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forum
Kinesis wheelset and ProBikeKit warranty issue
Bit of a grumble about ProBikeKit's poor customer service, and perhaps a clue as to why they always seem so cheap.
At the beginning of the year I had my LBS here in Sydney build up a Kinesis Aithein. Having owned and used a set of Kinesis Crosslight v3 wheels on my cross/commute bike (they are still going strong after several thousand kilometres), I decided to spec the Aithein with a set of Kinesis Crosslight wheels, in stock at a good price at the end of last year with ProBikeKit.
The day I collected the newly built up Aithein from the LBS, the mechanic told me there was an obvious problem with the rims, as the brakes were very grabby. Hoping the rims might 'wear in', I rode the bike for some 500k before realising they weren't going to improve, so I contacted ProBikeKit. They invited me to return the wheels to them in the UK (at my expense of course), promising to return them to Kinesis for inspection and testing as a warranty claim.
Imagine my surprise when I found out the wheels were on their way back to me after only being in the UK for some 12 days, with an explanation that a ProBikeKit mechanic, apparently authorised by Kinesis, had inspected the wheels at their warehouse and decided it wasn't a manufacturing issue, but rather a problem caused by excessive use in poor weather conditions. I tried to explain that I'd only ridden the wheels for about 500k in Australian summer/autumn conditions (that is, no wet rides, no salt on the roads like in the UK), but they wouldn't hear my arguments, and maintained there was nothing more they could do.
I've been onto Kinesis, who invited me to contact ProBikeKit again after they had spoken to them, only to be told this time by ProBikeKit that "the only other reason for this issue would be due to dirt or grit getting between the pads and the braking surface. This is not a manufacturing fault."
I am now left with a set of wheels hanging on the garage wall, as the braking is so bad that they are too dangerous to use - the fork judders under anything more than light braking. As I told ProBikeKit, I've used a spare wheelset on the same bike without any issues, so it clearly is the Racelight wheels and no fault with the frame or brakes.
I wish I'd just gone out and bought a set of Zondas from my LBS. Lesson learned that it's not always about going for the lowest price when it comes to pursuing a warranty claim on the other side of the world.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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7 comments
By way of an update, it seems there was a communication issue with ProBikeKit, and they did in fact return the wheels to Kinesis for inspection, who are of the opinion that the problem with the rims is due to scoring caused by 'dirt/grit under the pads', and not a manufacturing issue.
So in fairness to ProBikeKit, they did all they could to progress my warranty claim.
Kinesis's explanation is nonsense, as the wheels were only ever used with brand new Ultegra brakes, and ridden in dry conditions. I guess I could pursue a claim online with Kinesis, but to be honest, I can't be bothered wasting any more time on what seems to be a dud wheelset, and would rather just get on with using my new Zondas.
I guess I'll now carefully consider ever buying a Kinesis product again.
Presumably you contracted with them under English Law and Jurisdiction?
Assuming so, just issue a claim online. I bet they pay up:
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
Even if they don't, it's relatively easy to enforce in Australia with the Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act.
Good to know - thanks for the advice.
I havent experienced it myself, but have read and been told by my wheel guy that these wheels dont like high pressures and this results in deformation of the rim and some spoke breakage.
Now I dont know what is meant by ‘high pressures’ perhaps in excess of a manufacturer recommendation.
Alternatively all of this may be heresay and they’re no worse than any other factory wheels.
PBK are a shadow of their former selves after being bought over by The Hut Group, became very sterile, points got ditched, no more free T shirts, bottles etc, used to be my go-to place along with the now defunct Parker Interational, but now its just price/price from the usual suspects.
I dont think Ive returned anything to PBK recently to reflect on things.
Thanks for your reply, arckuk.
There's an error in my post - I bought the same wheels as you, the Racelights not the Crosslights for the Aithein, so it appears we have had exactly the same issue with the Racelights (albeit with different outcomes re. customer service from PBK).
Armed with your information, I'm going to push on with my refund/warrantly claim. I'll let you know how I get on.
I'm particularly annoyed that I paid to post the wheels back to the UK on their promise that the wheels would be sent by them to Kinesis for inspection, only to later find out that their own mechanic inspected them.
No worries, hope you manage to get it sorted. Sounds like an issue with these wheels (or at least this batch of them).
This strikes a chord with me, as I have had a similar experience, but with a different outcome. My winter bike is a Kinesis 4S, and I was interested in an upgrade to the okay-ish but heavy and a bit lifeless Shimano RS10s that it was supplied with. Probikekit had Kinesis Racelight wheels for sale for about £230 in September last year. They were a nice enough set of wheels, bringing the fun factor on the 4S back to a level I had when running it with a pair of Zondas previously. The one exception was with braking, where I got a lot of juddering from the front wheel, particularly when it was wet. This was something I hadn't experienced with other wheels on this bike.
I re-set the brakes, replaced the blocks, and also tried the wheels on my summer bike, but the sntaching/juddering was a constant factor, such that when they were wet they actually felt unsafe and twitchy. I checked the rim for imperfections; the seam where the ends of the rim joined seemed a bit ridged, and there seemed to be slightly more build up of rubber/road muck in some places than others, but it didn't seem terrible.
Ultimately, I didn't feel happy with the wheels, and went back to support at PBK in November to ask for a refund. They were okay, and requested more information about the symptoms and the riding I'd been doing and whether I could send some pictures. I did this, but they were a bit slow in going back to Kinesis and subsequently getting back to me. I did tell them that although the rims didn't look too bad, I was unhappy riding them. After prodding them via email and customer support forms multiple times, they asked me to send them back to them in April(!), and eventually refunded me in May.
I'd keep up with it, and explain to them how the service you have received is unsatisfactory, and that you have since found that this is an issue with similar wheels. In forums like these, we tend to be isolated from the realities of most peoples' experience, where £230 would buy a bike, not just a pair of wheels, and when you are paying a sizable chunk of money you should expect a product that works significantly better than a bog standard machine. Best of luck!