Cycling Equipment · Public discussion

Re: Bike query...

Started by Claire Petersky · · Last activity · 12 posts · 210 views

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Cycling Equipment
Published
2 January 2007
Last activity
3 January 2007
Original author
Claire Petersky
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  1. "-pb-" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Recently I bought a new Bicycle, its a 26" Montain Bike for Mens. After
    assembly I found that front and back break touches the steel rim and
    tyre because of which I have to pedal really hard while riding...is
    there any way to fix it...

    Quoted message said:

    Pls let me know if anyone need any further info

    Did you buy the bike at a bike shop, and they assembled it? Or did you buy
    the bike somewhere else, and you assembled it?

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  2. Hi,

    Actually, I bought the cycel from Tesco and asembled it myself.
    Probably I will visit cycle shop near to my house and ask them to check
    is everything is alright...do u think they will charge if so any idea
    how much...this information would be reallt helpful...

    Before visiting the shop I will try the suggeston given by one of the
    member.

    Thanks

    Claire Petersky said:

    "-pb-" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    Recently I bought a new Bicycle, its a 26" Montain Bike for Mens. After
    assembly I found that front and back break touches the steel rim and
    tyre because of which I have to pedal really hard while riding...is
    there any way to fix it...

    Quoted message said:

    Pls let me know if anyone need any further info

    Did you buy the bike at a bike shop, and they assembled it? Or did you buy
    the bike somewhere else, and you assembled it?

    --
    Warm Regards,

    Claire Petersky
    http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
    See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

  3. All that info is on the web. Sheldon Brown's website is mostly highly
    regarded in this group.
    This is definitely the right group by the way as is rec.bicycles.tech
    My LBS would not charge but yours might a couple bucks. Takes about 5
    minutes. There are screws that loosen and realign. You might see it if you
    look and just figure it out. Pictures would help and it depends on center
    pull or whatever brakes you have. Brake pads themselves should also be on
    the right way(forward and backward facing) and touch the rim only when you
    squeeze the brake lever.
    Levers should move only 1/4" to half an inch to be able to brake in a hurry.
    Pump brakes BTW when stopping. It is faster than just one long squeeze.

    Cheers
    have fun
    SN

  4. -pb- said:

    Actually, I bought the cycel from Tesco and asembled it myself.

    I don't want to sound like a bike snob, but if you plan to ride a bike
    more that 2 or 3 times a year, I would return this one and buy a better
    bike at the bike shop. Believe me, the extra money will be well worth
    it in terms of reliability and performance. Even if you get the brakes
    adjusted properly, there will probably be other issues that will make
    this bike no fun to ride. An inexpensive bike that ends up not being
    ridden is not a good deal.

    Quoted message said:

    Probably I will visit cycle shop near to my house and ask them to check
    is everything is alright...do u think they will charge if so any idea

    Some shops may refuse to work on a cheap department store bike. They
    certainly won't fix it for free.

    Art Harris

  5. Art Harris said:
    -pb- said:

    Actually, I bought the cycel from Tesco and asembled it myself.

    I don't want to sound like a bike snob, but if you plan to ride a bike
    more that 2 or 3 times a year, I would return this one and buy a better
    bike at the bike shop. Believe me, the extra money will be well worth
    it in terms of reliability and performance. Even if you get the brakes
    adjusted properly, there will probably be other issues that will make
    this bike no fun to ride. An inexpensive bike that ends up not being
    ridden is not a good deal.

    Quoted message said:

    Probably I will visit cycle shop near to my house and ask them to check
    is everything is alright...do u think they will charge if so any idea

    Some shops may refuse to work on a cheap department store bike. They
    certainly won't fix it for free.

    Art Harris

    To add a few points: It *might* be a bargain to ride the Tesco for a
    bit to see if and how much you are into bicycling. Depending on your
    age, how long it has been since you've ridden and how many nice places
    to ride there are near you, you might give it up after a month. In
    that case an el-cheapo might be ok.

    But if you decide you like it and the money it saves on gas, then
    right away start shopping or saving for a "real" bike. First, it
    will probably be cheaper in the long run as many bike shops will
    service a bike they sell for free or cheaply. Second, the Tesco is
    probably a death trap. Third, it will likely operate with far fewer
    problems and spend less time in the shop.

  6. "Art Harris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    -pb- said:

    Actually, I bought the cycel from Tesco and asembled it myself.

    I don't want to sound like a bike snob, but if you plan to ride a bike
    more that 2 or 3 times a year, I would return this one and buy a better
    bike at the bike shop. Believe me, the extra money will be well worth
    it in terms of reliability and performance. Even if you get the brakes
    adjusted properly, there will probably be other issues that will make
    this bike no fun to ride. An inexpensive bike that ends up not being
    ridden is not a good deal.

    Quoted message said:

    Probably I will visit cycle shop near to my house and ask them to


    check

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    is everything is alright...do u think they will charge if so any idea

    Some shops may refuse to work on a cheap department store bike. They
    certainly won't fix it for free.

    Art Harris

    When I managed a shop we wouldn't work on really cheap bikes for liability
    reasons. The minute we touched it we were responsible for the rider's
    safety.

    Really cheap bikes turn into a can of worms. When you adjust one component
    you find another thing that doesn't work right.

    I think that it takes a lot of nerve bringing a new bike purchased
    somewhere else into a LBS and asking them to make free adjustments! How
    many posters who made that suggestion would work for free themselves?

    Chas.

  7. for your information I said mine would do it for me free but it would
    probably take just 5 minutes so expect to pay a couple bucks.
    As far as I know that is the only post that mentioned free anything.

  8. I think that it takes a lot of nerve bringing a new bike purchased
    somewhere else into a LBS and asking them to make free adjustments! <<<<<

    Nobody did!

  9. "* * Chas" wrote: (clip) I think that it takes a lot of nerve bringing a
    new bike purchased somewhere else into a LBS and asking them to make free
    adjustments! How many posters who made that suggestion would work for free
    themselves?
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    I have taken a bike, not purchased from them, into an LBS for work. I never
    ask or expect it to be done free. However, they sometimes decline to charge
    for something minor--this could be from pure generosity, or as a way of
    making me into a future customer.

    A shop can spend untold amounts on advertising, and never really know how
    well it is paying off. OTOH, a helpful little freebe can be the basis for a
    long and profitable future with a potential customer. Remember also that
    people talk to their friends about how they were treated.

  10. -pb- said:

    Hi,

    Actually, I bought the cycel from Tesco and asembled it myself.
    Probably I will visit cycle shop near to my house and ask them to check
    is everything is alright...do u think they will charge if so any idea
    how much...this information would be reallt helpful...

    Before visiting the shop I will try the suggeston given by one of the
    member.

    Thanks

    Isn't Tesco a supermarket? Supermarkets, Wal-Mart, and auto parts stores
    are generally not the best places to buy bicycles. The bicycles sold in
    these places tend to be pretty low quality, and the staff generally
    doesn't know too much about fixing bicycles. Bikes from a good bicycle
    shop cost more to buy, but they tend to give better service, so you end
    up riding them more and getting better value for your money.

    The problems you describe are quite fixable, but it's debatable how long
    they'll stay fixed on a cheap bike. By the time you finish fixing all
    the things that are out of order or that break prematurely on your bike,
    you just might discover that it would have been cheaper to buy a bike
    from a proper bike shop.

    mark

  11. "Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


    "* * Chas" wrote: (clip) I think that it takes a lot of nerve bringing


    a

    Quoted message said:

    new bike purchased somewhere else into a LBS and asking them to make


    free

    Quoted message said:

    adjustments! How many posters who made that suggestion would work for


    free

    Quoted message said:

    themselves?
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    I have taken a bike, not purchased from them, into an LBS for work. I


    never

    Quoted message said:

    ask or expect it to be done free. However, they sometimes decline to


    charge

    Quoted message said:

    for something minor--this could be from pure generosity, or as a way of
    making me into a future customer.

    A shop can spend untold amounts on advertising, and never really know


    how

    Quoted message said:

    well it is paying off. OTOH, a helpful little freebe can be the basis


    for a

    Quoted message said:

    long and profitable future with a potential customer. Remember also


    that

    Quoted message said:

    people talk to their friends about how they were treated.

    A number of years ago, Epson (the printer company) did some market
    research. They found that if someone was satisfied with a product or
    service they usually told 2 other people about it. If they were unhappy
    they told an average of 17 other people about their experience.

    Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising especially when
    there is a high probability of repeat business.

    We were in business to sell bikes and cycling accessories and to do
    repairs.

    As I mentioned before working on a really cheap bike can quickly turn into
    a can of worms. When you try to adjust the brakes you find the levers are
    loose and the cables need to be adjusted, then the wheel bearings are
    loose, the wheels need to be trued and the derailleurs are out of
    adjustment.....

    We did lots of small adjustments for free but when someone brought in a
    brand new junker we were reluctant to even touch them. For one thing our
    shop rate was reasonable and charging for labor helped keep a roof over
    the heads of a number of employees. We made it a policy of trying not to
    bad mouth someone's new junker bike but instead take a minute or two to
    explain why we didn't want to work on their bike. We sold quite a few of
    the people that we talked to into a better bike.

    The inexpensive bikes sold today are probably are lot better than the
    junkers sold many years ago. I think that a number of posters to this
    thread have had experience with cheap kid killer bikes so their negative
    reactions are more than just bike snobbery.

    Chas.

  12. "* * Chas" wrote a few paragraphs.
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    Dear **: I think everything in your post is very reasonable.

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