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news
halfords-store-front“Criminal-level abdication of duty” – Halfords slammed over non-tightened stem bolts
A bike mechanic has accused the UK’s biggest bike retailer, Halfords, of a “criminal-level abdication of duty” after a customer crashed on their first ride on a bike bought from the retailer on which it is claimed the stem bolts had not been tightened.
Mike Stead – a long-term road.cc reviewer and contributor – wrote on X, the social network formerly called Twitter: “Imagine walking out of a @Halfords_uk store with a bike so badly assembled, inspected and sold that the stem bolts were not even finger-tight.
“I inspected the bike today. Sold yesterday, on the first ride the customer crashed.
“Criminal-level abdication of duty,” he added.
And yes, that’s how I found the stem bolts. As shown in the video. The customer left the store on foot (doesn’t own a car) with a signed @Halfords_uk PDI form. This bike was apparently roadworthy, according to Halfords. pic.twitter.com/I9qsfIBTVV
— Mike Stead / Kiwimike at bsky (@tweetymike) May 3, 2024
On what planet does a stem bolt require *16Nm* of torque? It’s even *written on the side of the bloody thing*: ‘5-7Nm’.
So what the hell was your cycle ‘mechanic’ doing trying to apply *16Nm*?
Answer: he didn’t. Apply anything, I mean. pic.twitter.com/8PPZpijikr
— Mike Stead / Kiwimike at bsky (@tweetymike) May 3, 2024
Halfords does not perhaps have the best of reputations among many people whose work involves servicing and maintaining bicycles, as some of the replies to Stead’s tweets demonstrate.
He told us: “My friend messaged to say his partner had crashed off her new bike, and that the handlebars were very loose. She had collected it new from Halfords Perth that day, including a Pre-Delivery inspection checklist that showed the stem had been torqued to '16Nm'.
“Now 16Nm is a hell of a lot for a 4mm bolt, and that much would likely have snapped them clean off - the Boardman stem is clearly stamped '5-7Nm' as you'd expect. As it was I found the stem bolts were completely loose, and it was only the natural clamping friction of the stem that had kept the bars straight as she left the shop. Other interesting details on the PDI form included torquing the saddle to 20Nm (typically about 12Nm), the seat post to 12Nm (typically 5-8Nm), and BB/Cranks to what looks like just 16Nm (typically 30Nm or more).
“Other issues included the rear brake hose not being clipped into the frame letting it rub against the left fork stanchion, and the front mech wire being about 6 inches long therefore rubbing the left crank / rider's ankle with every revolution.
I've heard of the legendarily incompetent and lackadaisical Halford's cycle servicing over the years, but having witnessed it first-hand and having a friend nearly come to serious harm, I am now inspired to support them in raising a case with the local Trading Standards office,” Stead added.
“Halfords should not be allowed to operate as a cycle business until they can prove at a national level they have the policies and trained staff to deliver a service that doesn't put the public at risk.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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67 comments
I did a Cytech 2 course some years back with a mechanic from Wiggle who told me that he'd seen bikes in Halfords with the forks mounted back to front.
I seem to recall one of those motorway programmes a few years back attended reported bikes on the motorway - turned out someone had got Halfords to fit a bike rack for them that day and it had come off (damaging the cars roof) dumping the two bikes at speed on the motorway at night.
A family member bought a new Giant bike for their daughter, who complained the brakes were rubbing; I offered to check the brakes to save them a trip back to the dealer, but it wasn't the brakes needing adjustment, so much as both wheels were out of true; the Chinese Giant factory had packed up machine built wheels without doing the necessary hand truing and the Giant shop had just bolted on the wheels without checking/fixing the buckles. Really bad from both factory and shop.
My wheels are held on with locking skewers, not buckles
Hmm, pretty sure mine has? I'll put my glasses on and go check once it comes back out of the stable.
Not just bikes....
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/apr/13/halfords-service-car-owner...
Slightly off topic, but my last few bikes [EDIT - not from Halfords] have arrived by courier in a box. I'm amazed at how few of them included proper instructions on how to complete the set up safely.
This is halfords. I mean what do we expect. I bought some brake pads from them and when I actually looked at the pack it was covered in grease smears. Opened the pack and same on the inside paper envelope and the pad had some scores on them. Took them back and explained this and that I wanted a replacement pair.
Guy tried to convince me that pads come with grease on them and that its completely normal...
That's just for disc brakes though. Stops them squeaking
Some great bikes but some not so great mechanics.
I picked up my Boardman Adv 9.0 from Halfords and took it on my bike carrier directly to the local LBS.
To be fair, the guy who checked it over found only one slightly loose bolt (stem, I think it was).
About ten years ago, when I was a bike mechanic, I had a series of three bikes in a couple of weeks with the front brake cable wrapped around the head tube, so that when turning the handlebars, the brake was applied: yes, Halfords. One customer said he'd taken the bike back but was assured that was how the brake cable was supposed to be. I saw three, but it's anyone's guess how many there really were.
Should've used self-sealing stem bolts 🤦♂️
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All of which goes to prove that you should get friendly with your LBS, and buy from them - the extra cost is well worth it in terms of safety, reassurance, and just plain fun in talking bikes with them as know!
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I'm with you on this one, Flintshire! Straight to the
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Is everything alright fella. Your post isn't triple spaced.
Like flying the Union Flag upside-down?
On two occasions I've stopped cyclists on the Bristol to Bath Railway Path because their forks were the wrong way round, and corrected them for them. Where did they buy their bikes from? That's right, you guessed it.
We all know about bad stories from Hell frauds but tbh I like them. For the price you can't get a comparable bike from anywhere else.
I've bought from them
2 kids bikes
2 junior MTB
Carrera vengeance race ltd (got stolen)
Carrera vengeance (got stolen)
Voodoo hoodoo (got stolen)
Boardman road race ltd (got stolen)
Carrera kraken (rode it to death)
Carrera vengeance especially - current
Never had any problems at purchase from Manchester stores.
What I will say is if the stem bolts were that loose how did they even walk out of the store with it? Those handle bars would've been spinning loosely, why/how did they even fling their leg over it without noticing. It sounds to me like the sort of thing done so that people can lie them flat in their cars.
Just sayin
I inspected the bike. There was enough friction to turn the wheel - but eventually the customer was in a situation where the forces involved in turning and braking overcame that natural friction, the bars turned/wheel didn't and she crashed.
ICYMI: "The customer left the store on foot (doesn’t own a car)"
Re the car, I assumed the tech wouldn't know when a customer loads their bike into a car because all our bike huts are upstairs and customers are waved off at till.
Well then sorry for trying to defend you. Do your job properly.
He did do his job properly, that's how the story came to light.
Sounds like a bit of undeclared interest showing itself there which explains your aggression and desperate need to manufacture an excuse for Halfords.
You've hit the nail on the head there.
Maybe Halfords should put as much energy into doing their jobs properly as they do trying to defend their screw-ups (or not screwed up as the case may be)
Also I'd like some clarification, I see that you are the after crash mechanic.
Are you the mechanic that inspected the bike prior to it being sold? Because on another comment on this thread you say you would never let a bike leave your garage in such a life threatening condition and on twitter called this "criminal".
If you did inspect it initially then this is on you.
I don't think KiwiMike works for Halfords at the moment...
Are you being deliberately obtuse?
How the f*** am I being obtuce? Because I'm thinking critically?
To clarify, in the video posted on twitter how he says he found the stem and that "I inspected the bike. There was enough friction to turn the wheel". Those bolts were a couple of mm from being even finger tight and would not by any stretch created enough friction to hold the wheel straight enough to push the bike away, nevermind ride it.
Regarding leaving them loose enough to lay a bike to fit flat in a car boot he added "ICYMI: "The customer left the store on foot (doesn’t own a car)"". How is he claiming to know the thought process of the halfords mechanic. ICYMI "It sounds to me like the sort of thing done so that people can lie them flat in their cars." I simply gave a possible reason they could be left loose intentially.
"I inspected the bike". Not when the bike left Halfords so so he doesn't even know if there was enough friction to hold it in place.
All sounds like bull s*** to me.
You didn't bother reading the article properly then?
I did, I just think he's full of s***
Massive amounts of anecdotal hyperbole going on here. Loads of people riding round with forks on the wrong way round etc. I see about 1 person a year with forks on backwards.
Go on eBay and see how bikes for sale with forks on the wrong way round you see.
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