Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
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jimster99
Posts: 210
Joined: 18 Jun 2012, 7:00pm

Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by jimster99 »

Hi all,

I had a very bizarre experience with the Decathlon Surrey Quays a few days ago and thought I would share it here to see if anyone else has any views on how this could have happened.

The chain on my rattly old Dutch bike came off and jammed off in the frame as I was passing the Decathlon. It's not a quick release wheel and I didn't have a spanner so I went in and asked if I could borrow one to loosen the wheel and unjam the chain.

"No problem", they said, "We'll do it for you". I thought, wow, that's nice of them. The guy then popped the bike up on his stand and loosened it. So far so good.

HOWEVER, the dude then spent a couple of minutes "correcting" the indexing. Nice of him, although he didn't ask and I thought it was fine before. He gave the bike back with what struck me as a slightly funny look and said "fixed it for you, the gears shouldn't jam any more".

On the ride home, I noticed that I could no longer shift into gears 1-3. When I got a moment a few days later, I checked the indexing and the guy had not only mostly stripped one of the derailleur limit screws, he had also jammed the other one (the one that stops it moving too close to the frame) AS FAR AS IT COULD GO which is why I couldn't get into the lower gears.

One hour of fiddling (indexing isn't something I do very often....) with the aid of the helpful Park Tools video, and the indexing is fine again and I can use all the gears (although I need to replace the limit screw, which I'm not sure where to get them from).

I know it was entirely free so I can't complain too much, and I hate to think the worst of someone, but I really can't imagine how this happened by accident.

Is there any chance the guy did this to tickle me for asking to borrow his spanner? Or maybe it was an attempt to poke me into getting a full service? Or maybe just sheer incompetence (although hard to believe that a bike mechanic would do that by accident).

Anyone think this was an accident? If not, I am tempted to go back to the store and mention it, although I doubt this would achieve much.

/ End rant
Last edited by jimster99 on 21 Jan 2022, 10:18pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by Jdsk »

I suggest communicating with them as soon as possible by whatever medium works best for you.

Jonathan
rotavator
Posts: 987
Joined: 6 Jun 2016, 9:50pm
Location: North Wales

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by rotavator »

Think yourself lucky! I took a bike into a new LBS to get the indexing fixed because I had failed to sort it out myself. I picked it up a few days later and was charged £10 which I thought was reasonable. However, when I tried it out the indexing was just as bad as before. I have not been back to this bike shop.
jimster99
Posts: 210
Joined: 18 Jun 2012, 7:00pm

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by jimster99 »

Thanks Jonathan, I don't really want to contact Decathlon, because I can't prove anything, and I'm not even sure if I'd recognise the guy, and given it was a free service I dont want to sound churlish. I'm not even sure what they could do now, other than listening sympathetically. The bike is now fixed after all!
richardfm
Posts: 969
Joined: 15 Apr 2018, 3:17pm
Location: Cardiff, Wales

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by richardfm »

While I don't doubt that he messed up the indexing, this bit doesn't make sense to me
he had also jammed the other one (the one that stops it moving too close to the frame) ALL THE WAY IN which is why I couldn't get into the higher gears.
Richard M
Cardiff
jimster99
Posts: 210
Joined: 18 Jun 2012, 7:00pm

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by jimster99 »

richardfm wrote: 21 Jan 2022, 6:31pm While I don't doubt that he messed up the indexing, this bit doesn't make sense to me
he had also jammed the other one (the one that stops it moving too close to the frame) ALL THE WAY IN which is why I couldn't get into the higher gears.
I might have explained it the wrong way round. Before the "service", all the gears worked fine, except for the chain occasionally jumping off the smallest sprocket (the high gear?) if I changed gear with the chain under too much tension, which I think is not that unusual for lower end derailleurs.

After the "service" I couldn't change into any of the 3 LOWEST gears (i.e. the ones used for going up hills) on a bike with only 6 gears and the limit screw that adjusts how close the derailleur can get to the frame (i.e. the low gears) seemed to have been turned as far as it could go in one direction (not sure if that means in or out).

Once I adjusted the screw back, the derailleur worked fine again.

PS I have edited my original post for (slightly) better clarity.
Eyebrox
Posts: 581
Joined: 5 Aug 2015, 8:56pm
Location: Ayrshire

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by Eyebrox »

Look back into the shop and have a chat with the guy. Thank him for being helpful and explain you had problems dropping into the lowest gears. Maybe he had an off day or needs more training. I've been on bike mechanic courses and read manuals and studied videos. But it was only after working in a shop with experienced mechanics for a few years that I picked up the tricks of the trade and gathered enough confidence to work on all sorts of bikes with all sorts of derailleurs etc. I am sure you will both benefit from the chat and you will have a contact you can keep in touch with as his training develops.
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by Jdsk »

Eyebrox wrote: 22 Jan 2022, 3:35pm Look back into the shop and have a chat with the guy. Thank him for being helpful and explain you had problems dropping into the lowest gears. Maybe he had an off day or needs more training. I've been on bike mechanic courses and read manuals and studied videos. But it was only after working in a shop with experienced mechanics for a few years that I picked up the tricks of the trade and gathered enough confidence to work on all sorts of bikes with all sorts of derailleurs etc. I am sure you will both benefit from the chat and you will have a contact you can keep in touch with as his training develops.
Sounds smart to me.

Jonathan
jimster99
Posts: 210
Joined: 18 Jun 2012, 7:00pm

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by jimster99 »

I went back to the shop but the gear-mangling guy wasn't there. A different guy was working, and when I asked him if they sold replacment pannier eyelet screws (having sheared one while taking the pannier off) he said no, they didn't but hang on a second....and he went off and rummaged through a parts bin, before giving me a bunch of free replacment screws that they had spare. Such a nice experience!
Jdsk
Posts: 24640
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Decathlon messed up my indexing (for free)

Post by Jdsk »

: - )

Jonathan
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