Bike Repair Shops

I_smell_fear

Went to get bike brakes repaired in town. First went to the shop on the Headford Rd. across from Lidl as it was on my way into town. Man told me that the brake pads would need replacing altogether, costing E35. I felt this was both unnecessary and also quite expensive. So I swent to the only other bike repair shop I knew of which was on Prospect Hill across from TK Max. Young lad in the shop, told me the brakes just needed tightening...E2 and had it done in less than 5 minutes.

I quoted him for a price to replace the brake pads purely for arguments sake and he quoted E20. Just think value and honesty in service should be rewarded and recommended.

Anyone know of any other bike repair shops? ones that might quote a cheaper price than that?

snubbleste

You can search this forum..it's been discussed.

I_smell_fear

I searched "bike repair". Couldn't find anything exactly relevant.

biko

Sometime it's easier to use google to search boards.
Like this www.google.ie/search?q=bike+repair+galway+site:boards.ie
Cycling forum should have a few suggestions. They know bikes there. Galway, Cork or Waterford, everywhere is catered for there.

beardybrewer

You can get them from chainreactioncycles or wiggle for €5 (shipping free) and install them yourself (search youtube to see how).

I've used Kearney (Dunnes Terryland), Nigels (Tuam Rd), and currently prefer West Side Cycles.

€20 is reasonable... figure retail for pads being around €10 and then that again for labour. €35 sounds high but then, like anything, you can pay a lot for high quality pads.

I_smell_fear

biko wrote: »

Sometime it's easier to use google to search boards.
Like this www.google.ie/search?q=bike+repair+galway+site:boards.ie
Cycling forum should have a few suggestions. They know bikes there. Galway, Cork or Waterford, everywhere is catered for there.

Aha! That turned up better results alright! thanks for the tip. Good the google!

Seaneh

I_smell_fear wrote: »

Went to get bike brakes repaired in town. First went to the shop on the Headford Rd. across from Lidl as it was on my way into town. Man told me that the brake pads would need replacing altogether, costing E35. I felt this was both unnecessary and also quite expensive. So I swent to the only other bike repair shop I knew of which was on Prospect Hill across from TK Max. Young lad in the shop, told me the brakes just needed tightening...E2 and had it done in less than 5 minutes.

I quoted him for a price to replace the brake pads purely for arguments sake and he quoted E20. Just think value and honesty in service should be rewarded and recommended.

Anyone know of any other bike repair shops? ones that might quote a cheaper price than that?

Danny (young lad in the place on prospect hill) is a really good mechanic and will give you the most competitve prices in town. His labour costs are a lot lower than anywhere else, however, the shop doesn't stock the very top end stuff.

There are 3 other places in town worth going to.

Kearneys besides Dunnes on the headford road, Nigels Cycles on the Tuam road and Westside Cycles in the westside business park.

Personally, I think the lads in Westside are sound but a little pricey, their mechanic is a top lad, knows more about mountain bikes than anyone you will meet in galway, Nigel is the most knowledgable man in the west when it comes to road bikes and he stocks amazing machines but they don't come cheap and neither does his time.

Shop around, ask if they can beat the price Danny gave you, but odds are they wont.


When you change brake pads you also have to reset the springs and probably adjust cables and so forth. The pads themselves will range from 8 - 50 euros depending on what you buy and I feel getting the parts and labour for €20 isn't a bad deal.

I've often been charged €15 for something as quick and easy as a tube change!

SeanPuddin

For top notch parts, work and advice I'd recommend MBW in Moycullen.

daithimacgroin

Seaneh wrote: »

I've often been charged €15 for something as quick and easy as a tube change!

nice money in fixing bikes

Seaneh

daithimacgroin wrote: »

nice money in fixing bikes

I meant to say quoted.

I'd never pay that much, but have asked while in a rush and needing it dont quick and not having a spare tube or tyre levers with me.

f1dan

I've found the place on Earl's Island across from the cathedral to be excellent, quick and reasonably priced. Can't think of the name but it's definitely a good option.

I've been to Westside cycles a few times cos I lived nearby. I would NOT recommend going there for repairs though. Dropped in a bike to get a new tube on the back wheel and whoever did it both broke off my mud-guard and loosened the brakes.

eoinken

biko wrote: »

Sometime it's easier to use google to search boards.
Like this www.google.ie/search?q=bike+repair+galway+site:boards.ie
Cycling forum should have a few suggestions. They know bikes there. Galway, Cork or Waterford, everywhere is catered for there.

Read the other thread which is very useful but wondering if anyone could help me with a slightly different query. I have old paganini road bike and the bearings have finally worn away the cones. The rim was replaced a while back but the bike shop I went to don't believe it worth rescuing and are quoting 140 for a new back wheel.
Just wondering do people replace worn cones anyone or is it all just replace full parts. Based in Mayo but back in Dublin and Galway a good bit.

beardybrewer

SeanPuddin wrote: »

For top notch parts, work and advice I'd recommend MBW in Moycullen.

I've been meaning to check them out for years. They stock Kona bikes which are meant to be great commuters. Do you really feel they are worth going out of your way for mech work or do you just live in Moycullen?

f1dan wrote: »

I've been to Westside cycles a few times cos I lived nearby. I would NOT recommend going there for repairs though. Dropped in a bike to get a new tube on the back wheel and whoever did it both broke off my mud-guard and loosened the brakes.

Did they sort your out re: the mud-guard? I've only used them 3 times but found them to be sound and good value. One thing is they're limited on space so they loosen and turn your handlebars so lots of bikes can hang from hooks close together. So you may need to double-check everything is adjusted alright. As for getting back your bike with loose brakes that's also happened at the other two places I've been to. Always always check your bike carefully when getting it back from a shop.

SeanPuddin

newkie wrote: »

I've been meaning to check them out for years. They stock Kona bikes which are meant to be great commuters. Do you really feel they are worth going out of your way for mech work or do you just live in Moycullen?

I know them personally, and would highly recommend them. There is no finer bike shop in the West. The skatepark underneath the shop is worth a visit alone.

Turn right at the lights in Moycullen, and head down less than a mile. In the industrial park on the left.

Seaneh

newkie wrote: »

They stock Kona bikes which are meant to be great commuters.

Just imho, Kona make great mountain bikes, it's where they specialise and where they made their name, specifically downhill bikes.

They are really solidly built frames.

I would't say they'd be my go-to if I was going to buy a commuter bike though.

I'd look at the likes of Felt, Scott, Kelly's, Lapierre etc, even Raleigh (currently an amazing Raleigh commuter on wiggle.co.uk for €240 which is 40% off RRP but they only have one frame size left).

Kona do sell a few road bikes and some 700mm wheeled commuter bikes and I am sure they are very good but they have a habbit of putting disc breaks on them which is total over kill for something will almost exclusively cycled on city roads and country lanes, it's just added coast and weight with no benefit, there are better city/hybrid bikes to get got for the money to be honest.

If I was going to be spending €500+ on a 700mm wheeled bike in Galway Nigels is the only place I'd even think about. They do a bike fitting service so you will find the bike that exactly the right size and geometry for your height and shape.

That said, if I was going to spend €500+ on a mountain bike I'd probably go to MBW as it's what they specialise in.

Horses for courses.

MBW is a nice shop though and they do stock some lovely machines.

RINO87

Gotta recommend MBW too. As an avid mountain biker im like a kid in a toy shop in that place!! Gotta give a shout out to west side cycles too, the best in the city in my opinion, the enthusiasim from the guys in the shop is quite refreshing!! I had a bad experience in Nigels once, tried to rip me off on repairs, I do have friends from the road bike fraternity however who swear by the place.

beardybrewer

Seaneh wrote: »

Just imho, Kona make great mountain bikes... Kona do sell a few road bikes and some 700mm wheeled commuter bikes and I am sure they are very good but they have a habbit of putting disc breaks on them which is total over kill for something will almost exclusively cycled on city roads and country lanes... If I was going to be spending €500+ on a 700mm wheeled bike in Galway Nigels is the only place I'd even think about. They do a bike fitting service so you will find the bike that exactly the right size and geometry for your height and shape.

I thought the Kona Dr Good and Dr Fine looked great.

Re: disc brakes I'll have to disagree. I have 2 steep hills in my commute invovling a brake and turn from 25+ mph. I wore thru brake pads pretty fast and had issues with cable stretch. Daily commuters need good brakes esp in the wet and when battling unpredictable cars. Hydraulic disc brakes were my #1 priority in my last purchase. Going on 1.5yr w/ zero maintenance. Couldn't be happier.

Nigel's is ok but I always felt I was getting attitude from him (used to take my crappy mtb there). The mechanic is always busy / overbooked and sloppy (i.e. loose brakes mentioned earlier and worse). I asked for a fitting once but was snubbed and informed it only made sense for road bikes. If you didn't buy the bike from them or are budget conscious expect to be treated like a nuisance. All that said it is a lovely store and a nice place to check out the hardware. After being burned by their mechanic several times I tried out Westside and was very happy with their level of service which was far superior IMHO. That said, when it came to buying a bike I bought a Cube on sale from cyclesuperstore.ie... saved me €200 compared to buying local. They also made the bike scheme thing very easy as nearly everything could be done online.

Seaneh

Crikey, that is some pretty hard breaking!

I just don't like discs on road bikes, ha, call me a purist!

ladhrann

eoinken wrote: »

Read the other thread which is very useful but wondering if anyone could help me with a slightly different query. I have old paganini road bike and the bearings have finally worn away the cones. The rim was replaced a while back but the bike shop I went to don't believe it worth rescuing and are quoting 140 for a new back wheel.
Just wondering do people replace worn cones anyone or is it all just replace full parts. Based in Mayo but back in Dublin and Galway a good bit.

Cones can be bought but you'd have to check the condition of the bearing race inside the hub, if the cones are worn out then the race is likely in the same condition.

If the rim is new and you really want to keep the wheel then you would have to get a new hub and have the wheel rebuilt.

It can be done, but as ever the trouble is finding someone to do it. Some spokes would have to be replaced at the same time. You might be able to source the hub online first.

Doc Ruby

I don't do as much cycling as maybe I should, but a mate of mine mentioned something about Kearneys that stuck with me: he went to collect his bike after it was repaired, but had forgotten to bring along any money, yerman said "ah sure give it to me when you have it", and handed over the bike. Not often you find that kind of soundness in a retail business.

Stevolende

f1dan wrote: »

I've found the place on Earl's Island across from the cathedral to be excellent, quick and reasonably priced. Can't think of the name but it's definitely a good option.

If that's the one between the Human Rights Centre and Huston film school I was going to mention this one. I've not had a bike in years but was aware of this cos it was connected with one of the people who was in the Ecosoc in NUIG.

Also aware that the Cornstore has a new bike shop. Think it's the same location as the one that was there a few years back, don't know if it's connected though. Just have seen it through the back, Augustine St window.

About time I got a bike I think.