This needs raising as I've just spent an entire day sorting out a colleagues bike bought on the cycle to work scheme just 18 months ago. He's done a good 4000 miles on it but there were some serious issues which, frustratingly, could have been prevented.
Bike: Specialized Allez Comp (c.£700?), supplied by reputable LBS and with 9 speed Tiagra flat bar kit.
1. Front hub cones knackered - it's obvious that the hub was too tight from the factory. Bike shop obviously didn't check so hub cones were shot (material ground away into the grease). Specialized no-name hubs so no spares available.
2. Rear hub cone knackered on drive side - seal was so poor that the drive side cone was rusty. This one was just down to poor quality components or at least components that needed more regular attention (probably needs greasing every 6 months).
3. Bottom Bracket very nearly stuck - took a major hammering to get it loose. Threads were bone dry, no assembly compound or grease of any sort had been installed. Another year or two and this might have been impossible to shift rendering the whole frame virtually junk.
Fortunately I had a set of 105 hubs spare that were the same dimensions as the stock shells and could rebuild the wheels for him. To sort this lot out along with a full strip down and re-build would have cost him an absolute fortune at most bike shops so I was glad that I offered to help.
In all likelihood, most people will have lower usage meaning that bikes get to 2, 3, or even 4 years before these problems actually come to a head, at which point they'll be told that there's a £200+ bill coming their way when half of it is for stuff that could have been prevented if the bike was set up properly in the first place (I bet that very few people do enough mileage for these to be warranty issues!).
So, if you've just bought a new bike, get someone to check hubs are properly adjusted and well greased. Then borrow some tools or visit a local bike project/coop etc. to use their workshop and get someone to show you how to dismantle the bike - then reassemble it with copperslip grease on all threads, seatpost (unless carbon), etc. You may well be saving a future hit on your wallet.
Finally, does anyone know of a shop that actually remedies these things on new bikes? I only know of one here in Bristol - they dismantle the whole thing and then reassemble to avoid having people coming back to complain, however it means everyone has to wait a week or so for their bike as they don't do it until a sale is agreed.
Bike: Specialized Allez Comp (c.£700?), supplied by reputable LBS and with 9 speed Tiagra flat bar kit.
1. Front hub cones knackered - it's obvious that the hub was too tight from the factory. Bike shop obviously didn't check so hub cones were shot (material ground away into the grease). Specialized no-name hubs so no spares available.
2. Rear hub cone knackered on drive side - seal was so poor that the drive side cone was rusty. This one was just down to poor quality components or at least components that needed more regular attention (probably needs greasing every 6 months).
3. Bottom Bracket very nearly stuck - took a major hammering to get it loose. Threads were bone dry, no assembly compound or grease of any sort had been installed. Another year or two and this might have been impossible to shift rendering the whole frame virtually junk.
Fortunately I had a set of 105 hubs spare that were the same dimensions as the stock shells and could rebuild the wheels for him. To sort this lot out along with a full strip down and re-build would have cost him an absolute fortune at most bike shops so I was glad that I offered to help.
In all likelihood, most people will have lower usage meaning that bikes get to 2, 3, or even 4 years before these problems actually come to a head, at which point they'll be told that there's a £200+ bill coming their way when half of it is for stuff that could have been prevented if the bike was set up properly in the first place (I bet that very few people do enough mileage for these to be warranty issues!).
So, if you've just bought a new bike, get someone to check hubs are properly adjusted and well greased. Then borrow some tools or visit a local bike project/coop etc. to use their workshop and get someone to show you how to dismantle the bike - then reassemble it with copperslip grease on all threads, seatpost (unless carbon), etc. You may well be saving a future hit on your wallet.
Finally, does anyone know of a shop that actually remedies these things on new bikes? I only know of one here in Bristol - they dismantle the whole thing and then reassemble to avoid having people coming back to complain, however it means everyone has to wait a week or so for their bike as they don't do it until a sale is agreed.