Some months back I bought the double disc brake setup from Madass. When I got to fitting it I found that the rim was decidedly wobbly. I took it to someone who makes a living out of straightening wonky wheels who said he could have a go but that it was poorly manufactured and not just a matter of tightening spokes and that I should contact the supplier. From there ensued an exchange of emails between myself and 'Madass'. He could not even admit that there was anything wrong with the wheel until he eventually viewed a video I sent and grudgingly said there was a problem. At no time did he suggest replacing it. I eventually (at the cost of AUD150) had my original rim laced on in place of what he had supplied. Also although I didn't mention this in my emails as it is only a minor problem, I found that the fibreglass mudguard supplied is extremely poorly finished but I am repairing this myself. What really worries me now is whether I am going to experience problems with the rest of the setup. Since this forum is where I first found out about the availability of this twin disc setup I feel justified in voicing my concerns on the forum. Let the buyer beware!
Double disc brake; caveat emptor
- Thread starter edward
- Start date
What was actually wrong with this rim ?
Was the rim supplied already laced up ?
All rims are the subject of some discussion about how neatly the weld join is done,
and if this affects runout or not.
I've always found him excellent to deal with, beats me how he gets so much done in a day....
Was the rim supplied already laced up ?
All rims are the subject of some discussion about how neatly the weld join is done,
and if this affects runout or not.
I've always found him excellent to deal with, beats me how he gets so much done in a day....
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2009
- Messages
- 1,328
Edward wrote: "Also although I didn't mention this in my emails as it is only a minor problem, I found that the fibreglass mudguard supplied is extremely poorly finished but I am repairing this myself. "
I wonder about the ethics of criticizing someone's work/parts in public, when you didn't give them a chance to rectify the wrong beforehand. I appreciate that you are talking about the fender, not the wheel. But now your story reads like you had two problems that went unaddressed. Which apparently is not true.
You then go on to raises doubts about his other work unrelated to the wheel and fender. Your "list" of defects now appears to grow further.
And then you explain that the reason you are telling us all about your experience is because you learned about the items here. Really?
I think one needs to be extremely careful about comments that damage reputations.
Stephen Hill
I wonder about the ethics of criticizing someone's work/parts in public, when you didn't give them a chance to rectify the wrong beforehand. I appreciate that you are talking about the fender, not the wheel. But now your story reads like you had two problems that went unaddressed. Which apparently is not true.
You then go on to raises doubts about his other work unrelated to the wheel and fender. Your "list" of defects now appears to grow further.
And then you explain that the reason you are telling us all about your experience is because you learned about the items here. Really?
I think one needs to be extremely careful about comments that damage reputations.
Stephen Hill
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2008
- Messages
- 170
ิStephen Hill said:
Mr. Hill,
From what I'm reading, there were two problems; the fender and the wheel. Where is the list of defects that is growing further? The original poster mentions only these two issues.
Member "Madass" makes his items available here, the items are made for Nortons, and the original poster learned about the stuff here. What is the reasoning behind your implication he shouldn't be bringing it up here? Which I assume is what you meant when you asked the original poster about it and then asked him, "Really?"
And as you've suggested, where is the original poster raising doubts about other work unrelated to the fender and the wheel?
First time I've seen any mention of problems with anything to do with products Madass offers. I hope to do business with him in the future for several of his items, and based on my impression of him from his contributions on this website, I would be surprised to learn if he doesn't stand behind his product(s) 100 percent.
ิ
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- Oct 28, 2009
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- 1,328
Robert,
My main point is that reputations are made slowly and lost quickly, and so we need to choose our words carefully.
In the original post, generalizing from the wheel and the fender to "What really worries me now is whether I am going to experience problems with the rest of the setup" is speculative.
I don't believe that just because someone heard about an item on this forum is a good enough reason to tell us about their shopping experience. Reasons? This can get old very quickly (anybody remember a panel beater named Singh?). The poster should be raising issues with the vendor first (all the issues). And there is seldom enough context or information to be truly helpful to the rest of us.
I agree that Madass has a great reputation and makes cool products. I hope to own a single rear axle/rear cush hub some time in the near future.
Stephen
My main point is that reputations are made slowly and lost quickly, and so we need to choose our words carefully.
In the original post, generalizing from the wheel and the fender to "What really worries me now is whether I am going to experience problems with the rest of the setup" is speculative.
I don't believe that just because someone heard about an item on this forum is a good enough reason to tell us about their shopping experience. Reasons? This can get old very quickly (anybody remember a panel beater named Singh?). The poster should be raising issues with the vendor first (all the issues). And there is seldom enough context or information to be truly helpful to the rest of us.
I agree that Madass has a great reputation and makes cool products. I hope to own a single rear axle/rear cush hub some time in the near future.
Stephen
My view on this issue of criticising a vendor's products and services on this forum is that if I have found a problem with something I have purchased I always go back to the vendor and initiate a conversation on how to solve the problem. If I don't obtain a satisfactory outcome I might take things further and this could include posting the information here. It seems from his post that Edward has done exactly that so I can't fault him. Feedback both good and bad is one of the benefits of belonging to this community and I think we should encourage this. Upon finding a couple of faults with a product it is human nature to wonder whether those unseen components might also not be up to standard.
The fact that others, including myself I might add, have had satisfactory dealings with Madass shouldn't preclude someone giving negative feedback when they feel that they have exhausted all avenues of redress and are still dissatisfied. Madass has built up quite a lot of credibility on this forum and I'm sure he can weather a bit of criticism, he may welcome the opportunity to put forward his side of the story.
The fact that others, including myself I might add, have had satisfactory dealings with Madass shouldn't preclude someone giving negative feedback when they feel that they have exhausted all avenues of redress and are still dissatisfied. Madass has built up quite a lot of credibility on this forum and I'm sure he can weather a bit of criticism, he may welcome the opportunity to put forward his side of the story.
