LBS charges

[Manonabike]

I'm going to ask a LBS for the cost to fit a headset and cut a CB fork..... how much should I expect to pay?

 

[Manonabike]

nobody has any ideas of what is reasonable

 

[Lee_M]

Depends how often you go in and give them business, mine would do it for freeif I'd bought the gear off them.

And I'd be embarrassed to take stuff in I'd bought elsewhere and would expect them to charge me a punitive rate

 

[TheDoctor]

Should be under an hour to do that - £25?
Personally I'd do it myself though. Neither of them is exactly rocket engineering.
Which is a shame really, cos I'm quite good at that!

 

[Manonabike]

Depends how often you go in and give them business, mine would do it for freeif I'd bought the gear off them.

And I'd be embarrassed to take stuff in I'd bought elsewhere and would expect them to charge me a punitive rate

I don't expect them to charge me a fiver as I don't buy from them. Everytime I've wanted to give them my business I've come out quite annoyed by their asking prices. So it's not for lack of trying.

Should be under an hour to do that - £25?
Personally I'd do it myself though. Neither of them is exactly rocket engineering.
Which is a shame really, cos I'm quite good at that!

I was quoted £30 + VAT so £36.

I've decided to buy some tools and do the job myself. It's a CF steerer so I don't want to mess it up :-)

 

[Lee_M]

£30 an hour isn't bad, difficult to make much of a profit at that rate

 

[TheDoctor]

Hacksaw with a new blade, and a mitre block if you have one.
Measure twice, and twice again, cut once.

 

[Lee_M]

I'd measure again :-)

 

[Oxo]

I'd get that guy from Dad's Army, John Le Measurer, to check it.

 

[biggs682]

i got charged £33 to re fit bottom bracket , headset,re tension spokes and check 2 wheels for being true and round and bearing condition .

 

[ianjmcd]

what would you expect to pay ?? these guys are normally quite skilled so £36 to me is a decent price

 

[accountantpete]

Cutting a CF steerer - 5 mins tops.

Installing a headset - 5 mins tops.

 

[Sittingduck]

This time last week I was in my kiktchen, bike on the workstand, grunting and groaning... and swearing! Couldn't get the bottom bracket out, to fit the replacement I had sourced from Chain Reaction. Took it into the LBS Monday and handed over the replacement BB (after he asked if I had a replacement one with me). Collected Tuesday, after work and cost me a tenner. He said it was a bit of a nightmare to get out but shifted eventually. Not sure how long it took him to get the stuck one out and install the new one. I have paid as little as a fiver before, for removal of a FUBAR'd chainset which I found quite surprising. I tend to do most things myself if at all possible but have had a couple of bits done in the shop before, including a wheel rebuild and I bought an MTB on cyclescheme, from there. Not exactly their most lucrative customer but happy enough with their very reasonable labour charges, if I don't have the tools for the job!

 

[Manonabike]

£30 an hour isn't bad, difficult to make much of a profit at that rate

I don't have a problem with the cost but I fancy having a go myself. That is how I've learnt to maintain my bikes and put together a few more.

what would you expect to pay ?? these guys are normally quite skilled so £36 to me is a decent price

Not a great a deal of skill involve in the jobs I want to do, however, the tools are necessary.

Hacksaw with a new blade, and a mitre block if you have one.
Measure twice, and twice again, cut once.

Yes, I have a new blade but I don't have a mitre block. I've been meaning to get these specialised tools and now I think the time has arrived I need to replace two more headsets so it makes sense I get them now. I will probably upgrade the fork on another bike for full carbon.

This time last week I was in my kiktchen, bike on the workstand, grunting and groaning... and swearing! Couldn't get the bottom bracket out, to fit the replacement I had sourced from Chain Reaction. Took it into the LBS Monday and handed over the replacement BB (after he asked if I had a replacement one with me). Collected Tuesday, after work and cost me a tenner. He said it was a bit of a nightmare to get out but shifted eventually. Not sure how long it took him to get the stuck one out and install the new one. I have paid as little as a fiver before, for removal of a FUBAR'd chainset which I found quite surprising. I tend to do most things myself if at all possible but have had a couple of bits done in the shop before, including a wheel rebuild and I bought an MTB on cyclescheme, from there. Not exactly their most lucrative customer but happy enough with their very reasonable labour charges, if I don't have the tools for the job!

Absolutely, when one comes up against these kind of jobs a friendly LBS is very handy. I once had a BB that was not giving way to any of the tricks I was advised to try, in the end I got my car mechanic to remove it. (he is a kind cyclist too )

 

[TheDoctor]

Mitre block isn't essential, to be honest. As long as the top cut isn't desperately wonky it'll be fine.
Assemble the fork into the headset, stick the stem on and as many spacers as you're ever going to fit (and maybe an extra one for luck), mark round the top of the whole assembly and then cut about 3 mm shorter than that line. You can always chop a bit more off, but if it's too short you're stuffed.
I did mine in a series of four cuts - cut part way through, turn fork through 90 degrees, repeat.
No idea if you need to be that anal about it, though...