Cost of rear mech check and adjustment?

[RegG]

Following my recent 'clipless moment', the chain has been a bit jumpy on the rear mech and despite having a go at adjusting it myself it's still not right. I called in at a LBS (well respected) today and had a chat with the guy there. After explaining the problem (didn't have the bike with me) he thought it possible that the hanger may have taken a knock. He has quoted me £25 +VAT to check it all out thoroughly, straighten the hanger if necessary and fully adjust the gears.

Does this sound a reasonable charge for the job?

 

[midlife]

Sounds fair to me, needs to take the mech off and use alignment tool to check and adjust then go through the cables / gears.

Damn sight cheaper than my local Subaru garage pluging in a computer to check the car!

Shaun

 

[midliferider]

The price quoted sounds reasonable. But if your concern is cost (mine usually is this kind of situation) I will take a different approach.

Make sure that your gears are adjusted properly. I am not sure what you exactly mean by chain bit jumpy. My approach would be not just play with screws but make a complete adjustment of the gear cables. That includes releasing the cable, adjusting the rear gears without the cable and then putting the cable back again. You may do the same for front as well. If you are mechanically mined the whole process should not take more than 30 minutes.

If the problem persists, see the cost of the rear mech. Sometimes it is cheaper to just replace rather than adjusting things.

 

[srw]

Before you take it in, get down on the ground and check it by eye. The mech should be vertical, and should line up more or less exactly with the gear its in - use the barrel adjuster and spot how it moves from left to right.

 

[screenman]

Start off by checking rear mech alignment, everything else is done after that.

 

[screenman]

Sounds fair to me, needs to take the mech off and use alignment tool to check and adjust then go through the cables / gears.

Damn sight cheaper than my local Subaru garage pluging in a computer to check the car!

Shaun

Not sure a bike shop has the same overheads as a garage does, the tool in use is not really like for like.

 

[screenman]

Seems a very reasonable charge to me.

 

[midlife]

Not sure a bike shop has the same overheads as a garage does, the tool in use is not really like for like.

Slightly tongue in cheek as I realise how much a Select Monitor costs

Shaun

 

[screenman]

Slightly tongue in cheek as I realise how much a Select Monitor costs

Shaun

I guessed it was.

 

[RegG]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I think I will be taking the bike in to have it sorted out as I am not too hot on adjusting derailleurs myself and would probably make a pigs ear of it and end up taking it in anyway!

 

[Heisenberg71]

Make sure that your gears are adjusted properly. I am not sure what you exactly mean by chain bit jumpy. My approach would be not just play with screws but make a complete adjustment of the gear cables. That includes releasing the cable, adjusting the rear gears without the cable and then putting the cable back again. You may do the same for front as well. If you are mechanically mined the whole process should not take more than 30 minutes.

^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^

Pull one of the many how to videos up on youtube and follow step by step. You will surprise yourself, learn something and save £25, as well as another £25 next time it falls out of adjustment. Plus you will feel like a man, with tools and super-powers etc.

Here's one I have personally used, just to get you started:-


View: https://youtu.be/Bbk5RcH0bbQ

 

[RegG]

^^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^^^^^

Pull one of the many how to videos up on youtube and follow step by step. You will surprise yourself, learn something and save £25, as well as another £25 next time it falls out of adjustment. Plus you will feel like a man, with tools and super-powers etc.

Here's one I have personally used, just to get you started:-


View: https://youtu.be/Bbk5RcH0bbQ

Thanks for the reply and the video recommendation. It makes it look so straightforward and I will definitely give it a go in the future if needed.

I took the bike into Langdale Lightweights (Mapperley, Nottingham) yesterday and they found the hanger to be slightly bent, otherwise the adjustments were not far out. They have fixed the hanger for me and now everything is spot on. The service was exceptional and I can thoroughly recommend them.

 

[sidevalve]

Not sure a bike shop has the same overheads as a garage does, the tool in use is not really like for like.

The hourly rate for a good bike mechanic is not cheap and that is the main cost. Why should a bike mechanic be regarded as a lower form of life than a car mechanic simply because the items he works on are cheaper ? The cost of the tools are spread out over hundreds even thousands of vehicles so it really doesn't contribute all that much [big showrooms are also separate - they exist on the revenue made from sales] The days of tiny shops with wizened old men working for a packet of ciggies is long gone - get over it and pay the realistic price or do it yourself.

 

[Globalti]

For most people there's no point in spending any of that money until they've changed the outer cable where it curves round to the rear derailleur. They'll be amazed at the amount of rust and crud that has accumulated at the cable ends and staggered at the drop in performance that they've grown to accept over the months that they've been failing to carry out this simple but important maintenance task.

 

[screenman]

The hourly rate for a good bike mechanic is not cheap and that is the main cost. Why should a bike mechanic be regarded as a lower form of life than a car mechanic simply because the items he works on are cheaper ? The cost of the tools are spread out over hundreds even thousands of vehicles so it really doesn't contribute all that much [big showrooms are also separate - they exist on the revenue made from sales] The days of tiny shops with wizened old men working for a packet of ciggies is long gone - get over it and pay the realistic price or do it yourself.

Sorry but you are slightly wrong with the nechanics wages being the main cost.