new bike checkup
 

When I got my new sirrus, the LBS said I should bring it back in after (xxx) miles and have them do a check up. I can't remember what xxx was (300mi sticks in my head), but my main question is:

What do they do for this check up?

I would certainly think they would do any required adjustments for cable stretch, but I think I can do that. I'm just wondering if there are other things they will do that can not be done at home.

You can do all of it at home if you know how. The dealer will check the brake and shift cable adjustments, check to be sure the hubs are adjusted properly and check the tightness of the various bolts and fittings. Nothing a reasonably knowledgable owner can't do but many owners aren't knowledgable.

Well .... you may know what you're doing, but if something may happen to come loose, like a crank bolt or pedal thread that you may have skipped then claiming warranty on that crank or pedal that just happened to fall off as you were 'just riding along' can be a bit more complicated. I'd recommend taking your new bike back for that initial tune up so you can point the finger at the bikeshop if some part of your bike fails .... get a receipt for the service too. You never know!

They should also check the spoke tension. Ask them what they check and adjust. If they just say brakes and shifter cables, insist that they check the other things mentioned here.

They should also check the spoke tension. Ask them what they check and adjust. If they just say brakes and shifter cables, insist that they check the other things mentioned here.

The whole idea of the checkup is that on new bikes, things break in and need adjustment after the break in period, so it is a good idea to do it. Brake and shifter cables stretch, spokes get stressed, so these things at a minimum should be checked and adjusted.

I used to wrench at an LBS as an assembler, and we set up bikes right, in my humble opinion. We took almost everything apart, cranks off, checked that the fixed cup was tight, adjusted bb, headset, wheel bearings, all threaded fasteners lubricated. We greased and stretched the brakes cables and der cables, and stressed and trued the wheels. We did this on all bikes, even the least expensive.

If I built a bike and there was something major wrong with the bike when it came back for its 200 mile inspection, I heard about it.

If it were my bike, I would do all of the above or have someone you trust do it. A properly set up bike will last for many years with essentially no maintenance except for replacement of wear items (chain, freehub/wheel tires). I saw bikes come back that we had put together 3-5 years before, that were obviously used frequently, that still worked fine even though nothing had been done to them.

Okay, it looks like taking the bike back to the dealer is a good idea. I just wish I had bought it at a place closer to the house. Its a good 45min to the dealer. I'll ride this weekend and then take it in next week, the wheels are running true, but to me the spokes just seem loose.

I called today and they said they would have it for at least 2 days, but there was no charge.

I wonder, do some of you buy a particular brand to have a dealer close to home, or do you just go for what you want and deal with having to go farther for maintenance/repairs?

I drove 100 miles plus to get my Cannondale and get it fitted. But then I bought a book and started buying tools. Zenn has a good book on maintaining road bikes. His procedure to align the rear derailer worked likie a champ!
Link to Zinn's book on Amazon

I dropped the bike off at the shop today, I asked what they would check - their answer was kindof short - they said they would check everything. I indicated to them to check the wheels, the spokes just felt loose to me. I don't mind adjusting derailers and brakes, but wheels, forget about it, my thoughts on those are - best left to the pros!!

Alberto is dumping rain on us, so I guess it was a good time to take in it, I wonder if everyone else had the same idea, its monday and they said it would be wed or thur.

Maybe this is why some people have more than one bike, I don't like the idea of not having a ride!!