(gets up on soap box)
Okay, I love SRAM but I gotta vent a little frustrations here for one of their more STUPID policies.
I bought those cartridge type vBrakes from Avid/Sram call Rim Wrangers® figuring it was a great idea. After using Shimano brakes for years and them getting metal shine all over them after half life use, someone at Kool Stop offered me a FREE pair of the salmon and black dual compounds to put on my front rim. He said, "Try them out, I guarantee you'll like them. If not, you got a free set of pads. If you DO, tell all your friends. So I put them on and I was like WOW what a difference! I like them so much I have bought them for about 6 years. And I turned my buddys onto them too. For two free pads, they got my business for years. So last season, I called Sram and I let a rep at Sram on the phone talk me into switching to the Rim Wrangler cartridge system for the ease of switching out cartridges. And he was like, "the same salmon pads are available for our cartridge system!" So I bought them. Price paid, $24 at Price point. So the other day I'm out riding. A pin falls out. ON MY FRONT BRAKE! Thank god it was not going downhill. It fell out while pedaling uphill during slipping on a steep wet muddy part. I pull the front brake to stop going backward and nothing happens.
I diagnose the pin fell out. Fortunately I had a pair of three week old Kool Stops in my bag that the Rim Wranglers replaced last season so I fixed the problem on the trail and got home. I carry a small shop with me in my pack, stuff like inner tubes, tire tools, chain links etc in case I run into someone broke down on the trail and they need parts to help them get out of the woods. A guy helped me one time five miles in with a chain break tool so I know the importance. Now I have tools etc to help anyone I see broke down. It's only being nice to other bikers and helpful.
So I go to the LBS and they don't have pins. So I called Sram. The Sram rep on the phone tells me, "We don't carry any." I'm like, "You are AVID and you DON'T have any pins? HUH?" He said, "They only come with the new pads. Unfortunately the only remedy to that is you'll have to buy another set of pads as we don't have any to fix the problem. They come from Taiwan." A better response would have been, "Sure I'll send you one in an envelope," or "I'll send you out one set of pads to fix the problem," like Kool Stop did once to talk me out of the black shimanos that wouldn't stop me from hitting a tree twice or running off into the woods a couple times around a turn. That one set of pads made me switch from Shimano six years ago. But with hardly any wear I gotta go buy a brand new set of pads just for a pin? Is that a good policy? Well, if you're Sram thinking from a profit point of view. But buy new pads? As in NINE BUCKS for the pads, plus five bucks ship just to get one pin that's probably worth 1 cent!? Talk about letting me down after switching to their system. Sram has no pins!? He'll I'd pay a buck for the shipping and envelope. But almost fifteen bucks!? To get a new pin!? Is that a STUPID policy milking the customer? It just don't seem fair to me after switching from the Kool Stops which REALLY had nothing wrong with them. The Salmon Black dual compounds were GREAT.
As to Sram though, I really loved the idea of just switching out a pad every time without having a bunch of brake aligning stuff every time. Great idea right!? I mean Sram has a LOT of great products!! But no pins? Not very smart.
Sram isn't standing by the customer in my opinion to not offer replacement pins online. I'd gladly send them a .39 cent self addressed stamped envelope with fifty cent's for a new pin, but $14? NO WAY. I'm going to the local hardware to see if I can fix it temporarily so I can get the use out of the pads that have 3/4 still left on them. Once their gone I'm going back to the Kool stops that had more surface area on the rim.
I've got my Kool Stops back on again now and love the braking power. It's stuff like this that ticks me off a little as it's only common sense. I guess Avid/Sram isn't interested in repeat buying. After hearing their resolution for the missing pin, I'm going back to the Kool Stop Salmon and Black dual compounds. They're great in wet or dry. And they're the exact same price as the Rim Wrangler cartridges so what's the point.., ease? Not over safety. I got Wrangled alright. :mumble:
Thats like buying a convertible and having the top leak and the dealer say, "Sorry, we don't have replacement tops. But you can buy a new car and it comes with another top with it!"
Fortunately this was UPhill so that third tree is out there, waiting...
Anyone know where I can get the pin to fix the problem so I don't have to throw away the ring wranglers that ran me $24 or to avoid paying $15 for a new set of pads just to get the pin?
Sorry there's no cheese to go along with that whine.
(gets down off soap box.)
Okay, I love SRAM but I gotta vent a little frustrations here for one of their more STUPID policies.
I bought those cartridge type vBrakes from Avid/Sram call Rim Wrangers® figuring it was a great idea. After using Shimano brakes for years and them getting metal shine all over them after half life use, someone at Kool Stop offered me a FREE pair of the salmon and black dual compounds to put on my front rim. He said, "Try them out, I guarantee you'll like them. If not, you got a free set of pads. If you DO, tell all your friends. So I put them on and I was like WOW what a difference! I like them so much I have bought them for about 6 years. And I turned my buddys onto them too. For two free pads, they got my business for years. So last season, I called Sram and I let a rep at Sram on the phone talk me into switching to the Rim Wrangler cartridge system for the ease of switching out cartridges. And he was like, "the same salmon pads are available for our cartridge system!" So I bought them. Price paid, $24 at Price point. So the other day I'm out riding. A pin falls out. ON MY FRONT BRAKE! Thank god it was not going downhill. It fell out while pedaling uphill during slipping on a steep wet muddy part. I pull the front brake to stop going backward and nothing happens.
I diagnose the pin fell out. Fortunately I had a pair of three week old Kool Stops in my bag that the Rim Wranglers replaced last season so I fixed the problem on the trail and got home. I carry a small shop with me in my pack, stuff like inner tubes, tire tools, chain links etc in case I run into someone broke down on the trail and they need parts to help them get out of the woods. A guy helped me one time five miles in with a chain break tool so I know the importance. Now I have tools etc to help anyone I see broke down. It's only being nice to other bikers and helpful.
So I go to the LBS and they don't have pins. So I called Sram. The Sram rep on the phone tells me, "We don't carry any." I'm like, "You are AVID and you DON'T have any pins? HUH?" He said, "They only come with the new pads. Unfortunately the only remedy to that is you'll have to buy another set of pads as we don't have any to fix the problem. They come from Taiwan." A better response would have been, "Sure I'll send you one in an envelope," or "I'll send you out one set of pads to fix the problem," like Kool Stop did once to talk me out of the black shimanos that wouldn't stop me from hitting a tree twice or running off into the woods a couple times around a turn. That one set of pads made me switch from Shimano six years ago. But with hardly any wear I gotta go buy a brand new set of pads just for a pin? Is that a good policy? Well, if you're Sram thinking from a profit point of view. But buy new pads? As in NINE BUCKS for the pads, plus five bucks ship just to get one pin that's probably worth 1 cent!? Talk about letting me down after switching to their system. Sram has no pins!? He'll I'd pay a buck for the shipping and envelope. But almost fifteen bucks!? To get a new pin!? Is that a STUPID policy milking the customer? It just don't seem fair to me after switching from the Kool Stops which REALLY had nothing wrong with them. The Salmon Black dual compounds were GREAT.
As to Sram though, I really loved the idea of just switching out a pad every time without having a bunch of brake aligning stuff every time. Great idea right!? I mean Sram has a LOT of great products!! But no pins? Not very smart.
Sram isn't standing by the customer in my opinion to not offer replacement pins online. I'd gladly send them a .39 cent self addressed stamped envelope with fifty cent's for a new pin, but $14? NO WAY. I'm going to the local hardware to see if I can fix it temporarily so I can get the use out of the pads that have 3/4 still left on them. Once their gone I'm going back to the Kool stops that had more surface area on the rim.
I've got my Kool Stops back on again now and love the braking power. It's stuff like this that ticks me off a little as it's only common sense. I guess Avid/Sram isn't interested in repeat buying. After hearing their resolution for the missing pin, I'm going back to the Kool Stop Salmon and Black dual compounds. They're great in wet or dry. And they're the exact same price as the Rim Wrangler cartridges so what's the point.., ease? Not over safety. I got Wrangled alright. :mumble:
Thats like buying a convertible and having the top leak and the dealer say, "Sorry, we don't have replacement tops. But you can buy a new car and it comes with another top with it!"
Fortunately this was UPhill so that third tree is out there, waiting...
Anyone know where I can get the pin to fix the problem so I don't have to throw away the ring wranglers that ran me $24 or to avoid paying $15 for a new set of pads just to get the pin?
Sorry there's no cheese to go along with that whine.
(gets down off soap box.)
