Bike Service ?

[jamin100]

Roughly after how many miles / years would you give your bike a FULL service?

My CX is just over a year old and done 1500 miles. There's no major problems with it as such aside from a few creaks maybe but just wondering if i should think about getting it serviced yet.

One of the local shops to be is offering the following for £100 inc VAT but plus any parts needed etc
I don't know enough about bike maintenance or have the tools/time to learn so am wondering if this is a good option?

• FULL STRIP DOWN TO FRAME AND FORKS.
• CHECK WHEELS SPIN FREELY AND TRUE ACCORDINGLY.
• CHECK AND ADJUST BRAKES FITTING NEW CABLES (AND FURTHER PARTS IF REQUIRED).
• REMOVE, DEEP CLEAN, REFIT AND LUBRICATE CHAIN.
• CHECK AND ADJUST GEARS FITTING NEW CABLES (AND FURTHER PARTS IF REQUIRED)
• REMOVE BOTTOM BRACKET , STRIP, CLEAN AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS AND THREADS.
• STRIP HEADSET, INSPECT FOR WEAR AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS.
• STRIP WHEEL HUBS, INSPECT FOR WEAR AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS.
• CHECK TYRE PRESSURE AND INFLATE TO CORRECT TYRE PRESURE OR CHANGE TUBES.
• ALL PARTS ARE REMOVED, CHECKED FOR WEAR, CLEANED AND RE GREASED OR REPLACED AS REQUIRED.
• CYCLE IS RE ASSEMBLED WITH ALL NUTS AND BOLTS TIGHTENED TO CORRECT TORQUE SETTINGS.
• CARRY OUT A FULL ROAD TEST.

6 months gaurantee on the work carried out
12 months guarantee on any parts fitted

 

[Lee_M]

Roughly after how many miles / years would you give your bike a FULL service?

My CX is just over a year old and done 1500 miles. There's no major problems with it as such aside from a few creaks maybe but just wondering if i should think about getting it serviced yet.

One of the local shops to be is offering the following for £100 inc VAT but plus any parts needed etc
I don't know enough about bike maintenance or have the tools/time to learn so am wondering if this is a good option?

• FULL STRIP DOWN TO FRAME AND FORKS.
• CHECK WHEELS SPIN FREELY AND TRUE ACCORDINGLY.
• CHECK AND ADJUST BRAKES FITTING NEW CABLES (AND FURTHER PARTS IF REQUIRED).
• REMOVE, DEEP CLEAN, REFIT AND LUBRICATE CHAIN.
• CHECK AND ADJUST GEARS FITTING NEW CABLES (AND FURTHER PARTS IF REQUIRED)
• REMOVE BOTTOM BRACKET , STRIP, CLEAN AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS AND THREADS.
• STRIP HEADSET, INSPECT FOR WEAR AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS.
• STRIP WHEEL HUBS, INSPECT FOR WEAR AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS.
• CHECK TYRE PRESSURE AND INFLATE TO CORRECT TYRE PRESURE OR CHANGE TUBES.
• ALL PARTS ARE REMOVED, CHECKED FOR WEAR, CLEANED AND RE GREASED OR REPLACED AS REQUIRED.
• CYCLE IS RE ASSEMBLED WITH ALL NUTS AND BOLTS TIGHTENED TO CORRECT TORQUE SETTINGS.
• CARRY OUT A FULL ROAD TEST.

6 months gaurantee on the work carried out
12 months guarantee on any parts fitted

so undo a few bolts, spin the wheels, clean chain, faff about with wheel hubs, pump tyres up

I'll do that for £90!

Seriously you can do all that yourself except perhaps the wheel hubs and headset, but you can find out how to do that on youtube, and if theyre sealed hubs and bearings what will they see anyway

 

[Rob3rt]

Does the £100 include the cables? Or are the cables considered as "any parts needed". This should be clarified because cables may or may not be included by default and "any parts needed" being other stuff they find wrong.

 

[jamin100]

This is the page
http://www.hawkcycles.co.uk/servicing.php

From the blurb:

Again the cost new parts required (including your choice of cables and bearings) will be highlighted by the mechanic when the bicycle is received, but these are not included in the price

 

[fossyant]

Get yourself a new chain, cassette and cables, and do it yourself !

 

[jamin100]

Get yourself a new chain, cassette and cables, and do it yourself !

lol, its not just that tho is it.
Its tools and then the knowledge of how to actually do it without turning my bike into a death trap
and the time, which I dont have

 

[Rob3rt]

£100, plus about £30 for cables, plus chain, cassette, brake blocks (all things that wouldn't surprise me if the LBS said you needed) will start adding up.

TBH, 1500 miles is not that much. For a whole year, I'd call it used sparingly.

 

[VamP]

Depands on usage. I strip my race bikes down to frame and rebuild after each season, that's no more than 300 miles per bike, but then they get a tough 300.

It's fun though, so learn to do it. It's a part and parcel of being a cyclist.

 

[Hont]

That seems a bit in depth for 1500 miles. Things that you can do yourself in 5 minutes are listed in red. If everything checks out, then you should be able to keep your cash in your pocket. I'd be amazed if you needed new brakes or cables and, as others have said, if the BB/headset/hubs are sealed units then you can't service them anyway - but check them regularly. The only other thing I would do is in green (which should only take ten minutes and only needs a few disposal j-cloths some degreaser and new lube.

• FULL STRIP DOWN TO FRAME AND FORKS.
• CHECK WHEELS SPIN FREELY AND TRUE ACCORDINGLY.
• CHECK AND ADJUST BRAKES FITTING NEW CABLES (AND FURTHER PARTS IF REQUIRED).
• REMOVE, DEEP CLEAN, REFIT AND LUBRICATE CHAIN. DEGREASE, WIPE DOWN AND RE-LUBE CHAIN, CASSETTE AND CHAINRINGS
• CHECK AND ADJUST GEARS FITTING NEW CABLES (AND FURTHER PARTS IF REQUIRED)
• REMOVE BOTTOM BRACKET , STRIP, CLEAN AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS AND THREADS.
• STRIP HEADSET, INSPECT FOR WEAR AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS.
• STRIP WHEEL HUBS, INSPECT FOR WEAR AND REPLACE OR RE GREASE BEARINGS.
• CHECK TYRE PRESSURE AND INFLATE TO CORRECT TYRE PRESURE OR CHANGE TUBES.
• ALL PARTS ARE REMOVED, CHECKED FOR WEAR, CLEANED AND RE GREASED OR REPLACED AS REQUIRED.
• CYCLE IS RE ASSEMBLED WITH ALL NUTS AND BOLTS TIGHTENED TO CORRECT TORQUE SETTINGS.
• CARRY OUT A FULL ROAD TEST.

6 months gaurantee on the work carried out

12 months guarantee on any parts fitted

 

[okeydokey79]

i know some will slate them but i have 2 bikes from halfords and have their service plan on both of them, i try to do bits myself but like the fact that they will help with big jobs(or naything i mess up),get a service each year and replace all cables for £20, the guy at my local halfords is brilliant and that good that when i brought a non halfords bike i also took the bike care plan out on that and he looks after that aswell and have no issues. (non halfords bike care plan £30)

 

[robgul]

.... Hawk Cycles ... purveyors of gas-pipe framed bikes ....

The description of the work at only 1,500 miles is waaaay over the top to me - 5,000 perhaps ...the "removing and servicing bottom bracket" is interesting - they're all sealed units nowadays.

Despite what you said ..... I would invest in a book (the Haynes manual is basic but adequate - or the Park Tools Blue Book) and some tools to do most of the work myself - it's not that complicated and as suggested doesn't take very long. If you are not totally confident do as much as you can and then ask the chap in the LBS to have a look (I mean the sort of LBS where there's an old boy in a brown smock)

Rob

 

[steve52]

regular maintenance.and fix things when they go wrong and i never need a service

 

[numbnuts]

Get reading this, and then buy a few tools and do it yourself
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

 

[Andrew_P]

I am crap at anything DIY and I have done everything on a bike except service the hubs and I have worn out rims before the hub even sounds like it needs looking at. I used forums and You Tube as tutors.

The reality is the only tools you will need over and above a decent allen key set and spanners will be a cassette chain whip and the sprocket to undo, a chain splitter and find out what bottom bracket you have and get the right tool for that.

As others have said 1500 mile is not a great deal, depending on how well the chain has been kept and conditions ridden you might need a new chain, cannot see much else will need doing to be honest.

 

[potsy]

1500 miles?
It's just about run in now

Got to agree with most of the others, most of that is easily done yourself with minimal tools, even a div like me can do it