Bad service or is it just me?

[vickster]

Think im going to give it ago myself, im pretty sure i can do it but like someone else said sometimes its easier just to put in a shop and save all the agro, especially as i thought it was gonna cost me £35 to get cassette chain and gear service and £10 to get bar tape done.

I'll order a cassette removal tool and have a bash soon

You'll need a chainwhip too. Might be worth looking at the jobsworth starter toolkits at planet X

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I found that whenever i needed to fix, replace or adjust something I'd never done before, there are at least three YouTube videos for just about every job out there. It's never been easier to learn to fix things. Give it a go, you'll enjoy it.

 

[si_c]

You'll need a chainwhip too. Might be worth looking at the jobsworth starter toolkits at planet X

Definitely this - I got a starter kit when I started riding again as I was skint at the time and it made more sense to try to keep on top of costs by doing it myself.

Definitely paid off in the long term and 75% of what you need is in those kits - anything not tends to be for something a little bit more involved and probably worth getting a LBS to do anyway unless you like spending money on tools

 

[Crankarm]

Maintaining your bike is not hard. You quickly recover the cost in tools after a few jobs. If you struggle with mechanical things there is always YouTube to help you out. In any case what happens if you need to make adjustments out on the road or your bike suffers a failure? If you don't know how to mend your bike you're furbled. I would rather maintain my own bike than allow some monkey with the IQ of a mozzie to work on my pride and joys.

I just bought a new bike from ChainReaction and their PDI checks aren't worth the paper they write them on. A truly shocking level of bike preparation skills.

Same with cars. Have always serviced my own cars but recently bought a newer one more suited to carrying bikes. I am currently having a monumental argument with them over knackered suspension top mounts with only 24k miles on the vehicle. The dealer Stoneacre have told me there is nothing wrong with my vehicle meaning they do not want to fix the problem as the car is still covered by their warranty and they would have to pay. I don't normally buy cars from dealers as they are all sharks that see their customers as cash machines, but when they have to meet the cost of repairs then they don't want to know. Bike shops are no different.

 

[CXRAndy]

Where ever possible, do your own basic servicing. Push bikes are a doddle once you've got some basics behind you. YouTube is a great source of information. Everything that you need to maintain a bike is on the internet.

 

[ozboz]

I’ve had issues with LBS’s, but only the larger ones, Ms boz had a run in with a motorist ( nothing new there ! ) because he saw his ar””””e so he reversed into her bike and bucked the wheel and shot off, as wheel trueing is one area I have no experience in I called two big players around here , Pearson’s said £25 and can only do it at weekend, Sigma Sports £20 but it has to be booked in about 4 days to wait , a mob called ‘The London Bike Shop’ has just opened their 3rd shop near Mortlake Stn, ( parts and serving,repairs only shops) £12 , bring it and we’ll fix it , so I took it on Friday, and they done it promptly and wheel very true now ,

 

[Drago]

The Bronze service isn't a specific gear service looking at the website
BRONZE SERVICE - recommended every 3 months.

Full safety check, frame and forks wiped down and checked for alignment, gears and brakes adjusted, chain checked and lubricated, wheels and tyres inspected for wear.

In other words, little more than the pre ride safety checks a conscientious cyclist will do each day.

Well, I did say conscientious. Look how many people never pre ride check their machines.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Think im going to give it ago myself, im pretty sure i can do it but like someone else said sometimes its easier just to put in a shop and save all the agro, especially as i thought it was gonna cost me £35 to get cassette chain and gear service and £10 to get bar tape done.

I'll order a cassette removal tool and have a bash soon

You say save the aggro but look at all the aggro the shop has given you. You get a feel for which bits need replacement most frequently. So you keep spares of those at home. Then when your bike needs some work you can do it yourself and be on the road a couple of hours later rather than getting the run around for a few days from a shop that doesn’t really care.

 

[RoadRider400]

Bar tape is an easy home job and one I personally found very rewarding, thats coming from somebody who took over an hour to change 2 tyres the first time I tried it. Plus you know the quality of the tape you are putting on.

 

[velohomme]

Try the book The Art of Road Bike Maintenance by Zinn. Really detailed. I built a complete bike using it.

 

[gazza81]

Im normally pretty good with fixing things, i should be i fix stuff for a living haha

The bar tape i will defo do myself

Ive fitted the cassette and new chain, inner and outer cables but struggling to get the rear gears to shift

 

[simongt]

I use my LBS pretty much all the time for anything more than my wee brain can deal with; anything major, or to do with derailleurs. When i needed a replacement bike when mine was trashed in an RTA, I took another of my bikes to him to 'convert'. Full service including the Sturmey 5 speed, supply & fit new mudguards & butterfly handlebars, fitting salvaged parts off the trashed bike, including 'disposables' such as brake cables etc., £170.
Compute that Evan's Cycles - !

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Im normally pretty good with fixing things, i should be i fix stuff for a living haha

The bar tape i will defo do myself

Ive fitted the cassette and new chain, inner and outer cables but struggling to get the rear gears to shift

Pull inner by hand and see if it’s moves freely inside the outer.

 

[Crankarm]

Im normally pretty good with fixing things, i should be i fix stuff for a living haha

The bar tape i will defo do myself

Ive fitted the cassette and new chain, inner and outer cables but struggling to get the rear gears to shift

What stuff do you fix for a living?

Think im going to give it ago myself, im pretty sure i can do it but like someone else said sometimes its easier just to put in a shop and save all the agro, especially as i thought it was gonna cost me £35 to get cassette chain and gear service and £10 to get bar tape done.

I'll order a cassette removal tool and have a bash soon

You'd be lucky to even buy a cassette and chain for £35 or quality bar tape of £10.

The only defence of bikes shops is they have to deal with people who have no idea how much parts cost, whinge at the cost of labour, but have no idea how to actually maintain their own bikes. Worst type of customer. This is why maintaining your own bike(s) is best. You know the condition of it, when components need adjustment, when replacement is imminent and what's involved.

 

[fossyant]

You maintain a bike. You don't service it at 'intervals'. They aren't hard and I've no time to go take mine to a shop, nor wait. If anything is wearing out, I will order it, and replace before its an issue.

If you don't like, or can't maintain a bike, do not get a mountain bike and use it properly (ie get it dirty). God these things need looking after (mainly if you don't look after them, repairs can be very costly).