antonk

I know this fairly large retailer that sells cheap bikes. My friend's tiny bike shop is just down the street. Every time I am there, someone brings a bike to fix, that was bought from that big retailer. Most of the breakdowns happened right after the bike was purchased, and some of them can lead to a serious crash, like loose pedals, RD that are not set, loose break pads, breaks and anchor bolts. I know that the retailer hires a subcontractor to assemble those bikes. Are there any government jurisdictions (in Ontario) that can be addressed before someone has a serious injury or worse?

Jiggle

Maybe we can realize that government is not the solution to a problem like this.

Phil_gretz

Canada just went left again, not having learned the lessons of the early 2000s. Oiy...

mapeiboy

Most of the Canadians think government(3) is the solution to their happiness in life . How else can you explain the country turned left in the last federal election .

NYMXer

Anytime we get a new bike, the first thing that I do is go over it, adjust the seat height, brakes, handlebar height, etc. A little lube here and there then I take off for a ride. Once I am happy with it, it's time to let one of my girls ride it.
The whole process is usually done within 15 minutes, so it's time well spent.
I try to get the bikes unassembled and put it together myself, sometimes it's easier that way.

HillRider

To answer the OP (and I agree with the above posts but that's not what he asked) you may have a Canadian equivalent to the Consumer Product Safety Commission that regulates product safety. A complaint to them may get some action. Otherwise, a civil suit against the retailer for negligence in case of an injury may send the right message.

AnkleWork

Hopefully, but the great thing about BigGov is that it concentrates power in a few centralized hands and is thus much easier to corrupt. Mission accomplished.

habilis

I just visited a department store here in NJ this morning. I sometimes go to the bike section of these stores out of curiosity. The assembly quality was spotty, to say the least. One handlebar clamp was apparently never tightened because the bar spun freely and was hanging upside down. A sign said something like "These bikes are ready to roll [didn't say ready to ride]! Just walk it up to the checkout!"

The problem is economics. Bike assembly is a specialized job that takes training and skill. The store couldn't pay a salary that would attract someone like that, and even if they did, he wouldn't have enough to do. So they have one guy who assembles both bikes and barbecues.

I recently bought wheels from an Ebay wholesaler who cautions that his wheels should be inspected for trueness, loose spokes, and bearing adjustment. The department stores could post a similar disclaimer admitting that the whole bike is essentially "loosely assembled for display and sale." The customer should be warned to either check it out himself or have a knowledgeable person do it. Of course, that might completely kill sales, but it would be better than government involvement or lawsuits.

@antonk, does your friend's store lose money when these folks bring their problems in? I assume he charges something to sort things out. You could go to the big store and suggest they put up some kind of disclaimer to avoid litigation by injured customers, and leave it at that.

RoadGuy

You can't legislate honesty or competence.

The Big Box Store contracts out the assembly of the bicycles because that is the least expensive way to get the bikes assembled and ready for sale. The Big Box Store assumes that the bikes will be correctly and safely assembled, and probably has a contract with the company that employs the Assemblers.

The only way to improve the situation is to sit down with the Management of the Big Box Store and explain the problems that you have seen on bikes coming out of the store. Discuss the safety issue/s and make some practical suggestions about how assembly quality and safety could be improved. Document the time, date, and who is in attendance at the meeting/s to put the Store Management on notice that there is a record and documentation. This is an incentive for the Store Management to make positive improvements. You could also send a letter to the store's corporate headquarters outlining the safety problem/s and what you have done to make the Store's Management aware of the problems and what could be done to minimize safety hazards/improve quality.

mprelaw

In before the move.

tg16

If your friend is looking for business, perhaps he could go cut a deal to assemble the bikes. That might be more profitable and satisfying than fixing them afterwards. Just a thought.

fietsbob

From the Right every thing is Left of you.


No Precautionary Principle , You Just have to hire a Lawyer , on a contingency % fee basis [Up Front No Cost]

But of course the Box store chain will have lawyers used to defeating these Claims ..

Those Stores Pay Piecework to outside contractors* better be really fast at putting them together .

*Power tools a Near Necessity..

Grillparzer

I suspect the big box stores are taking the Ford Pinto route with the bicycles they sale. It's cheaper for them to settle with claimants rather than pay to fix the problem of low quality bicycles poorly assembled.

alcjphil

The lessons of the previous "left" Liberal government of the early 2000's were a series of balanced budgets, one of the reasons to go back after years of government deficits during the Conservative years in power.

FBOATSB

OP, How many people were killed or maimed by these poorly assembled bicycles? That's the only reason to sue a store. Anything else is just customer complaints handled at the service desk. This thread will be in P&R in no time....

Jamminatrix

CPSC "mostly" regulates defects and design flaws. Several years ago I would have said blatant negligence and poor assembly really wouldn't (or shouldn't) be fault of manufacturer, but looking at the stupidity of recalls as of late (such as quick release/disc brake fiasco), anything is possible.

Of course ignorance plays a part, too. If you buy a new car from a dealership, you do not take it home and start double checking the torque on the wheel lugs, do you? Same way someone who buys a bike from a retailer expects it to be assembled correctly, not for the handlebars to slip in the middle of traffic.

TiBiker

I work at a large outdoor retail store that sells a fairly large amount of bikes and I see the same type of poor assembly issues from several of our local competitors especially the Trek Store and Wally World. The janitor at Walmart puts the bikes together. Bikes that come partly assembled from the manufacturer are not nearly ready to ride IMO without repacking and adjusting all bearings, Wheel truing - spoke tensioning / balancing, brake and shifting adjustments and torquing of all fasteners and pedals. Customers often bring in bikes that they have purchased online and tried to assemble themselves, which is usually a trouble indicator. Improper assembly and setup of bikes comes from many sources.

CroMo Mike 

OP, if you don't personally have a dog in this fight, neither the store nor the government regulators will care to listen to you. MYOB to save yourself the frustration.

antonk

what "dog" did you have in mind?

lawyer up?
get people into class action lawsuit, through Facebook maybe?
what else?

habilis

I think the consensus is: don't pursue it because you are likely wasting your time. Certainly, some of the assembly errors could result in personal injury, especially to a child. That's serious, but, unfortunately, until a story hits the evening news, nothing will change.

We can all think up horror stories like brake failure on a steep downhill. Realistically, though, the sloppy assembly is rarely dangerous, and is just part of the reason many people end up going to the LBS and swearing off Walmart bikes. The other is inferiority of parts and materials.

Other people learn basic repair and adjustment from these bikes. It's not much different than finding a used "beater" and figuring out how to put it back on the road. This scenario is actually better than the newbie who buys a top-of-the line model as his first bike and is afraid to put a wrench to it. Lots of that on this forum.

3alarmer 

.
...P+R in 5..........4...........3............2.........

Ronsonic 

The fancy word for "dog in this fight" is "standing." You are not a party to any of this. Feel free to agitate and lobby as you choose. Climb a soap box and call for change.

rmfnla

True.

I once watched them in a sports mega-store and couldn't believe what I was seeing...

xlbs

To answer the OP's question directly...there are no regulatory bodies governing bicycle assembly in Ontario. Many years ago a group of us retailers tried to get some legislation going to license bicycle mechanics under a series of courses designed to establish a few basic levels of competence---assembler, then tuning mechanic, then master builder. NO interest whatsoever at any level of government,and massive resistance at the LBS level too...

If we can license auto mechanics and make them liable for error, then there is no reason why we cannot do the same for the bicycle world. But, there is zero interest in this in Ontario, or anywhere else in the world that I know of. Tell your friend with the small shop to keep doing what he does, and simply tell your friends and aquaintances that they take their lives in their hands when they ride a "chain store bike".

sandman900ss

I haven't be around here as long as you. What does P+R mean?