Quote :

"If that does not work, I am going to donate it to my Church for the street-bike club they are starting up."

you're going to donate a defective bike to a church?

lol

5/9/2006 5:41:29 PM

I got my bike at walmart and it works fine.

5/9/2006 5:43:42 PM

do your hw.

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/XC_Hardtail/product_124747.shtml
notable weak shocks, and rims.


Read the first review, sounds like this poor fool should get off a bike or get some coordination.

Quote :

"Since my last review, I have flipped it in a wreck, ran in a person, sideswiped some foliage, been hit by a car (5-10 mph), ran into some concrete structures, and dropped it off a car roof. "

HAHAHA

But seriously Waterguy, not to say that 300 dollars is not a lot, but perhaps you shouldnt just buy a bike based on brand name. Learn the hierarchy of quality parts, for example, Shimano Acera is the bottom end. It is possible to get a quality bike for under 500 if you search. Also if you read the review, every single reply commented on the shitty 'INSIGHT' front fork. Most importantly remember that sales reps main job is to sell you products! So do your research first then go into the store and TEST the product.

5/9/2006 5:52:19 PM

Quote :

"Imagine what it would do if I really rode it on a trail in Umstead Park?"

there are no mtb trails in umstead park.

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 6:31 PM. Reason : "MTB"]

5/9/2006 6:25:35 PM

Well, why did the service department agree with me? Even after the repair, they still agreed with me and felt that I have a case. They disagree with the owner, but he is their boss and they are limited in what can be done on their part. Listen here guys, these excellent mechanics of bicycles (whom I do trust) at this actual shop who work on these things felt that even for the money I spent, that the bike should not do the clunk/clank noise the way it did. A little? Just maybe. But not as much as mine did. Mine is very bad, especially when I simply lift-up to avoid a small 4 inch gap in the pavement. 4 inches? Dang. They did mention I should maybe upgrade to the more expensive models, but I am tapped out here. I was told and assured this bike in particular would be the right bike. The tech got on it each time I questioned it and made the clunk happen inside the store and some out in the parking lot by the back door. You should have seen his face grimace when he did it. He would shake his head and say "this is not right". He never even got rough with it. And neither did I. I never had it on a trail and probably put a grand total of two miles on it. Maybe three.

The salesman knew I was going to use it for light duty to medium trails. If he and the owner knew this design defect about this bike and not being able to handle even that, why did they sell it to me? Could they not have told me it would clunk if I go over anything more than a few inches of a fault in the road or trail practically? Could they not have told me in the beginning that this is not the right bike for me? I guess not because then they would have lost the sale for my price range. And why, did they (the owner and the salesman even) admit that there is a problem with the bike, agreeing with their excellent techs and try to fix it? Were they just humoring me? Why do that? Just tell the deal. Something is not right here. I guess they did not know their own product? Maybe that is what this is all about. My buddy just bought a bike for $150 bucks from Wal-Mart. Some crazy no-name brand. And you know what? It does not do this mess. Maybe that is what I should buy instead of a well-known Trek. Go figure.

I simply posted this so others can be very careful when shopping for a bike here in Raleigh. That's all. It is human nature that when you are screwed, you want to get the word out so it does not happen to others. So they can be extra careful. That is all this is. In the beginning, they got my attention as a reputable bike shop, and many have had good luck with them, especially the service techs who have just been awesome through this whole mess. That is why I went to them, because during the initial sale, it was like dealing with friends. It was great. It really was. But then it changed for the worse. And don't worry to those arguing with me, they will sell many more bikes before they retire because this post might only take a sale or two away from their huge sales. But what they did to me was wrong. And others agree with me at State through some other emails I have received (both from students and faculty/staff). I am waiting to hear back from Trek, and I'll take it from there. Because either Trek will settle this rightfully, or I am going to turn this around and donate it to the Church for the needy to use strictly on the road and make it a happy ending once and for all. Then I will search elsewhere for the correct bike. Thanks to each one of you for the advice and comments (even the hateful ones), I will use all of it from all of you. I promise.

5/9/2006 6:37:46 PM

Hey Chop, meant to say Uhwarrie. My bad. But I find that weird you say that when two buddies of mine went biking there last week. Were they breaking the law? Yikes! I like Uhwarrie by Asheboro anyway. Hey DesignisGod, the bike is perfectly fine for the smooth road which is what the Church wants to use it for. No Mtn biking stuff or small jumps/hops at all. It will be fine for that. Hey bmDurham, thats some really helpful and good stuff, thanks bro'.

5/9/2006 6:47:49 PM

what did the guy with the eye patch say?

5/9/2006 6:53:12 PM

i should rephrase that. there are no legal singletrack mtb trails in umstead. they have walking/biking/equine multi-use trails that are more or less well groomed dirt roads. there is some singletrack trail in the woods but you have to know where it is and if you get caught its likely to be a hefty fine.

5/9/2006 6:53:19 PM

"omg"

5/9/2006 6:55:16 PM

^^ I was about to say

"rocky road"

5/9/2006 7:10:38 PM

I emailed the shop about this thread so hopefully we should hear their side pretty soon

5/9/2006 7:13:10 PM

Thanks Wolftrap,

Hopefully and I do pray, when they see what a hot topic this is, both they and I can come to a happy medium (read : win-win scenario) and clear up this whole awful nightmare that this turned into.

I still ultimately, have to believe, that there really and truly is good in "all parties involved".

With much sincerity,

Heres to a happy ending for both.

5/9/2006 8:26:10 PM

5 commas would be one awkward pause mid-sentence

5/9/2006 8:26:54 PM

Quote :

"If you got a TREK anything for 300 bucks, you got a damn deal on it. And expecting ANY bike for 300 bucks to be able to trail ride and not fall apart is pretty rediculous."

This isn't true at all. My buddy bought a Giant Rincon I think for right at $300 and it has taken some pretty nasty abuse and is still very rideable.

I have a question though, how much do you weigh, and is your front fork a spring type fork or an air pressure fork? I know you say you are giving up on it, but you could probably go back and tell them you want to put a beefier/better front fork on it and split the cost with them. This does seem a little unusual and Id be real surprised that they put a different fork on it (not a quick task) to the same effect if you aren't a clydesdale.

5/9/2006 8:36:21 PM

^^^Dude, TAKE IT UP WITH THE GODDAMN MANUFACTURER.

NO BIKE SHOP ANYWHERE is going to take back a bike after you use it on the road. NONE.

It's YOUR fault for not riding the thing BEFORE you bought it. Hell I put like 5 miles on the road bike to make sure it worked before I bought it. And you better believe I went to town on my dirt cheap mountain bike before I bought it.

Take it up with TREK if there's a constant problem. You have the warranty for a damn reason.

^Sorry Chance, I mean't to say a *NEW* bike for 300 bones. You can get a lot of really decent ones used for that or less.

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 8:41 PM. Reason : .]

5/9/2006 8:40:22 PM

Instead of buying a $350'ish trek you should have saved your money and gotten something better. For another $100 you could ave been in a decent starter bike. Dont expect much for a sub $400 bike. You get what you pay for.

5/9/2006 8:42:08 PM

See this guys comment where he paid $325 new for this bike

http://tinyurl.com/pld3s

It's I think their lowest XC style mtb, it has the base level components you'd expect, and a front fork with some pretty scrawny looking stansions. After bashing multiple trees with it, wiping out at ~20mph on the Trail to Nowhere in Bryson City (where he almost broke his forearm), and just generally being neglected as far as maintenance goes for its entire life of more than 2 years now, its still rideable. And I think he paid $280 for it at Performance in Carrboro.

Bikes have come a ways where you can actually get one for $300 that will last if you aren't 200+ pounds and you aren't trying to hop down anything greater than a 2 foot drop with it.

5/9/2006 9:59:35 PM

Did you call corporate yet?

5/9/2006 11:13:31 PM

^^Yea I paid 215 for a Mongoose crapfest from Dick's that ended up being an awesome casual mountain bike. I beat the hell out of it trailriding and it never went down.

but it sure as shit squeaked, shifting was hardly smooth or reliable and the disc brakes were laughable.

5/10/2006 12:09:41 AM

why dont you go to the TREK store here in north raleigh on raven ridge rd

5/10/2006 12:35:52 AM

From trianglemtb

Quote :

"look im the mechanic who works there. this is the most rediculous story ever. He bought a 3900 which is a $300 bike and yes the fork is not intended for any type of jumping. it a damn recreational bike meant to putt around town or some LIGHT trail use. We replaced the fork, at no charge mind you, with a nicer fork that has top out bumpers so yes it still makes the noise but only when you compress it and pull up in the right timing. But i have to aggressivly compress and pull up on the fork to get the clunk to occur. The fork has no rebound adjustment which is the main problem, but you dont get that till you spend 500-600 on a bike. We at Flythe Cyclery went above and beyond what was called for on the bike, but you cannot please everyone! he also had his old bike tuned up when he purchased this one, he was so happy to have his old bike back because it "works" soo good now i feel he didnt want the new bike anymore and just wanted his money back. when i sell a bike i throughly ask what type of riding you are going to be doing so i can get you on the right bike. he just wanted a bike to ride to work and DID NOT want to spend alot of money, so you get what you pay for."

5/10/2006 1:30:25 PM

>.<

5/10/2006 1:47:11 PM

pwn

5/10/2006 1:51:00 PM

Oh Well, that is what I figured he would say. And I do respect the opinion. But I disagree on a couple of things. I made it clear that I wanted a mountain bike, not recreational that could handle the road and be used for light to medium trails. I did not say I want a bike to just ride to work. I also do not need one that is going to go over boulders either or drop a story or two. Miscommunication or understanding of what that all means by both parties? Obviously yes.

Also, the old bike did work so well that I can now keep it as well for visiting friends and for sentimental value. Regardless of what happens, I now intend to always have two bikes. I never gave an impression that I did not want the new bike because they did a great job on my old bike. I was just glad I had a bike to ride again really. That is what I said to them. And I really thank them for that cause it is still a good bike to use strictly on road. But as far as the new one goes? They asked, if we FIX it, do you still want it? And my reply has always been YES. The fact is, I still need a new bike with a good front suspension for when I do go trail riding and use it on the road as much if not more. My old bike is still not the right bike for any trails either. My body has changed since I bought that old guy' 16 years ago and I now need some cushion. On the new bike, this is not the right fork. No question and I intend to find the right new bike after I save up yet again.

Trek contacted me back and asked me to take it to another dealer because they are still willing to settle this correctly. Their words. So now, I guess I am just going to do that like the other gentleman on here said to do and work with Trek and another dealer.

Lessons Learned?

Communicate better when looking for a new bike.

Make sure both parties agree and completely understand what it is exactly going to be used for.

Be allowed to ride it a good amount (maybe five miles like that guy on here got to do when he shopped for a new bike at another reputable shop which included hops, road and light trail I think. And if the bike shop refuses, go somewhere else).

Know that $300-$400 may not be a good mountain bike for light to medium trails depending on the manufacturer and the componenets on the bike. With some of them, you do have to pay in the $500 - $700 range to get what you need.

When in doubt, contact the manufacturer.

And do your homework on the websites and look at owner reviews.

I still believe Flythe has an awesome and knowledgeable service team. But each store sets it's limits on what it can or cannot do I guess. I do now(after all of this believe it or not) wish those guys well with future customers. Hopefully we all have learned from this. I know I have.

Now it is time to end all of this and just both parties move on. They go their way and I'll go mine and settle this with Trek or just save up for yet another new bike.

enough.

5/10/2006 2:10:27 PM

How much do you weigh?

5/10/2006 2:14:17 PM

The dealer is totally wrong. Since you told them the purpose you were purchasing the bike for, you had an implied warranty for particular purpose. Honestly, it does not matter that you used the bike, you should still be able to return it to the dealer. The bike shop owner needs a good lawyer to explain the UCC to him.

Glad Trek is working with you. This potentially is a manufacturer's defect and its much cheaper to just give you a new bike.




[Edited on May 10, 2006 at 3:13 PM. Reason : Willistons]

5/10/2006 3:00:02 PM

"quotations"

5/10/2006 3:29:44 PM

Quote :

"The dealer is totally wrong. Since you told them the purpose you were purchasing the bike for, you had an implied warranty for particular purpose."

You're getting one side of the story here. Don't think a few law classes and you are a lawyer missy.

5/10/2006 3:42:57 PM

I might not know alot about bikes, but if Flythe wanted to do the right thing in this situation, they should practice standard business principle that the customer is always right. The customer does have rights and as long as he is not abusing the system (from which what has been written previously, he is not!). In this case he was willing to work with Flythe before going to a third party (the manufacturer or another dealer), more effort should have been placed on Flythe's part. Seriously, how much money are they really going to lose on this one customer compared to all the other sales that they have? If Flythe wanted to salavge anything from this situation, it would be to start with fixing this customer's problem, even if it means going above and beyond what they have already done, to prevent any further damage to their name. Hopefully they will do the right thing, and fix this customer's problem once and for all. It is THE only fair thing to do.

5/10/2006 4:51:34 PM

this guy is fucking 40?

wow

i totally thought we were dealing with a freshman or something

5/10/2006 4:55:04 PM

You're getting one side of the story clown. Fuck that the customer is always right, thats some bullshit that ignornant consumers and wal mart nation dreamt up to get money back after they fucked up.

I'd say putting an upgraded fork on it is going well above where the should have to begin with. This guy probably mistated what type of riding he was going to do, and I bet he weighs 200+ pounds. These guys are experts, they know what they were doing recommending bikes based on the information they had been given.

And you are sorely mistaken if you think this thread is going to put a dent in their bottom line.

5/10/2006 4:59:35 PM

Yep, and like my 96 year old uncle told me; "you will always learn something new everyday, no matter what your age, that you probably should have known before."

Ok, to answer his question, I am 177lbs. Is that too much for the bike? Do not answer that. I really do not want to know. Look, what is done is done. Everyone has responded. You all feel the way you do. The shop feels the way it does. And I feel the way I do. This story is over. Everyone just needs to move on and get on with things. It has worn me out and I got other responsibilities I gotta take care of. Hopefully Trek will be cool and help me out like they said.

Peace to all involved (really)

5/10/2006 5:09:55 PM

I got a trek 6000 at flythe a long time ago as my first real mountain bike and was completely satisfied. The bike lasted me years without any significant problems, and i can even remember a time when i bent a few spokes pretty bad going down a trail one time and they repaired it for free.

5/10/2006 7:00:49 PM

you could always sell the bike, and get a better quality one. perhaps not a trek (overpriced in mho).
the you could also buy a new fork, but that would run you around 200 anyway.

5/11/2006 4:07:30 PM

there's a few ways you could handle this.

there's lose-lose, where nobody gets what they want

there's win-win, where you sorta compromise to both get you want

and then there's win-win-win, where everybody wins, even me. what you should do is make the bike into a t-shirt...

5/11/2006 4:15:39 PM

fuck this place allstart pwns at life

5/12/2006 9:58:52 AM

Hey I just wanted to respond to an issue that was posted a few days ago on this site and several others. My name is Winn Flythe and my father owns Flythe Cyclery. I have worked there almost 10 years. If you don't know who we are, we are a family run bicycle business located in downtown Raleigh. This is our 60th year in business under the Flythe name.

We sold a Trek 3900 Mountain bike to WaterGuy, or better known as Taylor Holland who works in the admissions department at NCSU, a few months ago. He came in, like alot of my customers and said he wanted a bike. When beginners come in, I always start at the bottom of the line and work up and try to get a feel for what level of bike they want. Some stores will start at the most expensive and work down. After talking to him for a good while, he decided on the Trek 3900 for under $300. He took the bike out and test rode it and then decided that he wanted to put it on layaway. He then brought in his older 10+ year old bike to have a Tune-up done on it. We did the tune up and even left the sentimental dirt on the frame that he was so fond of-Yep he wanted the mud left on the bike.

He continued to come in weekly or every other week to add accessories and to just "look" at his new bike and to chit chat. After putting the bike on layaway for about 2 months he came to pick it up.

He came back in saying that the suspension fork was making a clanking noise. This was a new issue on this bike. So I asked him to leave it with us. We called Trek and they had not had any problems with this fork on this bike. We also called the fork supplier and talked to them. They also said that they had not had any problems or complaints with the fork. The fork supplier suggested that we make some adjustments to the suspension fork and we did. Taylor Holland was still not happy, so we called the suspension fork company and they agreed to send us a new upgraded fork.

Taylor Holland(waterguy) was still not happy even after we put a new up graded fork on his bike because it made a noise.

To sum all this up:
1)This bike is not a jumping bike
2)You need to spend $500-600 for a better bike
3)The fork makes noise - BIG DEAL $1000 bikes will also make noise.
4)The fork did not go bad it just made a noise
5)My mechanic had to jump the bike 2-3 feet off the ground to get this noise.
6)We have sold hundreds of this model with no complaints
7)Trek has sold thousands of this model with no complaints
8)Why is Taylor Holland the only one having these problems with his fork and with the second fork installed on his bike?
9)I noticed he said the bike was in our possession more than his - Taylor are you including the 2 MONTHS you had the bike on layaway?
10)He just wanted his money back because we fixed his old one so well!
11)Taylors old bike did not have suspension , so what are you comparing this bike too.
12)60 years of service and he is the first customer to go to this extreme.
13)He had every chance to ride this bike as much as he wanted at the store.
14)He had every chance to ask questions about the bike.
15)Some people you just cant make happy.
16)I just got in a new 2007 Trek 3900 mountain bike with the same front suspension fork as the 2006 that Taylor Holland bought – who would have guessed!!!!!!


Oh Taylor - if this is your way of trying to ruin our reputation- Did you ever stop and think how this is making you look. No bike shop anywhere will want to help you because this is what you might do to them.

Last of all If your going to let one person make up your mind about Flythe Cyclery - YOU Will be missing out on a fun friendly bike shop. Thanks for all your support and comment form this site and others.
Thanks for reading this!!!!!
Winn Flythe

5/12/2006 11:49:31 AM

watch your double postin', fool.

5/12/2006 11:58:42 AM

"quotations" had me LOLING

5/12/2006 12:10:56 PM

Quote :

"The dealer is totally wrong. Since you told them the purpose you were purchasing the bike for, you had an implied warranty for particular purpose. Honestly, it does not matter that you used the bike, you should still be able to return it to the dealer. The bike shop owner needs a good lawyer to explain the UCC to him. "

Bull, there is no implied warranty on purpose. The bikes carry an explicit manufacturer's warranty as well as an explicit store warranty. The "purpose" is completely subjective and arbitrary. This is how every reputable bike shop in the country has operated for as long as there have been bike shops.

5/12/2006 1:14:26 PM

If you look at any reviews on this bike you will see it is a good beginner bike for light trails and a common trend is the cheap shocks.

So when you were unsatisfied with the shocks, they did all they were required to do. Replace the cheap shocks with the same new cheap shocks.

Your not getting any free upgrades out of this and complaining won't make your bike any better than the beginner bike it is. You don't like the shock on the front... Upgrade it.

5/12/2006 2:03:38 PM

Hey Winn.

I'm pretty sure if Taylor Holland wanted to go by Taylor Holland on this message board, he wouldn't have used an alias. I think you could say what you said there without publishing his name and occupation. Some first-class tact you have there .

5/12/2006 2:55:18 PM

http://bettercustomerbureau.com/

5/12/2006 2:59:40 PM

as it's already been stated, $300 bucks is nothing as far as bikes are concerned. Hell, I bought a $500 mongoose decade back when I was in fifth grade, and that was like 1990. you get what you pay for, and pretty much, you just paid for the name on the bike.

5/12/2006 3:22:44 PM

"""

5/12/2006 3:24:21 PM

Quote :

"Hey Winn. I'm pretty sure if Taylor Holland wanted to go by Taylor Holland on this message board, he wouldn't have used an alias. I think you could say what you said there without publishing his name and occupation. Some first-class tact you have there"

the customer has a right to talk smack, you, bikeman, have the right to retort but not

..hmmm, cant bikeman make a [U]"AVOID and BEWARE" of TAYLOR HOLLAND[/U] thread? besides bikeman is just a person just like taylor, and bikeman did state his/her name and occupation.


..uhh, nevermind that was still screwed up of bikeman to post personal info

5/12/2006 3:44:24 PM

my grandfather is presidentof the board of small business in Raleigh, and i'm calling him right now, this is crazy for a "businessman" to put up personal info of a customer

5/12/2006 3:54:36 PM

i ♥ poopface

5/12/2006 4:42:00 PM

i love him more

5/12/2006 4:42:59 PM

you get what you pay for

5/12/2006 4:44:40 PM