My take on bike shop servicing

[PurpleAtom]

+1

Chain slip has resulted me making rapid contact with the top tube, feet trailing on the floor after slipping off of the pedals and wobbling into the middle of the lane. That is when I learnt that a cassette should really be changed at the same time as a chain!

It was a long time ago, but I remember it all too eye wateringly clearly.

Ouch! Looks like i've been lucky - my testicles have been saved this unfortunate occurance so far! You have my sympathies :0)

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I guess it depends on the type of riding you do. Chain slip would drive me crazy and I would want it fixed ASAP. Without knowing the bikes mileage it is difficult to be certain but the proposed new parts sound pretty standard to me. They were what I swapped out on my last service (done myself admittedly). The feel of the bike after it has a new drive train in beautiful but as I say if you only use the bike of back and for to the shops then you can live with poor power delivery. I would invest in a jockstrap though!

Hi,

I wondered what other people thought about the propensity of bike shops to give you a massive quote about all the new components you 'need' on your bike when you take it in for a simple servcice.

I am very happy to pay to have the cables replaced along with new brake pads and I accept that some components do need replacing after a while, such as the chain, cassette, crankset etc, depending on what your mileage is. What I object to is the way bike shops make you think that these components are 'necessary' for your bike to work again. For my last 3 services (over about 2 and half years) i apparently have 'needed' a new chain, cassette, jockey wheel and crankset. After insisting that I cannot afford such replacements, I have been able to miraculously pedal my bike as before with minimal chain slippage. Yes, a slipping chain is frustrating, but one can easily adapt and it is hardly anything that would necessitate stopping riding the thing. The shifting I am sure isn't as smooth as it would be given new components, but they are fine for my commuting and semi-regular saturday and sunday rides.

It would be nice to take my bike into a shop and not be told I need to spend £200 on replacement parts (I have even been told once that I need a new bike!) and then to not have an argument with the mechanic about why I am not going to spend that much money. It would be very nice if I could affort to have new cassettes and cranksets regularly - I am sure my bike would be much nicer to ride for it, but 'necessary'? I don't think so....



What do others think?

(Sorry if this is the wrong section)

 

[Hilldodger]

If everyone learns how to maintain there bikes most bike shops will close down. That is where the money is.

I agree with everything Mickle says.............but then again we both have significant experience of running bike shops.

 

[jack the lad]

If I had taken a bike with a slipping chain to a bike mechanic and s/he HADN'T told me it needed replacing I would have had very serious doubts about their competence. If you are happy to ride your bike in that condition, don't blame the mechanic, they were just doing their job properly!

 

[Bman]

+1

Chain slip has resulted me making rapid contact with the top tube, feet trailing on the floor after slipping off of the pedals and wobbling into the middle of the lane. That is when I learnt that a cassette should really be changed at the same time as a chain!

It was a long time ago, but I remember it all too eye wateringly clearly.

Same thing happened to me, except miraculously missed my "important" bits. Kept the bike together but sprained my ankle when my foot hit the tarmac at 20mph.

 

[Davidc]

A slipping chain is dangerous and damaging to the bike.

The mechanic has a duty of care to you and must warn you of the need for action and the potential consequences of inaction.

If you dont like the price then do the basics yourself. Get a good book and also look at the information on the web. Allow a lot of extra time the first few times.

I do nearly all my own maintenance, but will sometimes pay an lbs to do work on the bike, and I'd be apalled if I wasn't told by them of dangerous defects they found.

To deal with chains and casettes - Buy a chain guage (some are less than £10). If the bike's 8 speed at the back then a basic chain is about £12, a basic chain rivet tool is about the same, and replacement takes about 10 minutes. Do it when the chain wear is 0.75% and the chains should do at least 1000 miles and the cassette around 3000, from my experience. A cassette lock ring tool can be bought for less than £10, a basic 8 speed cassette for less than £20, and swapping them over usually takes about 5 minutes plus getting the wheel on and off.

Those are just the bits you've complained about.

If you aren't happy doing your own maintenance then you'll just have to budget for the lbs to do it.

 

[PurpleAtom]

A slipping chain is dangerous and damaging to the bike.

The mechanic has a duty of care to you and must warn you of the need for action and the potential consequences of inaction.

If you dont like the price then do the basics yourself. Get a good book and also look at the information on the web. Allow a lot of extra time the first few times.

I do nearly all my own maintenance, but will sometimes pay an lbs to do work on the bike, and I'd be apalled if I wasn't told by them of dangerous defects they found.

To deal with chains and casettes - Buy a chain guage (some are less than £10). If the bike's 8 speed at the back then a basic chain is about £12, a basic chain rivet tool is about the same, and replacement takes about 10 minutes. Do it when the chain wear is 0.75% and the chains should do at least 1000 miles and the cassette around 3000, from my experience. A cassette lock ring tool can be bought for less than £10, a basic 8 speed cassette for less than £20, and swapping them over usually takes about 5 minutes plus getting the wheel on and off.

Those are just the bits you've complained about.

If you aren't happy doing your own maintenance then you'll just have to budget for the lbs to do it.

Thanks for your reply, I think this perhaps might come down to the shall we say overly persuasive sales pitch in my local bike shop. I should not have generalised about all lbs's. To be clear, I am not complaining about the condition of my bike, I am quite happy with it and can have a safe ride on it despite it needing a new cassette, chain and crankset. I am 'complaining' about my local bike shop being overly persuasive about trying to make me spend £200 in their shop on components I can get by without.

I do not deny my bike would be much better with this work done on it. But like I say, I have other priorities and my local bike shop doesn't seem to accept that.

 

[Dave Davenport]

the chains should do at least 1000 miles

I'd say more like 5000 miles.

 

[gbb]

Thanks for the welcome!

Its interesting to get varying opinions about this topic. When i tell my non-cycling friends or people who ride their bike very rarely, or who ride an old banger - they can't understand that I spend the amount of money that I do on maintaining my bike.

I can do some bike maintenance myself, such as adjusting breaks and indexing gears (although sometimes I just can't get the gears right) but its just easier sometimes to take it into a shop and let a professional do it, who can do it far better than I can anyway.

I suppose I am just venting frustration. All I have to do is thank the mechanic for their for advice and walk away!

Welcome BTW PurpleAtom
You'll get differing answers on this topic because we all expect different things from our bikes.

I suspect you're commuting and riding within what you know the bike will safely do in its current condition.
..and that may be good enough reason for you.
Myself, i push myself hard, often get out the saddle and commuting in traffic with worn transmission is a recipe for disaster with my riding style. I wouldnt accept worn transmission cos it'd be dangerous for me.
The LBS's 100% right from the sound of it...i guess sometimes you just dont want to hear it . Same for all of us with one thing or another.

 

[PurpleAtom]

I suspect you're commuting and riding within what you know the bike will safely do in its current condition.
..and that may be good enough reason for you........
....................i guess sometimes you just dont want to hear it . Same for all of us with one thing or another.

This just about sums it all up!! Thanks

 

[Garz]

Anything mechanical by design over time and use wears out. People have to get their cars serviced, heating systems etc. Knowledge is power and whilst the DIY brigade can do most jobs the professional can do a better job in far less time. Your mechanic argument is true in the main, he is not lying as BSRU pointed out; the worn chain will assist wearing out rapidly the cassette if not tended to. This is where getting sound advice comes in, and trusting someone with that.

My mechanic (lives four doors down) must be from Yorkshire, as he's such a tight-ass he is the one persuading me not to upgrade or replace parts till they are almost failing. He has been doing his trade for twenty years so generally I take what he has to say seriously. Talk to your shop and explain that it's in their best interest to give you good service and appreciate only requiring replacements when it is necessary. If you talk to them enough to get friendly you never know they may start offering you better discounts...

 

[the snail]

only requiring replacements when it is necessary.

I think this is the problem, for most people that would be when the chain is slipping, presumably for the OP it's when his nuts are crushed on the top tube?

 

[TheDoctor]

I wouldn't say chain slipping could cause you serious injury??

Do you have testicles??

Mickle speaketh the sense. A slipping Sturmey Archer gear when I was 12 left me in some doubt as to whether I could ever produce offspring.
If I had a bike serviced and the chain slipped afterwards I'd be well hacked off. Obviously everyone has thier own view on what's OK and how much they're prepared to tolerate, but a slipping chain is outside of my own personal Jesus comfort zone.

 

[Kestevan]

+1 to most of the above. I too do 90% of my own servicing, and use the LBS only for stuff I can't be bothered to swear at (headset mainly).

However - when I first started I took my bike to a shop for a 1 year service. I was well and truly ripped off. Parts that didnt need changing (2 week old koolstop pads were removed and replaced with cheap low end jobs). I had asked to be contacted if anything 'major' needed doing, but apparently his definition of major and mine were vastly different.... long story short I ended up paying much more than necessary for a very poor job.

I've never been back in the shop again, and never will. Moral of the story is there are some cowboys out there, and they will take advantage if they think they can get away with it.

The guy I use now is much better..... he's a miserable bugger, but knows his way round a spanner

 

[jay clock]

a) slipping chain is bad news in terms of safety and means you will wear out other components fast
b) I replace the chain every 1000 miles or so. Not very expensive and makes the cassette last much longer
c) I do many things myself but have now found a local ex GB cycle team mechanic, who seems to charge me £30 for whatever he does. For a full service (inc removing BB and headset) he is a bargain. He is also a perfectionist