Overcharged?

[beatlejuice]

Having lost my chain on my 6 speed commuter bike.(as in it came off and I can't find it) I went to a new independent bike shop, just openning for a new one. They want to charge me £16 for the chain and £25 to set the rear derailleur. Is this fair?

 

[Dusty Bin]

It's fair if you can't do it yourself. They aren't going to do it for nothing.

 

[BimblingBee]

You're paying for convenience and they are there to make money.

How much do you think they should charge?

 

[e-rider]

£16 for the chain is a normal 'LBS' price. (online price £5)
£25 for fitting it is a bit steep although everyone has the right to earn a decent wage - we can't expect cycle mechanics to work for minimum wage (or can we?)

you could always learn to do it yourself - it's very simple and only requires a chain link tool and basic screw-driver/allen keys

 

[albion]

Car servicing at a dealership can cost £75+ per hour.

Do you really think this is bike overcharging?

 

[numbnuts]

.....and how much do you earn an hour
if you learn to do it yourself it won't cost so much next time
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

 

[fossyant]

Looks like minimum set fees.

LBS chain SHOULD be good quality, say £10 on line, and the £25 will be the minimum charge to fit.

Order on line, and all you need is a chain breaker to shorten the chain. Get a KMC 8 speed chain (same size 6,7,8) which comes with a quick link for joining. cost of a quality KMC chain and a chain breaker should be less than £25 (depending upon quality of tool/chain).

 

[snailracer]

[QUOTE 2807615, member: 45"]As it's a 15 minute job I would say that it's a bit much.[/quote]
Would be reasonable IF it included a new shift cable.

 

[Roadrider48]

Sorry mate, but if you don't want to pay....learn to do it yourself!
It's really not that hard.

 

[beatlejuice]

I will pay but like any savvy purchaser I want to know what the market rate is. I went to another shop and quoted me £ 15 for the chain and a tenner to adjust the rear derailleur. That's pretty good by my book.

 

[Dusty Bin]

I will pay but like any savvy purchaser I want to know what the market rate is. I went to another shop and quoted me £ 15 for the chain and a tenner to adjust the rear derailleur. That's pretty good by my book.

Not if they do a crap job, it isn't...

 

[Cyclopathic]

Having lost my chain on my 6 speed commuter bike.(as in it came off and I can't find it) I went to a new independent bike shop, just openning for a new one. They want to charge me £16 for the chain and £25 to set the rear derailleur. Is this fair?

What exactly are they talking about when they say "set the rear derailiur?

 

[vickster]

Car servicing at a dealership can cost £75+ per hour.

Do you really think this is bike overcharging?

About £150 At main dealers in these parts!

 

[DooDah]

Holy **** this bike stuff is expensive in the UK. Just had a new rear gear cable and outer (shimano stuff) fitted for 15.75 euros at my LBS. Not suggesting you ride your bike to the south of France to get it services though

 

[Cubist]

The LBS has a right to earn a bit of money to do a good job. I once queried an LBS owner when I heard him quote for a simple job. He replied that it may be a simple job on a well maintained and clean bike, but he pointed out that he gets bikes in with dogshit on the tyres, crusted chains and rear mechs, stretched cables, non-indexed gears and folk start pretending it's his fault if the gears don't work properly when he fixes their puncture for example. So, he charges an hour's labour and makes sure he cleans and sorts the gears before giving it back.