Mountain Biking - Screwed by LBS..Again?

I try to support my LBS as much as possible. I have a few in my area(where i live...theres too much of everything) but I have been utilizing one particular shop for all my repairs and although they have switched owners I have gone to them for everything. I sent my bike in for a tune up, get a call the day after they assured me it would be done in the first place and they asked if they can put an new chain on as well as some cables. Understanding its beyond the realm of a tune up and as well as the fact that after 2+ years of riding it may need it, so my 59.99 tune up just went up $40(including brake cables).

Turned out to be a sram chain, on a full shimano ride, no complaints, till i ride it and it never wants to get out of the middle ring.

Do i have a problem to bring up with my LBS??

Oh and the again thing. Well the previous owner(of the LBS) offered to upgrade my brakes when I was a virgin to Cycling in general. Showed me catalog, told me "that will run bout x if you go with y levers to make it stop nice". Turned out that x when up about 10% the charged me 40% above msrp for levers plus mechanic rates to install along w/ cables(ended up about 4x what I thought it would be. Needless to say that I "maintained" my own ride for a good 2 years

Thats a pretty common setup. That shouldn't be the problem. I did that on all my bikes until I dumped shimano completely.

I'd bring it up with them in a second, if it doesn't work right after you get it back.

Sounds like a crappy shop, maybe you should suggest to them they lower prices a bit and think about where their income comes from (customers). The worst that can happen is they get upset and you don't go back there. Do this after you pick up the bike from them fixing it, of course.

I don't know about the shop. However, I have used SRAM chains since they were Sedisport. They work fine with Shimano. Just what is it you get specifically for a $59.99 tuneup?

LBS's are usually either real good or real bad.... Funny why that is, huh?
Yes they will almost always charge more than mailorder prices for stuff. They have rent, utilities, wages & other costs that are sometimes (if not always) overlooked by the customer.
I buy 99% of my items online, but sometimes it's best to buy local, especially in a pinch.
Tune-up's are a hard call, but when they say one thing and then charge another, that's illegal. It's called "Bait & Switch". And yes, it can pertaining to services as well as items they sell....

There's alot to be learned from the saying:

Fool Me Once, Shame On You...
Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me...

I have two local shops owned by the same people that do free tune-ups for the life of the bike. It is great to have that kind of support.

Brian

If it were me I wouldn't say anything about the brand of chain. SRAM chains are commonly used with Shimano drivetrains. Personally I prefer the SRAM chains mainly because of the power link.

I would say something to them about the bike not shifting though. Most likely it shifted fine on the workstand when they were working on it. When you take the bike back in they shouldn't give you a hassle about it, they will probably take the bike around the parking lot, say you are right and fix the problem.

Sounds like you need a new shop and/or learn how to service your bike yourself. If you learn how to do your own work, you will save youself money, and know what to do when something breaks on a trail. And if you ever have to go to a shop, you can avoid getting shafted.

When you say MSRP, are you talking the prices printed in the shop's catalogues, or actual MSRP? If you saw a price in the shop's catalogue, thats what they pay, not what the consumer pays. Markup for some items is around 40% at some shops.

We only stock SRAM chains. In my experience they are quite superior to Shimano chains, to the point when I buy a new bike, first thing I do is put a SRAM chain on it. The chain not coming out of the middle ring is a derailleur adjustment, nothing to do with the chain... if they replaced the front derailleur cable it may have just stretched or settled in a bit and thrown the shifting off, though they should have prestretched the cable on the bike and given it a good test ride to prevent settling after you picked it up.

I have two LBS...One is good...and one is bad...My good one is awesome b/c they do like everything for free...and are freindly...The bad one..I went into to buy a helmet, It cost 44 bucks. Some how the tax brought it up to $63. Never going back there again.

Usually if your already getting a tune-up they dont charge for labor on extra parts, unless its a lot of extras. That sucks for what you paid, go back and tell them your problem and Im sure they will fix it no problem.

my LBS does repairs and maintenance for free if you bought the bike from them, for the life of the bike. Tune-ups, any adjustments, Anything that goes from normal use gets replaced free. I mean, a bent rim that resulted from a huge drop or something doesn't count, but most parts are covered, that's how an LBS should be.

Over at my area, the LBS just behaves like a proprietary professor that bull dozes customers to accept their recommendations. Worst, some even tell me Shimano never manufacture rims, and keep talking like a monolingual pro! Asked me what is my budget, and I countered him "what do you have to offer".

Not being snobbish, but I felt they should realize that it is the fundamentals of salesmanship to ascertain the actual concerns of a customer, than to bulldoze their way to sell something that turns the customer away - i.e. simple thing like mtb frame colour!

Honestly, I am intending to buy my mtb from some LBS who offer me better and more patient service, with reasonable price. However, they are very far away for my recurring service in the future. I reckon I would rather take a cab and transport my mtb to a good attitude LBS, than to scrutinize myself to pay the hard earned money for bad attitudes and sleazy profiteering propaganda!

Apologies for the frustrations, but LBS ought to realize the global competition with the Internet, and stop smoking customers tactically.