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My daughter needed a new bike.
She's nearly 11 and probably due a stretch so I don't think a 24" bike will last her that long, but a 26" is definitely too big. Her last bike was a really lovely Orbea MX20, I didn't really want to splash out on the bigger MX24. So looked around for alternatives. Her choices being mainly driven by colour. My choices mainly been driven by it having hydro discs I don't need to constantly adjust and standard stuff everywhere else that i can change or upgrade as needed from my parts bin.
That led us to Decalthon and the Rockrider 900 24". Decent enough spec, single chain ring, perfectly serviceable 9 speed shimano rear mech, Tektro hydro disk brakes, fairly pointless but no doubt bullet proof Suntour suspension fork, most most importantly of all a very pleasing baby blue colour.
Went in the Braehead, Glasgow store on Saturday to buy it and they basically refused to sell it to me without it being "PDIed". So I had to go back a few hours later and collect the bike after they applied their extensive checks, which seemed to amount to straightening the bars and tightening them stem. I got the bike home and had to adjust the brake levers as they were pointed at the floor and butted right up against the grips, also the rear brake hose was routed the wrong way. So why insist on "Pre Delivery Inspection" if its basically pointless? In hindsight I should probably have just rolled the bike to the till and scanned the price tag and just taken it home the first time I went in.
I do like the shop generally, I've bought lots of stuff for camping and paddleboarding, but they are a big box sports retailer rather than a bike shop, so why pretend?
I had similar with Balfes Bikes....
Went in the Braehead, Glasgow store on Saturday to buy it and they basically refused to sell it to me without it being "PDIed". So I had to go back a few hours later and collect the bike after they applied their extensive checks, which seemed to amount to straightening the bars and tightening them stem. I got the bike home and had to adjust the brake levers as they were pointed at the floor and butted right up against the grips, also the rear brake hose was routed the wrong way. So why insist on "Pre Delivery Inspection" if its basically pointless?
No decent shop will sell a bike that hasn't been PDI'd. Brake setup is separate to that though and needs adjusted by the individual to their needs, the PDI would've just made sure they were working. Fair enough on the rear hose assuming it's more than just a cosmetic thing
I do like the shop generally, I've bought lots of stuff for camping and paddleboarding, but they are a big box sports retailer rather than a bike shop, so why pretend?
So the general, often clueless, public cant attempt to sue them every time they make a mess of setting up the bike. E.g. ever seen a bike with its fork on backwards?
So the general, often clueless, public cant attempt to sue them every time they make a mess of setting up the bike. E.g. ever seen a bike with its fork on backwards?
Which is fair enough but why not give people the option, plenty of other places do. I've bought bikes before where you say you don't need it built and just take the box home. Is that not how pretty much every online sale works?
It just seemed needlessly bureaucratic and a waste of both parties time. I mean visiting Renfrew once in a day is enough for anyone.
Anyway, despite all that, its still a nice little bike and my daughter is very happy with it.
If nothing else, the PDI allows a visual inspection so the bike doesn't get home with a mystery scratch that definitely has nothing to do with the bike being cackhandedly inserted into the boot of a car.
But yes, they're a sports superstore not a specialist retailer.
A good few years ago I had a manager of Asda argue with me that their 'qualified and trained' staff had fully PDI'd all the bikes on display, and no the forks were not on back to front....
And staff in our local Halfords tell me that the CX bike they were selling me should not be used off-road as it was not capable or safe to do such a thing. I was so tempted to send them a photo a couple of weeks later as I took it for a lap around Glenlivet Red...
Is that not how pretty much every online sale works?
All the ones I've had have been fully built then just had the bars taken off to fit in a massive box. That's not how they arrive at the shop
Which is fair enough but why not give people the option, plenty of other places do.
****less idiots doing a half-arsed job and before you know it your brand is in the Daily Mail, complete with compo faces
I got the bike home and had to adjust the brake levers as they were pointed at the floor and butted right up against the grips, also the rear brake hose was routed the wrong way. So why insist on "Pre Delivery Inspection" if its basically pointless?
Generally a PDI is safety check rather than fitting set up. There's a manual with the bike that will cover how to adjust the bike to suit the rider, daft brake lever angle or a tangled cable isn't great but I wouldn't expect every mechanic in a box-shifter shop to get that right, be nice if they did oc.
There is actually some helpful care instructions on the Decathlon website:
Amazing.. almost Viz-level tips.
scotroutes ignored the handwash-only symbol on his road bike and after a 40 degree wash it came out a BMX
Cube are right though … could say hand wash only do not use pressure washers.
Max weight 80kg
Inflate tyres to the pressure on the side wall
OK its a 24 so maybe the tyre manufacturer assumes it will only be used by kids and adjusts the max pressure accordingly... but I really doubt it.
I'm guessing 45 psi for a maybe 30-40kg 11 year old. No wonder small kids mtbing often look a bit out of control if their parents abide by the manual.
On a per-weight basis, probably 4 times what it should be.
Small volume tyres need higher pressures.
Small volume tyres need higher pressures
Thankfully, the decent MTB my niece now has is a 27.5+ so the tyres are about 12psi!
But yeah, that came set up with tyres at about 40psi too.
In hindsight I should probably have just rolled the bike to the till and scanned the price tag and just taken it home the first time I went in.
Illegal. Needs to be checked over beforehand. No bike shop (or big box retailer) Will do otherwise for reasons outlined above.
Illegal.
What specific law do you think I would be breaking? Its not like they gave me a shiny "its been PDI'd" certificate. When I went back I just went to the bike counter and they gave me the bike, asked me if I wanted any more air in the tyres and I just wheeled it to the front of the shop, scanned the barcode attached to the brake hose, paid for it and left.
I mean maybe they've got an elite team of watchers making sure no one wheels a bike to the door and just pays for it, but i think the elite watchers are just making sure you pay for it rather than anything else.
Presumably if bike retailers could save the money on the PDI they would and thus make more profit. But the government requires them to meet certain laws on bike safety https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/198/regulation/4 which any responsible retailer demonstrates by having a PDI checklist!It just seemed needlessly bureaucratic and a waste of both parties time.
E.g. ever seen a bike with its fork on backwards?Yup, mostly being wheeled out of big box stores after their PDI... (quite often with brakes and gear that don't work either)