Bellville Cycles

[mike88]

Hi fellow hubbers.....

Hopefully you will be able to help me and my wife.

 

As newbies to the sport we decided to buy my wifes mtb from Bellville Cycles.

 

Fanie, the shop owner helped us choose a Axis A90 as an entry level mtb for her.

 

3 months since purchase the bike went in once to set gears, then last week they started jumping again.

 

This morning we saw that her back wheel is buckeld.

 

We phoned someone at the store and he said the bike is not ment for mtbiking.

 

Took the bike in this morning and Fanie, the owner told us he said the bike is ment for the road and gravel road after we said we going on runs like meerendal.

 

I asked for our money back as he lied to us. Fanie just pulled up his shoulders and said he can't do it.

 

He will fix the bike but cant refund.

 

I want our money back because he lied to us and denied it.

 

Can someone please help us here just to inform us where we stand regarding this matter and what steps we should take.

 

Thank you everyone in advance.

[Neill Du Toit]

I would think that you could do Meerendal etc on almost any mountain bike (excluding the GAME / Makro specials). Just remember that the cheaper bikes might require more maintenance especially on stuff like wheels.

 

Gears and brakes might not be the best but should be fine until you decide to buy a better bike.

 

Would not blame the owner of the shop to much in this case?

[mike88]

Bike did only 3 trips to Meerendal????

[Johny Bravo]

I would think that you could do Meerendal etc on almost any mountain bike (excluding the GAME / Makro specials). Just remember that the cheaper bikes might require more maintenance especially on stuff like wheels.

 

Gears and brakes might not be the best but should be fine until you decide to buy a better bike.

 

Would not blame the owner of the shop to much in this case?

To be honest, they might be better suited than the Axis. You cannot expect a refund unfortunately. No one forced you to buy the bike, you chose the bike. Its not defective in any way, its just a cheap bike. Unfortunately. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

[mike88]

Thanks guys....but the owner assured us and we trusted the info that its good for mtb. Now all of a sudden he says its only suited for road and gravel?!!

[Stellies_gaz]

Surely there's a warranty claim?

[Skubarra]

It's a tricky one.. I don't think the shop deliberately misled you when you bought the bike. Probably a miscommunication.

 

You are supposed to be able to ride trails on a entry level mtb which the A90 is. But like you have already found out, with an entry level mtb you will spend a lot of time in the workshop fixing things when you ride trails often. I think fix her up & sell it and write of the difference as school fees - you obviously need a stronger bike.

 

Edit - to clarify further, for the price you paid you aren't going to get a more suitable bike, you need a more expensive bike. A bit tough to blame the shop for not selling you something more expensive when your budget was entry level which is what you got.

[Johny Bravo]

It's a tricky one.. I don't think the shop deliberately misled you when you bought the bike. Probably a miscommunication.

 

You are supposed to be able to ride trails on a entry level mtb which the A90 is. But like you have already found out, with an entry level mtb you will spend a lot of time in the workshop fixing things when you ride trails often. I think fix her up & sell it and write of the difference as school fees - you obviously need a stronger bike.

Seems it is his wifes bike giving trouble. Now I wont be childish and bring out the fat jokes  . But yes, you are 100 percent right, the bug has obviously bitten, so get something a little bit more capable. Nice Giant or Merida always offer great value.

[Eugene]

The bike should come with a warranty booklet. What does that say about it's intended use? If you haven't broken any of these "rules" you may have an argument for a warranty claim.

 

Then again, wheel warranties are pretty limited due to the abuse they take.

 

Adding to this, gears do need to be set from time to time and wheels do run out of true (buckle). Even the most expensive of parts and wheels do this.

 

Take the bike in and get them fixed. Gears can be set cheaply and wheels trued just as cheap. It is just part of a MTB maintenance costs.

 

Keep the bike, there is nothing wrong with it.

[mike88]

They gave us now warranty booklet with the bike...wife is 50kg hahaha....just want all of your opinions before i bite someones head off.

[Stellies_gaz]

If you're convinced the owner misled you and you concluded the sales contract based on what he said to, you may be entitled to a claim on the grounds of positive misrepresentation.

 

Just a thought, I obviously was not there so I can only make a suggestion based on what Mike has told us.

[Maniax]

I dont think Fanie deliberately mislead you. You needed something for a beginner. You didnt say you are planning to play with the big boys on Meerendal. If he had that information he would have sold you something different.

I agree with Skubarra. Write it up to school fees. I honestly don't think a shopowner will deliberately mislead someone to buy a cheap/ entry level bike.

[johannrissik]

...

Took the bike in this morning and Fanie, the owner told us he said the bike is ment for the road and gravel road after we said we going on runs like meerendal.

 

Well, then it should have been labelled and sold as such.
 

[Tankman]

First off, you get what you pay for.

 

An Axis A90 will make it to the top of Dortsberg and down the rough stuff without any issues.

 

Will it be as comfortable as a Tallboy? No

Will it be as light as Flash? Nope

Will it be as reliable as a Big 9 XT? Nope again.

 

An Axis A90 is a 7 speed Entry level bike, some of the components are sooo entry level they dont fall under a Shimano groupset and are called non-series. It does not even have a cassette, it is a screw on cog with limited to almost zero ratio options.

 

You can not expect a R3 000 bike to perform or be anything like a R40 000 bike. Money aside. The technology on enrty level bikes and racing machines are light years appart. The quality of the materials used differ vastly.

 

The entry level bikes will require more maintenance. The fact that the gears are skipping and the wheel is buckled does not mean it can not ride on Meerendal. The cable tension on any new bike needs to be adjusted after a couple of rides, the cable sets into the housing and needs to be fine tuned. OR ... 90% of the time, the hanger gets bent when the bike is pushed out of the shop and loaded into the car boot with the bike set down on the wrong (gear) side. Just letting the bike fall over onto the drive side can bend the hanger and cause the gears to skip. A buckled wheel can be caused by riding down a pavement or even through a pothole ... no biggie, it is a quick job to tension the spokes and get the wheel true again. Definitely not a warranty claim in either instances.

 

You asked for an entry level bike, you got an entry level bike.

 

I a willing to take it up Dortsberg once or twice to show you it can "do" Meerendal ... but if I get frustrated, swear and chuck it down the mountain before completing the second run, you are on your own!

 

So why did you not buy a Giant Talon 4, Merida Big 7 - 40, Titan Calypso Sport any other entry level "mountain" bike in the R6k to R7k price class?

 

Or did the owner not show you these?

 

Edit: spelling.

[marko35s]

Fix it, sell it, look for a decent used bike.

[Johny Bravo]

First off, you get what you pay for.

 

An Axis A90 will make it to the top of Dortsberg and down the rough stuff without any issues.

 

Will it be as comfortable as a Tallboy? No

Will it be as light as Flash? Nope

Will it be as reliable as a Big 9 XT? Nope again.

 

An Axis A90 is a 7 speed Entry level bike, some of the components are sooo entry level they dont fall under a Shimano groupset and are called non-series. It does not even have a cassette, it is a screw on cog with limited to almost zero ratio options.

 

You can not expect a R3 000 bike to perform or be anything like a R40 000 bike. Money aside. The technology on enrty level bikes and racing machines are light years appart. The quality of the materials used differ vastly.

 

The entry level bikes will require more maintenance. The fact that the gears are skipping and the wheel is buckled does not mean it can not ride on Meerendal. The cable tension on any new bike needs to be adjusted after a couple of rides, the cable sets into the housing and needs to be fine tuned. OR ... 90% of the time, the hanger gets bent when the bike is pushed out of the shop and loaded into the car boot with the bike set down on the wrong (gear) side. Just letting the bike fall over onto the drive side can bend the hanger and cause the gears to skip. A buckled wheel can be caused by riding down a pavement or even through a pothole ... no biggie, it is a quick job to tension the spokes and get the wheel true again. Definitely not a warranty claim in either instances.

 

You asked for an entry level bike, you got an entry level bike.

 

I a willing to take it up Dortsberg once or twice to show you it can "do" Meerendal ... but if I get frustrated, swear and chuck it down the mountain before completing the second run, you are on your own!

 

So why did you not buy a Giant Talon 4, Merida Big 7 - 40, Titan Calypso Sport any other entry level "mountain" bike in the R6k to R7k price class?

 

Or did the owner not show you these?

 

Edit: spelling.

Have to agree with Tankman here. Again, without being a douchebag and suggesting a 40k bike.If you like the sport, and want to continue. Save up for something proper.