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10-16-08, 10:19 AM
I know, I know, I should have never purchased a low-end bike from Target. I should have somehow found $400.00 I don't have and got something at my local bike shop. Well, I did check first to see if they had any used bikes I could afford, but sadly both LBSs in my locality were sold out of those. So, I did a little internet research, bit the bullet, and replaced my $30.00 Sears Free Spirit* I found at Goodwill this spring with a 21-speed faux mt. bike†. I would have preferred something more commutery, but I must admit that adding 11 gears makes negotiating the hills of SW CT a bit easier.
Everything was copacetic until last Friday, my 10th day on the new ride. While I was standing on the pedals going uphill, the handlebars rotated about 45° on me. I was able to wrangle them back to a proper position and make it back home without killing myself. The fellow who sold me the already-assembled bike had told me that I could bring it back within 90 days to get it adjusted. The fact that I got free assembly and a promise of some service is what had pushed me over to the dark side. I called the store, got the salesguy on the phone, and was told that their "bike tech" was only on premises two days a week, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. My housemate has a car, and I don't, but he was out-of-town for the weekend. I could have limped the eight miles to the store and gotten fixed up, but they offered no service on the weekend - none!
After dropping a complaint on the company's website, and getting a pro forma email reply, I took the bike into town when Wednesday morning rolled around. Calling ahead, I found out that the tech wasn't going to be available, after all. I asked to speak to a superior, who explained that nobody in the shop was qualified to take a wrench to my bike and fix the assembly error. They could have someone there Monday morning. No amount of my passive aggressive seething would budge this lady. "Rules Are Rules Are Rules," ya know.
So, I crossed the bridge to Shelton. I had previously had a blowout repaired at Rad Rob's on Bridgeport Ave., and had bought some lights from them. I was willing to pay to have my `bars tightened, and planned on sending the bill to Target, for all the good that would do me. The young man at the front counter heard my story, got on the phone to his boss (John, I believe), and after a few twists of a torque wrench I was good to go - AT NO CHARGE!
I was so happy that they treated me well that I asked about fitting the bike with a mirror, and they sold me something that fit quite well. That's twenty bucks Target isn't getting.
I don't expect this bike to last for years. I figure I'm essentially "renting" it until I can afford something decent. What honked me off about Target's attitude was that when they were waiting to get my money they were holding themselves out as somehow superior to K-Mart or Wal-Mart. If I had bought a bike-in-a-box bike I would at least have been wary of not doing the assembly properly, and made sure I had the tools to tweak it myself.
Rob's, on the other hand, treated me with loyalty and kindness. Hurrah for them!
*The FS would still be rideable, except the back rim has a dent that makes it hard to replace its flat inner tube, and both rims are starting to lose spokes. A much handier person than myself could probably repair it, but I got plenty of use for my 30 bucks!
† http://www.magnabike.com/models.php?model=gdivide
Everything was copacetic until last Friday, my 10th day on the new ride. While I was standing on the pedals going uphill, the handlebars rotated about 45° on me. I was able to wrangle them back to a proper position and make it back home without killing myself. The fellow who sold me the already-assembled bike had told me that I could bring it back within 90 days to get it adjusted. The fact that I got free assembly and a promise of some service is what had pushed me over to the dark side. I called the store, got the salesguy on the phone, and was told that their "bike tech" was only on premises two days a week, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. My housemate has a car, and I don't, but he was out-of-town for the weekend. I could have limped the eight miles to the store and gotten fixed up, but they offered no service on the weekend - none!
After dropping a complaint on the company's website, and getting a pro forma email reply, I took the bike into town when Wednesday morning rolled around. Calling ahead, I found out that the tech wasn't going to be available, after all. I asked to speak to a superior, who explained that nobody in the shop was qualified to take a wrench to my bike and fix the assembly error. They could have someone there Monday morning. No amount of my passive aggressive seething would budge this lady. "Rules Are Rules Are Rules," ya know.
So, I crossed the bridge to Shelton. I had previously had a blowout repaired at Rad Rob's on Bridgeport Ave., and had bought some lights from them. I was willing to pay to have my `bars tightened, and planned on sending the bill to Target, for all the good that would do me. The young man at the front counter heard my story, got on the phone to his boss (John, I believe), and after a few twists of a torque wrench I was good to go - AT NO CHARGE!
I was so happy that they treated me well that I asked about fitting the bike with a mirror, and they sold me something that fit quite well. That's twenty bucks Target isn't getting.
I don't expect this bike to last for years. I figure I'm essentially "renting" it until I can afford something decent. What honked me off about Target's attitude was that when they were waiting to get my money they were holding themselves out as somehow superior to K-Mart or Wal-Mart. If I had bought a bike-in-a-box bike I would at least have been wary of not doing the assembly properly, and made sure I had the tools to tweak it myself.
Rob's, on the other hand, treated me with loyalty and kindness. Hurrah for them!
*The FS would still be rideable, except the back rim has a dent that makes it hard to replace its flat inner tube, and both rims are starting to lose spokes. A much handier person than myself could probably repair it, but I got plenty of use for my 30 bucks!
† http://www.magnabike.com/models.php?model=gdivide