Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
Depending on the area cost of living $180 for a bike overhaul (usually also assuming no issues that cost more time/tooling) is pretty cheap. I would really want to be sure of a shop's motivation to do all these little extra steps on reassembly before I would blindly expect this level of attention.
Headsets were asked about and I really didn't answer completely. One issue I see every so often is with a threadless headset/fork/stem is that the spacers between the stem and the rest of the system can corrode really badly. To a point where they effectively lock the adjustment to where it was before the corrosion happened. Just about every bike I see (and have removed the stem on) has no lube or other compounds on the fork's steerer where the stem and spacers are located. Most of the time it's a non issue, casual use/dry conditions/no aggressive sweat or salt water. But it get's a pain to have to saw off these spacers (and be careful to not nick the steerer) when doing what should be a quick and easy overhaul. So I advise applying a thin coat of some lube/compound on the steerer. Andy
Location is Phila PA. Actually the normal price is $225, but they're having a special until the end of Jan. It's hard to know who's good, and who's a pretender, right? Although I don't think they're a Salsa dealer, they do seem to cater to serious cyclists, racers, etc.