Commuting - How reliable are your commuters?

First post here.

Just bought a Trek Soho S to commute to work on and ride for fun. The ride is flat and only three miles. The low maintenance and simpleness of the single speed was what sold me on that bike.

It came with plastic pedals that the LBS informed me could not take toe clips, so I got those and they put them on.

Long story short rode it home and one work day and 2/3 of the to work this morning and the pedal fell of the crank. The threads in the crank appear to be stripped. So after 13 miles on my new bike it needs to go in for repair.

So this leaves me wondering how often you guys have problems. Obviously not happy about this and a little discourage too!

So the pedal spindle and thread was entirely intact? That seems a little odd.

Which part stripped out? the pedal or the crank arm? This is VERY unusual for a bike of that caliber.

The pedal and the part that attach into the crank are together. If you look at the crank there is nothing in there, and that part appears to be stripped.

Also let me clarify the LBS swapped out the pedals as the told me the stock ones could not take toe clips. I am assuming they were not installed correctly.

I bought a Raleigh Mojave 8.0 2 years ago, swapped out the mountain tires for slicks, added a rack and made some fenders, and the first time I rode it the crank fell apart. It wasn't even 3 miles when the crank arm fell off. I took it back to the LBS, they apologized and fixed it and gave me an extra year of free tune ups. I have gone back for the tune ups but nothing else has been wrong with it in over 8,000 miles.

So maybe it was just bad luck like mine was and your bike will be fine from here on out.

I am hoping that will be my experience. I am really enjoying riding to work. Now to find the time to take it back to the shop!

Get a cheap used bike to use when yours is in the shop. I have 3 bikes set up for commuting, a 13 year old Trek 820, Raleigh Mojave 8.0 and a Raleigh Sojourn. I also have my wifes Trek 4300 and Daughter's 3700 in a dire emergency. I just keep plenty of them around so I don't care if one breaks. The only one I have problems with though is the 820 because it needs a new crankset and cog, but since I don't use it much it is staying as is.

I have seen all kinds of bikes recently at flea markets and yard sales for next to nothing. Lots of those people don't seem to know what they are getting rid of.

Should be covered under warranty. The LBS did the the pedals install too, so they can't blame it on you. With minor maintenance and adjustments and replacement of consumable items, your bike should last a long time and be relatively trouble-free. Your LBS should offer/include a few free checkups/adjustments and have them check/retighten the fasteners, cable adjustments, and spoke tension/true the wheels.

In order of most to least replaced.

I replace brake pads the most.
Tires and tubes when they need it.
Bar tape, cables, housings as needed.
Chain, rings, cassette when worn.
Wheel and headset bearings when needed.
Majour components rarely. I've got over 9000 miles in under 2 years on my Cross Check. The crank is just starting to crap out on me, but it's a serious low-end component to start with and I'm surprised that an FSA Vero/RPM lasted this long under me. I've replaced the bottom bracket once. The headset will be next, just to upgrade; not because this one is worn. My pedals are Shimano M545's that I bought back in college in the early 90s.

That's weird for a new bike.
I've been commuting about 2 years now and have only has to change out brake pads so far. I switched out pedals, cables and tires but that was by choice and not repairs. Then again I have 8 bikes and rotate regularly so none of the bikes have had heavy wear yet.
Ernest

Sounds like the pedal was installed wrong. I've done it myself. Usually means that the crank arm has to be replaced. Since they did the work, hopefully they'll replace it. Good luck and happy commuting.

Insist that the LBS replace the crankarm at no cost, as it was 99.999% their fault for stripping the threads (either that, or the crankarm was defective, which is much less likely).

That bike should be very trouble free, and with a possible upgrade to super flat-resistant tires, you should have a very low-maintenance bicycle that will last a lifetime.

The pedal and the part that attach into the crank are together. If you look at the crank there is nothing in there, and that part appears to be stripped.

Also let me clarify the LBS swapped out the pedals as the told me the stock ones could not take toe clips. I am assuming they were not installed correctly.

That certainly would be my assumption. Whatever, the LBS should make good for either the defective equipment they sold, or more likely the defective installation of the equipment.

Sounds like the pedal was installed wrong. I've done it myself. Usually means that the crank arm has to be replaced. Since they did the work, hopefully they'll replace it. Good luck and happy commuting.

How did you install the pedal wrong? Did you cross-thread it? Did you lubricate the axle threads?

OP:

Something similar happened to my niece. One of her pedals came unthreaded while riding - I bought a pedal tap to repair the threads in the crank, but that wasn't enough - I also needed a die to repair the threads on the pedal. So I bought that too, and now it's fine. Unless the threads are heavily damaged, maybe the LBS can do the same for you.

Was it the pedal on the left hand side? I'm betting whomever installed it was new (or had no buisness holding a wrench in the first place) and didn't know that that the left pedal has a left hand thread on it. They forced it in and stripped the threads of the crank. It's possible it could be re-tapped but I would still politely insist on a new crank and set of pedals. It really shouldn't be a problem and is nothing to get incredibly bent out of shape over.

If the shop installed the pedal they should/will warranty their work. Especially if you just bought the bike there.

I gotta say that's a pretty minor thing to get discouraged over. Mechanicals happen. The more you learn about wrenching on your own ride, the less you'll feel yourself to be at the mercy of others.

LBS probably messed up the threads, but it's possible they were just bad in the first place. Don't worry about it, there are always shakedown issues.

I've got only one bike, a cheap hybrid, and I do my own wrenching (the bike shop has actually only seen my bike once since selling it to me, and I wound up fixing it that time myself anyway, because they couldn't handle the job). So I probably don't remember a bunch of stuff that might have caused me trouble.

I had a lot of spokes break the first year, until I gave up and built my own rear wheel. That would have sucked if I wasn't able to replace my own spokes. No problems with that wheel for the rest of its life (about 13000 miles).

I stripped a thread out of the crank once; it was VERY cold (-15*F) and I decided to swap out my SPD pedals for platforms so I could wear heavy boots, and when I took the pedals out, the aluminum had shrunk so bad it tore the threads out. Lesson learned; I'll heat the crank with a torch first next time. But that cost me a new crank.

The only time I lost use of my bike for an extended time was at about 15000 miles, I broke the rear axle. It was a freewheel axle so it was weak anyway. I rode my wife's bike for 3 days until a new rear wheel arrived (it turned out to be cheaper to buy a built wheel than to buy the parts).

Lots of little junk, but nothing that kept me from riding, just flats, thrown chains, etc, that I could fix on the road.

I mostly ride the fixed-gear to work these days and it has extremely reliable. Not much to wrench on. Haven't replaced anything on it in the last two years except the tires - not really necessary but I wanted to try some new ones out - and bar tape. My commute is 12 miles round trip on mostly flat bike path in a nice dry climate so not much wear and tear. Any mechanical issues usually surface in the first week of riding for me and then then once fixed usually stay fixed until something wears out.

I stripped my crank arm once when I didn't tighten the pedal enough so it wore the threads out until the pedal just fell out.

Another fixed commuter here. Very reliable. Just ordered a new bottom bracket and chain, but that's just from use. I'll usually set it up for wet riding (fenders, 69 gear inches, 25 or 28 mm tires) in the fall, and dry riding (no fenders, 80 g.i., 23 mm tires) in the spring.

My bikes are very reliable. I only ride time-tested designs; my newest bike is 15 years old.

Long story short rode it home and one work day and 2/3 of the to work this morning and the pedal fell of the crank. The threads in the crank appear to be stripped. So after 13 miles on my new bike it needs to go in for repair.

Definitely take it back to the shop. From your symptoms, it sounds like the repair guy put the pedals on backwards.

Is your other pedal threaded all the way in and properly threaded?

But take comfort. Most bikes are much more reliable than that. Flats happen, but beyond that you should expect months of trouble-free operation.

Definitely take it back to the shop. From your symptoms, it sounds like the repair guy put the pedals on backwards.


Doubtful. I couldn't get left pedal on the right side if I tried.

I had a pedal almost come off on me once. It came out just far enough to jam in on an angle. Was a real bear to get out completely and when I did the crank was stripped. It happens. Pedal probably wasn't tightened enough to begin with and then you didn't notice it unscrewing while pedaling.

My bike goes into the shop a lot less often than either of our cars. Your situation seems abnormal, take it back to the shop to get it set right.

Paul

How in the heck does a pedal get installed "wrong" anyway? I have been putting pedals on for 20+ years and have yet to fail to recognize a cross threading situation when it begins. Is there some other way this happens? Maybe if you are not using your hands to start the first few threads?

The pedal and the part that attach into the crank are together. If you look at the crank there is nothing in there, and that part appears to be stripped.

Also let me clarify the LBS swapped out the pedals as the told me the stock ones could not take toe clips. I am assuming they were not installed correctly.

That's beyond the range of things you expect to stabilize over an initial shakedown. It's like they used an air-wrench to cross thread the pedal or something.

In 3 years of bike commuting, the only mechanical problem I've had was a flat tire -- twice in one day. I keep my bikes well maintained, however. I pump up the tires before every ride, oil the chain about once a week, and inspect the whole bike regularly. I get my mechanic to replace the cables about every 5,000 miles, and replace the chain about that often as well. My tires usually last about 1,500-2,000 miles in the rear, and I rarely ever wear out front tires.

As others said, the LBS probably installed your new pedals incorrectly, and they should fix or replace the parts for no charge.

my commute bike is a 30 year old steelie. it breaks down, but most of it i can fix. i have had the rear derailleur strip out of the hanger not five feet out of the driveway, wheels go out of true, the rear break cable has broke, front derailleur has seized up, chain has gotten twisted, lose bottom bracket, warped chainring, lose headset, ect. its was a free, i put on some modern compoents like sora sti shifters, new 700c wheels and brake pads, i overhalled the headset and bottom bracket, used a different crankset i had laying around.

typical i see something is not working perfectly and i just leave it, rarely do i have the time when i want to work on the bike. its more like i need to fix this or i can't make it to work tomorrow. this road bike isn't as reliable to ride as my old 90s steel mtb, but its alot faster, more efficient, and just a better day to day experience even with all the problems.

my back up bike is a alum road bike, its a little bit fast and what i use for weekend rides, 20-40mile fun rides. i hate riding this bike to work. even thought i see carbon fiber 2-3k bikes locked up with just 1 ulock or 1 cable lock sometimes i am not willing to take that risk even with 2ulocks.

Question: "How reliable are your commuters"

Answer: Very reliable, the backup bike that I just got (for free) needs different tires and some other junk, but I rode it home in it's current condition and it rode fine, great in fact.

There's no way you can install the pedals on the wrong side, but they may have been cross threaded or overtightened.

I gotta say that's a pretty minor thing to get discouraged over. Mechanicals happen. The more you learn about wrenching on your own ride, the less you'll feel yourself to be at the mercy of others.

Roger that

There's no way you can install the pedals on the wrong side, but they may have been cross threaded or overtightened.

My first folding bike came out of the box direct from the factory with the pedals already installed. And they were installed on the wrong side, the R pedal on the left side, the L pedal on the right. I rode the bike about 2000 miles before this problem came to light! The problem eventually presented itself with the pedals getting loose in their holes, and when I went to tighten them, they unscrewed. The threads were pretty much gone, and the crank arms needed to be replaced. I was not amused.

I'm not worried about what happened to OP's bike. Someone screwed up, probably the LBS, and they should fix it for you. If they don't, well, that would suck; but still it's not a big deal.

To answer the original question: How reliable are my commuters? Very! I have a #1 bike on which I do about 90% of my commuting, and a #2 just in case. I do maintenance work on the #1 bike as necessary, only riding #2 when #1 develops unexpected problems overnight, or develops problems serious enough to disable it for a while. Such problems don't usually occur suddenly, but they do occur. So far this year #1 has been seriously disabled three times: rear rim wore out, so the bike sat until a replacement rim came in the mail; frame broke, so the bike ast until a new frame came in the mail; and finally it spent over a month at the LBS while the hub was being overhauled (well, not exactly) (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=9654453&postcount=4). So it turns out #2 got enough use that I was seriously considering buying a #3.

I would say the shop screwed up when they installed the pedals, therefore their responsible for repairing it.

My 84 Trek 660 commuter/former racing bike/training bike/fitness bike/credit card touring bike, is extremily dependable and still is after 150,000 miles. The only part I ever had failed on a ride (fortunately it failed about a mile from the house), was the front derailleur band broke for which I had a new Superbe in a box stored for such an event. Of course I've had the usual flats on the road, and of course chains and gears wearing out but those are replaced as needed, and the occasional crash that led to bent wheels or a broken spoke (which never caused a problem either with 36 spokes, I just wrapped the dead spoke around another and rode home).

To answer the original question: How reliable are my commuters? Very! I have a #1 bike on which I do about 90% of my commuting, and a #2 just in case. I do maintenance work on the #1 bike as necessary, only riding #2 when #1 develops unexpected problems overnight, or develops problems serious enough to disable it for a while. Such problems don't usually occur suddenly, but they do occur. So far this year #1 has been seriously disabled three times: rear rim wore out, so the bike sat until a replacement rim came in the mail; frame broke, so the bike ast until a new frame came in the mail; and finally it spent over a month at the LBS while the hub was being overhauled (well, not exactly) (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=9654453&postcount=4). So it turns out #2 got enough use that I was seriously considering buying a #3.

For me, that kind of maintenance on a single bike would certainly constitute an unusually problematic year.

To answer the OP, I also maintain multiple bikes ready for commuting duty. My cross bike is my primary commuter followed by a road bike with fenders that I ride in the rain. I will also commute on my nice road bike in a pinch but I hate to leave it locked up outside all day. I also have two mountain bikes ready for duty at any time. It gets incredibly expensive to maintian 5 bikes but any given bike breaks down only rarely.

For me, I am more likely to have to grab an alternate bike due to a surprise flat than for any other reason.

For me, that kind of maintenance on a single bike would certainly constitute an unusually problematic year.


Oh, I agree completely. It's been a bad year, with three major issues, all of which are now resolved. I don't abuse this bike, but I ride it on a daily basis and, after a while, you have to expect things to go wrong. There have been neither chronic problems nor catastrophic failures and, all in all, I still consider the bike to be very reliable.

I've had my Aurora for about a year and a two months. Never had any problems. Well.. unless you count my bar end cap falling out.. that happened the first weekend..

I've got a 2004 Diamondback Wildwood that I've put roughly 1,500 miles on commuting to work and 30 mile rides over the weekends. Just a couple of flat tires and chain lubrication every now and then. No other issues.

I ride my strida daily 6km each way to and from work very little maintenance besides wiping it clean every week and make sure my bolts and belt are in the correct tension. And every two weeks I'l pump my tires back up to the max psi. no flats yet cause I try to keep an eye out for glass and debris (knock on wood).

I've ridden my Univega over 2500 miles since last November, and have yet to have it break down. The headset has come a bit loose once or twice (you know, knocking when you brake, etc), the chain has been replaced, and I swapped out the 20 year old tires (that I put 1,000 miles on), but it's never left me stranded, it's never gotten a flat (knock on wood), and it's never been so injured that I couldn't load it with 20 lbs of paperwork and clothes, shift through all of the gears, or stop reliably.

My 20 year old Centurion is running great. I put all new parts on it last Summer and don't have many issues with it. The only issue I keep having is the adjustments for the gear shifts slip after a while and I won't be able to shift while riding.