thats just called owning a bike... always a few things to get sorted in the beginning.. once you get it dialed it should be good to go. I’ve had very few issues and awesome support in California. I wouldn’t sweat it or regret it. Think I’m at about 1000 miles so far.
creaks are always a problem on new bikes.. don’t think it will be pivots, this is a really good design in that respect. Check all the other usual suspects... headset, seat posts, derailleur hanger, rear axle etc.
I’ve always had to go through initial period like this on any new bike I’ve had.
Had to reread this...
Saying that is part of owning a bike is BS. On a new bike, it is very common to have to snug up the headset for a few rides, so I agree with that. Then, I'll need to fiddle with cockpit setup, but that is just personal preference and I'm very particular about this. Sometimes, axles will need to be snugged as things settle in and brakes adjusted. Maybe you'll need to adjust cable tension, as well. I'll give you all of these as normal new bike break-in.
But, if a bike is properly assembled, it should take some time before typical creaks set it. Anyone who has been trained in assembling a bike would be greasing or pasting interfaces to eliminate slippage or creaks related to clamped or bolted items. I'm finding all those areas dry as a bone. That is rushed or lack of giving a shit.
As for saying that pivot point creaks are not typical, I 100% completely agree. But you have to know this is a common problem on the Decoy's, especially when new. There are loads of posts and questions about this issue here, on facebook groups, and other bicycle related forums. Many are finding completely dry pivot points, where the service manual calls for grease. I even read about finding a completely seized bearing on a bike that the customer had been chasing a creak for a month. He didn't find it until he started to tear into the frame. I've never had creaks like this on a new bike. They typically develop over time as dirt and dust build up and bikes get washed with water or are ridden in the rare California rain.
I agree that bicycles that are sold direct to consumer, come with a different level of support. This meaning that you will not be able to take your bike into the shop where you purchased it and get immediate help with issues. You will need to make phone calls, send emails and troubleshoot problems over the phone if you are savvy. In some rare cases, you might even need to go through the hassle of shipping your bike back to the location from where it was assembled. This has to be accepted by the consumer as they are benefiting from the lack of a "mark up" middleman in the purchase process.
In my opinion, this means that the direct to consumer brand needs to be more diligent to ship out products that have received the required attention to minimize these hassles. They, like the shop, are going to be judged on the 1st impression and experience of taking ownership of the bike. It's just that simple... I would rather receive the bike less assembled, so I can proactively assemble it correctly. What's the purpose of shipping a bike that is 90% assembled, when I will have to tear it all down to check all of their work?
To be honest, I kind of blame myself because I almost always tear down new bikes and go through them, not trusting that the shop took the time to do it right.
In my case, I experienced the following:
1. Motor bolts were loose
2. Headset was sloppy loose in the box. Not even snug, much less preloaded.
3. Crank arms were loose
4. Brake rotors were both badly warped. (they shipped me new ones without question. This tells me that they must see this often. This should have be caught by the bike assembler.)
5. Caliper bolts were over-torqued and I had to clean up the surfaces that were marred and now wanted to keep going back to the poor original position.
6. The cable kept slipping in the YT branded dropper lever hold down bolt. I had to keep resetting the cable and after 4 times, the screw stripped out. I looked a little closer and found that the screw used was too short. This is a design spec issue. They admitted over email that the many people have complained about this very problem and shipped me a RaceFace lever. Why the hell are they shipping bikes with these levers when there is a known issue?
7. Seat post was installed dry and slipping/making noise. Added carbon assembly paste and was fine. They knew it needed it, which is why they give you a tube with the bike. They could have applied the paste themselves...
8. Front and rear axle thru bolts were dead dry, so I added grease.
9. Seat Rails were dry, so I added grease. This was fine with me because the YT seat might as well be a steel hand rail and needed to be swapped out.
This is a bike with all of 4 rides.
Now, I'm going to remove the motor and break down all the pivot points to see if they greased those, as the manual specifies.
