I bought a new bike, a trek MTB marlin 7, and for the first moment (a week later) it started having issues, it was clicking awfully, the pedals broke, the brakes were rubbing, the mudguard broke which I noticed they attached with little plastic things and holes drilled; I got it mostly fixed but clicking didn't go away, I brought the bike around 6 times to the bike shop for them to fix the horrible clicking that came from the back, every time it was a temporary fix, then they said they changed the freewheel and it went away and I thought I finally got a breath, guess what the clicking is coming back, this time creaking too, I don't want to go for seventh time to the bike shop, I just would like to get rid of the bike at this point and have my money back. I honestly don't know if this is normal, this is my first bike, any advice?...
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2If your local bike shop isn't working out, I'd talk to either Trek or the Trek distributor in your country -- to ask for a refund. No one is happy with a customer with a bad bike. It's bad for the Trek brand, it's bad for the shop, it's bad for you.– RoboKarenJul 10, 2017 at 7:09
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1@RoboKaren The asker is a customer of the shop, not of Trek. They can try talking to Trek but their contractual relationship is with the supplier (the shop), not the manufacturer (Trek). Unless the shop refuses to give a refund, Trek will just say "Talk to the shop you bought the bike from."– David RicherbyJul 10, 2017 at 7:47
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2They actually told me they'll send me an email to see if their own team can check the bike... I haven't heard yet of the email but let's see.– OnzaJul 10, 2017 at 8:16
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2@Onza please keep this question updated with your progress.– Criggie ♦Jul 11, 2017 at 1:42
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2@Criggie gist.github.com/onzag/c37ed386dc651ec2c1cb4aa2de48f344– OnzaJul 11, 2017 at 11:04
3 Answers
Your new bike doesn't work properly: of course this isn't normal.
At this point, your best option is surely to return the bike to the shop for a full refund and buy a new bike from somewhere else. If there are no other Trek dealerships nearby, buy another brand.
You exact legal rights in this situation will depend on where in the world you are but I would expect that the right to return faulty goods for a full refund should be pretty much universal. One would hope that the shop will just accept your request for a refund. If they don't, you'll need to find out about your rights, and maybe ask on Law Stack Exchange.
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Yes, many counties (especially in the eu and commonwealth) have consumer protection "lemon laws" that will protect you. Jul 10, 2017 at 16:01
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I'm in the EU, however I don't fit the requeriments to return the bike because I've had it for longer than a month, always expecting it to be fixed, and every time them failing to fix it; and I don't want to take it to a legal scenario. I'm an immigrant, I want to stay out of trouble.– OnzaJul 10, 2017 at 16:30
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2@onza Immigrant status has zero relationship to the bike shop's obligations. If you have doubts about your status, find a local advocate like a Citizen's Advise Bureau or Community Law to help you. Your first complaint was well within the window of return. Keep all your paperwork and make some notes right now about dates and who you spoke with, what was promised and what was done. Document everything– Criggie ♦Jul 11, 2017 at 1:44
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1@Onza Surely the shop can't keep delaying you by failing to fix the problem and then say, "It's longer than a month!" The number of times you brought it back to the shop in the first month is clear evidence that the bike was defective then. But you should ask for a refund even if they're not legally obliged to give you one: if they say no, you've not lost anything. Jul 11, 2017 at 9:11
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I'd get their refusal to accept a return as written, dated, and signed documentation. Often asking the refuser to provide a written and dated refusal puts them on notice that you are planning further action and they acquiesce. Jul 12, 2017 at 14:58
Depending on the place where you live, you might have the possibility to return your purchase and have your money back.
Nevertheless it would be a good customer policy for the dealer and the manufacturer to have a happy customer: I would try contacting both and explaining the issue makes you really unhappy with the choice you have done.
If it is due to poor assembly, changing shop is probably the best option, but on that the manufacturer can provide better advice.
clicking
a lot shop can't find the problem, I did. it's mostly from BB/pedals thread. You can tell your shop to do the following:
- you can listen carefully, to see if the clicking is from rear hub, if so, the position of that clicks is very clear.
- if you can't quite point out the clicking position, it has a big chance those clicks are coming from the BB/pedals.
how to diagnose and fix:
BB:
- change the BB with a know good BB.
- if good luck, its the cheap BB thread is not aligned, it should never bother you again.
- if bad luck, the frame BB thread is not aligned, you are going to get a new frame.
pedals:
- same thing as BB, just do the same thing with both cranks and pedal.
the thing is, the frame and crank tube transmits clicking sound to all over the frame, so you can't pinpoint the problem, you have to try them one by one. PS: if you don't change the broken part quick, in time, it will damage good threads from on other side.
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The bottom bracket got replaced, and the pedals got replaced. Let's see now :/– OnzaJul 12, 2017 at 8:29