Rear Hub went out after 350 mles
11-10-20, 10:42 AM
#51
Soooo, got a bike from BikeShopWarehouse (BSW). To meet the $1000 price point. They, of course, have to cut corners. Therefore the bike came with a nice carbon frame and low end wheels. I expected these wheels to last me at least a few thousand miles, but the rear hub went out after less than 2 months of riding.
My mechanic looked at the hub and the races are damaged, meaning the hub must be replaced. With labor that would be about $140. The cheap rim is only about $120 to replace.
Is it unreasonable for me to expect BSW to fix this?
My mechanic looked at the hub and the races are damaged, meaning the hub must be replaced. With labor that would be about $140. The cheap rim is only about $120 to replace.
Is it unreasonable for me to expect BSW to fix this?
11-10-20, 10:43 AM
#52
Zip tie Karen
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Not so. A good mechanic will check the bearings by feel, not by taking them apart. If there's improper adjustment, then there are two ways to correct.
(1) Simply adjust the bearing pre-load and put the wheel back on. Or,
(2) better, open the hub and check for grease (or likely, lack of). Grease, readjust pre-load, and put the wheel back on.
This takes 10 minutes tops, for both wheels. You don't do the 2nd method on low-end bikes, but you do check bearings every time. Every time.
For any bike that I service, I obviously open the hubs. This applies to a child's Target bike or a customer's top-end custom frame. Same same.
(1) Simply adjust the bearing pre-load and put the wheel back on. Or,
(2) better, open the hub and check for grease (or likely, lack of). Grease, readjust pre-load, and put the wheel back on.
This takes 10 minutes tops, for both wheels. You don't do the 2nd method on low-end bikes, but you do check bearings every time. Every time.
For any bike that I service, I obviously open the hubs. This applies to a child's Target bike or a customer's top-end custom frame. Same same.
11-10-20, 11:32 AM
#53
For The Fun of It
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10 minutes? That depends upon how many times you send the ungreased loose bearing rolling across the garage.
11-10-20, 01:12 PM
#54
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But just checking for grease isn't so bad. Hold the wheel (hub) and push the axle from the bottom while you unscrew the top cone. Use a small grease gun to shoot those bearings full of grease. Flip it over and push the axle into the greased bearing, repeat the other side. The grease will usually hold the balls in place for a quick flip.
11-10-20, 08:38 PM
#55
Clark W. Griswold
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The less you spend the less you get. If I worked at some online place that sells cast off bikes with names on them to evoke a brand that really doesn't exist anymore, I would have told you to take a hike. You bought the bike to hit price points, that is why people buy that stuff. It is not about the quality or support they are giving you it is a price. I wouldn't expect any support except maybe if the box was in perfect condition but the contents were completely trashed but in a lot of those cases the companies still don't want to help because they aren't selling it to you as their product they are selling it to you basically with the idea that bike may as well have your name on it and they have washed their hands clean. Yes a Specialized or Trek does cost money and you do tend to buy them from a shop but you get a lot of support behind it and that support can really pay off in the end.
Now I would have pestered them to send some new wheels but I have little to no expectation that these wheels or really any low end wheels will hold up well if these were trashed quickly. There is no replacing handbuilt wheels with quality components. They cost more but they have the proper touch needed and the components to work so you don't have to replace a wheel until things are truly worn out after many many many many many moons of use. If they taught people how to properly build wheels and tension them and dish them and all of that, they could bring a lot of jobs to the market.
Now I would have pestered them to send some new wheels but I have little to no expectation that these wheels or really any low end wheels will hold up well if these were trashed quickly. There is no replacing handbuilt wheels with quality components. They cost more but they have the proper touch needed and the components to work so you don't have to replace a wheel until things are truly worn out after many many many many many moons of use. If they taught people how to properly build wheels and tension them and dish them and all of that, they could bring a lot of jobs to the market.
