Thanks to reading this thread last night, I checked the spokes on my 3000 mile 2018 GSA this morning and guess what, at least 6 of the spokes on the rear wheel are loose. I will do a full inspection tonight but I have been less than impressed by the reaction of Bahnstormer Maidenhead so far. I contacted their service dept this morning to ask them to take the bike in to check the spokes. The service guy denied all knowledge of any kind of endemic issue with GSA wheel spokes and when I pointed out that there were plenty of disgruntled GSA owners on this forum complaining about loose spokes, he said that they never look at BMW forums because they were full of false information! He promised me an immediate call back and needless to say 5hrs later I'm still waiting for that call
So a couple of questions. Stupid question first. Actually how unsafe is it to ride the bike with a few loose spokes? Are we talking about a sudden wheel collapse or 'just' a deterioration in handling? The second question goes on from the first. I have never been 100% happy with the handling of the new bike compared to my previous 2016 GSA especially recently. I specified my new GSA with PR4 Trail tyres from new because I liked them so much on my previous GSA so the 2 bikes can be compared directly but my new GSA feels less planted than the old one in that it is more easily deflected by road imperfections such as raised road markings and cracks in the tarmac. The rear wheel seems to break traction more easily too. Until now I have put this down to just a different feel from the new Dynamic ESA suspension compared to the old ESA suspension but I'm starting to wonder now whether this is due to the rear wheel flexing because of the loose spokes. Am I reading too much into this loose spoke thing?
Lastly, I've bought other bikes from Bahnstormer Maidenhead in the past and I have never been entirely happy with their service. They just happen to be my closest dealer. Frankly I'm not sure I trust them to deal properly with this issue. I understand there is an outfit in Devon who will re-tension spoked wheels but thats a long way to go for me. Can anyone recommend a good independent in the SE?
So a couple of questions. Stupid question first. Actually how unsafe is it to ride the bike with a few loose spokes? Are we talking about a sudden wheel collapse or 'just' a deterioration in handling? The second question goes on from the first. I have never been 100% happy with the handling of the new bike compared to my previous 2016 GSA especially recently. I specified my new GSA with PR4 Trail tyres from new because I liked them so much on my previous GSA so the 2 bikes can be compared directly but my new GSA feels less planted than the old one in that it is more easily deflected by road imperfections such as raised road markings and cracks in the tarmac. The rear wheel seems to break traction more easily too. Until now I have put this down to just a different feel from the new Dynamic ESA suspension compared to the old ESA suspension but I'm starting to wonder now whether this is due to the rear wheel flexing because of the loose spokes. Am I reading too much into this loose spoke thing?
Lastly, I've bought other bikes from Bahnstormer Maidenhead in the past and I have never been entirely happy with their service. They just happen to be my closest dealer. Frankly I'm not sure I trust them to deal properly with this issue. I understand there is an outfit in Devon who will re-tension spoked wheels but thats a long way to go for me. Can anyone recommend a good independent in the SE?