Bike shop waiting times
- Thread starter ozboz
- Start date
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DRM
Guru
- Location
- West Yorks
I've been looking at some bits & bobs on both Wiggle/Chain Reaction & pro bike kit, and a lot of common service items are out of stock
DSK
Senior Member
My local independent 1 man specialist usually has a 1 week lead time throughout the year but, since March its usually around 2.5 weeks. He's been able to get me in within circa 1 week as my stuff if usually a 2 minute tinker and 10 minute chat for him and probably as despite him not wanting payment for most tweaks, I always leave £10/£20 as a thank you.
Hi.
The chain on my bike is well past its sell by date and today i noticed my local bike shop was open.
So i popped in to get a replacement and thought no more of it. My old chain splitter is not the best and although it will split a chain nicely, abait with a fair bit of force, it never seems to want to rejoin a chain.
No problem because the new one has a quick link anyway.
With the old one off it soon became apparent the new chain was 4 links longer and would cause the rear mech jockey wheels to foul up against the rear cassette in certain gears. I didn't fancy chopping the chain down with my worn out chain splitter so i took it to the bike shop just down the road to quickly do it for me.
With a cheery hello i asked it they could help and the answer i got back was "not till next month mate" We're absolutely snowed under with repairs and assembling bikes at the moment.. In fact i would of had to wait till mid June!!!!
He briefly showed me the huge back log of work they've got.
Well this can't do i thought so i ended up buying a new chain splitter. After using the new one i couldn't believe how knackered my old one was, and its all up and running again. So far this month I've done 800 miles on the bike and I'm hoping i can top the magic 1000. That will be like cycling from Wales to the South of France in 31 days without any mechanical dramas or punctures. Just a replacement chain that was long overdue anyway..
This not a rant at the bike shop by any means but it really does show how there trade has gone through the roof at the moment. Hopefully we will see many more new bike shops opening up due to recent advents of the corona virus
The chain on my bike is well past its sell by date and today i noticed my local bike shop was open.
So i popped in to get a replacement and thought no more of it. My old chain splitter is not the best and although it will split a chain nicely, abait with a fair bit of force, it never seems to want to rejoin a chain.
No problem because the new one has a quick link anyway.
With the old one off it soon became apparent the new chain was 4 links longer and would cause the rear mech jockey wheels to foul up against the rear cassette in certain gears. I didn't fancy chopping the chain down with my worn out chain splitter so i took it to the bike shop just down the road to quickly do it for me.
With a cheery hello i asked it they could help and the answer i got back was "not till next month mate" We're absolutely snowed under with repairs and assembling bikes at the moment.. In fact i would of had to wait till mid June!!!!
He briefly showed me the huge back log of work they've got.
Well this can't do i thought so i ended up buying a new chain splitter. After using the new one i couldn't believe how knackered my old one was, and its all up and running again. So far this month I've done 800 miles on the bike and I'm hoping i can top the magic 1000. That will be like cycling from Wales to the South of France in 31 days without any mechanical dramas or punctures. Just a replacement chain that was long overdue anyway..
This not a rant at the bike shop by any means but it really does show how there trade has gone through the roof at the moment. Hopefully we will see many more new bike shops opening up due to recent advents of the corona virus
vickster
Legendary Member
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
I think you are slightly underestimating the distance as it is more like 1300 miles from North Wales.
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
My LBS (repairs only) told me he is doing 12-15hr days just to keep up with the demand.
Oh, and he says he has never seen the word Carrera so much in his life.
Just hoping those that have got on bikes now are making full use of the good weather to get fit and used to cycling, and so will stick with it when the weather isn't so clement.
Oh, and he says he has never seen the word Carrera so much in his life.
Just hoping those that have got on bikes now are making full use of the good weather to get fit and used to cycling, and so will stick with it when the weather isn't so clement.
Nice work
BalkanExpress
Guru
- Location
- Brussels
I needed to have a fork steerer tube cut down and rethreaded, a bit of a specialist job. The nearest bike shop with the correct tool kept saying "come back next week". The third time he said it I headed off the 20 or so miles to the old school frame builder who is doing some other work for me. He cut and threaded the fork in 10 minutes and didn't even charge me
...
..mind you, he had just told me I'd need to wait another 6 weeks to get back the frame he's had since December
.....mind you, he had just told me I'd need to wait another 6 weeks to get back the frame he's had since December
matticus
Guru
I was queuing at a local Halfords to collect some tyres recently and the lady in front of me was pushing her bike which I decided was going to hold me up for a while so I offered to take a look while we waited. Fortunately it was only a case of the chain having jumped off and becoming wedged between the chainrings. A quick tug of the chain, a tweak of the barrel adjuster to stop the derailleur travelling too far and it happening again and off she went
Toshiba Boy
N+1er
- Location
- By the beach, West Zummerzet
One, two week delays, bah-humbug, I dream of one or two week waiting times.
Mark who works magic on some of my vintage bikes, has had my Bottecchia since......September!
In mitigation, he does a fabulous job, has had some parts issues, oh, and the small matter that he and his wife have had Covid-19, both, thank goodness, completely recovered.
Mark who works magic on some of my vintage bikes, has had my Bottecchia since......September!
In mitigation, he does a fabulous job, has had some parts issues, oh, and the small matter that he and his wife have had Covid-19, both, thank goodness, completely recovered.
