Originally Posted by
BassistBiker
OK, so let me start by saying, I am totally new to mountain biking, and I'm fully aware I own a "cheap" bike....Brace yourself for a long read.
Now, the story...
I bought a 2018 Trek Marlin 5 about 2 months ago, I have since put about 75 miles on it (75% paved paths, 25% easy singletracks).
Last night I hit the trails again, super easy singletrack stuff, not an obstacle in sight, just some small dips & tiny roots, about a mile into my ride, I developed a considerable squeak in my front end, could be coming from the stanchions or maybe the headset, dunno...finished my ride, and by the end of it, I could hear my squeaking reverberating throughout the woods (would have been funny...if it weren't my bike).
I called the bike shop where I bought it this morning, and explained the problem, they told me to drop it off, so after work, I took it down there and dropped it off...
The bike "mechanic" took a look at it and said (something like), "Yeah, on a cheap bike like that, there is bound to be noise, I doubt Trek will give you any warranty consideration, but I suppose I can take a look at it, if you can leave it with me"...(He seemed like I was some how putting him out by looking at my brand....new....bike).
I have NO WARRANTY CONSIDERATION on a 2 month old bike?!?!?! I mean I get it, I only spent $519 on the bike, but for $519 shouldn't it at least be decent??
So, I left it with him, I didn't know what else to do...I don't expect him to actually fix anything, based on what he said, and how he acted.
Soooo, what do you people think? What should I do?
I would have a conversation with the service manager, or owner of the shop. Part of the problem is, you need to be realistic regarding what you bought, but at the same time, you should expect the shop where you bought it to support the product without attitude or snarky comments. I would politely tell the manager that they sold me the bike, and if the bike was not a good fit for the type of riding I was doing (trails), the shop should not sell that bike to customers.
But, back to my point about realistic expectations. The Marlin 5 is really more a mountain style bike than a mountain bike. The strong point of the Marlin 5 is, for the price, you get a 29er mountain bike with hydraulic disc brakes. And a decent frame. The weak point of the build is the entry level Tourney drivetrain and inexpensive suspension fork, which is really not adequate for single track, at least for a grown man. I warn anyone who comes on this board, DO NOT BUY AN ENTRY LEVEL SUSPENSION FORK BIKE. The suspension fork is the weak point of this bike. Go up at least a couple of hundred bucks, or look for a sale. When my son was competing, we saw this every year. Because it is hard to ask parents to shell out $1,000 or more for a mountain bike for a growing boy, or girl, a lot of parents opt for bikes like the Marlin 5. or Marlin 6. Sadly, even for younger teenagers, these entry level mountain bikes rarely hold up for more than a season of single track. If you have your heart set on Trek, go up to Marlin 7 or better yet, X Caliber line of bikes. Or just be realistic that what you bought is mostly an around town bike.
It is an expensive lesson to learn, but maybe if you have that conversation with the bike shop now, you can get some concession from them, like maybe a discount on upgrading the fork, or maybe taking the bike back and selling you what you actually should have bought in the first place.