Do you get your bike professionally serviced?

[Get Karter]

Having looked at the Bicycle Repair Man thread, I got thinking about what proportion of cyclists pay for it, and what proportion see to it themselves!

Multiple answers allowed, as I'm sure many will fall into more than one category.

ETA personally I am at a stage where I have never paid for it, but will need to invest in some tools and know-how soon if that is to remain the case.

Edited by Get Karter on Thursday 12th April 20:08

[Gizmo!]

I've just been pondering it recently (to be honest: since I saw all the mud and grit in my bike's sensitive bits the other day, and the fact that my rear brake has gone AWOL).

But the prices are too much, so I'm going to get the tools out...

[sjg]

DIY unless it's something that needs really specialised tools that I don't have and won't use often enough to justify buying. I'm not very trusting of most mechanics though so generally DIY so that I know that a job has been done right.

Will happily fit headsets and BBs, build my own wheels, bleed disc brakes, etc. About the only thing I don't do is forks/shocks - easier to send off and have them do a service.

[itsnotarace]

The right tools make all the difference. Have been maintaining bikes for 25 years now and the only thing I hate doing at home is cutting carbon fibre (but again you can get proper cutting guide tools). Two other jobs I have no means to perform at home are facing headsets and BB's so I will farm those out to an experienced LBS.

The most recent skill I have learnt is gluing tubular tyres which was initially a daunting prospect but was actually a piece of piss in the end, just required a steady hand with a paint brush and a good deal of patience allowing the layers of glue to dry im very pleased withe results and only ended up with a tiny bit of glue residue on the sidewalks and brake track which cleaned straight off

[sleep envy]

Have previously done it myself but am increasingly time poor so for £60 I'll use my LBS even though he 'only does vintage bikes' the stuck up snob.

[snowdude2910]

I'm not sure what I do is a service but I run my chain through a chain cleaner full of industrial degreaser, drench it in gt50 and then wipe it down take about 5minutes every couple of hundred miles I can't really see what else you'd service? If the gears get a bit out of line I adjust them and then I'm just waiting for something else to break and then I'll replace it as and when. What do other people do??

[Kermit power]

I don't trust the shops I can afford.

I can't afford the ones I trust.

There are even some I neither trust nor can afford.

So I try to do as much as I can myself.

[sleep envy]

Isn't gt50 just a water dispersant?

[deadtom]

Get Karter said:

what proportion of cyclists pay for it, and what proportion see to it themselves!

fnarr fnarr

[carter711]

The only things I'd pay someone else to do is suspension work on modern shocks. Old ones are easy I changed the seals and bushings in my bombers the other day without fuss.

[sleep envy]

swerni said:

Got mine back today £35 for a service

Oh yeah, they do one of those pump the tyres and lube the chain services too

[Digga]

itsnotarace said:

Two other jobs I have no means to perform at home are facing headsets and BB's so I will farm those out to an experienced LBS.

This.

Everything else, rebuilding hub bearings (Hope products are great for this), replacing BBS and headset bearings, changing pads and even swapping forks I am happy and able to do at home.

I do bleed hydraulic brakes but am buggered if I can get them quite a pin-shapr as the mech at my LBS. I asked him what the knack was one day and he quite rightly replied that he could tell me but he'd be doing himself out of a job.

[sjg]

Digga said:

I do bleed hydraulic brakes but am buggered if I can get them quite a pin-shapr as the mech at my LBS. I asked him what the knack was one day and he quite rightly replied that he could tell me but he'd be doing himself out of a job.

Some are trickier than others but it's just following a process in the right order. Avid are worst I find, but they have a good video showing it step by step: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzZkEIrCBJ0

In fact, just about any job you can think of there'll be a tutorial video for it out there. Between that and sites like parktool.com there's really no excuse for not doing any of the basics yourself.

[anonymous-user]

Kermit power said:

I don't trust the shops I can afford.

I can't afford the ones I trust.

There are even some I neither trust nor can afford.

So I try to do as much as I can myself.

I read this and found myself in complete agreement but fortunately found the shop that I both trust and can afford.

[Kermit power]

swerni said:

Take apart.
Head set taken out cleaned up
Everything degreased and repacked and put back together.
Gears and brakes sorted.

Your man obviously looks at you and thinks " all the gear and no idea" , and sees a mug punter



Seriously though Puremotion cycles are brilliant, can't recommend them enough.

All that for £35??

Is that a special for people who've bought their bikes from them or something?

[Digga]

Kermit power said:

swerni said:

Take apart.
Head set taken out cleaned up
Everything degreased and repacked and put back together.
Gears and brakes sorted.

Your man obviously looks at you and thinks " all the gear and no idea" , and sees a mug punter



Seriously though Puremotion cycles are brilliant, can't recommend them enough.

All that for £35??

Is that a special for people who've bought their bikes from them or something?

1. For an experienced grease monkey that's only about an hour's work. (I had to hastily fit a new BB after getting home from work and heading out for a night ride and - with the old one already stripepd out and the frame cleaned and re-greased in readiness - I was done in 25 mins. The BB still works by the way.)
2. Why decry LBS's that favour (some degree of) loyalty? They need trade to survive.

[sleep envy]

swerni said:

Take apart.
Head set taken out cleaned up
Everything degreased and repacked and put back together.
Gears and brakes sorted.

Your man obviously looks at you and thinks " all the gear and no idea" , and sees a mug punter



Seriously though Puremotion cycles are brilliant, can't recommend them enough.

if you think you're getting all that for £35 we might have a better idea who's the mug punter

he's spending about 1 hour on your bike tops

[P-Jay]

The only thing I don't do is wheel builds, I should learn really, but the wheel builder in my LBS is brillaint.

I can strip forks and shocks, but I tend to do the basic oil and seal changes myself, but take them to Mojo for a full job every year.

Everything else you should really be able to fix, on the road/trail side with whatever you carry riding or at least bodge up, no one likes walking home.

[Kermit power]

Digga said:

# For an experienced grease monkey that's only about an hour's work. (I had to hastily fit a new BB after getting home from work and heading out for a night ride and - with the old one already stripepd out and the frame cleaned and re-greased in readiness - I was done in 25 mins. The BB still works by the way.)

Even so, that's not a lot when you consider that £35 also has to make a contribution towards tools, grease, shop space, heating & lighting, booking the bikes in and out, storage until bikes are collected, marketing for the shop, etc, etc...

Digga said:

# Why decry LBS's that favour (some degree of) loyalty? They need trade to survive.

I'm not. It's a perfectly reasonable thing for them to do. I didn't buy my bike there, however, so was wondering if I'd still be able to get the same price should I choose to use them.

[sleep envy]

Kermit power said:

Even so, that's not a lot when you consider that £35 also has to make a contribution towards tools, grease, shop space, heating & lighting, booking the bikes in and out, storage until bikes are collected, marketing for the shop, etc, etc...

It's even less when you consider £6 of that is VAT plus rates, rent & insurance.