+1 Any parts will be on top of the 50.

if you do end up sticking around to watch, here are some rules:

1. ask if its ok first. if they hesitate or stumble, then they dont really want you to. most people dont really like having someone stare at them while they work. its annoying and distracting. you might be a great guy, but the mechanic may not like talking with you. let people work how they typically work.

2. if they welcome you to watch, bring them something (ie. tip, pizza, etc.). a lot of bike shop guys do the work because they love bikes. your mechanic probably makes the same or less than a taco bell shift lead. treat them (if they are good) the same or better than an applebees waiter.

Everything done on a $50 tuneup will be trivial. You probably already have most of the tools you need in your garage.

I'm not sure I get the concept of being "too busy to fix my bike". I can replace a bottom bracket in about twenty minutes max. This is infinitely quicker than driving to a shop, dropping the bike off, waiting for them to call back, driving back to pick up the bike. I learned how to do this by watching a couple of youtube videos several years ago. Also I consider having a good knowledge of how to do basically everything on my bike to be a big part of the sport/ hobby. Its a ton of fun and hardly rocket science. Also buying tools is good schwag opportunity.

Learn to do it yourself, it will be worth your while. Ask your LBS if they provide a workshop.

This. It's a bicycle, not a modern turbo-charged performance engine or a support structure on your house. It's not real complicated...and even if you screw it up it's probably not going to be disasterous. I think a lot of people are just affraid to give it a try.

Thanks all for your input!By the way I CAN do it myself.I ask so I can make a little money on the side doing it for others as I'm recently unemployed.Just ordered a workstand from Nashbar.Like others pointed out since I'm not a professional I'm awful slow.However except from botton bracket adjustment I can pretty much do everything else mentioned.

And a surgeon can remove an appendix once he's in the abdominal cavity in less than 10 minutes.

Doesn't mean it's a cakewalk to do all bike stuff. No, it's not rocket science, but if it were so easy that anyone could do a good build up / break down of bikes with no training or experience, we wouldn't need LBSes.

I've been horrified at how long some 'routine' fixes on my bike have taken once something little goes wrong. And if you don't have experience or access to a mentor who'll show it to you on your own bike, you're in for some long trial and error even for easy things.

Flat rates are usually cheaper than if the hourly cost of running a bike shop rates
were charged
like it is to get your Car work done.

The whole idea of a tuneup is flawed IMO. If the bike isn't shifting right adjust the derailleur, it's easy. Replace the cable, it's easy. Don't put up with it like it can't be touched until it goes in for a "tuneup". Likewise with anything, if a system on the bike isn't performing right you fix it. If the chain is worn you replace it. I don't understand how people can go out and hammer on a bike is in unknown mechanical condition to them.

let me try to help you with that.

"too busy to fix my bike"
-the OP has determined that it is not his priority (or best interest) to do buy the tools necessary to fix his bike...then do the research on how to fix his bike...then apply the learned knowledge to actually fix his bike.

it is an amazing concept really. he may just love riding the bike and have no desire to learn how to fix his bike, but wants to make sure he is not getting ripped off.

im similar in regards to changing the oil on my car. i might save a few bucks by doing it myself, but i derive no enjoyment from doing it.
in fact, i often shop for something or kill time (reading, music, etc) while i wait for it to be changed.

it appears that there is a decent amount of people, outside of a message board members on a cycling website, that have the resources to pay someone to work on their bike, and spend time doing something else that they find more important. it might be watching american idol, or visiting adult themed websites, heck, it might even be riding another bicycle; however, there are those who dont care about spending money to have something cared for.

its crazy crap, but i think i might be onto something. this is like a flashlight forum, where members cannot grasp that the recreational user does not want to do a "quick diy" to improve the gobblewobbledobble in order to maximize the performance on his new CREE p90x, and would rather buy a new one.

check the chain. check the cogs on the cassette. check the chainrings. check the housing. check the cable. check the shifter. its not always a quick rd or fd adjustment.

just for fun, lets make something up:

there is a woman. she works full time and does not have a car. she also attends college. she lives several miles off campus and away from work.
her main priority is getting great grades in her classes.
she bought a cheap bike or even a great bike to commute because a car is too much.
one day, her bike is not shifting correctly and one of the wheels is rubbing the brake pads.
what is more reasonable?

a) research potential problems for her bike. buy tools for the job. then research online videos and read about how to fix the bike (never mind that there videos which show different methods, use different terms and advice, and contradictions between them, and finally the videos that are plain wrong or dangerous). then try to use the tools to fix the problem. (i hope she knows how to true really well)

b) drop the bike off for a day or two, after having the mech assess whats wrong, and spend 30-50 bucks

This may be useful to the OP for his purposes, and possibly others: http://www.mechbgon.com/check-in.pdf This is a version of the check-in checklist I made for my co-workers when they're taking in a repair.

A tune-up is

1. bearing adjustments, if they are adjustable types

2. wheel truing, and disc brake rotor truing within reason

3. brake-system adjustments

4. drivetrain adjustments

5. the tune-up labor may cover some or all of the labor for replacing other items the customer's buying, such as new bar tape, tires, tubes, brake pads, and so forth. It also includes a little cleaning.


A tune-up doesn't cover overhauling/repacking bearings, that's overhaul. Where I work, the normal price for a tune-up is $65 labor, $5 additional for each cable/housing replacement, and we have a few other upcharges too... for example, if your shifters stopped working and need the flush-&-lube treatment to resurrect them, we charge for that service.

Also, shops vary in how they handle customers wanting to watch, but I can tell you from long experience that having to carry on a conversation causes most mechanics' productivity to drop like a rock. If you want to learn a procedure, maybe your local bike co-op has a free or cheap class, or there's always online resources. Also, we generally have a repair queue, we don't just drop everything and work on your bike when you arrive.

nonsense.

if you have the time to ride, you definitely have time for maintenance
if you dont have tools now, you should invest in some
save money, buy tools, savings in the long run
you don't really need much space

What's up with the snarkyness? IMO, part of being a serious cyclist is being able to do your own maintenance. I completely understand beginners, first-timers, occassional riders going to a shop for a basic check. That's not what we're talking about here. People like those that post here and ride hundreds of miles a week should probably know how to change a flat, turn a barrel adjuster, replace a chain and other basics. Also, bike maintenace repair is simple, easy, fun, saves you time and money and there's reams of great videos and manuals online to help. People tend to overthink it and make it out to be much harder than it is. You seem to have a different opinion but there's no reason to act like the rest of us are obsessive nerds.

Precisely why each male needs to be able to do all minor (and most major) repairs on a bike. The woman in the scenario: (1) is employed, (2) is college educated, and (3) rides a bike. She is presumably unmarried, so is eligible. What better way to meet her than to strike up a conversation at the bike rack and say "hey, I can fix those problems for you no problem...take a few minutes. Why not come over for pizza after class, and I can take care of them... hmmmmm?"

I could do most bike maintenance before I was 15 years old, and only had rudimentary tools - nothing like my setup today. Excuses to the contrary just don't make sense to me.

I'm kidding (partially) here...

Phil

The point some of us are trying to make is that for $50 at the LBS, you will get a very basic, surface-level check that with a little bit of effort and a handfull of cheap tools can be done by anyone with half a brain and 30 minutes to spare once every couple of months. You don't need the $200 Park Tools full bike repair tool box, a professional work stand and a single-purpose "bike shop" room in your house. And if you are on this forum regularly, that means you are probably an "enthusiasts" who logs in thouseands of miles a year...not a recreational rider who gets in 10 miles on the weekend. As an enthusiast you should know how to do the basics (and that goes for any activity you participate in). A $50 tune-up is a waste of money.

If you are any kind of a serious cyclists, own a decent bike and want it to work well you better know how to do most of the basic maintenence. You also better be doing it regularly.

How can you possibly maintain a bike properly by only paying someome for a "tuneup" once or twice a year. You would have to be riding a bike with less than optimal performance most of the time.

That is a good point. All the stuff done on a basic tune is stuff that should be done regularly, probably at least monthly. $50/month is $600/year...not counting the value of your time spent driving to and from the LBS, gas money, and time lost riding while you wait for your bike to be worked on.

I don't need 100% perfect performance to ride hard, get killer workouts, and enjoy myself immensely on a bike.

Simple tuneups that don't require many tools or the most basic of tools are an obvious DIY thing, but it does get surprisingly time-consuming very quickly past that basic point.

I made the error of listening to you 'it's so friggin' easy and obvious and takes no time' advice-givers 2 years ago, and tried to DIY all my own bike maintenance. I gave it a real shot too - did all my own basic stuff for 2 years, nothing too dramatic, but including BB stuff, full derailleur and brake installation, and even gave it a crack at internal cable routing.

My conclusion: For me, it was a near-total waste of time. I made so many mistakes, and use my tools so infrequently that it was a waste of money to get more than the most basic toolkit, honestly. I don't think I'll ever need my BB tool ever again, and I'm lucky if I bust out my chain whip once a year.

If you've got a good LBS, they'll do a raceworthy quality build/breakdown preseason that'll only need minimal adjustments, mostly barrel adjuster stuff, and minor cleaning, to be rocking all season long.

Another point is that if you've got a new or newish road bike, it's nearly trivial to do the basic tuneup stuff. However, if you're like some folks who barely ride their bike, and often are using stuff that's out of date or partly rusted/damaged, those simple repairs get get nasty quick. Derailleurs in particular - everyone wants them to shift like ice-smooth, but often times, if you've got a really old bike with cheap derailleurs, it's simply impossible to get it to shift cleanly through a triple at the extremes, and you can waste a ton of time trying to get it right when an experienced LBS guy would take one attempt and call it a day.

After having gone the 'DIY' route as someone with limited time and who has very little interest in wrench but tons of interest in riding, I would only recommend the most basic of tools to someone with similar characteristics to me, and NOT go the DIY route for other than cleaning and barrel adjusting. You don't even need a chain whip, as you can clean the cassette on the bike really well with a brush.

My LBS tuneup isn't the $50, either - it's the take all the stuff off the bikes, degrease, reinstall, which runs $150, which is worth it to me before I start hammering in the summer. They've noticed stuff that I totally didn't know about and helped fix it.

So.... They should provide you the supplies and time, regardless of the amount of each, to you for free? For one person, it's not much. But across their customer base? No one is entitled to free anything from any LBS, unless you own said LBS.

You are a dream come true for your LBS and also your auto mechanic, etc..

Reminds me of the skit where the auto mechanic excuses himself from the clueless customer at the counter to go use the phone in the back. He says on the phone - "Honey, we are going to Hawaii." :)

Here's some food for thought: I'm actually trained and work (part-time) at a bike shop, have worked on motorcycles and other equipement all my life even though it's not my livelyhood. My brother, on the other hand, can't change a tire on his bicycle and is happy to pay to have someone work on his equipment. We were raised by the same parents but he has absolutely NO mechanical-reasoning-logic whereas I got my share and probably his. He is very successful however, and has not qualms about taking his stuff in for someone else to work on. It's all relative, and not everyone can, or should do their own work. I find it hard to believe someone can't do it, but they can't.

Oh yeah, makes total sense. Poor student with little extra money and time, and no other transportation. Yep better drop the bike off at the shop for several days (walking in the mean time?) and spend that week's food money. Guess what I've BEEN THERE except I learned to work on my bikes out of NECESSITY. It saves so much time and money and effort if you just learn some basics. Really anyone with an IQ over 90 and some motivation can do it. You act like it's rocket science. All you have to do is follow directions. If the problem is too great then yeah, take it to the shop, but most stuff can be handled at home. The internet as a resource is ridiculous, there's no excuse to not to at least try. IMO a college educated woman can learn to do basic bike maintenance. And if not she needs to ask around, there are people like me out there that have all the tools and will gladly help someone in need for FREE while teaching them anything they want to know.

he's just lazy, if someone put a gun to his head and said learn to change a tire, he could google some instructions and change it eventually I guarantee 100%