Bike arrived with a broken derailleur hanger and bent fork, Ride1up says tough luck. Thoughts?

[RunForTheHills]

Yeah disc brakes and seems ok, doesn’t rub but certainly not anything great. I’ll take a look at this then thank you.

It is possible that the dish on the wheel is off then and the fork is okay. Park also sells a couple of different dishing tools that aren't too expensive, but only worth buying if you are going to build your own wheels. The dish can be easily fixed by a competent bike shop that has experience with wheel building. You can also fix the dish yourself by loosening the spokes on one side and tightening the other. I would do a half turn at time and go around the circumference of the wheel. Repeat until the dish is the same on both sides of the wheel.

You can make your own as well.

 

[harryS]

The dish can be fixed by an amateur too. Most of my bikes have rim brakes, and I have to dish the wheels to get them in the center of the calipers.

I don;t like the gap under the one side of the headset. Looks like that fork got bent, but pictures can deceive, as there's no way the hole for the fender cannot be in the center,unless they drilled it at a 70 degree angle from the back.

 

[RunForTheHills]

The dish can be fixed an amateur too. Most of my bikes have rim brakes, and I have to dish the wheels to get them in the center of the calipers.

I don;t like the gap under the one side of the headset. Looks like that fork got bent, but pictures can deceive, as there's no way the hole for the fender cannot be in the center,unless they drilled it at a 70 degree angle from the back.

It does look a little weird in the picture.

MTA: If he has another bike with the same size of wheel, he could pop another wheel on the fork and see if looks the same.

 

[Gionnirocket]

It is possible that the dish on the wheel is off then and the fork is okay. Park also sells a couple of different dishing tools that aren't too expensive, but only worth buying if you are going to build your own wheels. The dish can be easily fixed by a competent bike shop that has experience with wheel building. You can also fix the dish yourself by loosening the spokes on one side and tightening the other. I would do a half turn at time and go around the circumference of the wheel. Repeat until the dish is the same on both sides of the wheel.

View attachment 86450

You can make your own as well.


View attachment 86451

Maybe he can purchase the Park full line of tools, disassemble the entire bike and then reassemble it machining new parts as needed

 

[RunForTheHills]

Maybe he can purchase the Park full line of tools, disassemble the entire bike and then reassemble it machining new parts as needed

 

[Gionnirocket]

Yeah disc brakes and seems ok, doesn’t rub but certainly not anything great. I’ll take a look at this then thank you.

Brakes on a new, especially budget bike will need tweaking the first few hundred miles. You have pad break in and cable stretch to manage and possible other adjustments dependant on the caliper provided.

 

[EpicTwiglet]

Thanks all for the info. When I get the new hanger installed, (could do it myself but Ride1up will pay for it) I’ll get the shop to try and detail the cause of the wonky wheel and then go from there.

 

[Asher]

I highly doubt you could get a good kit, battery and underlying bike for 1200. Aside from the fact that you get integrated battery and cabling, and a 1 year (limited) warranty covering the whole thing and the way each part interacts with another. A cheapy bafang 750w kit is 500-600+, plus a decent battery 400+, then find a bike worth putting it on.

Kind of off-topic, but it's strange how so many people recommend kits as the best value, when it really isn't, as you pointed out. ~$1000 for the kit, then paying someone to build it, on a suitable bike, and much lower resale value vs a branded bike.

This shop charges $1,800 for conversions.

 

[john peck]

That looks disturbing. I guess lighting could be making it look worse than it is. When you get the hanger all sorted out take the bike on a long, steep downhill to make sure you don't get a speed wobble. The way it looks, it might not ride well and could cause uneven tire wear and braking issues.

That test might not be the most prudent method of finding out. I go out of my way to avoid face plants.
Looks like a crap fork to me, not just shipping damage. Either way Ride1up should replace it gratis.
Let them deal with the shipper. Such issues on this forum will not win them new customers.

 

[J.R.]

That test might not be the most prudent method of finding out. I go out of my way to avoid face plants.
Looks like a crap fork to me, not just shipping damage. Either way Ride1up should replace it gratis.
Let them deal with the shipper. Such issues on this forum will not win them new customers.

I tend to agree in theory. The problem is, if the bike cant even be tested at speed, it has to go back to the seller. It can be used or cannot be used.

 

[m@Robertson]

Man I wouldn't want to settle for that kind of misalignment. You are going to be looking down and seeing that every mile you ride that bike. I'd let them know they can replace the fork or take the bike back. Thats a manufacturing defect no matter how bad you want to spin it. And that off-center eyelet means you can kiss goodbye the installation of fenders or a light that uses it, so there's your functional compromise. The fork roots also look out of whack. Not symmetrical.

I agree with @john peck that does not look like ship damage it looks like poor quality control.

 

[Ebiker01]

The new fork could actually be worse... unless they check it b4 shipping. I would check other areas on the ebike : rear chainstays/crankset/rear wheel/handlebar/battery closing ok ?

 

[Ebiker01]

The new fork could actually be worse... unless they check it b4 shipping. I would check other areas on the ebike : rear chainstays/crankset/rear wheel/handlebar/battery closing ok

 

[Marcela]

Looks like the fender mount hole is off center.

 

[EpicTwiglet]

Hey all. Thanks for all the thoughts.

So although the fork certainly has some issues and is not true, turned out the primary issue was the washers mentioned by Ride1up. The REASON however was the bike never had any lol. LBS were happy to provide some better quality nuts and they had the washers built in, and so far have had no issues. No wobbles etc.

I think the fender hole has been throwing everyone off, LBS included, as it’s so far off center. The fork itself seems to be “within a reasonable deviation” of spec.

 

[EpicTwiglet]

Kind of off-topic, but it's strange how so many people recommend kits as the best value, when it really isn't, as you pointed out. ~$1000 for the kit, then paying someone to build it, on a suitable bike, and much lower resale value vs a branded bike.

This shop charges $1,800 for conversions.

Also off topic but regarding the resale value, I bought a Lectric XP for 900, painted it and put some nice accessories on it, changed the freewheel, handle bars, grips etc. Sold it for 1200 and bought a Core 5 for 1150. Definitely won’t be doing that with a kit bike!

 

[Gionnirocket]

Also off topic but regarding the resale value, I bought a Lectric XP for 900, painted it and put some nice accessories on it, changed the freewheel, handle bars, grips etc. Sold it for 1200 and bought a Core 5 for 1150. Definitely won’t be doing that with a kit bike!

First off.. Most building kits are not thinking about resale value or paying anyone to install them for that matter... Kinda defeats the purpose of a DIY Kit.
And depending on components of the build, you can definitely end up with a higher quality bike as you can see from the initial reason for your post.

A good paint job and upgraded parts add value and take time so it seems you donated your time and lucky if you broke even on cost if that on the sale of the XP
Then there's the customization and uniqueness of kits.. Have you seen some of the builds that PedalUma has done? Far nicer than what you received.

So value, especially resale can be a bit arbitrary... I once sold a 10 year old Sony Car CD Changer on ebay for 15% more than I paid for it when a bidding war broke out... I had listed it for far less and I know I wouldn't have paid more than $25 for it as technology had advanced so much in those 10 years. And for what the buyer paid, he could have had a much nicer new unit with a warranty.

So I'm glad you are happy with your bike... that's the important part. And don't preoccupy about future pennies that will more than likely not change your life in any meaningful way.

 

[MartsEbike]

All "branded bikes" are better than Kit bikes... You just need to ignore the low end "branded bikes" and stick with the expensive top of line "branded bikes"....

Simple easy ebike buying advice.

 

[Gionnirocket]

All "branded bikes" are better than Kit bikes... You just need to ignore the low end "branded bikes" and stick with the expensive top of line "branded bikes"....

Simple easy ebike buying advice.

Ahh the assumptions of those with more money than brain cells.
If you think everyone can afford that or has to do with out.. You need to get out in the real world.

 

[EMGX]

Also off topic but regarding the resale value, I bought a Lectric XP for 900, painted it and put some nice accessories on it, changed the freewheel, handle bars, grips etc. Sold it for 1200 and bought a Core 5 for 1150. Definitely won’t be doing that with a kit bike!

Ask Pedaluma if he has lost money converting the multiple bikes he has for others with mid drives? He does premium installation work but anyone who knows how to turn a wrench can do it themselves. I agree that there seem to be a lot of nice purpose built, lower price, ebike offerings available now but for someone who already has a bike that they like and has the inclination and confidence a DIY kit can't be beat cost wise. There are other advantages; for the Tongsheng TSDZ2 you can buy almost any replacement/repair part for reasonable prices including the motor itself, controller, gears and bearings, motor covers, peripheral cables and display/controls; if at some point you want it on a different bike or you just want to return your bike to a regular non-assist bike that can be also done quickly and easily; no proprietary battery issues; minimal depreciation (potentially just the cost of the kit and battery themselves, or less). I have read many posts on this forum regarding problems with both expensive and inexpensive ebikes including defects and poor dealer or seller warranty and service. I also see "for sale" posts where after only a couple years of use an expensive ebike is being sold for thousands less than initial price - and even then they are trying to sell a several thousand dollar, now out of date or obsolete ebike - good luck with that or more importantly good luck to a prospective buyer shelling out for a obsolete bike without any kind of warranty.