betty swollocks
large member
I will try and keep it brief.
Last year (august) I bought a beautiful Focus Izalco Max from a well-known bike shop (shopP) 100 miles from where I live.
Beautiful ride, but it soon developed creaks. I eliminated these by greasing the headset and bb assembly - it has one one these one-piece bb axles and spider - two dead easy jobs. But I also had a great deal of trouble getting the rear RAT thru axle in and out, which made me think the holes for it in the drop outs were slightly miss-aligned. All of these made me think it was not terribly well made or assembled.
Three weeks ago, I was out on it and it suddenly starting making dull clinking noises, one per revolution.
When I got home, I found the whole bb assembly, including the bearings was completely loose and was rotating in the bb shell.
Took it to my (very friendly and helpful) LBS, who had the correct tools to dis-assemble the bb: they found that the rotation of the whole bb assembly and my cycling action had ovalised the bb shell.
As the shopP is such a way away, I let my LBS handle it.
After many phone calls and the sending of photos and videos from the LBS to shopP, shopP after consulting with the Focus rep and Focus in Germany have decided to replace the frame. LBS have retained the frame and taken all the bits off, ready to fit on replacement frame.
Yesterday, after getting very impatient, I rang shopP to ask where my replacement frame was: they said it had arrived and they would ship it to LBS. It would be the frame only, without forks and that the fault had arisen because the bb shell was the wrong size!!
I went round to LBS to tell them and they said, yes, they'd had a call to that effect from shopP.
LBS also said that one of the conditions shopP stipulated before ordering my replacement frame was that the defective frame be chopped up to prevent re-sale and they showed me the bb shell hacksawed out of the old frame, a picture of which they'd had to send to shopP. I was pretty shocked that MY bike had been hacksawed in two without either shop asking me first..... but I didn't say so.
Thought I'd ask for opinions first.....if you've got this far.
MY LBS is not a Focus dealer.
In letting LBS handle it, I'd hoped to save myself several 100 mile journeys.
My insights so far:-
a) always buy from your LBS.
b) don't assume that because the bike you've bought is a premium brand, it's going to be well-made or carefully assembled.
Last year (august) I bought a beautiful Focus Izalco Max from a well-known bike shop (shopP) 100 miles from where I live.
Beautiful ride, but it soon developed creaks. I eliminated these by greasing the headset and bb assembly - it has one one these one-piece bb axles and spider - two dead easy jobs. But I also had a great deal of trouble getting the rear RAT thru axle in and out, which made me think the holes for it in the drop outs were slightly miss-aligned. All of these made me think it was not terribly well made or assembled.
Three weeks ago, I was out on it and it suddenly starting making dull clinking noises, one per revolution.
When I got home, I found the whole bb assembly, including the bearings was completely loose and was rotating in the bb shell.
Took it to my (very friendly and helpful) LBS, who had the correct tools to dis-assemble the bb: they found that the rotation of the whole bb assembly and my cycling action had ovalised the bb shell.
As the shopP is such a way away, I let my LBS handle it.
After many phone calls and the sending of photos and videos from the LBS to shopP, shopP after consulting with the Focus rep and Focus in Germany have decided to replace the frame. LBS have retained the frame and taken all the bits off, ready to fit on replacement frame.
Yesterday, after getting very impatient, I rang shopP to ask where my replacement frame was: they said it had arrived and they would ship it to LBS. It would be the frame only, without forks and that the fault had arisen because the bb shell was the wrong size!!
I went round to LBS to tell them and they said, yes, they'd had a call to that effect from shopP.
LBS also said that one of the conditions shopP stipulated before ordering my replacement frame was that the defective frame be chopped up to prevent re-sale and they showed me the bb shell hacksawed out of the old frame, a picture of which they'd had to send to shopP. I was pretty shocked that MY bike had been hacksawed in two without either shop asking me first..... but I didn't say so.
Thought I'd ask for opinions first.....if you've got this far.
MY LBS is not a Focus dealer.
In letting LBS handle it, I'd hoped to save myself several 100 mile journeys.
My insights so far:-
a) always buy from your LBS.
b) don't assume that because the bike you've bought is a premium brand, it's going to be well-made or carefully assembled.
