suspicious broken part after service--is this legit?

[william367]

Hey all, I'd love some feedback on a repair issue. I just got the brakes bled and the first ride after was fine. But after one week of sitting idle, I took it out and the rear brake was suddenly making a horrible loud screeching noise when applied. Took it back to the shop and the mechanic showed how the two halves of the brake were not perfectly aligned and holding firm and there was oil leakage. So I have to get a new rear brake.

I am suspicious because the bike shops around here are known for shady practices. This shop seemed good, lots of business. But is it reasonable that a brake would suddenly go bad after having the fluid bled? It's always an awful feeling when you suspect you've been taken advantage of. Thank you to all who might have some expertise in this area.

[meamoantonio]

couldn't possibly think of a reason to actually want that to happen to someone and the unbelievable time it takes to explain it for a "quick buck" to move inventory, its so much easier to find a buyer in another part of the world and ship it rathe than over charge a customer especially if it is a known community bike shop that also has lots of regulars

I used to run retail and repair in a bike shop and sometimes unexplainable freak things just happen out of nowhere even if you're doing things by the book , there is always a chance of something totally random happening that doesn't make sense.

So maybe give your local shop the benefit of a doubt, but of course this is a forum where cyclists watch out for each other, do send us a photo of the perceived damage maybe we can troubleshoot it here or recommend a much more cost efficient solution to your problem ,

[william367]

(07-09-2026, 12:03 PM)meamoantonio Wrote:  couldn't possibly think of a reason to actually want that to happen to someone and the unbelievable time it takes to explain it for a "quick buck" to move inventory, its so much easier to find a buyer in another part of the world and ship it rathe than over charge a customer especially if it is a known community bike shop that also has lots of regulars

I used to run retail and repair in a bike shop and sometimes unexplainable freak things just happen out of nowhere even if you're doing things by the book , there is always a chance of something totally random happening that doesn't make sense.

So maybe give your local shop the benefit of a doubt, but of course this is a forum where cyclists watch out for each other, do send us a photo of the perceived damage maybe we can troubleshoot it here or recommend a much more cost efficient solution to your problem ,

I didn't have my phone with me, I did want a photo. But yeah I know stuff happens, but two shops here, for example, sold me a used part for new and wanted to keep my old one (a common practice here I was warned about--lots of shops (20 or more), they buy and sell from each other).

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

I'm terribly sorry to hear this.

I personally don't think this is normal at all. Issues like this should have shown themselves while they were tuning your brakes.

Unfortunately, there is little you can do other than report them to police for suspicious. No matter where you are in the world, police always want to know where the shady people are. Whether you see something from it or not, it's hard to say. But people like this are bound to be into other shady practices that will eventually get them nailed.

[Flowrider]

That's a difficult situation. You could take it to two other bike shops and get their opinions and options.
Check out all the shops' online reviews in your area, and even if you have to travel, it's worth it to save this hassle
Also, I suggest following ReapThaWhirlwind advice. This will be for future reference for the police if they get a number of complaints about this shop