Josh M

Two months ago I bought a KHS Comp ST from my lbs. I'm 6 feet, and thought I was buying a 19" bike. It says right on the sales receipt 19" bike. The sticker on the bike says "medium" frame size.

While I haven't found the bike uncomfortable, I have always had the feeling that it was a bit too small. I emailed KHS this morning asking what size medium is and they write back that it is 17".

I want the lbs to swap all the components onto a 19" frame for me. Is this reasonable? Anyone else had a situation like this? I'm going to the lbs this afternoon after work.

hooligan

As long as it fits, that's what matters. You shouldn't of rushed the decision to buy the bike like that. Also, part swaps cost money and a new frame is worth more than an old frame. You're gonna have to pay dude....

Plus, 2 months is quite a bit and I think it's enough to make it worth quite a bit less.

BErad

I agree with hooligan...two months seems like a long time to realize you've been riding the wrong bike and I would think the bike has lost some value. I think your request is going to depend on your lbs. You may find them to be sympathetic and there is certainly no harm in pointing out their mistake. How are you going to handle it if they try to make you pay or refuse to accomodate you? This is a tough situation...keep us informed of the results.

Juniper

If I was in your shoes, I would expect that if I ordered a 19" frame and the receipt from the LBS says 19" frame that I could be confidant that I received a 19" frame without having to verify it with the manufacturer. After all, you're not just buying a hunk of metal at the LBS; you're buying guidance and expertice. You took some time to adapt to your new ride, which seems reasonable. Things didn't seem right and you did some investigation; the result was it appears an error was made.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the numbers. I'd try a 19" and see how it fits; you might like the 17" better. If not, I'd look to my LBS to make good in some way: new bike, swap parts to a 19" frame, favorable trade-in on something else, ... . There is almost always a fair solution to these types of situations and a friendly approach is always the best way to start. Most good LBS's will recognize it's not about the sale, it's about the ongoing relationship.

Good luck!

Gorsar

Make no mistake, to ALL bike shops it's about the sale. The difference is that the GOOD ones realize that the ongoing relationship leads to more sales. None are there for the sole purpose of making you happy. They're there to make you happy so you spend more money there and spread good things about them so others spend more money there. Personally, I don't have a single problem with that.

Good luck working with you LBS but approach it reasonably, it offers you the best chance. After 2mo though I personally feel they're well within their right to not work with you. That said, as stated above I think there's a good chance they will attempt to work with you in some manner to make you happy. Why? See my first paragraph.

zx108

the shop i got my bike from was going to let me walk out with a 19, i have 16. i really dont like that shop at all. the only reason i went there is becasue they are the only one around that sells my bike, find a good bike shop that has some helpfull and intelligent staff. they wont steer you wrong.

i dont think they are going to swap it but good luck.

broadwayblue

i would definitely try the friendly approach that others have mentioned above. hopefully you can reach an agreement. if not you can always fall back on your credit card company to back you up. but that should be a last resort. although you may want tocall them now to note your account so that should you get the run around from the LBS for a couple months you aren't past the window of opportunity to file a claim.

theopowers

I think it's reasonable to request that they correct their obvious error, especially if they just change out the frame and not the components.

However, I also think that during a life lived at six feet tall, you would have noticed that very few "medium" things will fit you, and you might have been a bit more suspicious from the get-go.

Juniper

Gorsar, I agree completely that the vast majority of bike shops are in business to make a profit, done via sales. My point is that the best shops, in my opinion, are focused on the entire relationship including sales; not just a single sale.

Some (in any business) seem to be focused on a single sale; they make it by whatever it takes and the sale is done but so is the relationship. I buy most of my stuff at a shop that is usually priced a little HIGHER than their competitors because they are interested in the total shop <> rider relationship with me, not just selling me something every time I come in the door. They are also wise enough to know that eventually translates to sales.

Did we both just say the same thing? ; )

Josh M

By the time I got home the shop was closed, so I will have to sort this out tomorrow or Saturday. I will try the friendly and reasonable approach..I would even accept a used frame of equal value using my existing components, and maybe even offer to pay for his labour in reassembling the bicycle.

I know it's been two months, but I see the sales receipt as a contract. The shop has had my money for the past two months, but I have yet to receive the 19 inch frame detailed on the receipt. I have been given a 17 inch frame in error and I am happy to give it back in exchange for the frame I paid for. I hope the shop owner will be reasonable but if he isn't I may have to go to small claims court.

Portis

I don't know about this whole contract idea. I view the receipt more as an accounting of the transaction that occured. Is the serial number on the sales slip? Without that you are definitely hosed. Your receipt says you bought a 19" but what if you did actually and you are bringing me back a friend's used 17", just trying to get him a new bike?

If I am the shop owner, how do i know? Usually they record the serial number as part of the warranty process. You better hope so. Still, I don't know that a judge will rule in your favor. You have some responsibilities as a buyer as well. Why didn't you check and verify that it was the correct size? Of course they told you it was, but it is still your responsibility to check.

How does the judge know that even though the ticket says 19 and you have a 17, that you didn't make a verbal agreement to take the 17 at the time of sale? I think the odds are stacked against you on this one.

As a consumer, we have a lot of protection at the time of sale and usually for a period after. You can buy a car one day and if you wake up the next day with a change of heart, you can take it back. At least here you can. However, 3 months is a different story. Three months suggests that you are happy with the bike. After all, you did ride it for 3 months and didn't even notice that it was a different size.

I wish you luck, but have to suggest that you likely will lose this one.

PeterG1185

I work in a shop and its gonna be tough on both sides to work this one out. The most important fact is the reciept says 19" and you got 17". Second important fact is you rode it for 2 months reducing the value of the bike dramatically which makes it hard for the shop to give you any sweet deal. Reasonable thing would be to just get the parts swapped over at some small service charge. You shouldnt have to pay for a new frame, but hey its a business.

So when its all said and done make sure you bring the exact reciept in, and make sure the bike is in good condition. If its a mess you wont get much more than a positive run around. As for small claims court, c'mon, thats being dramatic and not worth the hassle since you rode the thing for 2 months and then out of the blue was pist because you saw the reciept didnt match the frame, and all of a sudden thought the size of the bike was a big deal. You're sh*tty for not noticing it earlier, they're sh*tty for not noticing it at all

Gorsar

Yup, almost to a tee I believe..

Josh M

The serial number is on the sales slip, and it matches the serial number on the bike. The receipt is an accounting of the transaction that did not go as it should of.

I will not hide the fact that I am new to trail biking. I love it, and I want to enjoy it on a bike that fits me.

After 1 month I asked the shop swap the stem because I was uncomfortable. They did this and it helped, but things are still not "right". After two months, I discover I have been given a wrong size frame. I trusted the bike shop when I saw 19 inches on the receipt and only after two months I get out the tape measure to check and start emailing the manufacturer for confirmation.

Like I said before, I hope the shop owner recognizes this as simple mistake and makes things right. If it comes to small claims court I may or may not win, but I will at least try.

solman

the fact that you had to have the stem swapped after a few weeks shows that the bike did not feel right to you. I guess you had a longer stem put on to help out the small size stuation.
Keep us posted on how the lbs resolves this issue.
Solman

Marvin

I am a Store Manager of a Retail store and can tell you the bike shop would not have a chance in hell of winning in small claims court. I do not care how long it has been, you ordered something from experts and they even wrote on your receipt it was 19, their mistake, therefore, they have to fix it. It is not your job to double-check, it is theirs. Every business knows that on some customers you lose money due to mistakes, that will remind them to not make that same mistake again. That being said, I would approach it in a nice manner, see what they will do, and if they do not satisfy you go to small claims court. They will lose, I lose all the time when I have paperwork that says the customer got exactly what they paid for and signed for it. The judge always favors the consumer. Good Luck

KleinMp99

Yea, I think thats enough with the small claims court bull****. Get real, the bikeshop will give you a new 19" bike, they wont go through the hassle of swapping all the parts onto a new frame or anything like that. Just stop with all this internet chitchat and get to the bikeshop and see what they do. The bikeshop is at fault alot in this situation, but so are you. The number or size on the bike dosen't matter, its how it fits. If you rode a 17" (M) bike and it was too small, and then were given another 17" bike then it would also be too small. Maybe the idea of it being a 19" was enough to make you buy it, but come on. Since both sides are at fault, dont hassle them TOO much about getting something bigger, especially if it comes close to fitting. A longer/taller stem, rotation of the bars, setback seatpost, or any of that other stuff will help the bike fit better. I know that I ride a 17" bike, being 6' tall. If you force the bikeshop to do something dramatic by being stubborn then they will have to not only get you another brand new bike, but they will have to still sell your old one and discount it to whatever extent seeing that it was used.

I don't know, but i'd like to hear what happens.....

Portis

Probably a lot of it will depend on the size of the shop. If it is a small shop or small business in general, you don't have a prayer. Small businesses are notoriously cheap. Probably by neccessity. A bigger shop might take care of you but I still think that is debatable.

Report back when you find out.

Cervelo

I do not even see why there is any discussion. They sold you the wrong size bike!
Fit is by far the single most important aspect of a bike purchase. They owe you
the right size bike, no discussion, no negotiating, no haggling. I do not care how
long you have had it. They messed up, it is their job as professionals to get it right
and now they must make it right. End of story.

Juniper

OK, so let's 'bet' as to how this ends up, being we have no other information. I'll bet the shop swaps the 17" bike for a 19", everyone ends up reasonably happy and understands that mistakes do happen, and Josh recommends the shop to all his friends.

Josh M, you'll have to let us know.

Siu Blue Wind

He paid for a 19" he should get a 19". Period. The serial number matches the 17" frame, which matches the reciept that has it stated 19" frame. I wouldn't even worry about it. What's right is right.

BErad

Am I missing something? The serial # on the frame matches the serial # on the receipt, but the receipt says it's a 19" frame? Is it a hand written receipt? I would think that if they had a computer system to manage their inventory this bike (and serial #) would have been entered in their system as a 17" frame, which would have printed accordingly on the receipt (unless they manage their inventory by using the more fallible human error method).
I think as long as you approach the shop as being open to options (you mentioned earlier that you would be willing to pay for labor, take a comparable used frame, etc) you will have a better chance of being satisfied. I would not count on getting a new bike or new frame, but you should be able to reach common ground.

Josh M

I didn't make it to the shop today, too busy.

I've been reading all I can on the internet about proper fit. I'm too much of a dumb newb to figure out if my current 17" frame is a good size for me or not. I am going to ask the experienced riders in my group ride this Monday for their advice on my bike fit, and I will go from there.

I bought this bike from a small shop, as far as I know its just the owner who works there. Hand written receipt. The owner and I will likely both take a financial hit if the frame has to be swapped. I have to make certain that the bike fits wrong before I start asking him to replace the frame.

Thank you all for your advice and don't flame me too hard I'm learning.

bruiser2

Is it comfortable? If it is then it's the right fit. Theres nothing on the interent that can tel lyou what size frame will fit best, just general guidelines.

PeterG1185

Those are the two most intelligent sentences written in this entire thread