Jed19

I took my 1994 Cannondale Killer V900 for a leisurely ride last Wednesday (had not ridden it in over a year and a half), then at about mile 25 of a scheduled 35 miler, found that the drive side Shimano SPD pedal had loosened and stripped from the aluminum Sugino XD 300 crank. I walked the bike to the nearest bike shop I know on Coast Highway in Newport Beach, California (at 2:30PM) and there was a sign on the closed door saying "gone surfing, will be back soon", waited about 30 minutes, but the idiot was not back. Walked the bike to another store, whose owner I do not care for, since I just never understood his kind of personality/attitude in a service business owner (from a previous stop to use his air pump many many years ago). He proceeded to tell me that he'll fix it up by using an insert, and the charge was $40. It took him 15 minutes of labor.

Did I get screwed on the pricing? And, can I take the pedal off and re-install same without messing up whatever job he did in there?

Thanks for all responses.

wphamilton

I don't think you got cheated. You pay a mechanic or specialist to repair something, it's reasonable to be 30 or 40 dollars to start with regardless of how long it took.

Andrew R Stewart 

The skill and expertise that allows the guy to perform a job quickly is to be sought out and rewarded, as long as the job is done well. So as the miles add up your opinion may evolve from wondering if your paid too much to how good a deal it was saving a crank arm. As long as the repair does hold up. So I think the jury is still out. Andy.

dedhed

While you wait repair. doesn't seem out of line to me. How much was a replacement crank arm?

Pistard

You just happened to be within walking distance to 2 bike shops and you find something to complain a bout, they get you back on the road right?

Homebrew01

Sounds reasonable to me.
The insert is likely stainless steel and may end up being stronger than the original aluminum threads.

Check your bike over for other loose nuts & bolts so you don't get more surprises mid-ride.

bradtx

Jed, A loose pedal is your responsibility to find during a pre ride exam. Whatever you think you were over charged, put it down to the cost of education.

Brad

JerrySTL

$40 and 15 minutes is a bargain. Sure beats ordering a new crank arm for $100 and/or waiting a week.

Jed19

Okay to all responses saying the $40 repair cost was reasonable, especially when compared to the cost of a new crank arm. Just kinda lamenting how a leisurely ride on a perfect afternoon ended up yanking $40 off my wallet

Live and learn, I guess!

3alarmer 

...those inserts cost five to ten bucks apiece, depending on where I order them.

And not all bike shops will do this service for you. Try to be happy, it's the holidays.

Wilfred Laurier

You could probably find a similar quality
semi matching
replacement crank arm for about fifteen bucks

ps
just saw that it was the drive side
i was thinking non drive side

forty dollars is a good deal

the question i would ask myself is
how did the pedal come out

if the pedal had been recently installed or reinstalled
then it was likely not torqued down properly
which doesnt need to be too tight
as pedals tend to be self tightening
i often install my pedals with an allen key on a small multi tool and have never had one come out

if the pedal had been in place for some time
then the threads may have just died from old age

the former explanation is much more common than the latter

cny-bikeman

It appears he told you up front what the cost would be and you accepted that. Once a price is negotiated you have inherently accepted it as fair under the circumstances. You traded a long walk, possible down time leaving the bike at a different shop, and a possible new crank arm for the shop giving you and on-the-spot repair using an insert, specialized tools and a mechanic.

Yes, you can treat it the same as originally.

p.s. Although it's true that the pedal coming loose may have been the result of less attention to maintenance it's not really germaine to the question of what the shop charged. Beyond natural consequences it's not appropriate to punish someone with higher charges for not taking care of their bike.

Matariki

Yes, you may have found a mechanic that would have charged you a bit less; however getting back on the road without much down time is well worth $40.

surreal

$40 is about right; you can get a DS xd crankarm for less, but that won't get you home when one fails mid-ride. There were a couple of ways that could've played out (he might not have had an insert or the right tools; he could've tried to charge a king's ransom for a replacement; he could've charged more or taken longer for the same repair)-- so, you could've done far worse.

I wonder if the approach taken by some shops might make one feel either cheated or well-served, given the same repair for the same price, depending on how the customer feels about the conversation prior. The stand-side manner, if you will. A cheerful "I can use an insert and have you back on the road in 15 minutes" might be better than a blase "well, uh, I can use an insert and it costs $40".... Just a thought (and, to be fair, I have no idea how the guy might've treated the OP...)

Jed19

Yeah, this was the exact point he made when I told him how surprised I am at the repair cost. He specifically said not all bike shops/mechanics are capable/competent in repairing that kind of problem. So, I am glad to have that confirmed by you.

ThermionicScott 

Would it feel like a better deal if he had taken longer to do the same thing?

Bill Kapaun

+1
You could have found someone that fumbled around for an hour trying to figure out how to do it.
The fact the guy had the expertise to do it in a prompt manner for a customer that felt he should jump through hoops to provide them free air.....

Jed19

You are dead wrong re asking for free air. He did not charge for air, but his personality/attitude just rubbed me wrong for somebody in a service business. And I am quite experienced with bikes (fixing and riding), just never had a pedal fail before in about 30 years of riding and tinkering with bikes. And I was sure I could not fix it myself if I got a ride home, which was why I shelled out the $40.

Jed19

No, I was just trying to price the repair cost by part cost + labor cost. Mentioning the time was a way to get a handle on his cost of labor per hour.

MacNasty

Sounds like you should have called a friend to pick you up and take the bike home to repair yourself. I doubt you will be satisfied any other way.

IthaDan 

FWIW, those 9/16" taps and inserts start north of $100. Extra inserts are between $5-10 each.

If anything I'd say you got a good deal.

Someone here used to foist a saying that was something like "that'll be $5 for the labor and $35 for owning the tool and knowing how to use it properly"

cannondale125

I would of paid $100 if it got me back on the road that quick!!! I sold cars for 8 years and a guy came in asking for $500 below invoice so we sold him a car on his terms. You know what he says to me on delivery!! I think I should of got a better deal and gave me a crap survey. So I have no mercy for cheap people. Just my 2 cents

Homebrew01

The pedal didn't fail. Someone did not tighten it properly.

JohnDThompson 

And the reamer/tap to prepare the arm for the insert ain't cheap either.

Bill Kapaun

The right side is just a standard 9/16-20.
The LEFT side is the spendy one, being LH thread.
Of course the mechanic has to buy BOTH.