Dear Halfords

[Osella]

Either that or a cycle safety campaigner who could take this up with Halfords.
Anyone know any cycle safety campaigners who have connections with Halfords...?
Any cycle safety campaigners conducting big public campaigns at present who sell bikes with their own name plastered all over them...?
Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman)

 

[Ghosty]

Every time I see someone riding a Trax or a Slant, a part of me dies inside.
What's the quality on Carreras like these days? Their MTBs seem to be the bike of choice for loutish youths wanting to look "cool" etc, despite never taking them off tarmac and using them mainly for wheelies.

eBay is always full of as-new Slants listed as just 'mans mountain bike' or words to that effect, often used once and forgotten - I think that says it all.

Do Halfords sell anything other than own-brand and Boardmans any more? About 8 years ago I got a GT in there, and that was okay.

 

[legrandefromage]

I'd take it up with Watchdog, Radio 4 You and Yours and/ or Which. They have a proven track record of getting large companies to do something about an obvious fault or failure.

As mentioned there is 'duty of care' and always hiding behind the useless CE mark.

Even the 'quality' end of Halfords has its pitfalls - the Suntour forks are next to useless once exposed to water. The BBs used fail very quickly and the quality of the components around the brakes from the soft metal mount for the brake noodles that allow them to be pulled through, to monkey metal levers.

If enough of us can get the ball rolling on Facebook, something will happen

 

[enc]

Re:

Halfords have just opened one of their "cycle Republic" outlets in manchester ... I haven't been in but a work colleague was singing its praises !

 

[Rampage]

All mountain bikes have to comfort to EN 14766 which is safety requirements and test methods. Unless it has been superseded.
Do these bikes not confirm to these tests are you saying?

 

[Osella]

The tests are one thing - delivery and end-user readiness/safety are another.
A car can get a 5* NCAP crash rating but that doesn't make the car safe if the dealership removed the brake master cylinder and 'forgot' to re-fit it before you take delivery.

Bicycle standards (as at 2011) are:
EN 14764 for city and trekking bikes
EN 14766 for mountain bicycles
EN 14781 for racing bicycles
EN 14872 for luggage carriers
RN 14765 for bicycles for young children

"The Commission does this by means of its Decision of 29 November 2011 on the safety requirements to be met by European standards for bicycles, bicycles for young children, and luggage carriers for bicycles pursuant to Directive 2001/95/EC.
With this Decision, the European Commission has now set a very first set of requirements that bicycles have to comply with in order to be conform with the EU General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC that “lays down an obligation on producers to place only safe products on the market.”

In addition, CEN standards are designed to ensure a minimal level of product quality and to strengthen consumer protection legislation. They contain safety requirements for the most important bicycles components like brake systems, transmission systems, handlebars, stems, frames & front forks and saddles.
These standards apply in all 27 EU member states. However, in the majority of member states there is no legal obligation to comply with the standards, they remain voluntary standards.
In most member states, manufacturers are allowed to prove compliance with these standards through self-certification. However, CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, does recommend the use of a test lab that is specifically accredited to test according to the standards"

So like with most products; the manufacturer's responsibility is in the design & manufacture phase (although voluntary); where the point-of-sale errors from the retailer are not specifically covered by these regulations.
It does make sense then to go forward to Which, Watchdog etc with evidence [and then hopefully following that statistics, which if they take the case up they may well determine for themselves] of the retailers' delivery of an unsafe product that due to poor/mis-assembly, lack of QC or training is causing them to provide - even if let's say theoretically, that product was designed and intended by the manufacturer to be perfectly safe and supplied 'to the market' in accordance with all applicable standards.

 

[legrandefromage]

That sucks.

Whos up for videoing their next Halfords purchase?

 

[mattr]

Dear Raleigh,

It's 1975 and I work in Raleigh 5 Star dealership as a mechanic doubling up as sales on the lightweight side.

Can you please stop selling rubbish bikes put together by people who have endured a 3 day week and electricity in their homes on and off.

you do realise that Raleigh pretty much folded thanks to massive warranty costs, completely missing the mtb (it's just a fad, it'll never catch on, here have a shit road bike made out of gas pipe) and generally being crap at business. Halfrauds are making a killing and going from strength to strength.

 

[Tatsunoko]

Re:

if you really want to be scared, try 'Go Outdoors'. They make H*!fords look like a factory pro team setup... (I have never, and will never buy a bike from them, or Hell-Frauds for that matter!)

 

[legrandefromage]

From a few years ago

http://www.whycycle.co.uk/buying-a-bike ... ed-object/

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... cheap-bike

HA!

https://bicycleshapedobject.wordpress.c ... -of-shame/