I feel it is in my best interest to warn potential "New Bike" buyers about what happened to me recently at Flythe Bicycle Shop here in Raleigh, NC.

I purchased a new Trek Mountain Bike from Flythe Bike Shop on the corner of Peace and West Streets here in Raleigh and it was a problem from the minute I took it home. While riding it and lifting up on the handle bars to come off or a curb, avoid a dip in the road or to avoid a small branch lying in the path, a loud "clank/clunking" noise happens.

I took it back immediately. One of the service reps rode it and also agreed that something was indeed wrong with the bike as did the head mechanic as well. Upon discussing this with the sales rep and the owner of the shop, they agreed as well and told me to leave it. They all felt the front suspension was bad and hitting the shock stops and making the awful clunk sound that really made me feel the bike was going to fall apart after the first time I take it on a trail.

Quite a few weeks passed before I heard anything ( I continued to ride my old bike which they tuned up quite nicely and I give credit to them for that). Once they called and told me the bike was ready, it still did the "exact same clunking" on the way home.

When I left it off again that same day, they said they would get back to me. When I went back last week, the owner said....."I am not going to do anything else. I do not know what "you" are doing out there". I explained that it was not even handling the most miniature of hops, and jumps in the road and sidewalks without making that "clunk/clank" and that "his" service reps "still" agree that something is "still" wrong with the bike! He said..."well, I am not doing anything else".. I told him I wanted them to take the bike back and he said "no, it is now a USED bike and I don't deal in those". I have only ridden this junk a total of 20 minutes and he said..."sorry, I cannot do anything else". He also added...."if you want, I can try and sell it for you and I wont charge you the processing/handling fee and maybe get you $250 bucks". I paid $360.00 for it with options. And they have had it in "their' possession a lot longer than I ever have.

I asked my sales rep who agreed in the beginning that there was something wrong, but he said....
" you did not buy a jumping bike, you bought a mountain bike and that is what they do and no one else has complained about that",,,,sorry". So why did he tell me something was wrong at the start of this mess and then now claims "they all do that". And who doesnt ride a mountain bike that is trail rated and does not jump it or hop it a little....that is what mountain biking is!!! Imagine what it would do if I really rode it on a trail in Umstead Park?

So bike consumers "BEWARE"!!!!

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH FLYTHE BIKE SHOP on the corner or Peace and West Streets here in Raleigh. Do not become a victim like I did.

5/9/2006 1:22:36 PM

"damn", that "sucks", "man"

5/9/2006 1:24:26 PM

Your bike should have a warranty. Call Trek and tell them your story. I bet they can make Flythe take care of this, or at least refer you to another authorized dealer that will.

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 1:25 PM. Reason : adsg]

5/9/2006 1:25:17 PM

Have you ridden another one of the exact same make/model?

It seems like you could narrow it down to a bad design or just one defective unit that way. If it's one defective unit they should be able to warranty it through the manufacturer.

Call the manufacturer. You might be surprised at how well they value customer satisfaction.

Then hit up Monica LaLiberty (SP?)

5/9/2006 1:26:36 PM

"5" "on" "your" "side"

5/9/2006 1:27:18 PM

Contact ABC11 Diane Wilson, the troubleshooter. If everything you have stated is true, then they aren't going to want their name smeared on TV.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/index?section=troubleshooter&id=3250140

5/9/2006 1:27:50 PM

^^^^ What he said. TREKs are normally stand out bikes.

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 1:44 PM. Reason : not enough ^s]

5/9/2006 1:29:00 PM

man fuck abc 11.

wral is where it's at.

5/9/2006 1:30:52 PM

One last note,,,,

they told me that is also how "Trek/distributor" feel as well. That they have done all they are going to do. The service reps told me the others do it,,,,"but not nearly as bad as yours". They also said to me they were sorry about their owners response to my wants/problems as I left the building. They said,,," i would be upset too"!.

So I am screwed except for this "word of mouth" advertising. Get the word out to everyone you know in the bike world to stay away from "Flythe Bike Shop"....There are plenty of other honest bike shops in the city to work with......I should have gone elsewhere also.

5/9/2006 1:32:32 PM

"i will" tell "everyone" i know.

5/9/2006 1:34:11 PM

it sounds to me the bike is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing, but you don't like it and are now trying to screw over an honest business because of it.

5/9/2006 1:34:54 PM

I bought a bike from their Cary location years ago and had no problems with them, even as a kid I would ride my bike to the shop and they would help me out. They ended up becoming The Spin Cycle Shop, so I guess they aren't owned by the people who own Flythe.

I now go to Allstar Bikes on SE Maynard in Cary...they're really good, bought my first real mountian bike from them.

5/9/2006 1:37:15 PM

5/9/2006 1:40:19 PM

"wow".

that "totally, sucks"!

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 1:42 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 1:42 PM. Reason : ahahahaha <3 marko]

5/9/2006 1:41:33 PM

did "you" "join" tww just to "complain" about this "bike store",,,"?"

5/9/2006 1:42:07 PM

Quote :

"they told me that is also how "Trek/distributor" feel as well. "

So.
Tell them that you want to talk to the distributor. Or, better yet, go straight to corporate.
The distributor is hearing their side of the story which is probably very biased.
Make him hear yours and put him on the spot to do something about it.

5/9/2006 1:42:29 PM

Dear Smath,

I bought a "mountain bike" to use as such. I love the bike, features,,,,,but it has a serious problem,,,,,I am not trying to screw anyone. I am trying to get my bike fixed or replaced and they will not do that. They even asked me "If WE fix this problem" do you want it? And my reply was ''absolutely, please fix this so I can ride it without fearing it is going to fall apart on me"....

Smath, you should hear this bike on even the smallest of objects. It "is" that bad. They even admitted it and now have changed "their" story. Would'nt you feel cheated?

5/9/2006 1:43:12 PM

FLYTHE IS ONE OF THE NICEST SHOPS IN TOWN. THEY GIVE NC STATE DISCOUNTS AND HAVE CUT ME DEALS ON REPAIR WORK MANY TIMES BACK WHEN I WAS IN THEIR SHOP REGULARLY. HOW ABOUT NOT SMEARING THE NAME OF A GOOD BUSINESS JUST BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T SATISFIED WITH YOUR BIKE.

5/9/2006 1:43:45 PM

DUDE


SERIOUSLY


STOP WITH THE GOD DAMNED QUOTATION MARKS



"PLEASE"

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 1:45 PM. Reason : ]

5/9/2006 1:44:43 PM

Y'all just need to learn how to argue better. Skack would have had a free bike upgrade at no cost by now.

5/9/2006 1:46:12 PM

....or Skack would have been snickered at in the backroom for refering to himself in the 3rd person.

5/9/2006 1:50:12 PM

Skack disagrees.

5/9/2006 1:54:28 PM

5/9/2006 1:54:40 PM

I really like Flythe. They're the closest bike shop to me besides Cycle Logic, where the guy was a dick when I went to ask him about upgrading my lights to LEDs.

The head mechanic at Flythe not only showed me how to fix my back flasher (wiring got weird), but gave me a rack mounting kit practically for free, gave me some ideas on how to attach the basket, and tried contacting me when I accidentally left my wallet there.

Nice and honest guys, and they will teach you a lot if you actually listen. I'll probably go there again when I need to get some more parts for my Schwinn.

5/9/2006 1:55:07 PM

Not satisfied?..they sold me a defective bike. If the sales guys knew this is a characteristic of this bike, why did they not tell me that before the sale, that it will clank and clunk when I go over bumps and hop up or over small obstacles like a mountain biker does?

I agree on one thing. The guys in the service department were awesome. They are super guys. They truly and honestly feel my pain. And you need to remember, they also agree with me on what I am going through.

5/9/2006 1:58:45 PM

"CALL TREK CORPORATE"

5/9/2006 2:01:28 PM

^^Good cop, bad cop routine. Too bad the guy that controls the cash is the bad cop.

5/9/2006 2:04:37 PM

WaterGuy:

Usually one uses periods, "..." to form ellipses, not commas as you are doing (",,,")

please stop using commas in such a manner - it only makes you look like a retard.

5/9/2006 2:06:16 PM

Curious,
What model trek did you purchase?
Did it have a Fox front shock on it?
How much do you weigh?
What was the preload and or travel on the fork?

5/9/2006 2:06:51 PM

its a bicycle, its not a complicated piece of machinery here. There's only so much that can be broken on it, and it sounds like you have defective front shocks. Is it that difficult to point out to someone?

Why dont you make an employee test drive the bike, why didnt you test ride the bike before you bought the damn thing? If the bike was new then you must have a warranty on it, get that shit fixed and stop being a little bitch on a message board WaterBaby

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 2:11 PM. Reason : .]

5/9/2006 2:11:35 PM

jesus, grammar ninjas attack!!!""!!!!""

5/9/2006 2:12:28 PM

just sue them it's fun and it wastes their time even if you lose

5/9/2006 2:12:33 PM

MiniMe_877: stop being a little bitch on a message board











































































































Room to talk.

5/9/2006 2:20:02 PM

stop "complaining" and call trek for "god's" sake,,,,,,
,,,,

,,,,,,,,,

",,,,,,,,,"

5/9/2006 2:21:21 PM

Hey Mini,

As stated before, the cool service guy did ride it and agreed. They all agreed at first. I tried the warranty. They put a different shock that does the same thing on it. My issue is with the owner. It is still not fixed and therefore now, he is not going to allow the cool service guys in back try to fix it anymore. And when I test rode it, the sales staff would only allow me to ride it in the store, parking lot or down the street without getting the tires dirty or doing any tricks or jumps on it.

I am going to call Trek Corporate like BobbyDigital said to do.

If that does not work, I am going to donate it to my Church for the street-bike club they are starting up. It will be fine for that and maybe, just maybe some good can come out of this disaster and let it go to someone who is just going to use it on the street and not the trails.

5/9/2006 2:28:04 PM

300-400 range sounds like the bottom range for a serious mountain bike.

Does anyone know what a decent one costs? I figure 400-600.

5/9/2006 2:30:59 PM

buy a Huffy

5/9/2006 2:32:56 PM

^^"decent" all depends on what you want to do with it.

It'll be fine for Recreational riding and easy singletrack (lake crabtree), but if you want to do a lot of downhill, race, or be getting a lot of air, you'll probably be in the $1000+ range.

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 2:35 PM. Reason : e]

5/9/2006 2:35:02 PM

water,

what components? answer these questions. besides you do realize 400 is about the cheapest you can get a new bike, regardless if it is a 'TREK'.

a typical bike will run anywhere between 800-1500, depending on the components.

5/9/2006 2:40:23 PM

Yes,

I guess that is low after all of this is considered. Lesson learned ehh? I figure now, one must spend about $500 to get one that is going to go about the mountain biking business correctly. I just wished that they had informed me better about these characteristics of this particular bike and that it is not a true mountain bike but probably a cruiser for street use only or non-bumpy trails. Oh by the way, it is a Alpha Aluminum 3900.

Please remember, my issue is with the owner, the sales rep and the way they let me leave the shop feeling cheated. I do not have an issue with the service staff. Maybe I should have said avoid the sales department instead. Ok, that is what I am going to say. The service staff was way cool, they know their stuff and they tried hard. But they are limited by the owner and what he allows them to do. That is the pisser in all of this. Maybe not to you guys, but that was a lot of money to me. Yea, call me poor. Some of us are.


End of story.

Just going to take up hiking instead. Anyone know of some good hiking boots?

5/9/2006 2:48:02 PM

number one you shouldnt have bought a bike they wouldnt let you take out and test ride, that should tell you something

5/9/2006 2:53:33 PM

Yep,

Lessons learned again.

thanks to all of those who replied.

5/9/2006 2:59:09 PM

Quote :

"Just going to take up hiking instead. Anyone know of some good hiking boots?"

asolo



[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 3:02 PM. Reason : /]

5/9/2006 3:01:33 PM

this is a funny thread

5/9/2006 3:10:52 PM

Sue them.

5/9/2006 3:21:20 PM

you probably should try out your new hiking boots before you buy them

5/9/2006 3:23:18 PM

^lmao

5/9/2006 3:50:36 PM

This is you being retarded. I've been an on again, off again customer at Flythe for years and they have ALWAYS helped me out, on several occasions where they LOST money because of it.

If you got a TREK anything for 300 bucks, you got a damn deal on it. And expecting ANY bike for 300 bucks to be able to trail ride and not fall apart is pretty rediculous.

On top of that, it's a manufacturer problem, not a sales problem. I don't blame him a bit for not taking the bike back after it's been used on open road/trail. Get TREK to fix the issue, and if they won't, call the news and report TREK as the problem, not the bike shop.

5/9/2006 5:10:08 PM

Quote :

"love the bike, features,,,,,but it has a serious problem,,,,,I am not trying to screw anyone. "

Man, 5 commas between something must defitinitely make "a" serious point.

5/9/2006 5:14:28 PM

BOYCOTT !!! (no homo).

5/9/2006 5:35:18 PM