Returned my Bicycle Today....

[kdelong]

I hope that you can get the bike back. If you are having a hard time with the shop where you bought the bike, you might try taking the bike to a different shop and tell them about the flats. Tell then that you would like to try adhesive backed rim strips and a puncture resistant set of tires and I'm sure that they will be able to help you. I know that you'll probably have to go a long way to get to another bike shop but you didn't have anything to do this weekend anyway, did you ?

 

[Edudbor]

I hope that you can get the bike back. If you are having a hard time with the shop where you bought the bike, you might try taking the bike to a different shop and tell them about the flats. Tell then that you would like to try adhesive backed rim strips and a puncture resistant set of tires and I'm sure that they will be able to help you. I know that you'll probably have to go a long way to get to another bike shop but you didn't have anything to do this weekend anyway, did you ?

You know, that's a good point; and really, from what I read - once you have everything up and running a bicycle can last for years and years. A co-worker of mine has had a road bike for over a year without a single flat. So, while it isn't the most fun way to spend a weekend; I think it'd be worth it to get everything just right.

 

[J5311]

You know, that's a good point; and really, from what I read - once you have everything up and running a bicycle can last for years and years. A co-worker of mine has had a road bike for over a year without a single flat. So, while it isn't the most fun way to spend a weekend; I think it'd be worth it to get everything just right.

If you can find another shop w/ the same bike & tell them your experiance. The one shop i went to said that for a true it would be $15 & would take like 2-3 days... ok sure w/e... i picked it up no problem put it on the bike & another 2 spokes broke & most of them weren;t even tight in the first place... so i said screw them & went to one that was near my hometown when i was a kid... alittle bit out of my way, but they are much nicer people. & cost me less, did it in 10 mins, they broke a spoke & replaced it for free... the bike that i am going to buy from there is a little more exspensive, but they are much nicer people.

 

[Edudbor]

If you can find another shop w/ the same bike & tell them your experiance. The one shop i went to said that for a true it would be $15 & would take like 2-3 days... ok sure w/e... i picked it up no problem put it on the bike & another 2 spokes broke & most of them weren;t even tight in the first place... so i said screw them & went to one that was near my hometown when i was a kid... alittle bit out of my way, but they are much nicer people. & cost me less, did it in 10 mins, they broke a spoke & replaced it for free... the bike that i am going to buy from there is a little more exspensive, but they are much nicer people.

Yeah - that's a good point too. I spent a lot of time shopping around and I went to the place with the cheapest prices. Typically, that means the worst service/support.

It's great for someone who knows what they are doing; but in my case I probably should have gone somewhere else and paid a little more.

Live and learn.

 

[Akadat]

Happened to me too. Some new bikes come with the cheapest tires on the world market. Fit puncture proof/resistant tires and forget about punctures. Continental Sportcontacts are lightweight and include a kevlar layer, as do other brands. They are expensive but the ride is better and I rekon I have saved having to fix 50 flats over the last year as I was getting at least one flat a week on the old (new) generic tires, but none on the Contie's.

 

[pistole]

- even with cheap plastic rim tape , it can be held very nicely
in place with a round of masking tape..

- my Fuji Team (with DAce 7801 wheelset) did that to me once
(the rim tape shifted enough to expose the edge of one spoke hole)
and the inner tube punctured.

cheers.
.

 

[Tieme]

Yes, something is definately weird there. I am writing an old 70's Schwinn and I have 6 dollar tires from fleet farm, 2.79 tubes from fleet farm, and all I used for rim tape or w/e (the padding between the spoke tops and your tube) was one round of electrical tape. I have been riding it ~1.5 months and I hit relatively big pebbles all the time and I have not had any problems whatsever.

I would really look at repurchasing that or another bike, but I would go to another shop that treats you a little better and does a little more to solve the problem (like you said they could have given you an extension or something on the return policy given the circumstance).

 

[JohnO]

Flats happen. When I first got back on the road, I had three flats in a row. Rather disheartening. Last year, I rode all summer and never had a flat, and that was putting in 20 miles every other day, and 60-80 on weekends. (and thank heavens, I was riding tubies)

Some of this was getting a good setup - get rid of the plastic strip and getting proper rim tape, forget the super light or super cheap tires and get some that would hold up (just retired a set of Michelin Axxials, had one flat with them).

And some of this was learning to watch for road hazards, and avoid roads that had a lot of **** on them. The last flat I had (this spring), I was crossing railroad tracks. Should have gotten off and walked the bike - my fault for being lazy.