Gloor

Hello guys,

I got my first bike (https://www.marinbikes.de/bikes/#ht29...nas_ridge_29er) on saturday and I used it just 2x to go to work (40km total so far). However, today I have noticed that the handle bar was loose and on the way to work I lost complete control of it as the handlebars started sliding and it was impossible to ride. I had to stop at near bike shop to have it tighten up again. Another issue is that my rear wheel seems to be bend a bit (when I ride and look at the rear wheel it shows a little wave - indicating that its not completely straight). And last thing is that when I have my front on highest gear and rear on my lowest gear (to get maximum speed) - the front is slightly noisy making like a clicking noise or stuff.
Could you please tell me if its all easy to fix or if they have to replace the wheel and if so, is it covered by the warranty? Seeing that I only rode on a road and no trails or jumps or anything then I assume it should all be fixed for free especially after 2 days of usage.
What would you do, please? Do I need to worry about it? Someone said that if a wheel is bent then you just play with the strings to make it straight again - is that true?

Thank you for any advice. I appreciate that guys especially as its my first proper bike.

xlDooM

Where did you buy the bike? Online or bike shop?

Below is my opinion. I don't work at a bike shop, mind you.

If it is a gentle waving in the wheel, not a sharp tick, it can probably easily be trued by adjusting spoke tension. If you bought at a shop, they should do this for you free of charge. They should have done it before they gave you the bike. But the bike is quite cheap, so it is to be expected that the wheels need some looking after from time to time.

The loose handlebar is similarly inexcusable: the shop should have tightened it to proper torque when they assembled it. You could have been killed from this oversight: make sure you point that out to them.

The chain rubbing against the front derailer is not a big problem. You could adjust it yourself or have the shop do it, it should not take more than a minute for someone with experience. If it is only slightly noisy, it's excusable that they missed it. It's a budget drivetrain, it's possible it has settled a bit while riding.

If you bought the bike at walmart or online, then you should take these issues for granted and find someone to fix them. If you bought in a bike shop however, they ****ed up. The reason you pay more than online is precisely to avoid this kind of trouble.

Gloor

Thank you for your response. Yes, when the handle bars were getting looser and looser the bike became hard to control and there was not much you can do when riding it to work. Luckily there was a close bike store that lent me their tool to tighten it up for the meantime.
I have bought this in a proper bike store so I will call them and "complain" in a nice way just to make sure that they need to fix it.
It is a gentle weaving so I hope it won't be a problem. The thing is that I haven't noticed it when buying it so I'm not sure if it was there or if it developed so early (very strange to me as I did nothing aggresive to cause that)
Hope it will be fine. Thanks for help.
Also, they told me that after one month they will check it but I have to pay a little fee. Is that common or are they trying to rip me off? I would assume that a check-up after a month should be free, no?
It's only 15EUR but still

Kai Winters

Print out your thread and bring it with you to the shop that sold you the bike.
This is typical stuff that all bike shop bikes are usually checked for prior to them hitting the sales floor and especially before going out the door.

All bikes should have bolts, etc. checked for tightness, proper gears and brake adjustment, wheels are true, etc. This is standard stuff and whoever built the bike and whoever checked the bike...if done at all...before it went out the door needs a foot up their arse...poor quality control.

Elduderino2412

bring it to the LBS you bought it from and they will fix all that stuff for free. It's all pretty easy to fix.

xlDooM

A one-month tuneup for 15 bucks sounds fair. If they had charged you $15 more for the bike and gave you a free tuneup, you'd be happy too.

Still no excuse for selling an unsafe bike though, so I would think if you speak to the store owner it'll all be free.

Pamestique 

I am confused? Did you buy the bike from shop or not? If from a shop why didn't you go right back and complain? It seems to me when the shop built up the bike they didn't do a proper job tightening everything down. It happens. I ordered a bike online and the frame came with theh bottom bracket improperly installed (so crank would not turn). No biggie, I could fix that but I would not hesitate to return to the shop with the problem.

This does not appear to be a warranty issue as much as assembly issue. Now if you assemblied the bike yourself, then you may have to pay a shop some money to go through and make sure everything was done right.

Also do some internet research - the "strings" on the wheel are spokes and unless you know what you are doing I would not mess with tensioning them. If you hear a "ping" and the wheel feels "flexy" then make sure you let the shop know so they can make the proper adjustments. Also you didn't mention your height and weight... is that an issue?

Also this: "And last thing is that when I have my front on highest gear and rear on my lowest gear (to get maximum speed) - the front is slightly noisy making like a clicking noise or stuff." is a form of cross-chaining and depending on your level of components would be careful how much you push when in this gear. Note mountain bikes are not meant for high speed on the road - they are meant for going slower on trail... if you find yourself travelling in that gear ratio often, consider at some point getting a road bike that has a higher gearing ratio.

xlDooM

I think the OP means big ring up front, smallest sprocket in the back, surely that's not a cross-chaining scenario? I run a 1x9 and all sprockets are perfectly usable.

Gloor

Sorry for the confusion. Yes I did get it from a store and I called them and they will have a look on saturday. And for free
The wave is about 5mm on each side so it may not be the worst but it bothers me and it certainly shouldn't be like that after just 2 days of use. Lets hope they can straighten it up.

And the last thing - well I meant that there is no crossing on the chain. Both (front and back) are on the right side which means that front has the highest wheel and back has the smallest one. But someone told me that the front clicking thing can be adjusted with just a little tweak to the cable that is pulling it. )

Apart from the issue the bike is great. It makes such a difference from a cheap crappy bike I used to have. Hope I won't have issues with it any further. (I've already had issues before purchase when the bike store refused to change the bike I was about to buy when I discovered that it has a dent on the frame. He offered discount but I said I want a new one as it was a present. He didn't want to do that and sent me to another store. Was so suprised as I was expecting that if they sent him dented bike then he can change it for no problem but he was making excuses - maybe he did the dent himself. Anyway, I went to another store and they ordered me one but as you see assembled it incorrectly so now i hope that will be the end of issues with it. ) )
Lets hope

Wooden Tiger

Glad to hear you're getting the issues worked out. It sounds like whoever assembled it really did a half-assed job on it.

Where did you get your bike, because I wanna make sure I never purchase one from them.

LTT777

^^^Unless they take EUR at any bike stores in West Virginia then I think you'll be ok

And yea OP like others said, this is a poorly put together bike and that is obvious. Your first course of action in a spot like this is bring it back to the LBS you bought it from and demand (politely at first) it be fixed. This is why you paid so much more than you can get it for online! Considering you could have gotten injured very easily as well, I think you have a good amount of leverage for your first tune up to be free as well.

Good luck!

Wooden Tiger

In this hillbilly state, they'd probably take anything they could get!

Gloor

Alright, here is the result from yesterday.
Went to the store and they did keep the bike for 2 hours. They said that they will fix all so I came back after 2 hours and they were just finishing it. They fixed the handle bars and the guy said he tweaked the gear shifting so it doesn't click (later i realised he didn't) BUT the main thing was that they couldn't fix the waving on the rear wheel so they replaced the rim. As a result its way better but there is a tiny tiny wave (more like straight straight straight quick wave straight straight - if you rotate the wheel - I hope it makes sense) and the front one has the same but a bit less. It's very very small and they told me that on 29" its normal and within limit. However, I was worried that they replaced the rims with worse quality (they told me that they will send the originals to Marin).
They replaced it with this type (and one guy told me its even better than what I had but I don't know if I can trust him)
Shimano Deore FH-M525. I think the bike I have had (Alex TD25 29er)
So what do you guys think, please? Is that normal and is the rim really better or not? Wow, what a hassle with a birthday present Kinda ruined the excitement a bit

Wooden Tiger

Seriously, if you gave them the time to fix everything, told you it was fixed, and never touched it, then I'd realliy start questioning their honesty and maybe find another shop.

As for the "wave" in your wheels, both, my wife and I own 29ers and out of the four wheels between the two bikes, NONE of them experience a wobble.

I would agree the Shimano Deore wheels are better than the Alex wheels.

Gloor

You are right, its just its second store here in Munich and so far the customer service here is something different to what I'm used to from UK.
The wobble is very minimal but its still there so I'm not sure what to do. They have given me new rims so maybe it could be in the tire (is that even possible)?
Well, I have another check in a month so lets hope it will all be good. In the meantime I will try another store to ask them for opinion about the wheels.
Thank you guys

Pamestique 

Gloor: When you buy a bike from an LBS, it's so it comes with service - you need to expect it.

A suggestion - take a 6 pk of a nice beer or soda, go back into the shop... in a polite manner tell the owner that "here are my problems... what can we do to get them fixed? I bought the bike in and still have problems....I suspect we aren't communicating properly". You don't want to negate your relationship with the shop but you are right to expect service. If it is something they cannot fix, have them tell you why and what needs to be done. If they cannot help you, ask them of the name and contact number of the manufacturer rep. and let the shop know that you will be calling the rep.

Key is be firm but not a jerk. I know its a hassle - which is why many of us have learned to work on our own bikes but its part and parcel of buying equipment and dealing with the retail shop. Hopefully you establish a good relationship with the shop and they welcome your return.

xlDooM

Key element in what you wrote is that they told you it's normal for 29er wheels to be out of true a little. That's a load of crap and confirms they're incompetent. The chance is very small that both the Alex and Shimano rim have a manufacturing defect that will not allow it to be trued with reasonable spoke tension. If they can't get it right, they don't have good mechanics. Add the inability to make the FD work properly (takes literally one minute if you know what you're doing) and the loose handlebar clamp, and it's clear you need to find another bike shop. And maybe write an honest review on google.

Wooden Tiger

It is very possible it could be the tire but more than likely that's not the case. If you wanted to remove the tire from the rim and inspect it for a possible defect, that's an option. Personally, I think it would be a waste of time, but as I said, it's an option.

I don't think he should bring them any beer or soda (ie. rewards) for not fixing his issue, he gave him his money, and that should be enough of a "reward" in itself. I do think your "miscommunication" approach is a good one and I would definitely take the same course of action as you suggested; call the rep if it comes down to it.

^ This. These guys couldn't even assemble the bicycle correctly; leaving loose handlebars, derailleurs that don't work, bent rims, and then telling the customer a 29er couldn't be trued. I've seen better assembly jobs on Walmart and Target bikes than what OP is explaining.

OP, your patience is probably reaching its end by now and as far as waiting a month, DO NOT do it. Bring the bicycle back to them and tell you to call you when it is finished. Also advise them in the meantime, you'd like to borrow a loaner of the same class or a demo if they have any. They are jerking you around in a big way. Also keep in mind if you wait a month, that would be far too long to make a viable argument for returning the bike for a full refund. At this point, I would be far past my breaking point with these turkeys.

OiS

You can of course tell if the wheel is out of true rather than any problem with the tire by spinning the wheel and looking to see if there is any movement in the rim itself, relative to a point on the frame. If the rim itself has no movement, it could simply be a badly fitted tire! If there is movement in the rim, it is nothing to do with the tire. Any normal bike with spokes should be able to be perfectly trued, provided you know what you are doing!

Make sure they fix your bike to be in perfect working condition, and don't charge you for it. If they get to the point where they want to start charging to fix things, it is time to take your bike to another bike shop.

Gloor

You guys are right but its a bit difficult here. I lived in UK for 10 years and I'm used to a different customer service (the same as you) but here in Germany (Munich) they are so rude its incredible. The first shop I went to didn't want to order me a new bike when the one he got for me got a dent and I didn't want to take it (he gave me 10% off but i still wanted new one) so he told me I should find another store as he can't get a replacement etc.
Now this and it seems that germans (or at least here in Munich) don't know what customer service is. Or they are just abusing the fact that I can't speak their language so as a "foreigner" they take advantage. Who knows. I'll go to another store tomorrow on the way to work and I will ask them if they think its normal.
I have also taken a video to show you so you can see what I mean. Maybe its nothing or maybe its bad. I'm sure you will let me know
Thank you very much guys

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1785411/bike.mov

corvuscorvax

It's a little hard to tell, but it looks perfectly fine. The "wobble" is in the tire (the rubber part), and not the rim (the metal part the tire is mounted on). That level of weave in tires is perfectly normal.

Gloor

Do others think the same? Or do you still think I should ask the store to fix it? As corvuscorvax said its very minimal but I don't understand this so thats why I am here to check with you guys who know way more than I do ))

Daspydyr 

Its been a bad experience for you. It might be time to ask the shop to trade the bike for a complete replacement or refund your money. Rim wobble (if it isn't the tires) at this point is WRONG! Unless you had been out hitting some jumps and pounding down some stairs? And the front derailer? Possibly the easiest thing to adjust on a bike.

Another option is to take the bike to a different, well established shop and drop $25 for an inspection, get a mechanic's opinion.

Wooden Tiger

Dude, that's your rim wobbling, not your tire. I just went outside and spun the front and rear tires on both, my MTB and my wife's MTB and NEITHER of them experience ANYWHERE near the wobble that you're showing in your video. This shop has been jerking you around now for the better part of a week or two. Get your money back, and give another shop your business. Enough is enough already.

If I were in your shoes, I'd be livid. I'd have passed the stage of being patient and reasonable a long time ago. You've given them opportunity upon opportunity to fix the problem. You said it yourself, they even tried to sell you a dented bike, then got upset when you didn't wanna take delivery of it.

Gloor

Ok, I went to another store and this is what I was told:

The rim is fine, no issue there and its just in the tire. The guy said its quite common to have it like that and he said that when I have my next check I will ask them to correct it (as after some mileage the bike "settles" - or something like that) OR that I could go to the other store I bought it from and ask them to fix it again.
As he gave me the impression that its normal then perhaps I'm thinking of leaving it for now and on my proper check next month I will ask them to correct everything.
I'm still a bit annoyed by it but the hassle is just a bit not worth it. If the rim was messed up then I would go there straight away.
I know its far from ideal but if the guy (and others I asked) told me that its normal then perhaps its time to leave it, don't you think?