Bike shops sure know their stuff!

[Culshaw95]

There has been trouble with it before on my old echo hub so i asked whether they had a tank chain or a half link which they didnt so stupidly the first time i had trouble i tryed it with a normal chain and snapped it 3 times (in the other bike shop who burnt my hub) i have told them the same method in westham cycles but have never attempted it. The ways they tried it was with a chain whip and heated up the sprocket luckily they didnt do the hub this time.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Culshaw95

[ForrestDump]

I know that it's really bad to destroy things like that. But I don't think it's fully right to call them "unprofessional"... Of course they haven't seen a trials bike before, and I guess that they never had even touched one with a allen key, so how could they know how to properly remove a screw-on sprocket then? Of course you all know how to remove the sprocket, but I don't think that you know how to service a DH fork either (just a example).

I have know f**king idea though whey they want to remove a sprocket that they're clearly not capable of removing or even know about.

Thats a fair point, I don't remember calling them unprofessional. As for never seeing one, a friend of mine works there who used to ride one, apparently this wasn't his handy work though. And removing a screw on sprocket shares similar methods on how to remove other parts like cassette lock rings and freewheels. It's not like theres much on a trials bike to know about but i can see where your coming from.

Like most things... If i dont know hos to do something.. I google it!! They could of done the same!!

Exactly! I found Adams tutorial on how to do this which is a doddle and I use the same technique every time I need to.

[ashleys sugden]

that is ridiculous!! to be fair though, my local bike shop don't know how to do most things on a trials bike, even though they used to be proper in to trials years ago. they know me and my mate do trials and they continue to sell us shit split links that dont last 5 mins, and inner tubes that dont last aha. its just that trials is so different to other kinds of bikes

[Jake.]

The only thing I have ever let my local bike shop do for me is bleed a hope brake, and build a wheel.

I'm good mates with them and have known them 4 years, they seem to hate trials with a passion (I did the occasional bit of road cycling with them).

It's best to do everything yourself if you can, but that's ridiculous what the bike shop did.

Edited January 14, 2013 by JMCD

[AndrewEH1]

Knowing them they probably wouldn't give anything back to me but i reckon if i get the right tools i will start doing it myself. There isnt a lot of room in my garage as its just bikes and load of random stuff around maybe if i get it cleared up a bit i could have a working bench or something. Annoyed that this is the second time something like this has happened.

How old are you? Under 18 & living at home? Take one of you parents, you might need to bribe them with extra chores or whatever, along when you get your rim back and complain, an angry parent might help a bit.

[isitafox]

that is ridiculous!! to be fair though, my local bike shop don't know how to do most things on a trials bike, even though they used to be proper in to trials years ago. they know me and my mate do trials and they continue to sell us shit split links that dont last 5 mins, and inner tubes that dont last aha. its just that trials is so different to other kinds of bikes

Yeah but he's a robbing t**t anyway!

I remember when he used to advertise in MBUK and MBR saying if you bought a bike you got a free ride out in a Ferrari, that was until they discovered the car was a cut and shut!

My cousin worked there for a while and he had boxes of good bits like XT shimano gear that had come off customers bikes who he'd told they were knackered and needed replacing.

[Culshaw95]

How old are you? Under 18 & living at home? Take one of you parents, you might need to bribe them with extra chores or whatever, along when you get your rim back and complain, an angry parent might help a bit.

Im 17 and i have said to my dad i was fairly pissed of but he said i wouldnt get anything from complaining

[AndrewEH1]

Im 17 and i have said to my dad i was fairly pissed of but he said i wouldnt get anything from complaining

Well go back on your own and kick up shit, the least you should really walk away with is a full refund...IMO

Yeah but he's a robbing t**t anyway!

I remember when he used to advertise in MBUK and MBR saying if you bought a bike you got a free ride out in a Ferrari, that was until they discovered the car was a cut and shut!

My cousin worked there for a while and he had boxes of good bits like XT shimano gear that had come off customers bikes who he'd told they were knackered and needed replacing.

Someone should really of reported them to The Office of Fair Trading...http://www.oft.gov.uk/

or check here http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e.htm

READ this: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e/consumer_common_problems_with_service_providers_e/consumer_trader_has_been_negligent_e/your_belongings_are_damaged__lost_or_stolen_while_left_with_the_trader.htm

Edited January 14, 2013 by AndrewEH1

[Revolver]

so how could they know how to properly remove a screw-on sprocket then?

Screw on sprockets exist on fixed gear bikes, which they've got to be familiar with by now.

[isitafox]

Someone should really of reported them to The Office of Fair Trading...http://www.oft.gov.uk/

or check here http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/consumer_e.htm

Was about 12 or 13 years ago, prob still doing it though!

[Blake]

that's ridiculous.

This is why if i'm not building a wheel myself or getting a mate to do it I ask tarty, cheaper than 99% of shops and such a good build, even with shitty rims/hubs

[Danny00135]

Wow thats bad... laminate them pictures and display them on the shops window to discourage customers

[williams]

Screw on sprockets exist on fixed gear bikes, which they've got to be familiar with by now.

You have a point:)

And I agree with drstix, tartybikes wheelbuilds are so good, such a good build quailty and such a low price haha!

[bing]

What a set of half wits. I would never go to a local bike shop for trials related stuff, as they haven't got a clue. The only 2 shops in the land where I would go are cycle centre in congleton, where dezmtber works, and Freetown cycles in hull, because my 2 mates work there, one is a semi trials rider, and the other is the best wheel builder I've come across. I trust them implicitly. I know neither of them would f**k owt up.

[ghostrider88]

that is ridiculous!! to be fair though, my local bike shop don't know how to do most things on a trials bike, even though they used to be proper in to trials years ago. they know me and my mate do trials and they continue to sell us shit split links that dont last 5 mins, and inner tubes that dont last aha. its just that trials is so different to other kinds of bikes

Hm, it´s your fault to use split link and buy wrong tube though

[ghostrider88]

Screw on sprockets exist on fixed gear bikes, which they've got to be familiar with by now.

Those on fixies won´t be that hard to take of really, much different gear ratio and type of riding, you´re also using pedals to slow down, which won´t let sprocket to get stuck this bad. +Bigger wheel gives you more leverage if you have to take it off and chain doesn´t snap.

[iChimpp]

Considering that we know a chap that works at this shop, who can be quite cocky about how good they are at providing good service/range of tools they have, you should certainly complain!

Ollie if I was you I would of put my big boy pants on and have a good go at them! Why on earth did you even give them the money?

Absolutely awful bit of work resulting in broken parts. He's royally f**ked you over considering you gave him £50 for this shit!

[SamKidney]

Did you pay in advance? I'd have refused to pay if I was given a wheel in that state.

[Revolver]

Those on fixies won´t be that hard to take of really, much different gear ratio and type of riding, you´re also using pedals to slow down, which won´t let sprocket to get stuck this bad. +Bigger wheel gives you more leverage if you have to take it off and chain doesn´t snap.

The point is, they should be able to, using their heads, work out how to upscale their usual method of getting it off before resorting to destructive methods.

[Andeee]

Because that's unlikely to work, they are on there REALLY tight. There are a couple of ways to get them off, but a local bike shop is unlikely to figure them out.

The hub while being damaged, is still perfectly usable. Not that I'm defending the shop as they shouldn't be damaging anything. I assume he wanted to keep the cog though, was this expressed when he took it in?

You weakling

You never watched the Tartytech video?

Edited January 14, 2013 by Andeee

[ForrestDump]

Considering that we know a chap that works at this shop, who can be quite cocky about how good they are at providing good service/range of tools they have, you should certainly complain!

Ollie if I was you I would of put my big boy pants on and have a good go at them! Why on earth did you even give them the money?

Absolutely awful bit of work resulting in broken parts. He's royally f**ked you over considering you gave him £50 for this shit!

Exactly, the mentioned employee is always going on about how much better being a 'trained' bike mechanic is.. blah blah blah. If this was my wheel, i would have definitely kept the money for building it, I would have needed it for a new sprocket after they had destroyed it!! I know removing a sprocket can be a pain the the arse but to resort to what looks like a grinder to remove it.... Madness!

[FamilyBiker]

my boss can be glad to have a trial(ish) rider working for him with me,i´ll never do such a f...k job haha.

someone who´s "trained" is only trained in normal bicycle mechanics,that includes taking off a shimano freewheel.

if that thing was on there for years it seems like its welded on.so you have to use the wrapped chain method.

our senior boss(67 yrs old,works as a bicycle mechanic since he could walk)knew the method,and he has never seen a trialsy bike but mine(cassette hub).

that makes the difference between mechanics:do you just do your job,or do you have some passion for the matter...

Edited January 14, 2013 by FamilyBiker

[isitafox]

A lot of bike shops thrive on cheap labour though. They'll hire kids fresh out of school with no real knowledge for minimal wages but with the bonus of getting "cheap" parts for themselves. I remember when I was at school and went on work experience in my last year, I went to a small bike shop where everyone was sound but a friend of mine went to quite a large local bike shop where they had 4 other work experience lads in. That meant a week or even 2 in some cases of completely free labour and the lads were just building kids bikes up for customers all week.

Where I was I was under the supervision of someone at all times, and whilst I did build one or two bikes up for customers it was after a few days of seeing what care and measures the other guys put in to do as good a job as they could and was checked out before they were handed out.

[CC12345678910]

+1 for the passion thing.

if they have a love for the art, it will oose out of them the second you get talking.

BTW it also is my opinion that blow torches and grinders do not belong, nor is there any need for them, in a bicycle service shop.

such tools would make me go 'nah, y'know what, i'm gonna go somewhere else,bye'.

May I ask, After the blowtorch incident, how come you went back? Desperation??

You could learn how to do wheels yourself really easily.

Me mam bought me this book as an 18th present purely for the wheel section, as it was the only thing left I felt I needed to learn to be totally self-reliant.

Example website

I'd strongly recommend you did the same, no more LBS related headaches!

Edited January 15, 2013 by CC12345678910

[bing]

I'm gonna have to learn how to build wheels