first crash/i hate performance bikes
 

so on my lager, my FW went to crap the other day, so i swapped to the fixed side and have been riding it. a couple days ago my lockring started slipping, and as i dont have a lockring tool (i didnt buy one as i was not planning on riding fixed), i took it to performance, which is where it was purchased, albeit in a different state by a different person. it took the tech an hour to figure out that i needed a new fw, and then he didnt even check the lockring, even though i asked him to. dude ended up spending another 10 minutes tightening the lockring and said, "cant get this thing any tighter bro" so i figured ok we're good. when i finally got done and left, everything was cool. i was riding, doing the "backpedal-without-skidding-to-slow-down" thing (wtf is that called?), skidded once or twice just to make sure everything was kosher, and it all seemed to be. on my way home from work tonight a cab darted in front of me, i skidded and hit the front brake at the same time and when i skidded the cog/lockring came undone and i went shoulder/hip first into the taxi, the back rim smacked the back tire of the taxi and is now bent, and i went helmet first into the ground. im fine, other than the mechanical failure and the rim, the bike is fine. however, i am super pissed because, IMO, the tech at the walmart of bike shops could have killed me through his incompetence. monday is payday. time to go get this thing checked out at the local lbs, or maybe just see if i can sell it and get a better bike. i dig the lager, but im having a lot of issues for a bike with barely 1000 miles on it.

sorry for ranting but im upset, my wife doesnt get why, other than the fact that i was in an accident, and all of my friends are sleeping. i just needed to vent i guess.

Go back to Performance, make them make it right. Don't go in all pissed off, though. Be rational and clear and chances are they'll do what they can for you.

you're joking....right? go back with a molotov cocktail

Sucks to hear this man. I've had nothing but good experiences with my local performance bike shop. Sounds like a wheel/freewheel peoblem more than the overall bike

your front brake should have slowed you down without skidding, but glad you are ok.

It sucks that you were in a crash and I'm glad you're ok...but how is you not properly tightening your cog/lockring in the first place Performance's fault?

probably because it was an inept performance mechanic that did it......

He states in his opening sentence that he rode fixed for a while and the cog/lockring was slipping before having Performance tighten the lockring. He could have very easily done some damage to the hub threads, making a proper tightening impossible.

there are situations that call for that strategy, but this is not one.

and the mechanic should have diagnosed this

This would be my first clue to not go to that bike shop. Fortunately we dont have a shop like that here.

True, but it was most likely user error in the first place which caused the damage. It always seems like whenever someone has a hub fail on them, the immediate reaction is finding someone else to blame.

I guess the moral of this thread (and countless others) is tighten your damn cog/lockring before riding fixed, kids.

I not trying to point blame, just saying a decent mechanic should have seen the problem.

Yeah, I have seen quite a few of these type threads too.

not to mention the bike isn't designed for that.

I think all this proves is that people should learn how to maintain their bikes and get the right tools to do so.

I'm not disagreeing. I'm referring mostly to the OP and the topic in general.

The additional moral(s) of the story are to have a front and rear brake even when riding fixed ? That and slow down because darting taxi's seem to be the worst drivers in the past couple of accidents reported ? If there is a higher concentration of taxi drivers in the area, it's on the cyclist to know the increased risks are there and ride accordingly (not saying it's right/sb that way, but a fact of life). There's a strip on Collins/A1A around NE 44th here in Miami, huge hotel and it seems to attract taxi's like crazy. It's the Fountainbleau. I ride ultra cautiously thru there, but often times I've thought it would be much safer to walk. This place:

http://blog.cvent.com/blog/cvent-blo...au-miami-beach

The taxi's are constantly parked on the side of the road going north, constantly pull in and out and they only care about pedestrians (paying customers). Most of the time they are competing to get the customers too. Cyclists and other cars are only in their way.

as stated, I didn't have the lokring tool because I hadn't planned on riding fixed. I only switched because of an emergency, whiich was the fw going bunk. When the fixed cog started slipping I rode as far as a train station and took it home. In my opinion, when the tech at a bike shop says this bike is safe to ride and everythings good, I'm inclined to believe him. I'm headed to performance now. Lets see how it goes.

Good luck..!! let us know how it went....

I don't get how the they both came unscrewed I thought they were oppositely threaded so that wouldn't happen? If the sprocket should start to loosen up, it will try to turn the lock ring counter clockwise...but that only tightens the lockring. As a result, the sprocket cannot be unscrewed by the chain, no matter how hard you fight the pedals. Only thing I can think of is that the threads for the lockring are stripped allowing the sprocket to unthread itselt completely off the hub. I don't get how you tell the lockring was slipping? Didn't you notice the sprocket unthreading itself first?

Henry, I honestly didn't notice it slipping. However, I had just ridden 20 miles and worked 12 hours, so I probably should have taken the train anyhow. Also, you're right. Hub stripped completely. Also, fugazidave, you were right too. I went in and was really cool and chill about it. In return, I'm getting a replacement wheel with a shimano fw and surly lockring and cog. The tech was super apologetic, and said that it may be his fault because he had forgotten his glasses saturday and therefore couldn't really see what he was doing. Whatever the reason it happened, it is getting taken care of. However, I am probably gonna find a good local shop and go there. Performance is good, but somehow I het the impression that they are taking care of it more so I give them money and less that they actually care.

Wait, they're giving you a replacement wheel with freewheel and cog, for free?
And you're not going to give them any more business after that?

Wow. Kinda a dick move. I mean, you're free to take your business anywhere you want, but the shop is going the extra mile to make things right and that's apparently not good enough. If this was an independent LBS instead of a national chain, you'd probably be praising them right now for owning up to their mistakes, and talking about how they've earned a customer for life.

I hate to break this to you, but no shop is any different. I mean, they may also care, but at the end of the day, their efforts are aimed at keeping your business rather than your together time.

And fwiw, the stripped hub obviously indicates the mechanic didn't fail to tighten the lockring. To be fair, it sounds like it may have become cross-threaded or partially stripped earlier if it wasn't behaving, and perhaps he should have noticed. But at the same time, it doesn't seem likely he did anything wrong, and if I'm understanding correctly that they're giving you whole wheel for free, Performance is doing more than I can imagine from any other shop, and frankly far more than I would consider "fair." I'm not a big fan of mega-shops, but it sounds like they've done right by you, and then some.

If he was "super apologetic" he made it right on his behalf. You're lookin at this the wrong way. I don't think an indi lbs could afford to give you all that for free

Yeah it's the fact they are a "superstore" that you are getting a new wheel and stuff I would say. Your hub was screwed prior to the mechanic touching it.