Bicycle terminology

up for anything

I bought my 12 year old son an Apollo Canyon bike from Halfords for Christmas - €250 worth which from googling in this forum I realise is the cheap end of the scale. Since the beginning of May the front forks have had to be replaced and some of the chain assembly at the back, and just the other day the whole front braking system. He rode it home on Tuesday and the brakes worked sometimes but failed him a few times. I've had him out riding it gently and testing the braking and they worked more then they failed but last evening he braked because there was a car coming and nothing happened and he braked again and they worked too well and he took a nasty spill with the result that the front wheel is buckled and nasty grinding noises coming from the chain assembly.

I want to take it back in and ask for a new replacement bike - he's willing to put his birthday money towards it and get a Carrera which I believe is a better bike brand but I was wondering what is the best way to put forward my case. Even if they rebuilt the entire bike now neither he nor I would trust it again.

Is there bike terminology that I can use for the brakes working and not working or should I just say it like that to them? I'm worried in case I have a battle on my hands and I am crap at confrontation.

Hungrycol

Can you post any pictures of what was replaced re chain assembly. It is surprising so much has gone wrong in 6 months.

NeedMoreGears

Sorry to hear that. 'hope your son is OK.

FWIW I wouldn't worry too much about terminology. Ditto for the price of the price bike - it's your son and your €250.

From what you are saying the bike is defective and quite possibly dangerous. If it's only seven months old it should be under warranty. Did you bring it back to Halfords for the front fork replacement and the various work on the brakes/chain and so on? If yes, then they are on very weak ground in my view.

I can easily understand your lack of confidence in the bike and I believe you would be right to look for a full refund as a minimum.

As regards "putting your case", I imagine it would be something along the lines of

"I bought a bike from you. It hasn't worked properly since I got it. You attempted to repair it several times (assuming this is correct). Follwoing teh last attempt, the brakes failed and caused him an injury. We have no confidence in the bike and don't want it any more. It is clearly dangerous. What are you going to do about it?"

Your minimum appears to be getting your money back but you might consider the Carerra at a substantial discount.

By the way, whether a bike costs €100 or €5000 it should work and be safe. I am of course, assuming it wasn't crashed or damaged in some other way.

'hope this helps

Crow92

Had the bike been servied/ brought back for the 6 week service?
The apollo canyons disk brakes are quiet ****e in general, they do work when properly set up but it is a fine line between stopping like it should and sort of slowing you down.

They are probably my least favourite bike in the shop just because I think the brakes are crap and should have rim brakes at that price. When you say they didn't work were the brakes levers sticking and not returning or was it just it didn't brake well?

Make sure you have your receipt and be persistent. Since they replaced the front fork and it wasn't set up again properly. The manager might tell you that the brakes are working correctly, which he could be right but they're only working as correctly as brakes of this quality could.

How long ago was the front fork replaced? and which halfords did you buy it in?

Dermot Illogical

The retailer may well be good about it, but in case they aren't...
Keep in mind that the manufacturer's warranty and any warranty offered by the retailer are probably much much weaker that your entitlement under law. They won't mention your legal entitlements and will hope that you don't know them.

Read up on your rights
http://www.nca.ie/nca/faulty-goods
Contact the consumer agency to ask advice about your situation.
Mention to the retailer that you've done the above.
If the retailer tries to fob you off by imposing warranty limits they're not entitled to, ask for the name of the person making that decision. Be seen to write it down.
In the unlikely event that you don't receive satisfaction, take them to the small claims court.

route66

up for anything wrote: »

I bought my 12 year old son an Apollo Canyon bike from Halfords for Christmas - €250 worth which from googling in this forum I realise is the cheap end of the scale. Since the beginning of May the front forks have had to be replaced and some of the chain assembly at the back, and just the other day the whole front braking system. He rode it home on Tuesday and the brakes worked sometimes but failed him a few times. I've had him out riding it gently and testing the braking and they worked more then they failed but last evening he braked because there was a car coming and nothing happened and he braked again and they worked too well and he took a nasty spill with the result that the front wheel is buckled and nasty grinding noises coming from the chain assembly.

I want to take it back in and ask for a new replacement bike - he's willing to put his birthday money towards it and get a Carrera which I believe is a better bike brand but I was wondering what is the best way to put forward my case. Even if they rebuilt the entire bike now neither he nor I would trust it again.

Is there bike terminology that I can use for the brakes working and not working or should I just say it like that to them? I'm worried in case I have a battle on my hands and I am crap at confrontation.

Was it raining when he experienced intermittent brake operation? If it was, then cheaper disk brakes would not work until the pad wiped the film of water away from the braking surfaces. The brakes would then work but later on, the "film" would need to be wiped again before the brakes would work again. I'd guess the brakes could also have a "juddery" phase just as they dried when they could grab and maybe this is what your son experienced. If its an Apollo then the disc setup is most likely a very cheap arrangement which looks great in the shop but doesn't work in real use.

As you have already said, Halfords Apollo (and even more so, their Trak range) are not something you would want to waste your money on. Their Carerra range is grand and their Boardmans are very good.

If Halfords have worked on the brakes since purchase I'd say you have a very strong case. But it may not be as clear cut as you might think. Go for your money back anyway; hints that you will take this further might help matters.

And next time, either buy second hand or spend more money!