Halfords Bike Hell - Advice Please
- Thread starter 000LM000
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
tbf the mantra used to be "get a Halfords bike, but get someone competent to build it for you." But if a novice takes that the box of bits to the LBS how do they know the mechanics are competent?
Last edited:
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
They don't. They let Halfords build it and then they can blame then when they go wrong.
People see the "don't let them build it" bit and assume that anyone with a multitool can build it.
If it failed when the OP was going downhill at 20mph, the mech should have been nowhere near the spokes.
Possible causes I can think of:
Sudden failure of the mech hanger.
Sudden failure of the main mech bolt.
Chain failure.
I say the last one because it happened to me. A side plate of a chain link had snapped, but the other side was holding together. I had noticed that shifting had become very noisy and hesitant, but I had assumed it needed a tension adjustment. Eventually the broken plate jammed in the jockey wheel. Luckily I was pedalling very easy at the time and felt it jam. Had I been pedalling hard, it would have ripped the mech off and sent it into the wheel.
Possible causes I can think of:
Sudden failure of the mech hanger.
Sudden failure of the main mech bolt.
Chain failure.
I say the last one because it happened to me. A side plate of a chain link had snapped, but the other side was holding together. I had noticed that shifting had become very noisy and hesitant, but I had assumed it needed a tension adjustment. Eventually the broken plate jammed in the jockey wheel. Luckily I was pedalling very easy at the time and felt it jam. Had I been pedalling hard, it would have ripped the mech off and sent it into the wheel.
mrbikerboy73
Über Member
- Location
- Worthing, UK
Cyclist33
Guest
- Location
- Warrington
Not sure I'm clear on your point here. Most of the observations you refer to on various threads do advocate having a local expert set up the new bike. And as in this case no one but the o p did the pdi then the threads slagging Halfords for poor technical work aren't relevant?
Bottom line is unless there's paperwork covering the work, why would anyone accept liability? You wouldn't sell a second hand wheelset or whatever and agree to a refund if the buyer couldn't prove it was your fault when they rode into a sheep.
Cyclist33
Guest
- Location
- Warrington
Not only am I agreeing with Halfords, I just "like"d something that @Drago said.
It's 2 signs of the apocalypse!
The Third Sign is Halfords taking responsibility for faulty product.
Cyclist33
Guest
- Location
- Warrington
jefmcg
Guru
I just like to say something in sympathy to the OP. The last 3 services my folding bike had, there were major, dangerous things left undone. The first two services by people that were unfamiliar with my bike model, they left bolts loose, that could have made the bike fall apart. The 3rd service was done by a shop that knew my bike model well. They didn't leave any bolts untightened, but after replacing chain, derailleur, cassette and back wheel, they never adjusted the hi/lo screws, which could have had disastrous results. So, I started maintaining it myself. There was a fault that I was aware of, but decided was ok. It wasn't. The bike folded on me while riding it, I've broken my clavicle and it's probably going to require surgical intervention. It's no one's fault but mine. It's true that all of the other maintenance errors could have lead to the same result, but they didn't. I'd rather have destroyed a £1000 bike, than done this too myself, but here I am, broken. and no amount money will get me back the way I was, with out a scar or two and at least 6 weeks rest.
You are probably going to have to write this off to experience. At least you weren't (badly?) injured in the failure.
You are probably going to have to write this off to experience. At least you weren't (badly?) injured in the failure.
Correct, since we can't see the bike, it's just speculation.
Cyclist33
Guest
- Location
- Warrington
seeing it would not really help in the circumstances!
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
My point is that the OP himself says he should have known better than to buy a Halfords bike. I suspect that is down to the fact that many, many posts come from the start point that Halfords bikes are crap. They aren't. People are quick to condemn Halfords out of hand, which is grossly unfair and not helpful to a novice. Their bikes, at least their high end stuff, are excellent value for money in terms of componentry and bang for buck. He has bought into that and then excuses his choice of bike by saying he was constrained by the C2W.
Posts tell him then that Halfords bikes are OK as long as you don't let Halfords spanner monkeys anywhere near them. Again, grossly unfair, I know two of the local Halfords mechanics and their knowledge and skill are right up there with LBS staff. In some cases much better.
The usual suspects then say "get someone competent to build it. " which is fine, great advice you'd think, but here's where the OPmcomes unstuck. He sees the bike in a box and wonders just how hard can this be, but now we know it isn't that easy to get right. Personal pride and a bit of macho, and man the provider and doer swings into play. He then chooses to ignore the last bit of the advice which is most crucial.
From here it goes all wrong. We don't know why the damage happened, but the OP is convinced it's down to poor quality components. The thing is, without an expert opinion, it could be several things, but it is not an everyday sort of catastrophe. Mechs and mech hangers don't go hurling themselves into the spokes or wrapping round the frame on their own. From Halfords point of view, the "you built it, it's your problem" is an obvious answer. They have offered to split the bill, quite generously. Talk of taking them to small claims are frankly ridiculous.
I'm no great fan of Halfords by the way. And have seen poor build examples myself, but if the forumites had one good piece of advice, it's lost in a sea of Halfords are shite type threads.
Last edited:
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
I'd agree entirely. The fact that I and others have seen a large number of Halfords bikes with some shocking build errors isn't the actual issue here. The common factor is down to mechanical error in building the bike in the first place, and sadly that is the most likely explanation in this case. Whilst a rear dérailleur could in theory have a manufacturing fault, the statistical likelihood of that being the underlying cause of the incident is effectively non existent and on the balance of probabilities, which is what any court would look at, the most likely scenario is down to some error in assembling the bike.
(That's assuming of course the original cause of the accident wasn't for example a stick jamming in the wheel causing the O/P to fall over, and the bike to land on its right hand side and then rip off the rear dérailleur and also crack the frame).
So the fact that Halfords have offered any money is quite remarkable as they're under no legal or moral obligation to do so, so I'd accept the offer and get a replacement bike.
Last edited:
The issue in this thread and about the complaints about Halford in the past is not about the bikes per se but about their build and service. We are talking about the human activity of putting the bike together and servicing it. The bikes and the components that they sell are available elsewhere and not the issue.
I have asked OP to clarify if the drive train came assembled. I know that bar, seat and wheels he assembled which is a common delivery practice. If he assembled the drive train, the liability sits with OP.
They making an offer is quite interesting.
