safe pair of hands.

[dave higgins]

Twelve months ago, i sent my griffon crank to nametab for the needle roller conversion, simon also fitted a needle roller to the big end, which was great!.
So all back together & running nice, i did one race at a meeting & later when rechecking the timing noticed a lot of lift on the crank, this should be zero, but i clocked it at 3 thou, which is a distinctive clunk when lifted.
After speaking to simon, he agreed there was a problem & asked if i could send it back, explaining that i was to busy at present to strip it & it would be at least six months, he said no problem, when ever you are ready.
Well, i did eventually get round to it & it arrived back today, after only a five day turn around.
Simon could not find any fault with his work & put it down to excess play of the bearings, of which he has replaced.
Now my point is, who else would give you a service like that, it was all replaced without question & delivered back asap.
Its good to know that companies like nametab will back up there good reputation, without any problems, & see that you get what you paid for.
Nice to see in this economic climate, that people like simon are good for thier word......

[druid]

Safe pair of hands

On a slightly different but related note, if you are checking main bearing play on a Challenger or Griffon engine with the standard bearings do it when the engine is cold not just at the end of a race.
The bearing liners have a fairly high interference fit and the liners are honed to size when fitted. When the cases get hot as just after a race the liners can relax a bit and give rise to the play. It vanishes when the cases are cold. You can't take this play out as you would burn the rollers on start up providing you could actually assemble the bottom end.

Druid

[scott151]

Nametab

Hi Dave, Druid,

Totally agree, Simon is a gent.

I had a similar problem with my mx4, I too had a needle roller crank conversion. After 2 meetings the crankshaft went loose in the cases (ie when you held the ignition flywheel there was alot of movement in and out

Anyway Simon had it all back and sorted it out without quible, it was a nuisance to strip it all down again though, but thats life

Regards

Scotty

[Kim275]

Skillful as well as safe hands

agree with the above - Simon somehow manages to sort out any problem put in front of him - and he usually shrugs it off with a modest "well its only Engineering".

[brokabolt]

safe pair of hands

It is so reassuring to hear all the good reports on Nametab engineering. I sent my griffon engine to simon last week for him to work his magic on. Now for another little storey. Seven weeks ago i took my frame to Broadstairs in Kent for powder coating,a two and half hour drive from where i live in east sussex. The reason i travelled so far was because this company's web site was by far the best laid out one that i saw. I had also seen some of their work on display at a couple of classic bike auto jumbles and thought the finnish on the frames was superb. When i delivered the frame i was told i could collect it in three weeks as they were busy with their commercial work. This i understood and didn't mind as i had other things to do. Three weeks passed and i foned up to make arrangements to pick my frame up and was told it hadn't been done because one guy was on hols and another one had broken his leg. He told me it would be another three weeks before it would be coated as his commercial work was more important. Although i was disappointed i agreed to wait. After another two and half weeks i foned to make sure it would be ok to collect my frame the following friday and was told yet again it hadn't been done. After explaining to him that i had re-arranged my appointments for friday it had to be done by then. He agreed it would be done so off i go friday to pick it up. On arrival i can see my frame all wrapped in bubble wrap and all other parts in bubble wrap in a box. On inspection i realised there was one of the top head brackets missing and after nearly an hour they found it not coated. They promised me they would coat it and post it to me within the following week. This they did but they didn't send me an invoice or the authentication that it had been coated in tri-resin which they say in their web site. Once home i am keen to un wrap and inspect my frame only to discover that it is no way as good as the frames he had on show. Its ok but nothing to what i expected. It's a pity they didn't put as much care into my frame as they did to their web site. Now i don't like slagging companies off but in this case i feel i have reason. The company involved...WINDRIDGE COATINGS...Use them at your own risk. Brokabolt

[John Wakefield]

Rogue Traders

I think this situation is true of lots of companies not only in the 'old bike' game. Flash web site, poor service. As for " they were busy with their commercial work", so is your frame not 'commercial work' after all they are charging for it, & advertising it on their web site. Whats the difference between that & some industrial product.
You are right to name & shame, maybe we could start a new thread 'Rogue Traders'. Also why not write a review on Yell http://www.yell.com/reviews/places/r...68l&return_to=
By the way Don M. how are you getting on with your Electrex World lighting problem?

[Colin Sparrow]

The answer, chaps, is Chris Ginn near Woodbridge in Suffolk. He and his son Matt run the business, and Chris was a pretty useful scrambler during the seventies. Some of this was on Greeves machines; he is "Greeves-friendly".

They do all John Fryatt's powder coating, so you may have seen his work. With John he has developed the definitive Moorland Blue powder coat colour. They call it "Greeves Blue".

Turnaround? Well when I took four alloy car wheels in to him for coating, Matt quoted two weeks. They were ready a week later, and beautifully done.

01473 735585

[Phil Hyde]

Approved Supplier List

Surely, there is some scope for a list of companies and individuals who deliver good service.

We don't need a warts and all breakdown a la Trip Advisor. Just a simple listing. Most of us are familiar with Simon Bateman, Chris Ginn, and John Fryatt, to name but a few. Plenty more out there.

Maybe a listing in Leading-Link.

[druid]

Approved Supplier Listing

Phil,
While a list would seem to be a good idea I'm a little apprehensive on 2 counts.
First, if a supplier doesn't appear on the list is it because nobody has recommended them yet or because they're not good. How would a member know?
Secondly, while an informal chat between friends is acceptable, going into print bad-mouthing a supplier on the forum may cause problems of the legal kind.
I'd like to see something of the sort available to club members but I'm playing Devil's advocate.

Druid

[Phil Hyde]

Supplier List

John

Good points.

Likewise, I could see companies, or individuals being upset by some trival complaint or reason that in it's own way would not detract from what they sell or supply.

In a way we already have a list of suppliers in the L-L. Perhaps, that could be expanded?

Food for thought. No doubt others will wish to contribute.

Phil

[Colin Sparrow]

We don't need a warts and all breakdown a la Trip Advisor.

As JC says, these posts are simply chat and potentially useful individual feedback. They're not GRA recommendations

The GRA Committee has kept away from official lists of recommended suppliers or contractors because such a list is unfair to any reputable business which isn't included, and because if a recommended business fails to deliver the GRA might be thought to be accountable.

It is emphatically not the GRA's role to seek to interfere in individual customer/contractor relationships. The suppliers in LL are covered by the disclaimer in LL.

Incidentally, anything potentially libellous or offensive would be against the rules of the forum and would be removed.

[John Wakefield]

Rouge Traders

I note the problem of rogue traders was mentioned in OBM this month, firstly in David Davies VMCC column where he commented on some of the problems encountered by members. Poor quality pattern parts, poor quality workmanship, length of time to complete work & lost parts to name a few. Also in the same issue there was a letter asking that publications should hold on record full names and addresses of advertisers, so that they can be called to account if complaints arose. With many advertisers only giving a mobile phone number or email address, tracing them can be a problem. Basically if you are a legitimate trader you should have no problem if giving your full address in the advert, in fact I thought this was a legal requirement, but apparently not.

[Brian Catt]

Yes this can be a problem, but the old adage of Caveat Emptor applies. If you are paying to have something done for you, it is surely in your best interest to research among others as to who does what and how good they are at doing it. Ask to see their "back catalogue" of work or ask if they have previous customers near you.
One pal has a young (to me!) son who has set up in fabrication and exhaust work. He started out with just a mobile phone number and a single unit on a trading estate. The quality of his work became well-known by word of mouth at first, but later by advertising and website. Most of his work is now in specialist racing car work and the only returning customers are there to place more orders! Moral....don't trust a valuable job to someone until you have done the research.

[John Wakefield]

Good advice there Brian but thing is people get taken in with flashy websites (the recent experiance by 'brokabolt' with Windridge Coatings being a good example). I think that the mags themselves sould vet advertisers, another example is firms still selling products like Fuel Cat a bundle of lead pallets that you plonk in your petrol tank to substitute for tetra butyl lead in petrol. A device that long ago was deamed useless.