Sept-Huit

Switched over from Kindle paperwhite to the Clara BW and couldn't be more satisfied, one month in. Great for one-handed reading, and fit well in my average human sized hands. The font/spacing and other settings are also a nice feature. Shipping and delivery from Rakuten was solid too.

Really enjoying being a library patron again through Libby and Overdrive. So long, Bezos!

I purchased a Shimano GRX RX600 Mini Groupset with Disc Brakes w/o Crankset from Bikecomponents.ca in 2021. The parts spec as shown on the groupset's page was a mix of RX810 dual control levers, an RX810 derailleur, and RX400 hydraulic calipers + a cassette and chain. It was exactly what I was looking for to build up a gravel bike with a used frame and fork that I’d purchased, and I quickly snapped it up as parts were hard to find in 2021 (and still are).

I was satisfied with the price and delivery time, but somewhat surprised when the shipment arrived to see that the new parts - although carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in the shipping box - weren't in the original Shimano packaging. It felt like the parts had been removed from a new bike and re-packaged for retail sale. This isn't my chief complaint but has a small bearing on my low rating.

My main issue/complaint is that I received a damaged right dual control lever. As I was setting up and bleeding the brakes, I noticed a crack in the lever about 2cm away from the brake hose connecting bolt, starting at the small hex set screw on the inside face and wrapping around the cylinder. This seemed concerning, so I took photos of the unit to show the crack and that the part had not been damaged and sent it off to the Bikecomponents.ca email address. I went out for a ride to see if it would hold pressure and found that under braking pressure, a very small amount of mineral fluid would weep from the crack. So it felt like a replacement was necessary.

I should mention that I'm an experienced mechanic - I wrenched in a shop for 5 years and do almost all of my own wrenching at home. I have proper tools and referred to Shimano's dealers manual for the torque specifications.

Bikecomponents.ca replied quickly via email and stated that they'd be happy to replace the part. They explained that due to supply issues, it might be a while before they had a shifter they could send me. I'm familiar with the current worldwide shortage, so I was satisfied with this response. I asked if I could epoxy the crack so that I could at least ride the bike while waiting for a replacement, and they agreed this was totally fine and that the pictures that I’d sent were all they’d need to deal with warranty with Shimano.

This initial exchange of emails was May 7th to 16th. I followed up with an email on July 19th asking for any news. They responded on August 18th saying that unfortunately there had been no new GRX parts yet, but their supplier was expecting a Shimano shipment later that week and if it contained GRX parts they would send me one. Then, silence.

Wanting to be patient, I assumed that they’d follow up with me but didn’t hear anything for the rest of the year. I sent a follow-up email on Jan 5, 2022 asking for an update. They replied a couple of days later apologizing for the delay. They said that their supplier had received a replacement “just last night” and that it would be shipped with the next order and they would have it in the next 2-3 weeks and would send it my way “right away”. After 6 weeks, I sent another email on February 23rd asking for an update. As of today (March 18th), they have not responded to me with any news. I sent a testier email today asking for an update, and decided it’s time to leave a review with this story.

I totally understand that global supplies of parts are slim, and feel like I’ve been pretty patient. What concerns me is that they’ve made assurances of the part being replaced a couple of times, with no follow through, and no further communication. All I want is a warranty replacement for the “new” high quality part that I purchased from them in April 2021.

Update: immediately after leaving this review (maybe coincidentally), I received an email from Paul letting me know he hasn't forgotten about me and has been notified that a replacement is being shipped on March 21st and he should receive it 7-10 days later. He'll then send it to me via Expresspost. Once I've received the replacement, I'll come back and edit this review accordingly.

Update 2: I received the replacement in mid-April, and finally had a rainy weekend to install the new brifter. I quickly noticed that the hood texture was different, so I looked at the part number and found that I was sent RX600 dual control levers last year and not RX810 as was listed on the site. I followed up with Paul and he said it was an honest mistake, and the groupset listing has been updated to reflect the groupset includes RX600 levers.

Apparently I'm the only person that noticed this error on the groupset parts listing, which is surprising.