POTFH

Is it bad form to buy wheelset on ebay and have lbs install? I can save over $170 on a new purchase of Ksyrium SL wheels but don't want to swap cassette myself. I liike the LBS but $$ is $$. Your thoughts?

t595

It probably depends on the lbs and their mechanic. I just figure that they are going to charge me $10 to do a 30 second job. In the scheme of things that isn't a big deal.

sogood

Perfectly legit. You pay for a service and that's that. Unless you are trying to get them to do it for free...

mcoomer

I've done it before. It's just a customer supplied part to them and they're going to charge you to install it so it's no big deal.

DrPete 

Sure, buy the stuff and have the LBS assemble it, but I think it would be poor form to complain about labor costs or turnaround time if you do.

mollusk

For a small fraction of the $'s you are saving you can buy the tools and do it yourself. It is really easy. And it is way easier to clean a cassette if you take it apart off the bike.

Jonathan Drake

+1

ridethecliche

Isn't all you need a chainwhip for a cassette swap on a cassette wheel? (As opposed to a freewheel where you need some old tools that are harder to come by and some shops might not have)

mjolniir

Hi,

I get my LBS to do my builds for me, they built my Tri bike, and converted my MTB to disc brakes.

They'll probably charge you. If you want to change your cassette yourself, you'll need a chain whip and a cassette tool. If you plan to change cassettes often, I'd get the tools. Maybe you can get the tools from them and get them to show you how to use them.

dekindy

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html#remove

Here's how. I am thinking of doing this myself if I get spare wheels.

rbart4506

Get the tool and do it yourself, like was said above....It is sooooo easy....

There are just some things that everyone should know how to do....It makes maintaining a bike so much easier...

gunnar1947

I bought a Pedal Force frame/fork/group etc. and had my local bike shop build it up with no questions asked or problems. All the work was done in very early spring when the shop wasn't very busy at all. I never questioned the cost or the time that it took to assemble, just thankful to get it done. As slow as it is in a bike shop in Wisconsin in March, I think they appreciated the work too.

EventServices

If you're going to be in the sport for a while, then I would suggest that you take the time to develop a good relationship with your LBS.
To me, that means maintaining a certain sense of loyalty even if I'm not getting the lowest price on Earth.

I also agree with those who are telling you to get some of the basic tools and do the common repairs yourself.

merlinextraligh

+1 on both accounts.

Chain whip and a cassette tool (and a large cresent wrench if you don't have one) will cost less than the labor one time, and it's exceedingly simple.

BikeWise1

I don't mind putting on eBay parts, but I do make sure the buyer knows that unless their killer deal came from a true authorized outlet, there probably isn't any warranty coverage. Mavic, as an example, now requires a copy of a receipt from the "authorized outlet" before they will do any warranty work. Not a big deal to some, just be forewarned.

Since our labor rates are comparitively low, and the usually small parts profits help take up the slack, we do apply a surcharge to labor when the parts come from a source other than my shop. We've had a couple of whiners, but we simply suggest they come to our Tool School, get some knowledge and some tools, and learn to do it themselves. A small investment on the front side can pay off big for chronic new parts junkies.

Most ebayers are usually pretty savvy about what they buy, but inevitably, we get a few people who bought the wrong thing, or broke it while installing it, or whatever, and come in to my shop looking for the remedy. I try to take care of them as best I can. But one insistent guy finally had to be told "if you were a farmer, and someone bought a bushell of corn from a farmer who lived hundreds of miles from you, and later found it to be full of worms, and brought it to you, since you sell corn too, and demanded you "do something about it", what do you think you'd say? It took him weeks to get the problem straightened out with the ebay seller, but we had a part we could loan him that got him on the road, and now when he's looking for a part he calls us first. Sometimes we're cheaper, sometimes not. But at least he can now make a more informed decision. It's called a win/win and it's what we strive for.

Phantoj

$8.95
https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...All%20Products

+


$5.95

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...in%2FFreewheel


Then you can whip off your cassette any time you want.

7rider

You need this too if you're ordering from Nashbar:

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...in%2FFreewheel

Most people I know have the Park version.

Paul Barnard

I hope you are very successful with your shop. The above reflects a practical, logical, and realistic business sense. I wish I had someone of your caliber running a bike shop in my area.

Phantoj

The first item I linked to is a combo of a headset wrench and a "cog wrench" that hooks onto your 12 or 11 tooth cog to hold the cassette, serving the purpose of the chain whip. I have it, and it works. If you have a 13-27 cassette or whatever, then it won't, though.



The bottom of the tool has three posts sticking out on each side. These posts sit in between the teeth of the cog, holding it.

Cypress

I'd club you with a bag of doorknobs if you did this to me.


Could be why I don't work in shops anymore...


(that, and the joke of a paycheck)

phoenity

Don't forget a torque wrench

VT to CA

Somebody coming to you and expecting help navigating the warranty waters of a manufacturer simply because you happen to be a dealer or carry the part in question is ridiculous if they didn't buy from you in the first place. Not your sale, not your problem.

However a surcharge for work on a bike or part that wasn't purchased in your store is unheard of and ridiculous... if a friend of mine told me that a repair cost X and the store "surcharge" for not having bought the bike there was "Y", I'd tell him to go elsewhere. I'd assume the shop was crooked.

Look, I've worked in my share of shops, notably the one my uncle owned briefly during the early 90's... your money comes from repairs and installs, plain and simple. Selling bikes and parts is nice, but it's not your bread and butter. Don't mess with your main source of income like that... you're liable to scare away customers.

Be the good guy. Do good work at reasonable prices. Form relationships. After a few repairs on a guy's bike, he'll start buying the odds and ends he'd pick up cheaper at Performance from you, because you're his guy, simple as that.

Charging people for things they can't see, feel, or touch is more commonly thought of as a fee, not a surcharge. And fees are an AT&T move- your cellphone company, your cable provider... how loyal are you to them? If you're like most people, you feel screwed by them.

You want someone, when picking up his bike, to feel grateful. You want: "Wow, what a great job this guy did. Same money as down the street, but this guy knows his stuff!" But if you've charged a fee, no matter how little it is, the human response will be: "Well the work is nice. It better be, after all that."

lima_bean

Dont have room for a bike repair stand anywhere in my apt =(


Fortunately chicago has a community bike workshop.

caloso

Heck, you don't even need a chain whip to put a new cassette on. Although you will need one to get it off.

mollusk

You don't need a bike repair stand to do this. I have a cheap bike workstand that I bought almost 25 years ago and I almost never use it. Just take your rear wheel off and lay the bike aside.

Community bike workshop is a good thing. Remember to help out more than you were helped so that it can grow.