AonyxDO262

Hello all,

I am new to biking. I haven't bought a bike in about 12 years since I was in my late teens, and this is the first bike I have gotten from a bike shop as opposed to a department store. Yesterday I bought a Univega Weekend escape from a reputable bike shop. I took it home and went on a late evening ride on a trail. I live about 100 miles from the shop where I bought it from. I had no issues until I was about mid way through my ride down a well used, flat paved bike trail. As I was riding I felt as if my foot kept slipping off the left pedal. It was dark so it was hard to tell what was happening, but the pedal and crank arm were evidently coming loose, by the time I realized it the pedal and crank arm just came off. It was dark but I had my head lamp and I was able to retrieve the pedal and crank arm and what seems to be a bolt that is supposed to hold the crank arm in place. It looked at the time that there was a little spring within the "female end" on the bike where the bolt screws in. Sorry if my terminology is incorrect. I later realized that this was the thread from the bolt and the bold itself had become completely stripped for the first 0.5cm of the bolt.

I assume this isn't normal for a new bike. My question is if it is work trying to buy a new bolt to see if it will thread back on? I can certainly take it back to the shop and it is under a warranty, however it is a bit of a drive and if I can put a new bolt in it and make it work, I would prefer not to have to go all the way back to the shop and I have to work the next several days. It doesn't look like the internal threads are stripped, but I can't be sure. I am new so the site won't let me upload any pictures. I also don't know If I might be missing another part that fell off in the dark.


Thanks in advance!

rhenning

Take it back and have it fixed. That way it will still be fixed and under warranty. You paid for the warranty use it. Having said that I would probably fix it myself but I have been repairing bikes for 60+ years. Roger

spelger

i agree with taking it back under warranty. if the crank arm came off while riding it is possible that the bottom bracket is damaged and no bolt from the Ace hardware store will correct that.

Andrew R Stewart 

The vast majority of "crank arm comes loose during initial rides" is because the arm's retaining nut/bolt was never properly torqued during either the factory or shop assemblies. The shop should fix this if they believe in good customer service and wanting a positive reputation. Whether the shop has that attitude as well as a replacement arm (if needed) is another thing.

If the arm was not ridden too hard or too long while just loose is a big factor as to whether the fitting to the BB axle had been damaged. If this fitting is damaged no amount of reinstall and retightening will keep the arm secure. BTW when the shop does the work you will want them to do so with a recorded service ticket so someone can review the work in the future incase the arm proves to be unreliable. A

A minor quibble is to learn the difference between the pedal and the arm and which stayed put and which came loose from it's fittings. This helps reduce confusion when talking about this stuff and the bike (or an image of the area of the bike) is not at hand. Andy

AonyxDO262

Thanks for the replies. I plan to call them when they open today. I think it makes the most sense not to dink around with things I know nothing about especially on something brand new. I rode it for maybe 30 seconds between when I noticed it and when it came all the way off.

Thanks for all the help!

Crankycrank

You could also let them know you're driving 200 miles to get this checked out and is it possible to have them take care of it while you wait. Of course they may have to order parts or ??? but if not it would be in their best interest to keep you happy and fix it on the spot since this could have ended up with a trip to the hospital for you, or worse.

cxwrench

If it were me and it was that far away I'd call the shop you bought it from and let them know what happened. Tell them you don't feel like driving 200mi round trip to have something fixed that never should've happened and you're going to take it to a local shop and expect them to credit you back for whatever you have to pay to have it fixed. Offer to send pics of the damage and receipt for your charges.
ETA: I'm always amazed when bikes get out of a shop and stuff like this happens. At the shop I work at the builder initials and dates the work tag for that particular bike in the computer. It gets a post-it note saying 'check me' and it's status in the system is changed to 'open for check'. It then gets checked and the person that does that puts their initials and date on the work tag. The bike can then go out on the floor. When it's sold it's checked one more time. It's exceptionally rare for a customer to take a bike out the door that isn't absolutely perfect.

zandoval 

Yep... No matter what you paid there is still reasoning in not taking unproven equipment into the field. An untorqued crank is an easy thing to miss. We all must check and recheck our bikes both before and after each ride. I take short cuts too and have been caught in the middle of a beautiful ride with a broken something.

My pre-Flight Check List is long.

Sure glad you came out of this without injury.

DiabloScott

I got the idea the 100 mile away LBS was as local as he had. But yes, I would call first and explain your situation so they can have an appointment to work while you wait, and maybe make sure they have the right parts. I'd bet they're embarrassed and will want to make it right.

veganbikes

B.C.A. bikes which are producing the new Univega stuff is typically found at Wal Mart I am surprised that they are also selling in shops. However yes go to your local shop ask them to give you a quote for fixing the bike and then call the shop you purchased from and make sure they will cover it (or have your local shop do so and give them a six pack or something). If the shop won't cover that then ask them if they will cover gas to and from and lodging for the night or if they will send you a packing slip for your bike, money to pay for someone to box it and then they can ship it back and they also pay for money for the other shop to unbox it and double check everything. Be nice about it but certainly explain your situation. You can also reach out to Univega and see if they might help out in this situation with your local shop.