hi

I purchased a Boardman MX Sport from Halfords last October.

I use it once a week and have ridden around 300 miles on the roads

I noticed my back wheel has a buckle and I also believe there is a problem with the bottom bolt. If that’s the bolt that fits through the frame that the peddle arms attach to.

I spoke to my local Halfords and they said it could be through wear & tear. I’ve only had it 6 months and should I pay to have it fixed

Any opinions gratefully received

Thanks Mike

[Username]

Hi

I purchased a Boardman MX Sport from Halfords last October.

I use it once a week and have ridden around 300 miles on the roads

I noticed my back wheel has a buckle and I also believe there is a problem with the bottom bolt. If that’s the bolt that fits through the frame that the peddle arms attach to.

I spoke to my local Halfords and they said it could be through wear & tear. I’ve only had it 6 months and should I pay to have it fixed

Any opinions gratefully received

Thanks Mike

300 miles is sod all, I would think you're entitled to get it fixed under warranty. However Halfords do have a reputation when it comes to quality. A reputation I have came a cropper for myself.

[gaz]

I purchased a Boardman MX Sport from Halfords last October.

Exactly when in October? Under the Sale of Goods Act, 6 months is a crucial tipping point. More here from CJ.

[Si]

I would have said that a buckled wheel would be difficult to demonstrate that it wasn't user damage as you can do this to a perfect wheel by hitting a pothole or whatever. I'm not saying that it was your fault, just that proving that it wasn't would be the issue.

But I would have expected a bottom bracket not to develop problems after only 300 miles. If it were me, I would be inclined to argue the case with them on this one.

[mercalia]

I think you have to be firm with them and insist they deal with it and quote the appropriate legislation, which I am sure some one here can refer you to, about fitness for purpose. You need to speal to the manager not some underling. If you bought it on credit card you might have some rights there. when I bought my Dawes Horizon years ago the rims wore far to much and I threated the local store with contacting the credit card in the end they replaced the rim ( after wining to Dawes themselves). I assume you had Halfords check up that they give as part of the sale? if not that weakens your case.

It pays to visit when they are busy and make a fuss when there are other people around, it never looks good to potential customers to see a customer getting treated badly?

[PH]

Any opinions gratefully received

My opinion is that even though it's your right to do so, you may not wish to spend too much time and effort pursuing Halfords. They are the UKs major cycle retailer but their service is at least in some respects reflected in the value of the bikes.
Of the two issues -
The wheels on a bike of that price wouldn't have had the loving touch of a specialist wheel builder, it's possible (Even likely) that they would need some adjustment after a short time, if you have a decent local bike shop they'd charge £5 - £10 to true them up for you which may be all that's required. Some of the Halfords branches have staff capable of doing this well, but it's not always the case.
The pedals/cranks are joined through the frame by the bottom bracket, and the spec of your bike looks to have the simple and reliable square taper cartridge type. I think it unlikely this is problematic after such a short time, so I think further investigation is required. If it does need replacing (It's a sealed unit so repair/adjustment isn't possible) they cost less than £20 and the same again to either have it fitted or buy the tools to do it yourself.

Where abouts are you? Someone local may be able to offer advice on where to get good service in your area.

[Gattonero]

Hi

I purchased a Boardman MX Sport from Halfords last October.

I use it once a week and have ridden around 300 miles on the roads

I noticed my back wheel has a buckle and I also believe there is a problem with the bottom bolt. If that’s the bolt that fits through the frame that the peddle arms attach to.

I spoke to my local Halfords and they said it could be through wear & tear. I’ve only had it 6 months and should I pay to have it fixed

Any opinions gratefully received

Thanks Mike

There is a differerence between "wear and tear" and "misuse" and "not done right in the first place".

Now, wheels can get out of true in many cases and misuse can buckle even the most expensive wheel. On the other hand, those bikes are built to a price point so cannot expect the most fine job when the wheels were built.
In a nutshell: a small, gradual variation in Left/Right when the wheel is spinning can happen and will take 5 minutes to be sorted, this can be done free of charge as a sign of good will.
But if the wheel has a sharp bend, that is mostly user error as it's due to a hard impact and the rim is very likely to be bent.

Going back to the "those bikes are built to a price point" thing, this means that problems of noise and/or parts having a short lifespan can happen more or less frequently. Of course, this is not your fault and should be fixed for free. I.e. before delivery all the bikes should be checked and all their bolts torqued to the correct value (i.e. crank bolts, stem bolts, pedals, etc.); but all the hidden parts that are often not greased enough (or not greased at all!) would require the bike to be stripped down completely, and I'm afraid I cannot see this happening in a high-street shop, and especially on mid-low lever priced bikes.
It's not right, but this is what happens, sadly.

[Paul Smith SRCC]

I would have said that a buckled wheel would be difficult to demonstrate that it wasn't user damage as you can do this to a perfect wheel by hitting a pothole or whatever. I'm not saying that it was your fault, just that proving that it wasn't would be the issue.

But I would have expected a bottom bracket not to develop problems after only 300 miles. If it were me, I would be inclined to argue the case with them on this one.

I concur with Si, a buckled wheel can caused by simple bad luck, especially given the state of the roads after a cold winter spell. A buckled wheel often doesn't equate to a right off, in many cases it can be made good in the hands of a good mechanic-wheel builder, it may simply be that some of the spokes have lost their tension, a common occurrence on a new wheel especially on a bike of this quality and can be rectified to be a good as new.

Regarding the bottom bracket it depends what wrong with it, under normal use it should definitely last longer than it has, you'd have had to effectively abuse it to have an issue with it in such short time; riding in deep snow then when you get home let the snow melt into the bearing or blasting the bottom bracket with a jet wash could ruin it quickly, most units are relatively weather resistant but not to that extent.

[elPedro666]

If I'm interpreting correctly it sounds like just the crank bolts need tightening, rather than a problem with the BB. Hopefully this hasn't yet resulted in damage to the tapers of the crank arms.

Both issues are something I would consider part of the bedding in process and would expect them to be caught at the first service - was one included in the purchase?

As mentioned above, I'd be inclined to avoid HellFrauds entirely and either treat yourself to some basic tools or bite the bullet with an actual bike shop.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[JohnW]

Hi

I purchased a Boardman MX Sport from Halfords last October.

I use it once a week and have ridden around 300 miles on the roads

I noticed my back wheel has a buckle and I also believe there is a problem with the bottom bolt. If that’s the bolt that fits through the frame that the peddle arms attach to.

I spoke to my local Halfords and they said it could be through wear & tear. I’ve only had it 6 months and should I pay to have it fixed

Any opinions gratefully received

Thanks Mike

Well yes, they would, wouldn't they?

[JohnW]

...............Both issues are something I would consider part of the bedding in process and would expect them to be caught at the first service - was one included in the purchase?

As mentioned above, I'd be inclined to avoid HellFrauds entirely and either treat yourself to some basic tools or bite the bullet with an actual bike shop.

.....................................

Yeah - use a proper bike shop and learn about proper tools.

The person who served you in Halfords may have been a non-cyclist, or at least a 'playing out' cyclist, and had no idea of the situation, or what you were talking about, or what he was talking about. Some people have reported good experiences with Halfords, but it does seem to depend on the branch and on the individual who serves you. I personally wouldn't say that they were in any way fraudulent, but are they interested enough once they've got your money? and are they competent? The "wear and tear" response is a common enough response in today's retail outlets - could it be in the assistants' instruction book?

I'd find a decent local bike shop (that is if you don't know one already) - and remember that buying from big and on-line outfits is usually the choice because it's the cheapest - or would I say cheapo-est - and that seems to be what you've got - er, they did tell you about bringing it back for a free check-up and a first service after a given period/number of miles.....................didn't they? - my four most local LBSs do that when they've sold a brand new, built-up bike.

Would you mind telling us how you've got on, please 'bryhcan'?