99m6z28

Anyone ever had this issue? About 2 months ago I bought a brand new Trek Superfly Elite AL with Shimano SLX components. Today I was riding with my buddies and while climbing a hill and going over a root I hear a loud pop. I stopped and checked the bike over and I see nothing broken but when I pedal, the rear cassette never catches. I can pedal all day and never move. Luckily I could still coast down the hills but I had a lot of walking up hill on my way back to the truck. Anyone ever had this happen? I will be taking it in to my LBS on tuesday to see WTF!

HillRider

The ratchet mechanism in your freehub body broke. It's not common but can happen. Your bike should still be under warranty.

FBinNY 

+1, very rare, but not unheard of. Given the age, it clearly falls under the definition of manufacturing defect.

99m6z28

I sure hope it can be fixed under the warranty. I have never had warranty work before. I wonder how long it will take to get fixed.

FBinNY 

A decent shop should be able to turn this around very quickly. If I were the service manager, it would be done on the spot, with either a replacement freehub body if I had one in stock, or a complete wheel off another bike in stock.

Your shop may elect not to take a wheel off a bike, so if they don't have the right freehub they might want you to wait for one to arrive, which could be a few days. If they don't give you priority, ask for the manager, and if he can't give you a promise of being back on the road within a few days at most, ask if he'd call his Trek representative on his cell phone for approval to expedite things.

BTW- this kind of defect is like a lightening strike. It can happen to anybody, cannot be predicted, and in no way is an indicator of overall quality. But it can become a decent gauge of the shop's attitude about service. It's a real opportunity for them to impress a customer, and a good shop will use it to cement their relationship with you.

99m6z28

I was a bit disappointed since I paid quite a bit for this bike thinking it would be dependable and be able to pretty much take everythingi threw at it.

FBinNY 

As I said, this is a fluke. There's no way it was predictable, and neither Trek nor the dealer are at fault. What you should base your feelings on is what they do about it. Go in with a positive attitude and you should be OK.

99m6z28

I understand that no one is at fault and I will be calm about it. This is my first Trek so I am a bit disappointed.

Jeff Wills

Yes, but it's a Shimano component. Trek, along with nearly every other bicycle manufacturer, buys components from Shimano. It could have happened to you if it were a Cannondale, Giant, or any other manufacturer's bike.

Were I working at the shop when a customer walked in with a new-ish, broken bike, I wouldn't hesitate to fix it on the spot.

FBinNY 

I understand the disappointment, but you can't blame Trek. It's a Shimano part that failed, and there's no way Trek could have spotted it. Be nice about it, but make sure they know how long the walk was. Besides getting you prompt service, it should be good for some kind of consideration, even if it's only a beer. 40 years ago, where I worked it would have been good for a cannoli & espresso at D'Robertis around the corner, while we got your bike up and running.

Kimmo 

Man, that's what I call service.

FBinNY 

One of the first lessons I learned in retail is that anybody can be a good guy when making a sale or when things go well. It's what you do if/when things go wrong that leave a lasting impression. Stuff happens that's nobody's fault but that shouldn't stop you from soften the blow for your customer, or showing that you care. Someone spends serious dough on a new bike, what's few dollars for coffee and a pastry in the scheme of things.

We had an account at de Robertis, and would send customers over there on our tab for a variety of reasons, like if they came in before the bike was ready, or sometimes simply to get them out of our hair. In this case it would have been a way of saying we're sorry you had to take the walk.

Kimmo 

Sweet.