[Closed] Canyon bikes nightmare!

I'd change the bushes and give the brakes a bleed.

I've just had a new bike from them too and experienced a few problems. So far they've been pretty good sorting it out, did you email uk@canyon.com ? They've been replying quite rapidly.

Do you think the gears were set up by an actual retard or are you just showing your own limitations?

Did you get a professional to look at it at any point?

Given that Canyon sell bikes from continental Europe, you make a huge saving on what it would cost to buy it from a LBS. As a consequence you have to accept the limitations this means in terms of setup and maintenance. You owe it to yourself to learn how to set your own gears, grease your own hubs, and change your own bushes. Would you have sent the bike back to Germany to have the gears indexed or the barrel adjuster tweaked?

Yeah emailed that address several times. No I wouldnt of sent it back for a mere tweak on a barrel adjuster, the front mech was mounted totally wrong and the cables where not routed correctly. As for the wheels....yes I know how I grease hubs but my point being why was there none in there in the first point. Some of you may think I'm being picky but normally these sort of setup problems are resolved before it leaves the factory

buy some new shock bushings and replace the brakes

Yeah emailed that address several times. No I wouldnt of sent it back for a mere tweak on a barrel adjuster, the front mech was mounted totally wrong and the cables where not routed correctly. As for the wheels....yes I know how I grease hubs but my point being why was there none in there in the first point. Some of you may think I'm being picky but normally these sort of setup problems are resolved before it leaves the factory

i'm guessing you can't return it as "not fit for purpose" as was from outside UK, unless they accept that, so your only option is to learn how to sort all that yourself or pay an LBS to do it... those are all things you'd have to do sooner or later anyway and not expensive, apart from labour.
good warning about canyon setup being bad though.

Try to bleed the brakes rather than replace. Excess lever travel before biting is usually down to air in the system.

Should have gone to your LBS.

Should have gone to your LBS.

Bet you're a bundle of laughs at the pub

Nightmare mate. I've seen good things about Them onhere though so hope you get it all sorted out.

I don't think it's being picky at all. Canyon bang on about their bikes being ready to ride so they should be, no matter how good value they are. If the brushings are knackered they should be replaced at canyons expense.I don't see why anyone could think it acceptable that you end up out of pocket making a brand new bike fit for purpose. If they don't sort it out there is something seriously wrong with their customer service.

Bet you're a bundle of laughs at the pub

Pub? Why you not go your LBS?

ive got 2, and never had a problem with either. love them. definatly going to buy another i a years time.

i no someone who's canyon arrived with no oil in the brakes, lbs sorted and canyon paid the bill, all by end of week. never heard a bad thing about customer service by email or phone.

Pub? Why you not go your LBS?

They're too busy on Saturday evening returning promised calls to customers.

I have the same bike and mine doesnt have such issues except the brakes, which were fine for two rides then became annoyingly poor. But from what I gather thats just Avids and Canyon arent the only ones putting on Elixirs as oem, but its a mistake i suspect.

Also to be fair I got some offset shock hadware and replaced the bushings when I threw that on, as Burgtec supply the good ones with the offset parts

Anyone who makes out its to be expected because they cost less than lbs is full of sh** they dont say on their website we are cheap so the bike may be set up badly

i had a canyon strive , was a good bike , and service was always good , go on facebook on their page and write there , they will help then

Sounds like a "Friday afternoon bike" when I replaced the rear shock on my AM 7 I noticed the top bushes were a bit loose, it cost me less than £10 to buy a tool and some new DU bushes, job was done in less than 5 mins.

I doubt Canyon even look at the internals of the hubs as the wheelset are hand made by DT Swiss and will be shipped straight to Canyon to put the wheels in the box.

I dont know how long you have had your bike, but every bike I have ever had has always been back at a LBS for a service after 6 weeks (including the Canyon)

I had a couple of issues with my bike when I firs got it, 1 phone call is all it took to get through to Cullen, 24 hours later I had a new part in my hands. I've also contacted Cullen a few times via email and while it's not an instant reply its still fairly quick and normally within 24 hours (I believe they are shut over the weekend though)

Grease in the hubs isn't down to canyon anyway it's down to the maker of the hub {couldn't think how to spell manufacturerer}.

I agree with r17, it's not to be expected and they should sort it, but i dont think this experience is typical

Grease in the hubs isn't down to canyon anyway it's down to the maker of the hub

Oh it is, Canyon supplied the bike, it's their issue

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On the hubs, I suspect most bike brands (and lbs's for that matter) dont check their OEM wheelsets before shipping a bike, but thats not to say thats ok

If I'm right, it'll have DT cartridge hubs? In which case no manufacturer's going to strip the hubs and pop a seal off the cartridge to check it.

Support my local bike shop who carries one model (not brand, but a single model) of full suspension bike and who tried to charge me £10 for a small bottle (ie the single tire size one) of Stans No Tubes...

Next you'll be suggesting buying books in a shop...

Pretty sure the hubs are just the current version of the dt swiss onyx oem hubs

r17anm - Member
Anyone who makes out its to be expected because they cost less than lbs is full of sh** they dont say on their website we are cheap so the bike may be set up badly

A bike is a medley of components. How good a bike is down to what you think makes a good medley, or cocktail. How it's put together is down to the seller. The OP has listed some examples of a poor build, but virtually every person who has replied regarding Canyon's after service has said that the issues have been sorted quite amicably by taking the bike to an LBS and billing Canyon.

However, and it's a big however, if you buy a bike like a Canyon you do so knowing that it will take a long time to ship a bike back to the Vaterland, and the inconvenience and longwindedness mean it's easier to sort them yourself rather than bugger about with shipping etc etc. After all, by indexing his own gears and realigning his own mech the buyer has sorted it out so he can ride tomorrow, not a fortnight tomorrow.

Many people I know buy Boardman bikes, knowing that they are fantastic value for money, yet without exception they all know that there is a chance that Halfords spannerists will balls up the build, and they MAY have to sort out the issues themselves. After all, if you take it back to Halfords for a mech to be straightened it would take them over a week to sort that as well.

If you can't accept that, then buy from your LBS, who will sort everything out to perfection and at exactly the moment you want it doing, won't they?

I'm not full of sh*t as you so eloquently put it, I'm a pragmatist who has learnt that there is only one way to a perfect build, and that's to do it yourself. I'll heartily recommend direct sales and Boardman bikes, but always with the Caveat that the buyer may well have to sort out some minor issues themselves.

I bought mine just because of the part/cost ratio and was happily surprised at the build quality as I was expecting to have to set it up myself but nothing needed adjusting. I replaced the brakes fairly quickly but that was just down to not liking the feel of the Avids but they worked fine.

I was intrigued by the comment on the front mech as I can't see how it could be mounting wrong as it's a direct mount one and only fits one way.

I bought a canyon nerve XC 18 months ago. When the bike arrived there were a few issues nothing major. I got them sorted and emailed canyon uk, who responded immediately and offered to pay the bike shop bill.

To be honest it doesn't make sense that canyon uk are not responding.

I wonder if a fed up local bike shop would ever consider taking to a forum in an attempt to discredit canyon. Just a thought 😉

chipsngravy - Member
I bought a canyon nerve XC 18 months ago. When the bike arrived there were a few issues nothing major. I got them sorted and emailed canyon uk, who responded immediately and offered to pay the bike shop bill.

To be honest it doesn't make sense that canyon uk are not responding.

I wonder if a fed up local bike shop would ever consider taking to a forum in an attempt to discredit canyon. Just a thought

It was Andy's first post after all............... 😉

best place for avids is in the parts bin, not worth it with them. We ended up sending a set of avids back to sram technical for the same problem, wouldnt bleed up and all the lever internals were kaput. Even they couldnt do much with em so they sent some new ones. Shimano's deors are the best for money tbh.
What hubs are they ?? And when the assembly dude is doing 25+ of the same bikes each day at the factory, its common for the gears to be slightly out.

Well i am pretty eloquent 🙂

I bought a Canyon Nerve XC 9 a couple of months ago. Althouh I had to put the handlebars and wheels on it was perfect out of the box. I did make sure that I checked it over thoroughly after reading the threads on here but it was perfect even down to the indexing. Not sure if the fact that I live in Germany made the difference but they provided an excellent service. Actually they are only an hour or so down the road so technically they are my LBS!

Dogsby

im not a LBS trying to discredit canyon at all, just someone that spent money on a bike and is not satisfied with the after service Canyon are providing eg NONE! I could easilly replace the bushes, bleed the brakes....the fact is why should I have to if the bike is brand new? thanks for the suggestion with the facebook page ill give them a try on there. Took the rear shock off and it appears that when the mounting bolt was put through the frame and bushes and tightened it had chewed the bush.....hence why its worn reasonably quickly. Like I said maybe im being picky.

deftone1984 - Member

the fact is why should I have to if the bike is brand new?

It isn't- the brakes need bled now, they didn't when you got it.

I'm kind of intrigued about the front mech too, now- is it a direct mount? If so, how was it mounted wrong?

Also interested to hear more about the hubs- are they sealed bearing hubs or cup-n-cone?

Ooooohhhhhh straight to FB............The nuclear option........ 🙂

i think the problem is you bought a bike with avid brakes

they seem to work ok, but every time ive been to the alps mates with avids have had no end of troubles

hope or shimano ftw !

If the hubs are DT Swiss and use cartridge bearings how was there grease missing from them exactly? The only place grease would be is inside the sealed cartridge bearings themselves and no bike shop would check them as it would reduce the effectiveness of the seal.

Worn bushings happen through use and if they were not worn or loose when the bike arrived its considered normal wear. And brakes will require re-bleeding during their lifetime and if they were ok when arrived then its up to you to sort out as well.

Loved the bike for the first 5 mins then......after careful inspection.....found the hubs had zero grease in them, the gears where set up by a retard. So sorted this out myself...

I'm surprised you didn't also notice the shock bush problem at the same time during your 'careful inspection'! Are you saying it was overtightened or something else?

alright seems as though the wolves are out in force. Grease in the free hub I meant...and I noticed this from spinning the wheel (yes I know DT swiss free hubs make more noise than usual but not a grinding noise). Ill just leave it at that, I was after advice/tips not a third degree grilling.

alright seems as though the wolves are out in force

My opinion would be that while things should be spot on when you get the bike, you have to accept that cost savings are made somewhere along the line to provide the 'value' which made you buy mail order, so the bit of fettling and remedial work you have had is a risk you take. Other posters seem to have had good service though, so I would be surprised if they don't sort you out once you get hold of them. Good luck 😉

I own a Canyon and have had a couple of warrenty issues in the past (there are threads on here somewhere) - Canyon uk have been quick and direct.

Most warrenty's are delt with in the UK - apart from frames - In the warrenty section of the web site it says in cases where a lbs can fix the problem Canyon will pay for this.

A new bike having an issue with gears, my first thought would be its be cable stretch? as for the free hub, mine came with little grease in there - thats how its supposed to come, its not supposed to have half a tube packed in like the bareings in shimano hubs.

Is it the bushing or the mount hardware thats the problem with the rear shock. I did notice when i changed mine to offset that the stock "top hats" seem really soft

Satisfied Canyon Nerve A.M owner here 🙂

I've ridden the bike a fair few times in the past month

I'd change the bushes and give the brakes a bleed.

My advice was well meant, JFDI......... 30 mins tops and move on. All normal part of mtb ownership.

As far as I know Canyon UK is one bloke - he might be on holiday?
Just a thought.

OH has a Nerve AM and a problem with the mech hanger was sorted very quickly. I would expect to have to perform a few 'tweaks' after a couple of rides, but that's it. I'd suggest you write to Canyon and explain the issues clearly. No joy after a week then send it back?

And ignore the 'what do you expect' and 'should have bought from your LBS' crowd. We call it Capitalism.

Hth
Marko

OH has a canyon nerve xc female specific one, nothing wrong with it at all. As it was a direct buy and saved a fair few quid, after delivery dropped it into my LBS for a once over as they will spot more things than me, came back clean bill of health, £1.5k for a bike £50 for LBS time, full XT groupset, Fox shocks, great looking bike, still a bargain!

Would buy from canyon again and again, most LBS will be more than happy to give a bike the once over.

I must admit, you do seem to hear quite a bit of negatives regarding the support provided by Canyon. I doubt i'd buy without the distributer being close to hand (ie. LBS or even in the same country!)

stick to UK brands from now on,

stick to UK brands from now on

Is there such a thing?

Orange?

stick to UK brands from now on
Is there such a thing?

It's the stock top hats that are made of cheese I suspect

My gf bought a canyon and the forks made a terrible noise straight out the box, and the gears hadn't been set up at all. Forks were fixed under warranty, canyon uk support were helpful.

it doesn't matter where bike made, just where/who support is. On-one uk have been excellent, couldn't ask for better support, and they mnfr in Taiwan i think. i've been emailing back and forth with the design guy (Brant, who found me). and the shop, and it's not even like they're expensive.

Interesting that a thread having a moan about the quality of a brand most on here seem to rave about get's the locals all over excited as if it couldn't be true. If it was a thread about the poor quality of say an Orange it would be over run with people saying how bad they are, shouldn't have to put up with it, load of rubbish, etc.

Just saying like 😉

OP- and the mech?

chestrockwell- anyone getting the same spec of bike from Orange would have paid a stack more, so there's a difference there. Though I doubt the reality would be anything like you say, this place has more fanbois than h8ers.

mattjevans - Member

Is it the bushing or the mount hardware thats the problem with the rear shock. I did notice when i changed mine to offset that the stock "top hats" seem really soft

It's a **** design frankly. Comes up in many bikes though- I mean, I love my Herb, and it's a top flight bit of kit so it was a bit annoying that they used split top-hats which got battered oval (ok admittedly after the endurance downhill). So they've been replaced with proper ("heavy duty") hardware now which won't do that. Now my Cotic was specced by an engineer not a beancounter so it had proper hardware from new.

Cost has nothing to do with it Northwind. If the price for a huge spec at a low price is a mince frame then that's not such a good deal imo. My point is that there's many threads on here where people ask what bike they should get and the answer is often Canyon with people falling all over themselves about how good they are. A thread comes up suggesting they're not all that and the same people slate the op and even accuse them of being some sort of secret agent!

Maybe that is simply because many people have had, shock, horror, a good experience in buying a bike from Canyon?

I bought a Canyon Nerve AM 9.0X in the spring. Bike had to go back for replacement frame, got a whole new bike back. Had a few problems with both that were quite annoying but not as much as the terrible customer service when trying to resolve these issues with them. Any bike can have problems but when they don't answer the phone or reply to emails it's very frustrating. I went direct to the german hq in the end who just redirected me back to the UK centre.

My brakes were an issue, solved by bleeding them which with Avid's is very easy. Had the whole rear suspension come loose after a few rides so had to limp home with one of the bolts hanging out. It was behind the chainset so couldn't access it whilst out. All stuff that you shouldn't have to put up with really, regardless of value for money.

All in all it's been a while for me to get it totally sorted but it is a great bike.

I bought an Nerve AM 9 July 11 and it is a really good bike. Cost just under £2k5 whereas similar from LBS, say a Trek Remedy 9, would have been around 3k2. Nice as they are at ATC, that would be a lot of after service added-value from the LBS!
Repair/service times are 7-10 days there anyway.

Canyon UK do a 2 year warranty and were good in sorting out Reverb problems out 3 times; all quick & efficient.

The big problems are from early Sept this year when I sent it back with pivot problems & play in the Hammerschmidt ring. SRAM are not helping (probably would be same with LBS (tho not CRC/Wiggle ha ha)); a month today and still no resolution on either issue!

I've happily recommended Canyon on other threads but recent experience is poor.

chestrockwell - Member

Interesting that a thread having a moan about the quality of a brand most on here seem to rave about get's the locals all over excited as if it couldn't be true. If it was a thread about the poor quality of say an Orange it would be over run with people saying how bad they are, shouldn't have to put up with it, load of rubbish, etc.

This.

I emailed there main HQ in Germany......they replied and said they would contact the uk dept to get in touch with me. So I get an email from canyon uk after about a month of waiting. It basically asked what the problems where.....I told them I had emailed about 4 times now and all the details where in the previous emails, I also detailed all my problems again anyway. So.............sent it off feeling optimistic, still awaiting a reply.....it's been a week and a half!

Hi All,

Just wanted to point out that Canyon has changed its operation in the UK considerably in the past 3-4 months. We now have a dedicated UK Service Center based in Kingston on Thames and a larger customer service team.

Please give us a call on 0208 549 6001 or email uk@canyon.com if you have any questions, comments or anything else related to Canyon Bikes in the UK and we'll be happy to help.

Cheers,

Canyon Bicycles UK Ltd,
Unit 7, Princess Mews, Horace Road,
Kingston upon Thames,
KT1 2SZ.

Does his now mean there will be the opportunity to test ride some of the bikes?

Northwind - Member

anyone getting the same spec of bike from Orange would have paid a stack more, so there's a difference there

*makes note not to buy anything from this guy in the classified*

had to use the customer service a couple of weeks ago. i must admit there were very good. emailed back to be several times within hours of every email (one was late at night too !! ) had a problem with rocker arm bearings, they picked the bike up FOC, replaced rear rocker arm/bearings and returned bike within 9 days.(again FOC. emailed me with updates etc.
i cannot fault them, with any buisness its impossible to be 100% perfect, but its how they deal with that what makes them worth dealing with.
a happy customer indeed

Exile brakes are crap whatever frame you stick em too...I've bought high end specialized bikes that had bushes missing from the fsr links, I'm sure once its fixed you won't have any further regrets

Avid brakes to bin please.

International Richard - Member

*makes note not to buy anything from this guy in the classified*

Because?

Northwind - Member

Because?

Northwind - Member

chestrockwell- anyone getting the same spec of bike from Orange would have paid a stack more

Implying i should expect a bargain to be under par

I had to call them the other day. Phone was answered a lot faster than previously and the chap I spoke to (Edward) was
most helpful.

International Richard- it's not a case of expecting bargains to be under par at all, you're just imagining that. It's expecting a premium product (Orange) to come with premium service, and not expecting a cheaper mailorder product (Canyon) to do the same. Comparing the 2 doesn't really make sense.

Was there ever an explanation of how the front mech was fitted wrong, considering it ought to be direct mount?

They don't answer the phone, return messages, and email service is appalling. Yes they are cheap, but they are arrogant and a night mare when things go wrong.

i would avoid.

They don't answer the phone, return messages, and email service is appalling. Yes they are cheap, but they are arrogant and a night mare when things go wrong.

i would avoid.

not in my experience they're not, canyon have been great to deal with.