The Worst Frame Warranty Ever ?

[Illaveago]

https://www.moda-bikes.com/pages/warranty

"Damage resulting from normal wear and tear, including the results of fatigue, is not covered. This warranty is made void in its entirety by any modification of the frame, fork, or components."

I think they pretty much covered everything !

 

[bonzobanana]

You get a free gym workout thrown in every time you pick up the bike and all you do is complain about it!



Judging by the number of old fully rigid, Apollo MTB's I see still around and in use, I suspect that is somewhat of an exaggeration. My own one has done thousands of miles since I rescued it and it was clearly well-used already.
It's probably true to say cheapo quality full-sus bikes in general don't tend to have a very long service life though.

To be honest when I look at bike racks outside shops and other places there is a high percentage of entry level bikes, they could be Apollo's and other entry level brands. They could be rigid mountain bikes, entry level hybrids that sort of thing, older road bikes. Maybe this varies in different parts of the country but I think the idea that cheap bikes aren't ridden is probably only true of the high maintenance and awful cheap dual suspension bikes. That said I was sitting on a park bench the other day and a rider came straight past me on a cheap dual suspension bike at some speed and happily rode straight off a steep bit of pavement, 5 inches maybe and the bike absorbed that well. I personally wouldn't touch such a bike with a barge pole but he seemed happy enough with it. How long he remains happy with it is another matter. I certainly couldn't ride off the pavement like him as I'm twice his weight and the cheap and nasty forks would have probably gone a separate way to the rest of the bike. I remember pushing down on the front forks of a cheap dual suspension bike at Taunton's re-use shop to see how much strength the suspension had, they went down but they didn't come up again. Admittedly it was sold as no-warranty fixer upper type thing I assume as pulled from what people had thrown away. There was absolutely no adjustment on those forks so how you are meant to compensate for different body weights I don't know. You have to be Mr Average weight I guess to get reasonable response from them.

 

[keithmac]

Original owner only warranties are quite common, even some motorcycle manufacturers still do this.

KTM used to give NO warranty at all on competition only motorcycles, if it seized up in the car park it was tuff luck!.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

To be honest when I look at bike racks outside shops and other places there is a high percentage of entry level bikes, they could be Apollo's and other entry level brands. They could be rigid mountain bikes, entry level hybrids that sort of thing, older road bikes. Maybe this varies in different parts of the country but I think the idea that cheap bikes aren't ridden is probably only true of the high maintenance and awful cheap dual suspension bikes. I.

Last point first, I think the issue is the very cheap FS machines are essentially BSO's, and if you combine commonly maladjusted BB and wheel bearings with a moveable rear triangle, you end up with no end of problems with gears changing when you don't want them to, and not changing when you do want them to. Then you've got the incessant squeakng and rattling that emanates from the springs in the forks and rear suspension unit. I just view bikes like the Indi pictured above, as mechanical parts donors, and the frame & forks as scrap metal. The wheels, cranks, BB, shifters, gear mechs, brakes, and bars tend to be pretty much the same quality as that used on low-end rigids and make useful spares.

In the real world, the average price and quality of bikes is nothing like what the content of cycling forums would have you believe. The vast majority of bikes are low end models bought by people looking for cheap utility transport and minmal exposure to financial loss in the event of theft. The bike racks outside shops and stations are full of low end models because they do exactly the same job as the expensive stuff without costing a couple of months wages.

Their owners couldn't care less they weigh a few pounds more or the shifting qualiity of the basic drivetrain is a bit agricultural. It gets them to the station, to the shops, or to the pub and that's the whole reason they own a bike in the first place.

 

[bonzobanana]

Last point first, I think the issue is the very cheap FS machines are essentially BSO's, and if you combine commonly maladjusted BB and wheel bearings with a moveable rear triangle, you end up with no end of problems with gears changing when you don't want them to, and not changing when you do want them to. Then you've got the incessant squeakng and rattling that emanates from the springs in the forks and rear suspension unit. I just view bikes like the Indi pictured above, as mechanical parts donors, and the frame & forks as scrap metal. The wheels, cranks, BB, shifters, gear mechs, brakes, and bars tend to be pretty much the same quality as that used on low-end rigids and make useful spares.

In the real world, the average price and quality of bikes is nothing like what the content of cycling forums would have you believe. The vast majority of bikes are low end models bought by people looking for cheap utility transport and minmal exposure to financial loss in the event of theft. The bike racks outside shops and stations are full of low end models because they do exactly the same job as the expensive stuff without costing a couple of months wages.

Their owners couldn't care less they weigh a few pounds more or the shifting qualiity of the basic drivetrain is a bit agricultural. It gets them to the station, to the shops, or to the pub and that's the whole reason they own a bike in the first place.

To be honest that is my point entirely. There is a freedom to owning a cheap rough looking bike. You can ride it to shops and secure it with a cheap lock and no one is interested in it. There is no easy way to make much money out of it. I'm riding a bike for health and weight loss as well as a cheap form of transport. Replacement parts are cheap too when you aren't using premium lightweight parts and they last a lot longer. I'll admit I tend to go for stealth better bikes though. A cheap bike but maybe a freehub based rear wheel with a cassette for extra strength and superior shifting with a wider range of gears. It still looks rough and undesirable but performs much better.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Slightly off topic, but I had cause to take wheels back to Halfords on new bikes, and they changed them with no fuss at all, despite me being well over the maximum weight the wheels were badged for.

 

[keithmac]

You can't lock any decent bicycle up in unattended bike racks and shops and expect it to be there when you get back.

I've been keeping on to my lad to be very careful where he leaves his, seen it time and time again and he'd be absolutely gutted if his got stolen.

It's a real shame but that's how it is.

 

[bonzobanana]

Slightly off topic, but I had cause to take wheels back to Halfords on new bikes, and they changed them with no fuss at all, despite me being well over the maximum weight the wheels were badged for.

I'd say generally Halfords bikes are pretty good with regard weight limits but it really depends on the bike. The Carrera Subway is a great bike for heavier riders, its a mountain bike frame with rigid steel forks and has 27.5" double wall rim wheels with I think 32 spokes. A pretty decent bike to take heavier riders. 27.5" wheels are only marginally weaker than 26" because only marginally larger. If the bike was still struggling I guess you could replace the rear wheel with a 36 spoked wheel. Halfords state a maximum of 160kg including bike weight for most of their bikes which is pretty decent unless that has changed now.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I'd say generally Halfords bikes are pretty good with regard weight limits but it really depends on the bike. The Carrera Subway is a great bike for heavier riders, its a mountain bike frame with rigid steel forks and has 27.5" double wall rim wheels with I think 32 spokes. A pretty decent bike to take heavier riders. 27.5" wheels are only marginally weaker than 26" because only marginally larger. If the bike was still struggling I guess you could replace the rear wheel with a 36 spoked wheel. Halfords state a maximum of 160kg including bike weight for most of their bikes which is pretty decent unless that has changed now.

It was a bit back, so I've forgotten the numbers, but it was a road bike.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Specialized are pretty good, lifetime on frame for original owner like some others, but further two years to new owners when sold on.