Bacchetta cutomer service

I've also received fantastic service from John at Bacchetta. It's a great company to deal with. Oh
yeah, the bikes are also great ;-)

Cheers, Barry

"Bill B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is the greatest. My Strada rear wheel spokes started getting loose and making that clicking noise.
After posting to the Bacchetta group John Schlitter Emailed me about the problem and offered a
fix. Another trued and tensioned wheel[minus cassett & skewer] arrived today as a
replacement/exchange. Thanks John,I'll strip off the cassett, skew ,tire,tube and send back the
original wheel. Thank for the great service. Bill Britton

In article <[email hidden]>, "BarryG" <barrygross at access4less.net> says...

Quoted message said:

I've also received fantastic service from John at Bacchetta. It's a great company to deal with. Oh
yeah, the bikes are also great ;-)

There is an unsung 'soldier' that doesn't get much 'face time' on the NGs like John and Rich. That's
Mike Wilkerson. That service that you got from John probably would not have happened so quick if it
were not for Mike.

--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

I'll have to second the positive comments about Bacchetta customer service. Last spring I bought a
used Strada. It was an early 2003 model and I realized that it had the older idler on it. I called
Bacchetta and spoke with Mike and 4 days later I got the new, improved idler in the mail.. No charge
for the idler or the shipping.

"Cletus D. Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "BarryG" <barrygross at access4less.net> says...

Quoted message said:

I've also received fantastic service from John at Bacchetta. It's a

great

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

company to deal with. Oh yeah, the bikes are also great ;-)

There is an unsung 'soldier' that doesn't get much 'face time' on the NGs like John and Rich.
That's Mike Wilkerson. That service that you got from John probably would not have happened so
quick if it were not for Mike.

--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

I agree Bacchetta's service is excellent. I had a defective headset with my Aero. The Bike Shop here
in Dothan, Al where I purchased my bike called Bacchetta and without any problems at all got me a
new headset. The Bike Shop installed it at no cost to me. The bike had a little over 2,000 miles on
it and there was never any discussion about it being covered under warranty - there simply was no
charge. I love my Aero.

BentMick

My 2002 idler seems fine - Ted, what makes the early idlers bad?

(side note - I was riding with a roadie friend Saturday and realized my Strada was noticeably
quieter than his Ultegra equipped Rivendell!)

Thanks, Barry

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

Quoted message said:

I'll have to second the positive comments about Bacchetta customer

service.

Quoted message said:

Last spring I bought a used Strada. It was an early 2003 model and I realized that it had the
older idler on it. I called Bacchetta and

spoke

Quoted message said:

with Mike and 4 days later I got the new, improved idler in the mail.. No charge for the idler or
the shipping.

"Cletus D. Lee" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "BarryG" <barrygross at access4less.net> says...

Quoted message said:

I've also received fantastic service from John at Bacchetta. It's a

great

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

company to deal with. Oh yeah, the bikes are also great ;-)

There is an unsung 'soldier' that doesn't get much 'face time' on the NGs like John and Rich.
That's Mike Wilkerson. That service that you got from John probably would not have happened so
quick if it were not for Mike.

--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

In article <[email hidden]>, "BarryG" <barrygross at access4less.net> says...

Quoted message said:

My 2002 idler seems fine - Ted, what makes the early idlers bad?

Early Idlers were made from 'jell-o'. The chain tende to chew up the center divider.

--
Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager clee.orgclee.orgOpen ↗
- Bellaire, TX USA -

[email hidden] (Mick) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I agree Bacchetta's service is excellent. I had a defective headset with my Aero. The Bike Shop
here in Dothan, Al where I purchased my bike called Bacchetta and without any problems at all got
me a new headset. The Bike Shop installed it at no cost to me. The bike had a little over 2,000
miles on it and there was never any discussion about it being covered under warranty - there
simply was no charge. I love my Aero.

At the Midwest Recumbent Rally the wife and I were stopped on the roadside taking a breather when
Mark Colliton and a couple of other riders rode by. Mark asked if we needed anything. I yelled
back that I needed an Aero. That was more than three months ago and it hasn't arrived. What's
going on here? I took him up on his offer and he didn't send me a bike. I guess I might have to
send a check first.

Seriously, I have never heard of anyone complain about the service that this company provides. While
there were some problems with the bikes initially (rear brake issues, etc.), they were all responded
to quickly and, apparently, to the customer's satisfaction. I don't own a Bacchetta (c'mon Mark,
send me that Aero) but I think all recumbency is enhanced by the quality service of any recumbent
manufacturer. Someone new to recumbency isn't going to hang around if the bike he gets has problems
that are not corrected. Dealing with the customer the way these guys have (or Bill Cook of Barcroft,
Steve Delaire of Rotator, Gardner Martin of Easy Racers, etc.) can't help but broaden the appeal of
the sport.

Mike S. St. Louis, Mo.

mike s said:

Seriously, I have never heard of anyone complain about the service that this company provides.
While there were some problems with the bikes initially (rear brake issues, etc.), they were all
responded to quickly and, apparently, to the customer's satisfaction.

Not my case.

Before I bought my Strada, they already knew that the first batch of Stradas and Giros were
defective. Mark Colliton had even gone to the factory in Taiwan to discuss the problems with the
first batch and supervise the building of the second batch. Yet they didn't bother informing anyone.
Not even many of their dealers. When I informed them of all the problems I found on my bike, they
acted surprised, then told me to go back to the dealer I bought it from to get it repaired. That
after I had already told them that I didn't trust that dealer after selling me a bike in such bad
shape, and going back there would cost me over 100 dollars plus an entire day. I suggested I take it
to my local shop and they reimburse me for the costs. They refused. That's for repairing their
product that they already knew was defective even before I bought it. I was never refunded for any
of the parts or labor not to mention a lot of my own time spent repairing the bike.

When asked about my case, Mark said he had never heard from me, even though there were two weeks
worth of back and forth emails, many of which were copied to him (see
groups.google.comgroupsOpen ↗ for the first one in the series).

Up to this date Bacchetta has never issued a recall or any official statement on the potential
problems those who bought the first series of bikes should keep an eye on. Just one little side bar
on RCN - written by the author, not by Bacchetta - on some of these problems. Nowadays they replace
the defective parts once the costumer finds out about it, but if the costumer doesn't, or doesn't
know that the problem they experienced was caused at manufacturing or shipping, they get the short
end of the stick.

ps; Hey you folks at Bacchetta. If I send you the defective parts that were originally on my
bike, will you send me the replacements just like you now seem to be doing to everyone else?
And what about issuing a little "heads-up" statement, something along the lines of "if you own
a Giro or Strada, frame number between X and X, here are some possible issues you should keep
an eye out for" ?

Joao

Joao de Souza <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

mike s said:

Seriously, I have never heard of anyone complain about the service that this company provides.
While there were some problems with the bikes initially (rear brake issues, etc.), they were all
responded to quickly and, apparently, to the customer's satisfaction.

Not my case.

Before I bought my Strada, they already knew that the first batch of Stradas and Giros were
defective. Mark Colliton had even gone to the factory in Taiwan to discuss the problems with the
first batch and supervise the building of the second batch. Yet they didn't bother informing
anyone. Not even many of their dealers. When I informed them of all the problems I found on my
bike, they acted surprised, then told me to go back to the dealer I bought it from to get it
repaired. That after I had already told them that I didn't trust that dealer after selling me a
bike in such bad shape, and going back there would cost me over 100 dollars plus an entire day. I
suggested I take it to my local shop and they reimburse me for the costs. They refused. That's
for repairing their product that they already knew was defective even before I bought it. I was
never refunded for any of the parts or labor not to mention a lot of my own time spent repairing
the bike.

When asked about my case, Mark said he had never heard from me, even though there were two weeks
worth of back and forth emails, many of which were copied to him (see
groups.google.comgroupsOpen ↗ for the first one in the
series).

Up to this date Bacchetta has never issued a recall or any official statement on the potential
problems those who bought the first series of bikes should keep an eye on. Just one little side
bar on RCN - written by the author, not by Bacchetta - on some of these problems. Nowadays they
replace the defective parts once the costumer finds out about it, but if the costumer doesn't, or
doesn't know that the problem they experienced was caused at manufacturing or shipping, they get
the short end of the stick.

ps; Hey you folks at Bacchetta. If I send you the defective parts that were originally on my bike,
will you send me the replacements just like you now seem to be doing to everyone else? And what
about issuing a little "heads-up" statement, something along the lines of "if you own a Giro or
Strada, frame number between X and X, here are some possible issues you should keep an eye out
for" ?

Joao

I can't and won't comment on Joao's problems with his bike purchase. However I will add my name to
the list of those that feel Baccetta's customer service is amongst the very best in the recumbent
industry. I haven't had any problems with my Strada since purchasing it. However, I was pretty
impressed with the fact that when improved brake levers were designed for the Strada that they would
provide them free. Most companies use a situation like this to create new sales by selling the
customer the "new and improved version" of whatever their product is.

These guys and their company have had a great impact on the recumbent industry through innovation,
and by delivering great products and from my perspective great service.

Pat Mc

PJ said:

However, I was pretty impressed with the fact that when improved brake levers were designed for
the Strada that they would provide them free.

They should have issued a recall for that. I have seen bike manufacturers issuing recalls for much
smaller issues. Any experienced cyclist knows that one should never use a road brake lever on a V
brake, but they did it anyway. It didn't work. They should also have issue recalls for other
safety-related issues such as the self-destructing chains, lose stem pivot bolts, and rubber rather
than cloth rim tape on the Giros.

And since I replaced the brake lever before they started doing it for free, I had to pay.

Joao de Souza <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

PJ said:

However, I was pretty impressed with the fact that when improved brake levers were designed for
the Strada that they would provide them free.

They should have issued a recall for that. I have seen bike manufacturers issuing recalls for much
smaller issues. Any experienced cyclist knows that one should never use a road brake lever on a V
brake, but they did it anyway. It didn't work. They should also have issue recalls for other
safety-related issues such as the self-destructing chains, lose stem pivot bolts, and rubber
rather than cloth rim tape on the Giros.

And since I replaced the brake lever before they started doing it for free, I had to pay.

I found the issue with the rear brake to be vastly overblown. With any bike, the dealer needs to
build-up and prepare the bike before it goes out the door. There are a host of things that can go
wrong if not checked by the dealer before the bike goes out the door, recumbent or diamond frame. My
dealer did a great job of this and the brakes with the original were never an issue for me. The new
levers just better equalize the lever travel between the two types of brakes. Both levers stopped
the bike just fine, the new ones "feel" a little better.

If there was anyway that I felt the brakes were unsafe, I wouldn't be riding a Strada. Actually
to complete the final test ride when I purchased my Strada, I had to remove a walking cast as I
was still recovering from a fall that broke my ankle...so I was pretty concerned about safety
then and now.

Joao, I certainly won't change your mind. The reason for my posting is to share with perspective
Bacchetta purhasers my experience, which from my perspective, is more representative of what new
Bacchetta owners are experiencing with these bikes and the company. I find very few owners that
are very happy with their purchase and I even purchased a Giro for my wife who is now a Bacchetta
fan as well.

Pat Mc

Pat

Quoted message said:

Any experienced cyclist knows that one should never use a road brake lever on a V brake, but they
did it anyway. It didn't work.

You need a special lever for a linear brake because it requires a different length of cable to be
pulled than does a cantilever or caliber brake. I now Tektro makes an MTB lever that can be adjusted
to pull cable for either a linear (V-brake) brake or a cantilever brake.

John

The original Shimano levers on the Strada's were for caliper brakes. As was and still is for many
upright touring tandems with linear brakes and STS levers the leverage or cable pull to leverage
ratio was/is compensated by an eccentric roller a the the brake mechanism a common practice of
adaption. Properly set up they worked fine on my Strada for thousands of miles. Other issues with
the early Bacchetta bikes I sold were addressed at my level. (dealer) I personally assemble every
recumbent I sell, check such things as spoke tension, wheel dish, dropout alignment, deraileur
alignment etc. ......then a good test ride. This wards off most evil spirits that often inhabit new
bikes. Whether its a dealer or a manufacturer/importer there will always be the dissatisfaction of
the purchaser that you are unable to please. As it is with most all manufacturers/importers...you
need to deal with the dealer first if they are not too distant. The recumbent market is small and
specialized. Dealers are far and few in many cases. Knowing this, I strive to make it unnecessary
for a return visit due to problems. It happens, but perfection is unattainable all the time and
those who expect it as a matter of life course tend to be bitterly disappointed....often.
--
Jude....///Bacchetta AERO St. Michaels and Tilghman Island.. Maryland Wheel Doctor Cycle and Sports,
Inc 1-800-586-6645 "PJ" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Joao de Souza <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

PJ said:

However, I was pretty impressed with the fact that when improved brake levers were designed
for the Strada that they would provide them free.

They should have issued a recall for that. I have seen bike manufacturers issuing recalls for
much smaller issues. Any experienced cyclist knows that one should never use a road brake lever
on a V brake, but they did it anyway. It didn't work. They should also have issue recalls for
other safety-related issues such as the self-destructing chains, lose stem pivot bolts, and
rubber rather than cloth rim tape on the Giros.

And since I replaced the brake lever before they started doing it for free, I had to pay.

I found the issue with the rear brake to be vastly overblown. With any bike, the dealer needs to
build-up and prepare the bike before it goes out the door. There are a host of things that can go
wrong if not checked by the dealer before the bike goes out the door, recumbent or diamond frame.
My dealer did a great job of this and the brakes with the original were never an issue for me. The
new levers just better equalize the lever travel between the two types of brakes. Both levers
stopped the bike just fine, the new ones "feel" a little better.

If there was anyway that I felt the brakes were unsafe, I wouldn't be riding a Strada. Actually
to complete the final test ride when I purchased my Strada, I had to remove a walking cast as I
was still recovering from a fall that broke my ankle...so I was pretty concerned about safety
then and now.

Joao, I certainly won't change your mind. The reason for my posting is to share with perspective
Bacchetta purhasers my experience, which from my perspective, is more representative of what new
Bacchetta owners are experiencing with these bikes and the company. I find very few owners that
are very happy with their purchase and I even purchased a Giro for my wife who is now a Bacchetta
fan as well.

Pat Mc

Pat