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Talk the torque in the Cytech Tech Forum

Cytech, the internationally recognised training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians, has launched a new Facebook group - the Cytech Tech Forum –...

11 Mar 2024, more…

BikeBiz editor gets hands on with Cytech technical one

Daniel Blackham, editor of industry magazine BikeBiz, has been writing about his experience of completing the Cytech technical one qualification at training provider Spokes People in Milton...

8 Mar 2024, more…

JE James Cycles to open first Barnsley store

ACT member and Cytech-accredited retailer JE James Cycles – one of the largest independent cycle retailers in Europe – is to open a new 7,874 sq ft store shop in Barnsley town...

7 Mar 2024, more…

Activate Cycle Academy welcomes British Cycling to Cytech technical one training course

Cytech partner Activate Cycle Academy, the largest and most recognised training provider of bike maintenance and technical training courses to the UK’s cycle industry, recently welcomed a...

6 Mar 2024, more…

Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.

29 Feb 2024, more…

ACT tells Parliamentary Committee of the need for urgent systemic change to the Cycle to Work scheme.

With more than 500 cycle businesses having now signed up to its campaign for change to the Cycle to Work scheme, a delegation from the Association of Cycle Traders has met with All Party...

25 Jan 2024, more…

OPSS takes enforcement action over dangerous e-bike battery.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking enforcement action and warning consumers about a brand of e-bike battery – UPP – that has been linked to a number of...

24 Jan 2024, more…

Cytech training to help Go Outdoors boost number of cycle mechanics by offering apprenticeships to store staff.

Go Outdoors, which operates 75 stores across the UK, has announced an apprenticeship scheme involving Cytech training with the aim of addressing what it terms a nationwide shortage of...

15 Jan 2024, more…

Cytech Scotland training provider launches Young Bike Mechanic Programme to empower Glasgow’s youth.

Bike for Good, the Glasgow-based cycling charity and social enterprise, which delivers Cytech training in Scotland, has announced a Young Bike Mechanic Programme designed to create opportunities...

3 Jan 2024, more…

Re-Accreditation of Torq Zone Academy: Meeting QCTO Standards for Excellence

Torq Zone Academy, a leading institution of vocational training in South Africa, has been re-accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), for another five years, to offer...

27 Nov 2023, more…

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Dangers of buying supermarket BSO

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Dangers of buying supermarket BSO

Posted on 12 Dec 2016

As reported in CyclingIndustry.News, an Orlando-based news station has run a segment on buying bikes in boxes from supermarkets in the build up to Christmas - warning consumers to make sure the bikes have been properly assembled.

Bikes in storageUnfortunately for the independent bike business, supermarkets take the lion share of Christmas business - some 74% or 16 million bikes a year - according to the National Bicycle Dealer's Association in America.

"You should really have the confidence and assurance that the bike you're purchasing has been put together correctly," said Joshua Jiannuzzi. Long before he began working as a mechanic at Kyle's Bike Shop in Orlando, Jiannuzzi assembled bikes at Kmart.

"A lot of times the people assembling it are the people assembling your patio furniture, your barbecues, your grills. The same people who sometimes bag your groceries," said Jiannuzzi.

"Other times the bicycles are assembled by contractors hired by the retailer. Those contractors are often paid for each bike they put together giving them a financial incentive to assemble the bikes quickly."

To see how well bicycles have been assembled at stores, Local 6 reporter Mike DeForest purchased four bikes from popular retailers and took them to Kyle's Bike Shop for a basic safety inspection, where he found that the majority were assembled to a dangerous standard.

The mechanic found bolts that appeared to be hand tightened, as well as poorly installed brakes that hadn't been given any attention prior to leaving the supermarket. Most commonly, it was the stem that had not been tightened, leaving the bike prone to sudden shifts of the handlebar when pressure is applied.

Of the four bikes purchased three failed Jiannuzzi's inspection, leading the mechanic to strongly recommend buyers head to their local specialist bike shop for final assembly by a qualified mechanic, should they choose to buy cheap.

To read the report in full, click here.

 

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