Nervous about service

[lulubel]

This sounds silly, I know, but I've booked my bike in for a service at my LBS and now feel nervous that it won't be right when I get it back.

I'm planning to maintain it myself, but there are just too many things that need doing at the moment, so I went to the LBS yesterday and booked it in for Monday. Then I can teach myself maintenance on my mountain bike (which I very rarely use) and gradually build up the tools and skills I need before I tamper with my beloved road bike.

The only thing I've used the LBS for so far is to buy chain lube, so I have no idea how good it is. Plus, my Spanish is limited and certainly doesn't extend to words for things like "chainset". The LBS is a very small, one man setup. He has a small showroom at the front with 4 new mountain bikes on display and a selection of second hand bikes. His workshop is at the back, and he has a few bikes in - there was a mountain bike and a decent looking road bike on stands being worked on. He obviously mainly does MTBs, but there isn't much difference mechanically, is there?

I'm not sure if he told me Monday (I went in yesterday) because he's quite busy or because he has to order the parts. He doesn't seem to have room to keep much in stock - there's a small rail of clothing, a few pairs of shoes and some helmets in the showroom area, and he keeps basics like tubes and lube behind the counter.

I've had one very good experience and one not great experience with bike shops in the past, so I just hope he does a good job. And as I said to my OH, I won't know if I'm going to get what I thought I was asking for until I pick up the bike next week!

 

[doog]

Im sure it will be fine. My only experience of a Spanish bike shop was last month up in the Pyrenees. I couldnt speak Spanish and he couldnt speak English. I was desperate and he could sense it

.

Still, he diagnosed my problem, sorted it out , this plus two quality inner tubes and two rolls of rim tape, cost only 12 euro.

I only visited him because I was stuck...the only thing I would ask a bike shop to do at home would be a gear / cable service and fit a new headset (if I needed one). I can do the rest : I learnt after sticking my bike in for a service and getting a bill for £100 - never again

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Most bike maintenance tasks are fairly simple, so even if things aren't quite right after the service, chance is someone will be able to advice how to sort it out (especially if you are planning to tool up anyway) if you post the problem in KnowHow.

Good luck!

 

[Amanda P]

I've had some experiences like that.

One time in Cyprus, the pedal thread in Mrs Uncle Phil's crank stripped at the top of a big climb. We managed to get a lift to a bike shop, but the mechanic/owner was working elsewhere - he had another job during the day while his wife ran the shop. He did repairs in the evening. We had to leave the repair until the following day.

When we met him, it turned out he had no English and we no Greek. His wife had some English, and we managed to explain what the problem was. Between us, we changed the damaged crank, but the only replacement he had fouled on the chainstay. He shrugged; I suggested shimming it with a bit of coke can. It worked and he was very impressed!

Another time we broke some spokes in rural Ireland. The local bike shop was rather as you describe, but dirty and dingy. To source a spoke of the right length, the guy took one out of another wheel he had in stock. Then another customer arrived and he pointed me to the truing jig and suggested I put in the spoke and true up the wheel while he dealt with the customer, which I did. When we were done, he invited me to pay him however much I thought the job was worth - a tricky calculation given that I'd done half the work myself, but with his tools!

These one-man bands won't stay in business if they can't do a half-decent job. Don't worry.