We ordered the 20" Stunner LT for my wife, knew at time of ordering that there would be a 4 week delay on the standard battery, and a 2 week delay on the Thudbuster seat post, otherwise bike was in stock. Think the order was placed August 18th. Knowing my Blackbird won't be in until November we were ok with the wait. Got an email on August 27th that it was shipping!! Arrived August 31st via FedEx!
Packaging was top notch, box on a pallet. FedEx called ahead of time due to needing a signature.
Putting it together was pretty straight forward following the YouTube video of Alex putting one together. Not overly impressed with the tools though. The plastic screwdriver shattered on first use and the thin wrench for the pedal installation broke on the first pedal installation. Own tools to complete the job, no real biggie. There was no multi-tool in the kit, just the very cheap individual tool pieces. They may get the job done, and if they don't you know exactly what you need and they're common and you probably have them already. I think it would have been better if they had made Alex put it together using the included tools and not their shop tools. He also did show/use the multi-tool, but that wasn't included in our package.
Got the brakes bedded in and then some test riding. Bad news unfortunately. Wife had wanted a cadence sensor bike based on some test rides, this is a torque sensor bike. Checked online and found that the mobile site still said cadence but the regular computer site had been updated to torque. Wife is getting used to it and while initially hesitant she has managed a few hills without issues and thinks it will be fine.
Bigger concern was that there was oil dripping down from the rear brake lever and gear-shifter, and after bedding in the brakes the rear lever now just pulls straight to the bar and the rear brake doesn't engage.
Chat & emails to support resulted in a phone call back to us within a day. They confirmed the website issue and said they would resolve it. We were already at the point that the wife was getting accustomed to the torque sensor and with the cost of return shipping, that issue became a non-issue. As for the brakes, it was quickly determined that they would send a replacement after discussing taking it to an LBS to have them bled. As there was oil dripping until no oil up top, this led us to believe it would not be resolved by a bleed. Brakes were shipped next day and received a few days later, along with a small bottle of oil and an olive/insert set. This was somewhat helpful, but it didn't include syringes, tubes, nipples to connect to the calipers/levers or a brake block. Another email conversation and the choice of take to an LBS or order necessary parts online. Chose the latter as we're quite rural and LBS are limited and backed up. Kit should be here tomorrow. Will then work on replacing the rear brake lever. Will initially just replace the lever/reservoir and re-use the existing caliper and line, but they did send a full replacement set in case needed. I feel confident that we'll be able to get it sorted and if necessary will end up at an LBS and that Biktrix will honor their promise for paying.
So overall we're happy so far. Issues like this can and do happen so while a QC might/should have caught it, it happened. Customer service is obviously the next issue. So many have said that buying online means that you run the risk of lesser quality service than your LBS. This depends and can vary greatly on your LBS and the online vendor. I'm very happy to report that Biktrix has so far been exceptional to deal with. They have been quick to respond and more than fair with providing options for resolving the issue.
Will know by the end of the weekend where we stand, but so far we would still recommend Biktrix.
