ahh, dutret. i'm still waiting for him to start a thread.

to everyone posting that i'm the jerk for complaining about this, did you even read my posts? 75% of what i said (granted i didn't count the words so i'm estimating here) was COMPLIMENTARY to the shop, just like mcatano so accurately pointed out. i don't hate the shop at all (although dutret clearly does, wow) i'm just saying that a loose hub is not good practice (the other things, whatever, they're just a bit sloppy, but no big deal). there 4 points on a bike where rotating parts contact bearings, given hat these days most BB's are cartridge that brings the number down to 3, just 3! perhaps some may disagree, but to me the headset and the two hubs are 3 of the most important adjustments on a bike and are not to be looked over despite being busy, being human, making mistakes, the bike being less expensive than others, or any of the other myriad of excuses that are strewn about over the last two pages. i am really surprised how many people are cool with their LBS selling them a bike without checking the hub, and even how many are cool with walking away with a bike that hasn't been cleaned.

and for the record to all those who believe i either made up the problem, or the hub just got loose in the first week, this is not the case and this is not a vandetta against the shop; i think they are great people. I'm only just trying to let people know my experience. people post on here ALL THE TIME asking if shop A or shop B is any good or if they should purchase there, so it follows that said message board should also have reviews, positive and negative, of shops so those interested can glean information for themselves.

but, i guess this is not what people want, duly noted.

God. WHy do you hate trackstar so much?

catano! if that had been the case, i'd say, "jeez, you lazy bastard. why'd you let someone else build up your bike? i know you have tools." which is the usual line i take with all of my tight bros.

when i know they don't have tools, the line is the slightly different but essentially equivocal, "jeez, you lazy bastard. why didn't you just take everything over to times-up or come by my place and grab whatever tools you needed to do it yourself?"

i still read the post as a warning of minutae that a lot of new bikes built with non-custom pre-built wheels suffer from. when the cranks get a little loose in another couple of days--as is par for the course--i'll be waiting for another thread of happy-times.

100%

For everyone that tries to do something positive, there are those that will criticize that it isn't enough. I only wish I could have a shop that focuses on something I enjoy, rather than have to sit at a desk hoping for a fire in my office while reading this sh*t. Boredom sucks.

i'm with mcatano on this point. and swisloc, i think people were more reacting to some of the posters who decided to use what you said as a springboard for some ridiculous statements.

i've gotten some useful service from Trackstar, and very much appreciate the fact that they are a mainstay of the cycling scene that i'm in here in new york city. i think biking in nyc would be very, very different if it weren't for that shop.

Also, I think Ceya's right. I also think there's shared responsibility between a customer and a shop.

I check my bike every day to make sure the wheels are in tightly, the brake works, the cranks aren't about to fall off. The basics, that will keep me safe and keep my parts working.

fixed.

i cry tears of liquid-coal for america, but for trackstar, my straight edge eyes cry only joyful tears of sparks.

okay, everyone's points are made, now some mod apply the red thredlock on this redundant sucker cuz it aint gonna get any prettier from this point on

Here's what I don't understand, the OP is an experienced cyclist(if he's an ex mechanic he should be), and it takes him a week to notice that the hub is loose? I think most of us would have noticed that immediately, I would have.

maybe it wasnt loose for 6 days

maybe he rode twice in a week

maybe he just didnt notice like the folks at trackstar

I brought back this thread because I need to know how long you all have waited to get crap you've mail ordered from TRACKSTAR. I'm still waiting after almost 2 weeks for a cog. Wondering if I made a mistake buying from them. Yes, I did ask them and havent heard back. I have a new Phil wheelset and no Phil cog because I decided to order from these guys.

Well, I recently ordered some small small things from them and got super quick email reply about the shipping cost and they also asked if I wanted some more stuff in the box for the same shipping price and then my things arrived super quickly - and I'm an overseas customer.

So I was very happy with their service and all, yes. And they sent me some stickers too, of course.

no experience with having things shipped, but a quick question to you hooters:

why bother buying&shipping a cog across the country when it is produced in a state two below seattle?
isnt there some phil distributor somewhere closer to you? Just seems like a better idea...

and try calling or emailing when the shop is open before posting again, remember its Eastern Standard Time over here.

This thread is an awesome dutret flashback.

Oh, and I_luv_hooters - Aspire Velotech is in Bellevue and stocks Phil cogs, but you'd have to pay shipping and the man's tax. I just placed my first order with them today because they stock Wound Up. We'll see how it goes. In theory, if they have everything I ordered in stock (as they say they do) I should have it by Friday.

Just so u know, Aspire Velotech have an office and a mini-store. I actually needed to return/exchange a headset with them once and i went there. It had showcases and employees. Ask them if you can go there to save time/shipping. They're on Richards road exit of I90 in Bellevue.

In the meantime I think I'll put my old EAI cog on my new Phil hub. I've already paid for a new cog. My hub came with a Phil lockring. Theres no compatibility issues for Phil hubs with EAI cogs are there?

I did what everybody does and shopped for the best price. Phil cogs cost a fortune at the LBS. Trackstar had them in stock (I thought) and the lowest price. I wasnt in a hurry 2 weeks ago. You've never had something shipped to you? Weird.

forgive me, but i wrote that comment late last night after drinking. i meant shipped to me from trackstar. i live very close by.

didnt realize that tstar would be your cheapest option. you've found the caveat that comes with having something cheaper shipped, the time involved for it to get to you. i myself prefer instant gratification. call them yet?

Yeah somebody named Brad wrote me today saying they still haven't received their Phil shipment. He thinks in the next 2 days. Thats fine. See, I didnt know that the cogs werent in stock when I ordered ... otherwise I would've moved on to the next retail site. Its no big deal now. I put a cheaper (free) Dura Ace on there to get me by. I still like trackstar and will shop there again. I'll just check to see if what I want is in before I buy.

BTW they have those white SS tires that everyone wants.

I agree,
You said earlier you managed a shop for quite some time, why are you having other people put your stuff together? It's not as if it's a particularly time consuming process and the tools can be found as was mentioned already.

PS: pics of the build or a spec list? All this controversy, I want to see the whip.

You're responding to a post thats almost a year old^^
Its my fault. I used the search function when I needed info on trackstar and I brought this thread back from the dead. I did this so I wouldnt hear the whining and complaining. But now I see a problem with bringing back an old thread. Its old. Sometimes it may be just better to start a new thread and tell the complainers to **** off when they say "use seach"... oh well.

haha, oops

ya, it was a good thread once.

i think you did the right thing by resurrecting the thread. i prefer things in their proper place, without duplicate threads.