Should I trust LBS?

[Rhythm Thief]

I don't know if I am a bit gung ho, or simply don't put in enough miles, but I don't bother servicing my bike.

I lube it, keep it clean and regularly adjust the brakes, indexing if required, check the chain etc.

I don't even bother lubing cables as standard as whenever I have done it they seemed okay.

Perhaps my bike doesn't fall to pieces because I run it with mudguards and don't get the corroding crap in there in the first place? ... only kidding Bonj.

Oh, I regrease my seat post approximately annually to stop it seizing.

So that only really leaves my bottom bracket (sealed), pedals (not serviceable)and my headset which can be easily be checked for play / wear. I check oif my wheels are out of true too, but my current ones seem bomb proof. So I would just take it in to the LBS if I actually had something wrong with my bike.

I am not particularly handy (I don't do any motor servicing myself for example) but bikes seem easy to look after and rarely go wrong if you keep an eye out for early signs.

Errrr ... that sounds very much like a service to me.

 

[Wolf04]

Errrr ... that sounds very much like a service to me.

Me too.

 

[Mr Pig]

But this raises a fundamental question generally these days, can you trust anyone?

I do most things, from car repairs to plumbing, myself for that reason. I've found some great tradesmen over the years but most just want to get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible. Often the quality of their work is poor/shoddy and virtually never as good as you can do the thing yourself.

I've worked on pneumatic and hydraulic systems on machines costing hundreds of thousands of pounds for over twenty years. Should I trust the brakes on my bike to a spotty kid who's only just been told which end of a screwdriver to hold?

I can take more time on a job and get it bang on, not just passable, so that's what I do.

 

[Chris James]

Errrr ... that sounds very much like a service to me.

Yes, me too. Sort of. Especially when I listed all the stuff I do!

But I just think it is easier and cheaper to keep an eye on things rather than go for a full strip down.

Things that wear or stretch need lots of little adjustments rather than waiting for an annual service.

 

[magnatom]

I do most things, from car repairs to plumbing, myself for that reason. I've found some great tradesmen over the years but most just want to get the job done as quickly and cheaply as possible. Often the quality of their work is poor/shoddy and virtually never as good as you can do the thing yourself.

I've worked on pneumatic and hydraulic systems on machines costing hundreds of thousands of pounds for over twenty years. Should I trust the brakes on my bike to a spotty kid who's only just been told which end of a screwdriver to hold?

I can take more time on a job and get it bang on, not just passable, so that's what I do.

I'm actually like that myself. If something needs done I will read up on it and give it a go myself. That's how my patio got laid and my shower tray got removed installed, etc. My problem these days is having kids, time is tight and I don't have the time to fiddle and experiment.

When I get the chance I will get booked on the Edinburgh bike coop course again. That way I should be able to do more in the future.

What about books though? Are there any bike repair/servicing books that anyone would recommend?

 

[fossyant]

Mags, lots of us have kids - bike fixing is usually when they are in bed, or when they are playing outside so I can keep an eye on them...just needs fitting in.

Bikes are very simple mechanically, you really can't screw them up... just get the right tools.

I couldn't afford to take my three bikes, the kids bikes and my wife's bike to the shop each time they needed something doing....£££££££££

As it is, I've always done my own bikes - because I know its done right, and when speeding down a hill or honking up one, I want to know everything is tight and double checked.

Get on that course, and you won't look back.

 

[BentMikey]

Just get a bike manual (Haynes, park tools website and Sheldon Brown) and get on with it, ya big JESSIE. Or are you mechanically inept?

LOL, only kidding mate, I'm clearly on a windup.

 

[Nigeyy]

I do everything on a bike myself -build wheels, strip suspension, bb's -you name it, I've done it from the ground up on a bike.

I have to say that the workings of a bicycle are generally pretty simple -if you have a mechanical aptitude, access to quality tools, a torque wrench and torque settings and the web (Sheldon Brown, Park tools are some of the best web sites) and the ability to know if you're getting yourself in too deep, you should be fine. Sometimes, doing it yourself can be the best approach:

-I learned how to strip down a Cannondale Headshok once it became clear that I had nothing to lose (e.g. cost of headset converter and cost of getting the front suspension fork was going to be the same as the cost of servicing it anyway, plus I'd be out a bike for 3-4 weeks at that time, so I didn't have anything to lose).
-I've saved loads of money on servicing myself (certainly on wheel builds)
-when I do the job, I know I'm doing it right (if I don't, that's when I go to a bike shop). Unless you trust that bike shop implicitly, it's not unknown for them to employ pimply 16 year old kids or grumpy old men who really don't know what they are doing. Even bike shop owners can be behind the times (blanches noticeably when he recalls a bike shop owner telling him an old Manitou XC comp front suspension was adjustable by turning the knobs -the very knobs that kept the elastomers in place!).

In the last 15 years, I've only gone to a bike shop for mechanics twice -once when I had a stuck crank the threads for the thread puller had given way, and another time when the bb of a bike was in so tightly I couldn't budge it. Each time I knew I'd prefer someone else to do the job for me and incur the risks of doing it.

 

[magnatom]

Just get a bike manual (Haynes, park tools website and Sheldon Brown) and get on with it, ya big JESSIE. Or are you mechanically inept?
LOL, only kidding mate, I'm clearly on a windup.

Wind up, my ar$e! You meant every word of it, you swine...... you, you, you, knobjockey, you........

Never managed to use that term in real life.....one day......

 

[Sapper]

One of the reasons why I don't do much of my own bike maintenance (apart from time and inexperience) is the lack of a workshop.

I live in a second floor ex council flat!

Adrian

 

[andyfromotley]

hmmmm, they say it doesnt need changing, you dont have to spend anything extra........... highly suspicious, i'd keep a close eye on them, probably closet bus drivers.

andy

 

[magnatom]

hmmmm, they say it doesnt need changing, you dont have to spend anything extra........... highly suspicious, i'd keep a close eye on them, probably closet bus drivers.

andy

Actually, they admitted they were very busy, lots of new bikes needing set up, lots of services etc and the mechanic admitted that new bikes take precedence. I'm just a little concerned that they had a quick look at my bike and thought, 'it'll do, not as much profit in that one, lets move on to the next bike'...

 

[andyfromotley]

Gosh youre touchy today! Are you still unwell?

thats what working with ill people does for you.

 

[HLaB]

One of the reasons why I don't do much of my own bike maintenance (apart from time and inexperience) is the lack of a workshop.

I live in a second floor ex council flat!

Adrian

I live in a second floor flat too and its certainly not ideal for anything other than tinkering with the bike. For anything more I tend to use my parents garage 17 miles away .

 

[Nigeyy]

Yes, got to admit I'm fortunate as I have a nice cellar with work table, bike stand, all the tools I'm likely to need, good lighting, etc. Having a good space as well can make all the difference.

Do rebuild wheels and clean the bike in the living room when the wife's out though. One time got a huge glob of grease on the carpet -never moved so fast to get it off and rub it with some detergent. She never knew.

One of the reasons why I don't do much of my own bike maintenance (apart from time and inexperience) is the lack of a workshop.

I live in a second floor ex council flat!

Adrian