Taking forever

[Joe24]

Rant:
Took my frame into LBS last Thursday. Still in there. Only thing thats been done is the wheel is built up, but the hub wasnt checked in the frame before the wheel was built, which has annoyed me as the axel is seeming like it is too short Went for the System ex hub, and all the bike shops around here said it will fit, just got to wack some 5mm spacers on the axle and wang it in.
I went into LBS at the start of the week when the wheel had been built and it was then that i got the guy to try it. There will be about 4/5threads that the bolt will tighten onto. Be slighlty more if the spacers are grinded down to 3.5 or 4mm. Took the spacers yesterday, rolled up after club ride and the guy is sitting outside(ok, his lunch break) drop them off in the shop and theres no bike in the stand. Cool, not busy, will be able to get it done soon. Rang up today, "been busy, not had chance to had a look at it, got 2 bikes before yours" Fine. What i wanted to know is will the axle fit, couldnt be told. If it int long enough then it will need a longer axle, and with it being sealed bearings it will apparently be difficult(how difficult, is it just remove the nuts from one side and it will/should slide out?)
Then, theres the time for him to be able to find the best bottom bracket for the chain-line. Which "could get expensive", not what i wanted to hear. Could be about 1 or 2 hours to do that.
Am i just lacking in patience at the moment? The fact i have nothing else to do is probably not helping. Was hoping it would be done by today as i cant/have little chance of picking it up tomorrow as i cant get a lift down to pick it up.
Should i go down tomorrow on my ride and chivvy things along if it isnt done, or just get some patience and wait till its done properly?
This is the problem with being off with nothing to do after a bike ride

 

[Maz]

Is it the fact that he's taking his time or doesn't appear to know what he's doing that bothers you? I'd only be worried if it was the latter...

Surely you've got a whole stack of bikes at home. I'm the only 1-biker on here I think.

 

[Joe24]

I only have one bike
He's said that he has done one converstion before. Its more the fact that he is always 'busy' and hasnt even really started it that annoys me. The wheel build didnt take long, then its just been stopped standing since then really
Patience, patience

 

[fossyant]

Chill man.... does seem a bit odd with the axel - thought they were all 130mm spacing these days....

Keep popping in.....some LBS's are a bit disorganised, but if he's any good keep them on your side - I'd ask to check it out and see if it fits - may save him some time.

All a bit rubbish about the BB, just replace with the same BB axel width - why would you be messing with the chain line ????

 

[Joe24]

Gonna be fixed
If it was geared then i would of done it myself. The hub is 120 spaces, and my drop-outs are 130spaced. But the frame was good and free.

 

[mickle]

Please tell me this isn't the same bike shop which gave you all that nonsense with your rear brake.

Honestly Joe, if it is? You've got no-one to blame but yourself.

 

[Joe24]

It is, however here is why.
One shop said no they dont do fixed. The other sent me to 'freewheel' in town and the guy on the phone was confused. The other bike shop hadnt done any fixed before.
Round here sucks for good bike shops now, we were talking about it on the club ride. The one good one left closed down.
So basicly, i'm buggered. No good shops, some shops dont have a clue about what to do to convert, some dont even want to know about fixed bikes, i dont have te tools, the money for tools and bits or the knowledge.
Although he did say that if i had the tools he would give me some bottom brackets to try and i just got to bring the ones that dont fit back. But i dont have the tools to do it
Balls!!!!!!!

 

[mickle]

Jebus Chrust Joe. Move house!

 

[Joe24]

Would be nice
One bike shop pretty much put the phone down when i asked about fixed

 

[Maz]

No good bikeshops in Nottingham?
Is The Bike Shop any good?
http://www.thebikeshop-nottingham.com/

 

[bonj2]

Jesus. Won't do a brake repair/replacement under warranty. Can't give you a schedule for doing the work or tell you when they're going to start it. Wants to charge you for knocking the SFN down a bit. Can't measure the length of an axle. I really would consider going to another bike shop Joe, even if it means travelling slightly further afield. Seriously. This guy clearly doesn't know his arse from his elbow but obviously feels you owe him a living nevertheless.

 

[Joe24]

No good bikeshops in Nottingham?
Is The Bike Shop any good?
http://www.thebikeshop-nottingham.com/

Used to go in there. But when i had the folder and didnt know how to set up the gears, they kept the bike in and charged £5 to set the gears up.
That was also the shop that when i said, "Hello, i'm looking for a fixed hub tha"
They said quickly "We dont do fixed hubs or fixed gear bikes"
Bunneys Bikes in town, i walked out of when a guy was in with a cheap MTB that he had fitted a new chain to. I looked at it while i was waiting and he had a weak link that had seperated the chain. He asked a guy in there to use a chai tool and he wanted the guy to book it in. The guy finily got lent a chain tool and he fixed the chain. The guy never told him anything about why the link was like that or anything. He walked out and then i followed and told him what he needed and to get it from Evans.
Never feel that welcome in Langdales, probably because they see me as not being full on roadie or whatever.
Freewheel in town is run by kids basicly. They had the London version of the Specilized Langster there that someone had tried to make look good. Still looked bad and didnt like my comment asking why they didnt have a better fixed there. They also said they would ring me back about the fixed hub, but never did.
Evans, only a few good people in there, but to get a fixed hub they wanted me to order it in and pay the stupid postage to get it to the shop. They are a bit expensive on repairs.
Off into LBS today to sort it out. After talking with a guy in the club that ran fixed for a few years, and him demonstrating how flexble the rear drop-outs are on 531 frames, i'm going to get the hub spacers down to 3.5mm and then just squeeze the frame in. Wont be squeezed in that much, only 1.5mm each side 3mm overall. Its then just the matter of the bottom bracket length to get the chain line right.
I've been to most local bike shops around here you see
Pro Bikes i've been to once, its a nice shop. The guy was more happy to sell me cheaper shoes or send me to Decathlon because he knew my feet will probably grow then sell me an expensive pair of shoes. Even gave advice for if we went to Decathlon. Unfortunatly, he is too far away, and it would be hard to get a lift there and back when i need to take a bike in.

 

[Maz]

Used to go in there. But when i had the folder and didnt know how to set up the gears, they kept the bike in and charged £5 to set the gears up.
That was also the shop that when i said, "Hello, i'm looking for a fixed hub tha"
They said quickly "We dont do fixed hubs or fixed gear bikes"...

No offence, Joe, but I can't see owt wrong here. OK, on the gear setup, maybe you should've asked 'how much will it cost?' and 'would you have to keep it overnight?'. These are standard questions, I'd say. If you're not happy, don't let them do the work.

And on the other point, maybe they don't do fixed gear stuff (!)...

 

[Joe24]

Didnt mind the charge to set up the gears. But didnt see why they needed to keep it in where they could of had a quick fiddle with it there and then. I knew it was going to be in over night though.
If they dont do fixed gear stuff they dont do fixed gear stuff. But to build up a fixed gear and not do fixed gear stuff is impossible. Plus if it needs work doing on it, they got to know about fixed gear.
The geared bike i'm starting to do the work on myself. Its mainly getting the chainline right with the bottom bracket and the wheel building i couldnt do that the fixed went in.
The guys arent bad in there though, they've helped out a few times though. You got a connection with them Maz or have you been in there a few times before?

 

[Maz]

Never been to The Bike Shop before and no connection to them. I was surprised when you said there were no decent bike shops in a city the size of Nottingham, that's all.