Bicycle Mechanics - LBS tune-up, what is it? Rant.

After I returning from a 2 1/2-month cycling trip and riding many kilometres, I brought my bike to my LBS for a tune-up and to have my rear wheel rebuilt. “Please check the whole bike out and make sure it is in good shape,” I said to the man. Well, he rebuilt my rear wheel, replaced the brake shoes and told me the chain should be replaced soon, but it was fine for now. He assured me that my bike was in good health and he charged me accordingly for the “tune-up”. At this time I had more money then time and I was willing to pay my LBS to make sure my bike was in fine form before I moved from that city. I work on contract and I like to spontaneously go on trips when I am finished, so having my gear in tiptop shape when I put it in storage is important. So this season when I pulled my bike out of storage, I have found that almost everything on it is in need of replacement; the middle chainring, the chain, the cassette, the peddles, the front hub, the front rim and the handlebar grips! I am glad I did not take this bike on tour! If the mechanic did his job correctly, he would have seen the wear on these components and I would have paid the money to have them replaced. This LBS was/is well respected, sold quality components and bicycles. Their staff rode and raced and were competent enough to do the job. Why would they not take their responsibilities seriously, is it because it is only a bicycle? So now I am now learning how to do the maintenance and repairs to my bikes to ensure that it is done correctly.

So what is a tune-up? What are they charging for? And does your LBS look at all the components for wear and do they grease the hubs, bb, etc? Are they professional?
:mad:

And if they said, "We rebuilt your wheel, replaced the shoes but you also need to replace the middle chainring, the chain, the cassette, the peddles, the front hub, the front rim and the handlebar grips." Would you be writing a rant about how your LBS is trying to rip you off with unneccessary repairs?

Maybe they didn't do a total inspection or maybe they repaired what you asked for and made sure the rest was functioning. Maybe they didn't do a good job, maybe they did what you asked.

Who knows but it would be more productive if you went to the shop and tell them the service was inadequate and to give you a discount on the stuff you now need to buy.
Good luck to you

You're bar tape could have gone bad in storage, or maybe they did not feel it was that bad yet that could be a personal thing. Every shop has different idea what a tune up is, it is best to ask them what they will be doing or specificaly ask them to check out things.

My LBS (okay, there is no LBS in my town, but this is where I go) spells out what its various levels of tune-up are to the Tee. In fact:

Wamsley Cycles Tune-Up Itemization/Prices (http://wamsleycycles.com/service.asp)

There is no guessing this way! :)

RacerX, I am not whining, I am just curious to see what other cyclists are experiencing with their LBS, and I put “rant” as there used to be a rant section on this forum. When I was in my late teens I worked at a local garage as a mechanic assistant and we followed a strict protocol when doing a tune-up, which is why I am asking this question. If the guy at the bike shop listed the problems and explained to me what parts were worn out, I would have happily paid to have the work done and he would have made more money. I just dug out my bill and it is a hefty one, but justified for the work they were supposed to have done.

So what is a tune-up? Is it adjusting the brakes and shifters? Or is just a visual inspection? Does it include repacking the bearings in the hubs and bb? What am I paying for when I ask my LBS to do a tune-up and what should I expect? What is your experience with your LBS?

PS. The handlebars had grips and not tape.

These are all questions that you need to ask your shop that did the work. If you are not satisfied with the service or explaination of service, ask them as no one on this board will know what your shop is thinking.

Thanks Bac, that makes it clear. But even the Basic tune-up checks for wear. I thought I was going for the complete overhall, without the wax job, and he charged me in the major tune-up rate for the sub-standard tune-up he did. I am now learning how to do all of this work myself but, I will print this up for future reference.

“Basic Tune-up $39.00 USD. Adjust headset, bottom bracket, braking and shifting, and hubs. True wheels, torque cranks and chainring bolts. Check drivetrain for wear, and inflate tires.”

These are all questions that you need to ask your shop that did the work. If you are not satisfied with the service or explaination of service, ask them as no one on this board will know what your shop is thinking.

RacerX, Bac gave me the kind of answer I was looking for and I am trying to create a dialogue on what a tune-up is and what type of service is out there. I found the link Bac posted useful and isn't this what Bike Forum is for? Anyway, I live 3000 km. from that shop and now I know more about bike maintenance.

Thanks for your responses.
Gordon p

My "tune up" looks at the entire bike and adjusts components as needed. I also check and true the wheels. Packing of hub. bottom bracket, and headset bearings would fall under a "overhaul." Also any parts needed such as bar tape, grips, chains, cables, housing, etc. would fall under the tune up unless of course you needed the bike broke down for inspection of bearing races, replacement of bearings, or shock inspection, and service which is entirely different.
Also cleaning of the bike whether completely or the drivetrain falls into a different category as well. My tune up runs $15 in labor. Overhauls which I break the bike totally down clean everything inspect everything replace what is needed, etc. runs $50. To clean the bike including removal of drivetrain runs $35. Cleaning the bike is inclusive with a tuneup for that price.

Our shop utilizes the Barnett's system of Maintenance Packages.

http://bbinstitute.com/SMS/flatrate.htm

Of course, we tailor it to the customer's demands, condition of bicycle, etc. Unfortunately, not all the floor staff can be as observant as trained bicycle mechanics, and some details fall through the cracks.

At my shop a tune-up is: True wheels(This is not spin them in the frame and if they don't look to bad leave it but pull them out, put them in the stand and true and round them also checking for any damage) Adjust hubs(This happens before truing) Check the brake pads and trim them if they are lipped or hit them with a bastard file if they are glazed. Wipe down the frame and check it for any damage. Reinstall the wheels and adjust the brakes. If the BB is adjustable adjust it, check crank bolt torque, and make sure the pedals are tight. Adjust the ders. Adjust the headset. If it has susp. check the pivots in the rear and port lube or wiper lube the fork. Air the tires and test ride. This takes about an hour and I charge fifty dollars. If something small (brake pads) are worn I just replace them. If something big(drivetrain) is worn I write an estimate and call the customer. I try to discuss stuff like tape or grips when the customer drops off the bike but I don't allways get to and I won't just replace them because they look worn to me. SOme people want to squeeze every penny until it screams and if that means they have tattered, nasty bar tape so be it.
Drive train clean is taking the entire drivetrain and throwing it in the parts washer scrubbing it and then rinsing it under hot water( esp. if wax lubes are in use.) then drying every thing off, reinstall, adjust, lube chain and all pivot points.
Overhaul is complete disassembly of bike, clean every thing, wax frame, rerplace any worn parts and all housings and cables, reassembly and adjust. This starts at $$170 and takes four to five hours.
I do restoration as well, this starts around $$400 and can go a lot higher. You might not see the bike for a while

Our tuneup is as described by Hunter, including the cleaning, at $50. Hub overhauls are not included and would fall under the full bike overhaul (as described above) at $120.

My LBS has 3 or 4 levels of maintenance.

The basic tune-up includes re-adjusting brakes, gears, pumping tires, and checking for obvious problems like worn brake pads. They may find bering problems if theire is a really odd wheel noise, but since they don't open anything, they won't see how bad they might be unless it's obvious. Likewise, frayed cables will be replaced.

They also have a more elaborate maintenance where hubs will be repacked. And they have an overhaul where everything is dismantled, cleaned, re-greased and put back in place.

I do most of my maintenance, unless I have a serious time constraint, and except for bottom brackets and headset. So when I visit my LBS, I ask them for specific tasks.

So don't expect your LBS to know how your BB is (for example) unless they have to open it. Besides, your LBS must also know what are your standards. For instance, at my shop, they know that I want parts in top shape, but that I am not too hard on them (I do 30 000 - 40 000 km with a chain, for example), and they also know I have very personal preferences on brake and gear adjustments, so they don't touch them at all!


BTW, Gordon, how did you come to the conclusion that so many parts were in need of replacement? Were they broken? Totally worn out? Non functioning (ex. chain jumping a few teeth on the ring)? Could your expectations be higher than those of the typical customer? If so, tell them!

Regards,

WOW Chuck and Resident Alien I am FLOORED! If I charged that rate I would be out of buisness!

Hunter, I was really surprised at your pricing as well. Seems like it would be hard to make a living at your prices unless the overhead is super low.
When I first started as a mechanic, about 20years ago, one of my instructors said to be the best and the highest priced and that is what I do.

Yeah overhead is less then $400 a month. We own the building and the lot (1/3 city block) no employess. However the entire county has maybe 2000 people in it and we serve an area as big as Rhode Island (literrally). I freaked out because if I charged the prices you quoted I would not have any repair work at all. You could neve get away with your prices around here.

Do you repair other than bikes? Sounds like a good area for power equipment repair, mowers and such.
Our power bill is about $400

Price is all relative, depending where you are located etc.. Also if you do a good job I know I would not mind paying slightly higher. Everyone has to make a living :) and I know the people here who own bike shops are not rich, but it seems you truly enjoy you're work which is very important. I know I would be in serious trouble if I owned a bike shop, seeing all these new beautiful bikes coming in to sell all the time I would hate to sell them :)

Originally posted by Rev.Chuck
Do you repair other than bikes? Sounds like a good area for power equipment repair, mowers and such.
Our power bill is about $400

Well it depends really. I have done moped work wheelchair and fitness equipment work. I was in the building trades for most of my life so every once in a while I will barter my skills for things. It works well around here. I realy do not need to work. I retired three years ago no I am nowhere near the age either. I opened a shop because there is really only two in a 6 county area myself included. It is the first one this county has ever had.

You wrote:

So this season when I pulled my bike out of storage, I have found that almost everything on it is in need of replacement; the middle chainring, the chain, the cassette, the peddles, the front hub, the front rim and the handlebar grips!

My reply:

So, I wonder who was riding your bike while it was in storage?

Heh heh.

Originally posted by Hunter
WOW Chuck and Resident Alien I am FLOORED! If I charged that rate I would be out of buisness!

Reminder: These prices are Cdn!

Basic (No wheel Truing) $30 - 1 hr, adjustments only
Major (Wheel Truing) $50 - 1 1/2 hrs, adjustments plus wheels (no repacks)
Drive Train Clean $40 - 1 hr 15, parts soaked in solvent
Basic Overhaul $90 - 3 hrs, no hub repacks
Major Overhaul $150 - 5-6 hrs, everything repacked

It's unfortunate that many of of the shops here (Halifax) have folded, due to mismanagement (in my opinion). There is enough of a customer base to justify these prices - at present, we're booked for 3 full-time mechanics solid for 1 1/2 weeks!!

We have three shops. There are eight or nine shops in the county counting ours.
This time of year I do 10/12 repairs a day and I might get two/three days behind. I do most of the work myself, because I am a little paranoid about the quality of work that leaves the shop and it easier to do it all rather than double check everything. There are also only two of us in the store most ofthe time.
So resident how do things convert, how much is a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter(my lunch) a panaracerXC 2.1 wire bead and a gallon of gas.

The shop where I work part-time has had the same cost for a basic tune-up since the day they opened. I was just discussing with the Manager that we're charging way too little. $25 for adjusting brakes, shifters and on the bike truing. We also clean the bikes and air the tires. Everything stays on the bike!

For Full Tune-up, we charge $40 and the only difference is we remove the wheels for truing and adjust the hubs.

Full Blown Overhaul is $100 and it includes stripping bike down to frame and repacking everything.

Most other shops in the area are charging twice that for each level of service.

L8R