RadDog

Greetings, Because of Covid I was forced to buy bikes online.

I purchased a bike from Bike Shop Warehouse (BSW) 6 months ago. It is a carbon fiber Immortal Spirit. It has been in and out of the shop and thus I have only gotten about 2 months of riding in on it. The frame fits great, so I want to keep it. I am gradually replacing everything with Ultegra parts.

Unfortunately, my rear hub went out after 300 miles. I am a terrible wrench, but it is fairly clear that the hub is seriously damaged as it goes "crunch crunch crunch" and the wheel barely turns. I am pretty sure that a $50 service will not help, and that the hub will need replacing. Doing so costs more than the wheel is worth.

Nonnetheless, I offered to take the rim to the shop and try and get it repaired, as suggested by BSW. I asked them "will you pay for the service?" The reality is that the hub will need replacing, but if BSW is correct it will only be a $50 job. I asked if they would pay for the service and they refused.

My question is, shouldn't a new bike (over $1000) come with hubs that last longer than 300 miles, and if not, shouldn't the seller replace them? I know they are cheap hubs, but shouldn't I get at least a few thousand miles from them? I am going to eventually get a new wheel set, but I am still saving up so that isn't a current option.

I called BSW and they refused to do anything about it. They claim it is only a simple maintenance problem, but my local mechanic disagrees, he says the hub needs replacing.

I have purchased online before, from BikeDirect, and had absolutely no problems whatsoever.

noodle soup

Most low end bikes come out of the box with poorly adjusted hubs/headsets/BBs. Riding on hubs that were improperly adjusted(too tight), will trash the bearing/races in no time at all.

whoever built the bike out of the box, should have checked it before riding.

tomato coupe

Not so immortal, apparently ...

Psimet2001 

To echo noodle soup almost all new wheels that come with cup and cone bearings are set way too tight. Have someone actually adjust them properly and you can probably get a ton more use out of them. If the bearings and/or cones are shot then you may be out of luck but worth a shot.

Iride01 

So if they aren't going to cover it, why are you asking us? Pour yourself a beer or scotch at 7:00 pm CDT tonight and we can drink to your misfortune.

Then you can decide how you are going to fix it. But what kind of hub doesn't have replaceable bearings?

RadDog

LOLOL. You made me spit my coffee through my nose!

RadDog

You (and Psimet) are probably correct, but why should a consumer have to go through every bearing on a brand new bike? I think it is reasonable to expect one full year of trouble free from a bike that was assembled properly without taking apart hubs, bottom brackets etc. Heck, I would be happy if the bike ran for 2 more months, long enough for me to save up for a new set of wheels. Only a tiny percentage of people have the ability/desire to disassemble a bike down to its components when they buy it. I bought a new car last year and I did not have to disassemble it and it runs great. I purchased a bike from Bikes Direct, assembled it myself (without breaking down the components) and it runs great. I am buying a new vacuum cleaner, should I take it apart also?

I assembled he bike (and the bike I purchased from Bikes Direct) and then hired Bikanics to go over everything.

I have been riding since the age of 5 (I am 58). I raced and even rode for a living. I guess I was spoiled, as I always had an in house mechanic. Back then, the hub would have been fixed, no questions asked. The bike industry is very, very different today.

shelbyfv

BSW motto "Never pay MSRP again." Doesn't sound as if that worked out too well. Bummer.

noodle soup

This is why it’s better to buy bikes from your LBS, if you aren’t a competent mechanic.

RadDog

Trust me, I tried. They could not find any bike whatsoever for me for $1000 dollars. I have been very passionate about getting back into biking, but maybe it is time to go back to the treadmill at the gym, LOL.

But seriously, I do most of my own maintenance. I clean and dry lube my chain every other ride, clean the cassette adjust brakes and derailleurs, I just leave the tougher stuff for my professional tune up every 6 months. The bottom line is retailers like BSW can do whatever the hell they want, demand for bikes is massive and supply is minimal. The told me to **** off, and it looks like they will do so with impunity.

Bikes Direct could do the same....I had a slight issue with the bike I purchased from them. They offered to replace the part, but I was able to fix it. BD is an ethical company. BSW is not.

Lesson learned.

shelbyfv

Are you sure they aren't one and the same? Isn't your "Immortal Spirit" branded "Motobecane?" That's one of BD's house brands.

noodle soup

+1

The website looks like Bike Island(a BD owned website).

Iride01 

Oh... little late, but cheers! I might pour another scotch.

Besides bashing those that did you wrong, what have you found out about the hub? What is it that the bearings and races or cartridge bearing can't simply be replaced? What exactly is wrong with it?

RadDog

Here is the deal about BSW/BD/DI being the same company. Apparently the are not. I thought for sure that both Island and warehouse were subsidiaries of Bikes Direct, but the owners claim they are not. I ordered a bike from Bike Island. Paid for it and then was told they made a mistake and the bike was OOS. But they offered me a $50 discount on another bike. SEE!!! That is the sort of thing I am talking about, that, IMO, is customer service. $50 may not sound like much but to me, a consumer, it says "we value an respect you and you time." After that, I looked and looked, and unfortunately could not find anything from Bike Island but hey, I would strongly recommend them.

Then, the Immortal Spirit came up on Bikeshoppwarehouse, and yes it was stupid cheap. It is a good carbon frame. I did not mind one bit shelling out a grand for that frame and knew it came with cheap parts. I did not mind the extra $200 replacing the derailleur and chain. I did mind the weeks and months waiting but hey that's life. You would be OK if you couldn't ride, yes?

But a hub going out this fast? I mean hell, a Walmart bike will give you more than 300 miles. The owner of BSW claims to have built thousands of bikes and is local to me, why doesn't he just rebuild the hub? He won't do it, because when he opens up the hub he will see it is not repairable and then owe me more which of course he won't pay either.

Cyclist0108

The sad reality is if they are going to sell a carbon bike for $1K and make a profit, they are going to cut corners on wheel quality, other components, and the number of hours they spend to make everything well-adjusted. Since they don't have to worry about you brining it back to them to make it right, they have no incentive not to cut corners. You get what you pay for. Unfortunately, during this time of pandemic, the LBS can't keep up with demand, which also drives prices up.

If the frame is ok, then it is worth upgrading components. You can get a decent wheelset for $400 to $500.

RadDog

Frame fits me really well, especially for an "over the net" fitment. It is carbon and I have not broken it, LOL.

You are 100% correct sir. Would you guys be kind enough to give me some advice on wheelsets? I am 220 but ride some very smooth tarmac. What do you think of Blackset race or Spinergy. If BSW have me $50 my budget would be $450, LOL.

shelbyfv

Ask and it shall be given you....https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...th-weight.html and https://www.bikeforums.net/clydesdal...lbs-rider.html and https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...gy-wheels.html

Cyclist0108

Rim or disc brakes? 700C or smaller? Quick-release or thru-axle?

Play around with this to give you an idea:

ProWheelBuild

RadDog

I like you. You can come over and have sex with my sister.

RadDog

Rim. QR. 700c