Consider REI for maintenance and repairs

[PatriciaK]

Need some work done under warranty (bleed hydraulic brake line and re-tension spokes) on my Espin Flow, and Espin Customer Service recommended I take it to my local REI store. Called them a couple of days ago, and they told me they're a full service bike shop and will work on just about any bike (YAY! The other shop in town had told me previously that they won't work on class 2 bikes ).

REI did say they wanted to see the bike before making an appointment, so this morning my "personal mechanic" rode the bike down for them to take a look. They bled the brakes on the spot - no charge. We have an appointment on Monday to have the spokes done - for $35 (member price). Seems very reasonable to me! I didn't really care about the price this time because Espin is going to reimburse me, but it's good to know for when warranty expires.

Linking the local store's price sheet here for reference:

Greensboro Bike Repair, Tune-ups & Maintenance | REI Greensboro Bike Shop

Get bike tune-ups, repairs, and fitting services at the REI Greensboro Bike Shop. We have a variety of services to get you back on Greensboro bike routes in no time.

www.rei.com

I never thought of using REI as my LBS before! Might be a good option, if there's one in the area... Especially if you're members (we're are since 1977!)!

 

[Cstefan]

I also used REI for warranty service to replace and re-tension spokes on my Espin Sport.

They will work on anything as long as they can get parts. They happen to carry 13 ga straight spokes which I‘ve found is the main barrier to getting the wheels my Sport serviced at other LBS in town.

To anyone considering ordering a bike over the internet I highly recommend paying REI (or another LBS) to assemble the bike. They will make sure everything is torqued and adjusted properly, including spoke tension.

 

[AHicks]

Espin will pay to have those spokes set correctly if you tell them there's any issue with them (like the typical clicking noise they make). Maybe get a separate bill for that service so you can send it in?

May be just me, but I think there's an issue with whoever/whatever is building these wheels for them. The more people that complain, the better the chances of that issue being recognized, and the better the chances of it being dealt with properly - before there's an issue. Doesn't help current owners much, but it would those following us....

As far as REI doing service work on any bike, I didn't know that either, but my bet is we're going to see much more of that from other stores. With the number of bikes being sold, and their relative complexity, there's going to be pretty good chance of a LOT of money to be made here! -Al

 

[john peck]

Nearest REI is a 75 mi round trip, but thatś ok, l do all my own work. I´m such a cheapskate.

 

[PatriciaK]

My bike is still under warranty. Espin was clear that they will reimburse me, but I need to have the work done by a "professional" in order not to void said warranty. After warranty, my "personal mechanic" will take over for most maintenance and repair .

 

[AHicks]

Nearest REI is a 75 mi round trip, but thatś ok, l do all my own work. I´m such a cheapskate.

I hear that loud and clear! Me too.... PLUS, I just enjoy working on stuff like that. Whatever it takes. The challenge and the sense of satisfaction.

 

[Sparky731]

Agree to REI as a source. I needed a new Shimano derailleur for my Trek. They didn’t have it but my local REI had the exact model needed. However, Trek installed it for free while I waited. REI needed a full day bike drop-off and a full service fee. Depends upon where you buy your bike.

 

[Cstefan]

Espin will pay to have those spokes set correctly if you tell them there's any issue with them (like the typical clicking noise they make). Maybe get a separate bill for that service so you can send it in?

May be just me, but I think there's an issue with whoever/whatever is building these wheels for them. The more people that complain, the better the chances of that issue being recognized, and the better the chances of it being dealt with properly - before there's an issue. Doesn't help current owners much, but it would those following us....

Yep Espin is paying for the work I had done. I’ll also be sending them the bill for the now 4th spoke that broke. If the shop says they need to rebuild the wheel I’ll send them the bill for that as well.

At this point I suspect it may be in their interest to have someone properly tension, true, round, and stress relieve the wheels prior to shipping bikes to customers.

As far as REI doing service work on any bike, I didn't know that either, but my bet is we're going to see much more of that from other stores. With the number of bikes being sold, and their relative complexity, there's going to be pretty good chance of a LOT of money to be made here! -Al

It seems like most bike shops here (Seattle Area) keep the doors open and the lights on with service and repair work along with accessory sales.

A couple of local bike shops have switched to only servicing bikes they’ve sold or worked on before. As I understand this is due to increased demand combined with a lack of qualified mechanics.

 

[Elkman]

Unless you are a very hefty individual a spoke should never break on a good wheel. With 4 spokes breaking I would be looking at replacing all the spokes even if I need to pay for it myself. And I would do it 3 cross lacing on the wheels and never need to do it again for the life of the bike. Espin is a new business and evidently the owners lack an understanding of how to properly build a wheel. Consider all the heavy guys jumping their mountain bike repeatly and without breaking a spoke.

If Espin lacks people who know how to build a wheel then they should be buying wheels already put together and using them on the bikes they are selling. Bike shops have been doing this for more than 50 years.

 

[AHicks]

Unless you are a very hefty individual a spoke should never break on a good wheel. With 4 spokes breaking I would be looking at replacing all the spokes even if I need to pay for it myself. And I would do it 3 cross lacing on the wheels and never need to do it again for the life of the bike. Espin is a new business and evidently the owners lack an understanding of how to properly build a wheel. Consider all the heavy guys jumping their mountain bike repeatly and without breaking a spoke.

If Espin lacks people who know how to build a wheel then they should be buying wheels already put together and using them on the bikes they are selling. Bike shops have been doing this for more than 50 years.

3 cross lacing is the ultimate, but can (will) leave you with excessive spoke angles where they meet the rim. For that reason, MANY recommend 2 cross lacing for wheels built on hub drives. I broke 4 spokes because I had some bad info. leading to a loose spoke issue. Had I known what I was doing at that point, it would have been a way different story.

Espin sells a lot of bikes. I think they are well beyond a little old man sitting in a back room building wheels. I'm pretty sure they are already buying prelaced/built up wheels already. Judging by the number of issues they are seeing, I do agree there is likely an issue with the specs they are using when building those wheels. Hopefully they'll work though whatever the issue is sooner than later. To their credit, they are taking care of their warranty responsibilities gracefully.

FWIW, RAD bikes have had a similar issue for years now. No idea what their problem is.

 

[Cstefan]

Unless you are a very hefty individual a spoke should never break on a good wheel. With 4 spokes breaking I would be looking at replacing all the spokes even if I need to pay for it myself. And I would do it 3 cross lacing on the wheels and never need to do it again for the life of the bike. Espin is a new business and evidently the owners lack an understanding of how to properly build a wheel. Consider all the heavy guys jumping their mountain bike repeatly and without breaking a spoke.

If Espin lacks people who know how to build a wheel then they should be buying wheels already put together and using them on the bikes they are selling. Bike shops have been doing this for more than 50 years.

Unless you are buying a custom bike it is highly unlikely the wheels are hand built. Machine made wheels are the norm even for high-end bikes sold in volume. In theory there should be nothing wrong with a machine made wheel, especially if a human stress relieves the wheel and verifies the tension. This can be done at the factory or more typically at the dealer.

In any case low spoke tension is a common problem on machine built wheels. Better process and QC can keep wheels with improper tension from reaching the customer.