Anyone else leave the fettling to the LBS ?

[Cuchilo]

Ive just got my road bike back after having a new chain fitted and the gearing is spotless aswell as the bike riding like a new one . I was charged £20 including the chain Just to clean it as well as they have done would have taken me an hour or more and im sure I wouldn't have got it as spotless .
Im thinking of just letting them look after the bikes from now on and keeping my heavy hands away from it ( apart from cleaning )
Anyone else do this and if so after how many miles ?

 

[fossyant]

No.

I do a far better job.

 

[ianrauk]

Agree with Fossy...

Rather do it myself.. and also know I do a better job.
Bike mechanics and cleaning is not hard once you have learnt the basics.
Keep fettling and you keep learning.

 

[Broughtonblue]

I leave to the professionals

 

[Cuchilo]

I leave to the professionals

Every time you have a niggle or after a certain amount of miles ?

 

[Davidc]

Like ianrauk and fossyant I do nearly all of my own, for the same reasons. I don't however think that's the right choice for everyone.

If you prefer to get your maintenance done at the LBS that's fine. There are lots of reasons for making that choice, nothing wrong with it, and if it's a good LBS they'll do you a good job at a reasonable price

 

[400bhp]

Most of the stuff done by myself, but sometimes depends on what mood I'm in I will get the lbs to do stuff.

I honestly find taking bike to shop then picking it up more hassle than just doing the job myself. Wasn't too bad when I worked in central manc and i could leave it at Evans for the day but that isn't an option now.

If I could get a full strip down and regrease for about £50 I'd do that once a year on my winter bike.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

No one touches my bikes but me.

 

[biggs682]

a bit of a mixture for me , but i do find that what the lbs charge me it seams silly not to let them do the jobs

 

[Pat "5mph"]

No one touches my bikes but me.

When I grow up I wanna be like you

 

[the_mikey]

I do all of the fettling on my bikes.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

When I grow up I wanna be like you

 

[Globalti]

I would NEVER trust anybody else to touch my bikes, they simply wouldn't do the job to the standard I require. For me bike fettling is about getting every tiny detail right, such as grinding flat the ends of cable outers and setting brake blocks so that they snap shut perfectly parallel to the rim. Few mechanics have the time to get things as well set up.

 

[simon.r]

A couple of weeks ago I got a puncture within 20 yards of Evans. As it was dark and cold I thought I'd get them to fix it for me - until they told me it would cost £15! If I can buy a tube for £2 I suspect they're buying them for less, so they're charging £13+ for less than10 minutes labour.

To be fair, the staff were great when I politely declined and said I'd do it myself. They let me change my tube in the comfort of their well lit and warm shop

 

[vickster]

I leave to the professionals

Agreed - I am inept, uninterested in mechanicals and busy. Prefer to spend my spare time riding or shopping for bike stuff than getting mucky, and more importantly frustrated by mechanical stuff!

That said, I don't actually keep bikes long enough for them to need servicing