Keep or Return?

[punkypossum]

Well, got a bit of a dilemma, dropped the bikes of for their service on Wednesday only to find that the shop had not got the tyres in they promised me they would definitely have when I booked it 2 weeks before. Shop guy was rather vague and said he would sort something out (which didn't sound very confidence inspiring at all, as he had used those words two weeks before). Anyway, had a feeling this might never happen, so just to be on the safe side I ordered a pair of CRC (after trying to ring the bike shop to double-check all day, but they were closed), which arrived this morning. Unfortunately this coincided with me getting hold of the bike shop, who by some form of miracle now also had the tyres in. I asked if I could bring mine round and if he could sell his to another customer (they are standard marathons, nothing weird or wonderful), but he refused.

Now, is there any point keeping a second set as spares (considering it would cost me almost £7 in postage to return them), or will the rubber have gone funny by the time I will ever need them? Don't know what to do...any suggestions?

 

[Smokin Joe]

They won't go off, in fact if you keep them somewhere cool the rubber will mature and become more resistant to cuts. That's what we used to do with tubulars anyway.

 

[domtyler]

No, tell the shop that you no longer want to purchase them as they did not give you a definite yes or no answer which led to you purchasing them from somewhere else. If they try to tell you that you have to buy them, tell them that they can shove them up their arse and you will never step foot over their threshold again. Remember, you are in charge until you have handed over your money.

 

[punkypossum]

Believe me, after the last couple of experiences I am very unlikely to use them again anyway, unfortunately, they are the most local shop apart from Hellfrauds, and had been ok in the past.... But when I spoke to him this morning he was just about to fit them (and, afaic, quite off with me...), I suppose I should have stood my ground then, but didn't because I kept thinking that we needed them to do a good job with the rest of the stuff that needed doing, and also, because my friend actually bought her bike from there, so is reliant on them at the moment, as a lot of the stuff wrong with hers is potentially covered by warranty, so we sort of need to be in their good books...

I know that's probably a rather feeble reason, but bottomline is, it's too late now and I'm stuck with an extra pair of tyres...

 

[domtyler]

Believe me, after the last couple of experiences I am very unlikely to use them again anyway, unfortunately, they are the most local shop apart from Hellfrauds, and had been ok in the past.... But when I spoke to him this morning he was just about to fit them (and, afaic, quite off with me...), I suppose I should have stood my ground then, but didn't because I kept thinking that we needed them to do a good job with the rest of the stuff that needed doing, and also, because my friend actually bought her bike from there, so is reliant on them at the moment, as a lot of the stuff wrong with hers is potentially covered by warranty, so we sort of need to be in their good books...

I know that's probably a rather feeble reason, but bottomline is, it's too late now and I'm stuck with an extra pair of tyres...

Fair enough, they will keep just fine in the attic or a cupboard indefinitely anyway.

 

[punkypossum]

Fair enough, they will keep just fine in the attic or a cupboard indefinitely anyway.

Yes, but is there much point in keeping them in a cupboard indefinitely? How likely am I to actually need them? If a set of tyres can do thousands of miles (and I also use knobblies on the bike), will I be too old to cycle before they get used?

 

[John the Monkey]

Yes, but is there much point in keeping them in a cupboard indefinitely? How likely am I to actually need them? If a set of tyres can do thousands of miles (and I also use knobblies on the bike), will I be too old to cycle before they get used?

Depends on your mileage, I guess (or you could be unlucky and get sidewall damage or something else meaning replacement's needed of the other pair).

If I knew I liked the tyre, I'd hang on to them, but then I'm a terrible hoarder eBaying them could be another option, or passing them on to a cycling friend...

 

[Joe24]

Keep hold of them.
You never know what going to happen, and you could need a new set or one in a few months.
Or if you get a new bike and dont like the tyres on that.

 

[RedBike]

I suppose it all depends on your mileage / how hard you are on tyres. btw I suspect they will last much longer than 1000miles.

If it was me I would just keep them for spares. Then again I know that I've never got a set of tyres to last a year so it wouldn't be too long before I needed them.

 

[summerdays]

If it was me I would just keep them for spares. Then again I know that I've never got a set of tyres to last a year so it wouldn't be too long before I needed them.

What do you do to your tyres....?

punkypossum what are the chances of you getting a new bike in the near future ... as the first thing I did was change the tyres so that point is valid. My Marathon tyres (not the pluses) have done over 16 months so far and still look fine - not sure of the milage as I didn't get a computer until this year but on about 900 miles for this year.

 

[RedBike]

What do you do to your tyres....?

I put a high mileage on them.
I'm doing about 350/400miles a week at the moment thanks to the nice weather. During winter / on rainy days I often use a turbo trainer

(The turbo trainer just destroys my rear tyre).

 

[Joe24]

I weight just over 9.5 stone and the Kendas lasted for about 2800miles overall. I'm hoping that the new tyres will last longer because i'm doing about 200+ miles a week now.
The tyres only lasted about 5months, and i was doing less then.

 

[frog]

Put the name and address of the lbs on here. Also, add the name of the bloke you talked too. Then e-mail them the URL to the forum page so they know what's happening.

With over 2000 registered users on the site, plus hundreds of lurkers, word will soon get around. After they see a drop in takings they'll start to appreciate that pissing you off was a bad idea. If that's their attitude to customers then the sooner they get out of the business the better.

If they make a mess of your, or your friends, bike come back and do it again.

Apart from that be as nice as pie to them.

If it were me I'd have taken the tyres off you, covering your postages costs as well and fitted them onto another bike for a customer. It would have cost me a couple of quid in the short term but in the long run I'd keep a customer.

Tyres will 'keep' for a very long time. Chances your friend has the usual crap tyres which come with most bikes these days. Hers will wear out quick and you might have a ready made customer waiting for yours there.

 

[punkypossum]

Why don't you flog them on here?

Because I can't really ask for full price and expect people to pay the postage, so I would probably make less of a loss just sending them back... Plus most people on here have BIG wheels!

 

[snorri]

Shop guy was rather vague and said he would sort something out (which didn't sound very confidence inspiring at all, as he had used those words two weeks before).

I think you complain too much
It appears you misjudged the guy in the shop, ok he sounded vague but in fact he came up with the goods on the day.
You could go to a shop with a much more positive and confident sounding staff, but how do you know they would provide a better service?
Your tyres will be fine, just ensure they are not distorted in storage and they will be ready for use when you need them.