My internet ordering experience so far...

[DOM1NO]

Negotiated a great price on a 2017 Haibike Trekking 4.0 so placed the order. The bike had to be shipped to the dealer, who said he would upgrade the firmware on the Bosch system and then send it to me in Florida.


The whole process was actually pretty quick, and I received the bike last night.


As I unpacked the bike I started to notice something was wrong. Even though the box didn't show any signs of distress, it was clear the bike had been damaged.


The first thing that appeared not right was the saddle rails. The rails were attached to the seat post without the saddle, and the seat post was not attached to the bike, it was just 'floating around' in the box with some plastic around it.


How it could have sustained this kind of damage floating in the box I don't know, it would have taken a lot of force to bend this.


(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)


The next thing I noticed was in the headtube. It was very well protected with a thick cardboard sleeve, but it looked funny, bent. After I removed the cardboard you could see the bolt that holds the little cap on was bent. Inside the headtube is a hard plastic washer type thing that the bolt threads into, it's mashed in there and out of alignment.


(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)


These were just some quick pictures I took while I decided how much further I wanted to proceed with assembling the bike. If this was the extent of the damage I could probably live with it, but I'm worried that without being able to ride it (no seat), that I won't be able to asses the full extent of the damage... frame bent, other pieces bent, out of alignment?


I've sent an email to the sales person and currently waiting to hear back. Will call soon if no response via email.

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? I'm not sure if the best course of action is to push to send the bike back for a refund/replacement or to try and get the bad parts replaced.

 

[J.R.]

The next thing I noticed was in the headtube. It was very well protected with a thick cardboard sleeve, but it looked funny, bent. After I removed the cardboard you could see the bolt that holds the little cap on was bent. Inside the headtube is a hard plastic washer type thing that the bolt threads into, it's mashed in there and out of alignment.

That's a star nut in the headtube, it's supposed to be mashed in there - it's metal. This will give you some insight.

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/how-to-fit-a-star-nut-43587/

I can't tell you if some repair is warranted.

 

[rich c]

Can't imagine the frame being bent without obvious visual clues. Those frames are incredibly rigid. But I agree, that steerer tube bolt is disturbing.

 

[DOM1NO]

On further inspection, I've found the rear rack has some deep gouges and one pretty good size dent in the top tubing. Still no response from the sales guy, getting ready to call now.

 

[itsaulgoodman]

Yikes, things like a seat post, headset star nut / bolt, rack are no big deal. Dent in frame... that's major.

 

[DOM1NO]

Here are a couple more pictures. The dealer wants to send me the parts to fix it, new seat, rack, star nut, etc. However now I'm finding a bunch of play in the fork/downtube and am worried something there got damaged when that bolt was getting bent. The force on those components to do that must have been pretty incredible.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[J.R.]

I'm finding a bunch of play in the fork/downtube

There will be play until you get the headset adjusted with the new bolt and cap. I'm sure you didn't want to go to school on your new bike, but it's simple to do. I would do this adjustment on any shipped bike. Good to check every 6 months or anytime your bike hits the ground as well.

More detail:

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/threadless-headset-service

 

[DOM1NO]

You are a wealth of information J.R., thank you

I appreciated your link to the star nut video, not sure I would have found and understood that otherwise.

I went to the lbs and got a replacement bolt yesterday and tried everything that is in the second video you posted and I still have play, so not sure what else to try.

 

[itsaulgoodman]

Play might be coming from the bearings. That star nut really only serves to hold the cap on. I'd be pushing to return the bike for full exchange.

 

[DOM1NO]

Play might be coming from the bearings. That star nut really only serves to hold the cap on. I'd be pushing to return the bike for full exchange.

Yea I'm working with the dealer and have floated that idea out there, but no response yet.

 

[Svein Tore]

Full exchange or a serious discount I'd say.

 

[DOM1NO]

Full exchange or a serious discount I'd say.

Yea if I had it to do over again I would definitely had sent it back at the first sign it was damaged. The dealer was very insistent that this was not the correct course of action however.

Well, at least as of this weekend I finally have a whole, fully functional bike.

I got up early this morning and did a 'test' commute with it, went half way and back... 10 miles total. Monday will be my first real commute weather permitting.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[DOM1NO]

It's the PCS-10. Yea I really didn't 'want' to buy it, but was doing so much work that bending over was killing my back. It makes ALL the difference in the world for that! I've learned a TON about the bike during this process so some silver lining. The stand has made working on the bike a joy.

Am using it now as a bike stand and it works really well for that also.

 

[Chris Nolte]

That Arkel bag looks quite nice on there!

I think the big issue is the boxes the bikes are shipped in are really not intended to be used more than once. We have our own boxes built for us to ensure these sorts of things don't happen. It costs more, but we save headaches and money in the long run. Most shops aren't willing to take these steps though.

 

[DOM1NO]

That Arkel bag looks quite nice on there!

I think the big issue is the boxes the bikes are shipped in are really not intended to be used more than once. We have our own boxes built for us to ensure these sorts of things don't happen. It costs more, but we save headaches and money in the long run. Most shops aren't willing to take these steps though.

Thanks Chris, after encountering rain a couple times on my daily commute I've had to gear up a little bit more, and the Arkel just wasn't able to handle it all. I've since switched over to these panniers which are great! I've got almost 400 miles of commuting on it now, and am a little amazed every time I throw a leg over her

Yea if I had to do it all over again I'm not sure I would go the same route. I did save a bunch of money, but the whole ordeal was a royal pain. The dealer COULD have been a lot more helpful, but instead they were accusatory and dishonest which made it all the worse. Oh well, live and learn.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[bob armani]

That Arkel bag looks quite nice on there!

I think the big issue is the boxes the bikes are shipped in are really not intended to be used more than once. We have our own boxes built for us to ensure these sorts of things don't happen. It costs more, but we save headaches and money in the long run. Most shops aren't willing to take these steps though.

I always thought your shop had an eye for service and quality. Great thinking on your part indeed. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure on that one!
I have also used bike boxes from my LBS to check my bike in baggage claims when flying to South Cal. I used a jimmy rigged roller dolly on the end of the box to cart it around the airport. Works great for transporting!

 

[bob armani]

Thanks Chris, after encountering rain a couple times on my daily commute I've had to gear up a little bit more, and the Arkel just wasn't able to handle it all. I've since switched over to these panniers which are great! I've got almost 400 miles of commuting on it now, and am a little amazed every time I throw a leg over her

Yea if I had to do it all over again I'm not sure I would go the same route. I did save a bunch of money, but the whole ordeal was a royal pain. The dealer COULD have been a lot more helpful, but instead they were accusatory and dishonest which made it all the worse. Oh well, live and learn.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

DOM-Hope you purchased your bike at a deep discount to warrant all of the aggravation. Is it possible it may have been a demo or did it have zero miles on the odometer? I have had 2 bikes delivered via UPS with next to no damage (delivered in its original packaging). Looks like the UPS guys handle them with care as I have observed. I have never seen a headset bolt bent in that fashion before. Good Luck with your new ride!

 

[Leandro]

Negotiated a great price on a 2017 Haibike Trekking 4.0 so placed the order. The bike had to be shipped to the dealer, who said he would upgrade the firmware on the Bosch system and then send it to me in Florida.


The whole process was actually pretty quick, and I received the bike last night.


As I unpacked the bike I started to notice something was wrong. Even though the box didn't show any signs of distress, it was clear the bike had been damaged.


The first thing that appeared not right was the saddle rails. The rails were attached to the seat post without the saddle, and the seat post was not attached to the bike, it was just 'floating around' in the box with some plastic around it.


How it could have sustained this kind of damage floating in the box I don't know, it would have taken a lot of force to bend this.


(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)


The next thing I noticed was in the headtube. It was very well protected with a thick cardboard sleeve, but it looked funny, bent. After I removed the cardboard you could see the bolt that holds the little cap on was bent. Inside the headtube is a hard plastic washer type thing that the bolt threads into, it's mashed in there and out of alignment.


(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)


These were just some quick pictures I took while I decided how much further I wanted to proceed with assembling the bike. If this was the extent of the damage I could probably live with it, but I'm worried that without being able to ride it (no seat), that I won't be able to asses the full extent of the damage... frame bent, other pieces bent, out of alignment?


I've sent an email to the sales person and currently waiting to hear back. Will call soon if no response via email.

Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? I'm not sure if the best course of action is to push to send the bike back for a refund/replacement or to try and get the bad parts replaced.

Sorry to hear about your experience.

It seems as though the dealer, from which the bike was purchased, never bothered to open the box, build the bike, and test it prior to reshipping the bike to you. This is something that we ensure be done with every bike that comes through our shop. We love to get our hands on the bike first before ever redirecting a purchase to a customer, so that we can inspect the product, make sure that it is in good condition, and check that it performs as it should straight out of the box.

As Chris previously mentioned, we also use our own packaging and avoid reusing boxes when possible.

We understand that making such large purchased through the web can be a bit nerve racking and we do our best to make the online shopping experience seamless.