Re: Bike query...

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

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

-pb- wrote:
> 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.

> 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

"Art Harris" <[email protected]> wrote:

>-pb- wrote:
>> 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.
>
>> 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.

"Art Harris" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> -pb- wrote:
> > 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.
>
> > 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
>

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.

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.

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!

"* * 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.

-pb- wrote:
> 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

"Leo Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:%[email protected]...
>
> "* * 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.
>
>

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.

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