[Recoveryride]

Thought it might be handy to see if it’s possible to create a topic where people can share (constructive) experience about different brands, especially QC issues and customer service. I’ll start off:

1. Trek – repeated QC issues; BB problems, cracked seatpost, bolts that won’t tighten without rounding; total 3 repairs and 3 frames in two years.Tbf, their customer service and warranty process has been great every time but I just can’t be doing with the hassle anymore and will be selling the new warranty frame unused.

2. Cannondale – my regular riding buddy has had the bottom bracket shell completely come away from his (admittedly aging) Supersix. Cannondale rejected the warranty claim as ‘crash damage’ but said ‘as a gesture of goodwill’ they’ll honour the crash replacement discount they offer on newer bikes. He has refused on principle. If anyone can explain what kind of crash causes a bonded metal shell to detach from carbon on the inside of the frame, without any visible external damage whatsoever, I’d be glad to hear it. The LBS have said neither the failure nor the warranty refusal is a 1 off occurence.

3. Wahoo tickr. Mine stopped holding charge after about a year. Within 5 days of opening a ticket, a new unit arrived in the post. Really impressive.

Topic

[Recoveryride]

don simon fbpe wrote:

don simon fbpe wrote:

SRAM- You’d think that what was a top of the range X.0 mtb groupset would not use fragile plastic springs that break on an annual basis, but they do. And at 100 Euros a time, it could have been expensive. 

 

You’d think they could make a front derailleur which actually works every time, too, but there you have it. Shifting to the big ring under any pedal pressure always felt like it should be accompanied by a quick prayer to the cycling gods. It is genuinely amazing that they still can’t get this right. It’s such a shame because the ideas behind Etap/AXS are brilliant.

 

 

[Anonymous]

I think most of us probably

I think most of us probably haven’t had the opportunity to try every option for each so we’ll always be working on a small sample size where if we have a bad experience with one product we’ll swerve the brand in future.  For me, I echo the good comments about Decathlon and DHB clothing, and I have a set of Shimano M540 pedals which are eight years old, have been heavily used on and off road, never seen a drop of oil and still work perfectly.

Some other good news… I’ve mentioned before here, but Vittoria Rubino tyres are outstanding value: roll fast, grippy and seem to last forever even on the turbo trainer (no joking, I’ve got two new pairs in a box waiting for the current set to wear out, and another pair in the loft that are too good to throw away).  I also swear by either Vittoria or Continental inner tubes, and Endura Strike gloves are so good I still wear them ahead of two other pairs I bought trying to replace them.

On the contrary, I’ve never had a Schwalbe tyre I’ve got on with.  Lugano road tyres – no grip in the damp, wear out (go square) quickly, puncture prone despite the alleged protection. Rapid Rob – puncture prone and they feel like when you accelerate, there’s a half-second of flex before the sidewall drags the rest around.  And Schwalbe, Decathlon or cheap no-name inner tubes are a really false economy.

[don simon fbpe]

 

 

The Good

Decathlon- bibshorts are brilliant, they just seem to last forever and have accompanied me on 100km rides without problems. Their carbon saddles were well worth the £30 they cost too.

The Gabba- bought my first one when they came out and replaced this year. The old one finally got killed off in my accident. The back panel was brown instead of black through sun damage.

SH plus- first helmet saved my head and customer service when sourcing a replacement was excellent.

Campagnolo- I still have 20 year old parts that are still going on one of the bikes, Campagnolo has never let me down. Having to buy the not too cheap tool for crank removal on the newer Campagnolo shod bike isn’t anything to smile about, but I guess that’s the way things are moving. The Shimano kit I also have works perfectly, it just has no soul.

Sidi- their shoes fit.

 

The Bad.

Kuota UK- I’d have another Kuota, just not from the UK importers. I had a simple maintenance enquiry which they simply told me to go to a bikeshop to remedy. I worked out what to do myself and they could have responded with the solution. Very unhelpful people.

Merida- They came to the village I was living in for a product launch for the press in the local forest. They had the staff to put up direction signage for the visitors, but no one to remove them when they had finished. It might be petty, but remember your brand can be damaged in many ways.

Orbea- In spite of having one Orbea and lusting after an Orca for years, I shan’t be buying another. A friend of mine was offered a job with them this year, the pandemic arrived and her contract mysteriously disappeared, leaving her high and dry. Bad marketing Orbea.

Specalized- for the way they treated Cafe Roubaix.

SRAM- You’d think that what was a top of the range X.0 mtb groupset would not use fragile plastic springs that break on an annual basis, but they do. And at 100 Euros a time, it could have been expensive.

Shimano Tiagra- You pays your money, you takes the risk.

FSA- Cranks and chainwheels. Made of cheese.

 

[Chris Hayes]

This guys: velotechcycling

This guys: velotechcycling@aim.com will repair your ratchets. 

[MattieKempy]

Same as Shimano here in

Same as Shimano here in Greece. Just bought brand-new Ultegra Di2 Hydro shifters to upgrade from cable discs only to find that the bolts to fix the hose to the shifter don’t come with the shifter. Shimano Greece never have anything in stock so you have to get them from overseas (IE the UK) which is a minefield with postage (55 euro from SJS cycles!!!!!!) and that’s only going to get worse in the next couple of weeks. Painful because things that should take days to fix end up taking weeks.

[kil0ran]

Hope:

Hope:

Great: Everything except the Head Doctor. Being a heavy rider I particularly like their seat clamps, and I’m a sucker for Hope Orange as it always goes well with blue or yellow frames, which I prefer.

Avoid: Head Doctor – chuck it in the bin and stick a proper SFN in instead, just not worth the hassle 

[Alessandro]

The ratchets in the lower end

The ratchets in the lower end shifters are prone to being mashed. I know because I had the same issue myself and discovered their susceptiability through some Googling. However, they were repaired free of charge under warranty so I wasn’t too fussed and it gave me the opportunity to learn a bit more about home mechanics.  

The bike that had the Centuar groupset is sadly no longer and its replacement has 105 which is ok but I just don’t get on with the brake levers and shifting mechanism as well as Campag. There’s something that I find a little disconcerting about the brake levers moving around and have never been comfortable on descents. The levers themselves are also not for me – I think because they feel too big and far away from the hoods and drops. Perhaps there’s an element of my mind refusing to enjoy Shimano as much as Campag as well…

My good bike is fitted with Campag Record and it has been superb for the 4 years it’s been in use. As my summer bike, the distance hasn’t been enormous but after 10,000km it still has the original chain and cassette and only needed new cables this year. I’ve had 3 sets of Campag wheels: old bike with Centaur had some Eurus for over 21,000km which didn’t need anything replaced despite enduring some foul winters and then some Zondas which are now sitting idle after 6,000 trouble-free kms; and my good bike has a pair of Shamals which still look and feel brand new. 

[Alessandro]

It’s service like that which

It’s service like that which has marketing value well beyond the cost of what they did. I’ve got some Lusso bibs, winter tights and winter cap and will be buying a pair of the Breathe overshoes when they’ve got more stock in January. To those who haven’t yet given Lusso kit a bash: do so. 

[wtjs]

Whether it’s the 7 speed

Whether it’s the 7 speed stuff on my 23 y/o MTB or the 9 and 10 speed STIs and drivetrains, they are just so dependable. M520 pedals that are really cheap yet last for many years of all-weather riding and a pair of SPD shoes that just won’t wear out.

Couldn’t agree more! Great gear which I’ve been using almost exclusively since the early 70s. I’ll repeat my endorsement of Aldi clothing and lights. 

[kil0ran]

Although, spoke to soon.

Although, spoke to soon. Spent the day bearding a brand new XT 8100 caliper/lever with bleed issues. Fresh out of the box, factory bled, J-kit, lever all over the place and incredibly hard to bleed. Either rock hard with no modulation or straight to the bar. Play abandoned for the day due to bad light in the end

[TheBillder]

Agree with all these,
Agree with all these, especially Galibier – the Mistral windproof bib tights are also very good. I did think the pad was a bit far forward but realized it’s just that I need to get a bit aero.

Only sadness is that the Gino windproof jersey that I promised myself for Christmas has been updated and the new one doesn’t seem as nice (to me). The old version is on sale (small and medium) at under £40 just to make me feel even worse…

[Chris Hayes]

So, what works: 

So, what works: 

Mech Campagnolo groupsets; threaded bottom brackets; Harry Rowland’s wheels; Thomson carbon bars; Assos clothing – especially the winter stuff – say what you like, you get what you pay for; Rapha repair service – but you’ll need it; Rapha shadow hat with a transparent peak (genius); Castelli net summer hat; Rapha neon pink overshoes; Yellow lenses for brightening up winter days; Exposure lights; Assos rain booties – and their Sturmnuss trousers; Quadlocks; Strava; Skratch products; Torq products; fig rolls; my Silca pump – it’s the last one I’ll ever need and I know it; and their hot wax; vintage Italian bikes; Ti Litespeeds…My Factor O2 with Ceramicspeed everything……My Park Tools box and Feedback bike stand….and Tier 4 which is going to be great for cycling! 

Disappointing:

Poor quality allen bolts (you know, the rounded off ones on seatpost clamps); the stitching on Castelli clothes; GripGrab gloves (the liners come loose – one for the bin); Rapha lobster waterproof gloves (not waterproof); my patience with Garmin products has run out;  I’ve had my moments with tubeless tyres; any type of black oil and tier 4 because our economy is already in poor shape.

[Simon E]

+ another 1 for Shimano.

+ another 1 for Shimano.

Whether it’s the 7 speed stuff on my 23 y/o MTB or the 9 and 10 speed STIs and drivetrains, they are just so dependable. M520 pedals that are really cheap yet last for many years of all-weather riding and a pair of SPD shoes that just won’t wear out.

Other brands I would happily recommend include Schwalbe, Kool Stop, Fibrax, Lusso and Altura. I don’t buy premium brands so can’t say whether they’re worth the extra.

My LBS has advised that some Mavic wheels are particularly poor if used in UK winters so I’d think twice about buying them.

[Chris Hayes]

I have the same gloves: very

I have the same gloves: very comfortable and I like the neoprene-esque cuffs which make them easy to take off.  I have some Rapha deep winter gloves which are warmer – but more difficult to get off and less comfortable. 

[ktache]

Over the past year I got 3

Over the past year I got 3 different pairs of the Freerider varient, suitable for differing weather conditions.  I was thet impressed with my Spitfire 5 10s.

[Author]

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