jasonguard

Tony: Okay, you won't believe this (or worse, you've experienced the same from Nashbar). Even though I selected the frame and the fork as individual items on my order (totaling $186), they charged me the "Combo Deal" price of $299 (minus 20%). That's about $45 more than the price that was reflected on my screen when I got rung up. On top of that, they didn't send me an email confirmation, so I have no record (should have printed the screen!).

I found this out today when half of the order showed up (larger items coming in their own boxes) and the receipt reflected overcharges. I called and was put on hold for 20 minutes. When I got a person, I spent another 25 minutes walking them through the complex math problem of adding/subtracting. The result? They're supposed to call me after the webmaster verifies that the items were priced as I listed at the top of this post. Arrrggh! And no, I did not give them the link to this discussion board. Surely their people use this site though.

Tony, let me know what happens with the returned fork. It's still listed. Discontinued item? WTF? Is there a way to get someone at Nashbar to help out (email, Instant Relay, or phone) faster than I experienced today?

PS: The fork is pretty.

jasonguard

Returned carbon fork for $65 finally removed from Nashbar site. Any luck Tony?

Tony O

I actually just checked my email from them before I popped on this forum. As I suspected, there was another email telling me that the item, the $65 fork, did NOT ship because this item was discontinued. Not sure why they are using the word "discontinued" when it should be out of stock or unavailable, since a NEW one is clearly still for sale on site. ( I bought one a while back, not mounted yet...looks nice though, agree). I just sent them an email telling them of my disproval with their ordering system and my experiences with my last 3 orders (2 bad ones). I also said they should send me a new fork at half price since I am tired of them wasting my time with their faulty ordering process. I understand being out of the item the first time, but 3 days later to still have it listed..etc is annoying to say the least.

aside: second half of my order just arrived from fedex while I was typing this...lol.

anyhow, good luck with your over charge snafu. I had the original email showing me what they said my order would cost, attached in my reply to their customer service and they still couldn't figure it out. They send me an email claiming the frame cost like $175 and the fork was $170 or something. I replied and asked them where the h*ll were they getting THESE prices and told them to check their own website. I then decided phone call would be in order and she wanted a fax from me with original order...said she didnt' have email access, but at least she realized the prices they were quoting me were way off, she did a little math and agreed that they owed me a refund but would have to verify prices on that day (hence the fax) I don't have a fax so I tried one more email attempt and I guess the 3 time was a charm because they finally figured it out and refunded my money.

I would suggest a phone call as it easier to deal and get replies from someone instantly, which I realize you have already tried, but persistence is key here. Tell them you will get credit card company involved if they drag their feet.

good luck again.
-Tony O

jasonguard

So, I've got the frame and the fork here in my basement. I've also got a Cane Creek S2 headset, Forte inline brake levers, and some new grip tape. Hmmm, here to start? I went for a ride on the old Surly today just to take inventory of any pros/cons of my old set-up before embarking on the new.

I know that I'll end up taking he bike to the shop to have the headset/fork mounted properly. But, I'm really not sure what I should do first on my own? Anything? If I just took all the gear to the shop, what should they charge to swap it all over? Maybe I'll just start switching the gear myself and write you all with questions.

Lastly, I exchanged 6-7 emails with Nashbar over the past week, trying to get them to correct their overcharge. Finally today there was a break thru and they're refunding $52. But, what about my time? Such a freakin hassle. Oh well. Time to get greasy makin a new bike.

SSRI

you can start taking off all the drivetrain parts brakes and wheels and start cleaning.

after cleaning
polish and reoil/grease/lube the parts. (polish is optional)

jasonguard

Well, I'm stripping the ol' Cross Check and cleaning the parts. Can't find a crank wrench in my Nashbar tool kit that will fit. Guess I'll leave that for the LBS. Need a larger seat collar though. Also, this frame needs a derailleur hanger. Wasn't it supposed to come with the frame? Anyone know? I've complained to Nashbar (again... sigh). Nonetheless, the frame is looking pretty hot. Can anyone tell me what sort of grease needs to go on new parts before they're installed?

SaddleBags

Wow. Reading your posts on the Nashbar frameset makes me glad I chose another route.
Good luck with your build.
Just a FYI - for build questions (ie which grease to use) - post it over on the Mechanic's Forum or check out Sheldon Brown's site and/or Park Tools site. Between all those sites, you'll get all your questions answered quickly.

Vibes

The hanger should have come with the frame. I bought the similar but now discontinued MTB frame and the hanger came installed.

Tony O

Just wanted to confirm that my Nashbar Cyclocross frame also came with hanger. Wasn't mounted but came taped to the plastic piece keeping the rear dropout from being damaged during shipping.

AS for the email I sent to them, it's been a week and I have still not even recieved a response. I guess they thought my *****ing was just me venting and warranted no response. I really wish I could find a cheaper online vendor, but I guess u get what u pay for and their pricing is hard to beat. I also think their online assistance (LIVE) is quite knowledgable.

cheers
-Tony O

jasonguard

Found the hanger. Thanx. I feel the same way about the company, but the "everything Nashbar brand at half-price" that's going on right now is pretty hard to pass up.

jasonguard

Now I'm picking up a used 31.8 clamp on front der. My old 27.2 Ultegra will get traded in at the 501-c3 LBS. Next up... bottom bracket extraction.

jasonguard

My Cross Check frame is naked now and the Nashbar frame/fork are at the shop getting the finishing touches put on. Pics of the results to follow. In the meantime, maybe you can help me with this...

I want to sell my 1999 Surly Cross Check frame (1" headtube and Reynolds 631 tubing but w/o original fork), however, I don't know if this is a 52cm or a 54cm. I measure the seat tube as 53cm (c-t) and the top tube as 56cm. I always thought I had a 52cm, but the standover has always been really snug on me (31 inches?). Any thoughts? Any suggestions for selling this frame?

jasonguard

Having some trouble posting the old Surly frame pic, because I got a new camera. Anyhow, here's my attempt.

aballas

sent you a PM about the frame I'll buy it...

jasonguard

Developments: My LBS cut the steering tube too short on my carbon fork and so they had to order me a new one. However, Nashbar discontinued the model and is out of the 1 1/8" size. Hence the delay. I think we've decided that the LBS will pay for and install a steel Nashbar fork and write off all of the labor. Bummer, huh?

I also got some in-line brake levers.

The old Surly frame is looking very fly in the hands of another BFer see ("Starting my first CX build")

SSRI

Hey J
its been awhile any pics on the finish build...

jasonguard

Well, I'm going to try and upload a couple pics, both taken with bad light 5 minutes ago. However, I can't seem to get them sized correctly and I don't use one of those web-based photo sites.

The good news is that the 50cm frame fits like a glove. I thought that I needed to go down from a 52 to a 50, but it turns out that my old bike was a 52. Luckily, Nashbar's sloping top tube is just right. The bad news is that I still don't have a my carbon fork. The lbs set me up with this temp replacement chromoly fork that looks a bit outta place. For that matter, I think the stem is kinda ugly too. My in-line brakes will get put on at the same time as the fork. Anyhow, my mostly black bike is shaping up and it's riding very nicely. Much much lighter than the old Cross Check.

-----
Okay, scratch the pics. Couldn't figure out how to resize them. I'll try again when I get home.

Vibes

I just checked the Nashbar site and they are selling the carbon cross fork again today. I read somewhere that this fork is made by Winwood (https://www.winwoodbike.com/purist.html) and when you check out their website their fork looks just like the Nashbar fork but is much more expensive. How short did the bike shop cut your steering tube, is it salvagable?

jasonguard

The bike shop says that the old fork is still useable, just not on my bike. We decided that they could keep it and try to use it on a bike with a smaller headtube. It looks like they're going to write off their labor and are replacing the fork for free. Send me a PM and I'll forward you their contact info. I'd post it here, but the LBS owner is a buddy and I don't wanna drag his name thru the mud. I also heard that the fork is equivalent to the Winwood and that it performs well. Can't wait to see one of these on my bike.

jasonguard

Here's the bike in its current state. See above for some of the disclaimers. The LBS is going to get rid of that red seatpost collar. They also said that my old RSX STI shifters are on their last legs. Any suggestions for a cheap replacement? I've also got a wheelset with Kenda cross tires.

jasonguard

I'm all done "improving on" this bike. The Nashbar carbon cross fork is finally on, same with the in-line brakes. What do you all think? The ride is very smooth, despite the aluminum and the Nashbar brand name. I spent about $200 on the frame/fork and got about that for the old Surly frame that was too big for me. Seriously, no complaints just yet. Just a need for a new set of brifters (holla if you know of any for cheap). The camo tape is also from Nashbar. Not sure how long I'll keep that look, but I think it's fun for the time being.