Bike Shop Service

In the past, I used to take my bike to the LBS once a year to be
serviced. They looked at the bike, fixed what needed fixing and told me
how much I owed them. In return I got back a bike that rode like it was
new. Sometimes they told me what parts were starting to wear and what I
should keep an eye on.

Then I moved...

I took my bike to the new LBS, and told them to service it. They asked
me what sort of service I wanted. Apparently I could have a bronze
service, a silver service or a gold service! So I got myself a bronze
service 'cos it was cheap!

So I got my bike back a few days later, they took twenty quid off of me,
which is admittedly the cheapest service I've ever had, but the bike
didn't feel like new. In fact it felt pretty much identical, the gears
were slipping even though I told them about it. The only evidence that
they'd done anything at all was they'd put some luminous pink gunk at
the contact points of all my cables. This was annoying as I ended up
with pink gunk on my hands!

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why should I
pay that if nothing needs doing?

All I want is for my bike to come back fixed and feeling new and for it
not to have pink gunk on it, is that too much to ask? It wasn't before.

On 13 July, 22:26, Pip Ryder wrote:
In the past, I used to take my bike to the LBS once a year to be
serviced. They looked at the bike, fixed what needed fixing and told me
how much I owed them. In return I got back a bike that rode like it was
new. Sometimes they told me what parts were starting to wear and what I
should keep an eye on.

Then I moved...

I took my bike to the new LBS, and told them to service it. They asked
me what sort of service I wanted. Apparently I could have a bronze
service, a silver service or a gold service! So I got myself a bronze
service 'cos it was cheap!

So I got my bike back a few days later, they took twenty quid off of me,
which is admittedly the cheapest service I've ever had, but the bike
didn't feel like new. In fact it felt pretty much identical, the gears
were slipping even though I told them about it. The only evidence that
they'd done anything at all was they'd put some luminous pink gunk at
the contact points of all my cables. This was annoying as I ended up
with pink gunk on my hands!

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why should I
pay that if nothing needs doing?

All I want is for my bike to come back fixed and feeling new and for it
not to have pink gunk on it, is that too much to ask? It wasn't before.

A good LBS is worth its weight in the proverbial. If you don't support
them, they don't stay around. Find a good one and stick to it (or
learn to service your own bikes).

On Jul 13, 11:04*pm, Simon Brooke wrote:

A good LBS is worth its weight in the proverbial. If you don't support
them, they don't stay around. Find a good one and stick to it (or
learn to service your own bikes).

Or both :-)
--
Guy

Pip Ryder wrote:
In the past, I used to take my bike to the LBS once a year to be
serviced. They looked at the bike, fixed what needed fixing and told me
how much I owed them. In return I got back a bike that rode like it was
new. Sometimes they told me what parts were starting to wear and what I
should keep an eye on.

Then I moved...

I took my bike to the new LBS, and told them to service it. They asked
me what sort of service I wanted. Apparently I could have a bronze
service, a silver service or a gold service! So I got myself a bronze
service 'cos it was cheap!

So I got my bike back a few days later, they took twenty quid off of me,
which is admittedly the cheapest service I've ever had, but the bike
didn't feel like new. In fact it felt pretty much identical, the gears
were slipping even though I told them about it. The only evidence that
they'd done anything at all was they'd put some luminous pink gunk at
the contact points of all my cables. This was annoying as I ended up
with pink gunk on my hands!

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why should I
pay that if nothing needs doing?

All I want is for my bike to come back fixed and feeling new and for it
not to have pink gunk on it, is that too much to ask? It wasn't before.

£20 sounds about right for some lube (gunk) and 20 mins look-over.
95% of what a bike shop can do is easily done yourself - chain de-grease
and lube, check of all moving parts, check pads and alignment, adjust
gears (if necessary) etc.
Personally, I check/do this type of service regularly, so don't need an
annual service.
Happi

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:04:37 -0700 (PDT), Simon Brooke
wrote:

On 13 July, 22:26, Pip Ryder wrote:
In the past, I used to take my bike to the LBS once a year to be
serviced. They looked at the bike, fixed what needed fixing and told me
how much I owed them. In return I got back a bike that rode like it was
new. Sometimes they told me what parts were starting to wear and what I
should keep an eye on.

Then I moved...

I took my bike to the new LBS, and told them to service it. They asked
me what sort of service I wanted. Apparently I could have a bronze
service, a silver service or a gold service! So I got myself a bronze
service 'cos it was cheap!

So I got my bike back a few days later, they took twenty quid off of me,
which is admittedly the cheapest service I've ever had, but the bike
didn't feel like new. In fact it felt pretty much identical, the gears
were slipping even though I told them about it. The only evidence that
they'd done anything at all was they'd put some luminous pink gunk at
the contact points of all my cables. This was annoying as I ended up
with pink gunk on my hands!

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why should I
pay that if nothing needs doing?

All I want is for my bike to come back fixed and feeling new and for it
not to have pink gunk on it, is that too much to ask? It wasn't before.

A good LBS is worth its weight in the proverbial. If you don't support
them, they don't stay around. Find a good one and stick to it (or
learn to service your own bikes).

There's a poor LBSs near-ish where I live. They've been around for
some time and show no signs of closing.

I usually service my own bike now.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
[Reply-to address valid until it is spammed.]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
On Jul 13, 11:04 pm, Simon Brooke wrote:

A good LBS is worth its weight in the proverbial. If you don't support
them, they don't stay around. Find a good one and stick to it (or
learn to service your own bikes).

Or both :-)
--
Guy


and if you're really good they'll even lend you the occasional special
tool you need. But don't then try taking it in for a standard service or
they'll have a go at you for being a lazy sod that can't be arsed to
tighten a cable.
And quite right too, you've been buying the bits for years -
"what's up? servant's day off?"



--

Come to Dave & Boris - your cycle security experts.

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Or both :-)

Out of interest, which LBS do you use?

Pip Ryder wrote:

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why
should I pay that if nothing needs doing?

£100? That's car servicing money!

On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:53:06 +0100, "Doki" wrote:

Pip Ryder wrote:

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why
should I pay that if nothing needs doing?

£100? That's car servicing money!

The shop I bought my bike from says they charge £100 per hour.
Needless to say I have never used that service.

--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
[Reply-to address valid until it is spammed.]

Mark wrote:
On Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:53:06 +0100, "Doki" wrote:

Pip Ryder wrote:

Looking around, it seems all the bike shops round here have different
types of service! Some are charging £100 for a top service! Why
should I pay that if nothing needs doing?
£100? That's car servicing money!

The shop I bought my bike from says they charge £100 per hour.
Needless to say I have never used that service.



At my LBS I frequently hear 'Took me bloody ages to get that off - can't
charge him for all that time'.
Aand on the other hand, 'Right, that one's getting charged for me
spending 20 minutes cleaning the ******* thing before I could work on
it' -- often followed a few minutes later by 'If he'd even cleaned it
now and then I wouldn't be replacing the whole lot'.

(Compressed dog turd in treads is seen as an occupational hazard)

--

Come to Dave & Boris - your cycle security experts.