Local Bike shop - use it or lose it!

DaveyDave

My LBS is Staggs, I've been getting bits and pieces serviced over the last year and they've been very good. Good prices and quick turn around. Don't know why I didn't go sooner, I got fed up of some of the bigger shops doing a half arsed job or trying to sell me a chain and cassette on a bike with just 1,000km.

The only thing I've bought are small things like tubes, tools, grease/paste/degreaser, gels etc. If the price of something isn't much more than online I'll happily support them.

TheW1zard

A lad in my work went down to the LBS in Booterstown to get a new saddle (which he brought with him) fitted.

10 euros.............

Mikes Bikes in Dunlaoghaire is my LBS, I find them grand

Kevhog1988

usually use LBS in Kinnegad but have had a few issues with having to wait etc. Found a small one man band LBS by chance last week in kilcock and was pleasantly surprised how much time the guy in the shop took to sort me out. i wanted mudguards for the road bike and by telling him the model he knew exactly what ones i should buy.

07Lapierre

CramCycle wrote: »

And thats not what I am on about, some shops will do it but I have had mechanics ring me and say, your chain is fairly worn, or cassette is fairly worn, you'll get a bit out of it or the work your getting done won't be great without it, I can then say fire away or, leave it for now.

Bad mouth a shop if they do it without asking by all means as some people might not have the cash for it but I wouldn't bad mouth a shop who ring me and say, this is also an issue, we can fix it or leave it, your choice.

fair enough.. My example wasn't very good to be fair.

eeeee

CramCycle wrote: »

Have to go looking for a new one now. Any recommendations between Donnybrook and Bray.

Bike shop wise I only let Dara in Bee Cycles at mine, he's just very good, no up selling or other shyte. Bit off your route but he's off mine too and worth it.

I haven't found a single bike shop with decent women's kit in. If they have anything (and it's rare! It's a token few bits) it's baggy commuter stuff and cheap shorts.

You can't get track stuff in an lbs in Ireland, I get whatever bits I can in bee cycles but I do buy online for components and kit.
I only buy second hand bikes, so they're not a lbs purchase.

8valve

I made the mistake once of fitting extra parts to a customer's road bike to get it to what I felt was an acceptable level of mechanical reliability and resolve gear issues; it had come in to ''check gears''.

I replaced both shifter cables and also chain/cassette, as cables were fubar'd and both chain and cassette were excessively worn. I made it 'right' to the level that I would hope my own bikes would be.

He subsequently tore strips out of the chap at front of house, accusing the shop of taking advantage of his lack of mechanical knowledge and charging him extra. All I intended to do was make his bike work well and reliably, perhaps naively on my part.

As my elderly father says ''that's twice you did it; the first time and the last time''..

From that day on, I didn't as much as fit a cable without ringing any future customer, going through my recommendations and giving an estimated cost.

99% of customers I rang were happy to go with my recommendations; the remaining 1% just wanted to ''get it going for as little as possible, its only for tipping around on'', which invariably meant they would writing off the bike further down the line, due to the accrued cost of repairs due to not staying on top of maintenance. Some people think all bike repairs should still be 20 quid or less...

Harrybelafonte

8valve wrote: »

I made the mistake once of fitting extra parts to a customer's road bike to get it to what I felt was an acceptable level of mechanical reliability and resolve gear issues; it had come in to ''check gears''.

I replaced both shifter cables and also chain/cassette, as cables were fubar'd and both chain and cassette were excessively worn. I made it 'right' to the level that I would hope my own bikes would be.

He subsequently tore strips out of the chap at front of house, accusing the shop of taking advantage of his lack of mechanical knowledge and charging him extra. All I intended to do was make his bike work well and reliably, perhaps naively on my part.

As my elderly father says ''that's twice you did it; the first time and the last time''..

From that day on, I didn't as much as fit a cable without ringing any future customer, going through my recommendations and giving an estimated cost.

99% of customers I rang were happy to go with my recommendations; the remaining 1% just wanted to ''get it going for as little as possible, its only for tipping around on'', which invariably meant they would writing off the bike further down the line, due to the accrued cost of repairs due to not staying on top of maintenance. Some people think all bike repairs should still be 20 quid or less...

In fairness, I’d always rather a phone call before any work is done on my bike or car. I may have an inkling as to what the issue is, I may have some idea of pricing, but I could be wrong and the difference in money charges could be enough to leave me broke or unable to pay, so I don’t like any mechanic charging ahead with work no matter how good it is.

But, then again, I always make it clear I need to be called to give the go ahead on any work.

fat bloke

It just shows how hard to it is to please everyone. I'm of the opinion - if it needs doing, fcukin do it! The biggest inconvenience is being without your bike, so when I go to the trouble of bringing it to a shop and being without it for a week, then I want it back ideally not needing any work again for as long a time as possible. -It drives me mad when you have a bike in a shop and they've said - oh we should have that for you Saturday. Then when you ring on Saturday to announce collection you get "Oh they're just doing that now for you" (i.e. we forgot about it -quick what needs doing again?).
And the bike is handed back, basically as it was a week previously with "Yeah, we checked the bottom bracket, we've ordered that in and we'll have it for you during the week. You'd probably also want to keep an eye on the headset cos that's on the way out, and you'll need new cables soon...."

FFS.

CramCycle

fat bloke wrote: »

It just shows how hard to it is to please everyone. I'm of the opinion - if it needs doing, fcukin do it! The biggest inconvenience is being without your bike, so when I go to the trouble of bringing it to a shop and being without it for a week, then I want it back ideally not needing any work again for as long a time as possible. -It drives me mad when you have a bike in a shop and they've said - oh we should have that for you Saturday. Then when you ring on Saturday to announce collection you get "Oh they're just doing that now for you" (i.e. we forgot about it -quick what needs doing again?).
And the bike is handed back, basically as it was a week previously with "Yeah, we checked the bottom bracket, we've ordered that in and we'll have it for you during the week. You'd probably also want to keep an eye on the headset cos that's on the way out, and you'll need new cables soon...."

FFS.

I get your point but some people cannot afford some repairs, I have been in that position myself on occasion with my bike and car. I will go back and get it done but if they get me rolling for a week, and I am aware f the other issue, I'll return and sort it after payday. Not everyone can drop an unexpected €75 for a cassette. Ask them, they will say yes or no, if they say no, you told them and they know for future why they are coming back or the issue is not fully rectified. No car garage would do this either, if my garage sees or noticed something wrong or I have dropped it in for a diagnosis, they will ring me, they would be insane not too.

Daroxtar

07Lapierre wrote: »

I think there is a fine line between doing what the customer wants and doing what needs to be done.

Example. Customer brings in a bike and asks for new brake /gear cables. The customer expects that once the new cables are fitted, the gears will shift as good as the day they bought the bike!

The mechanic on the other hand is damned if he does, of damned if he doesn't! Replace the cables only and the gears may be ok for a while but they will stretch and go out of adjustment after a while. (Customer then gets on boards and bad mouths the shop?)
If the mechanic replaces the cables, calls the customer and recommends new chain and cassette...it may be seen as upselling? Mechanic/shop can't win?

Hmmm, on a very related note.....
I brought the bike for a complete overhaul as I've been busy with work and lazy at home.
BB, headset, new RD, chain, cassette and all cables. I've owned several cars that cost less than I handed over. Brought the bike home and the gears weren't even close to being indexed and the BB was creaking worse than when it went in despite being a brand new one. Had to loosen the RD cable and completely start from scratch myself and then go at the BB ... I'll be doing it all myself and saving the price of some gp5000s next time around.

Wishbone Ash

fat bloke wrote: »

....when I go to the trouble of bringing it to a shop and being without it for a week....

A week? WTF?

Richie's in Swords does a same day service. He doesn't want anyone's bike in overnight. I've often got mine back within the hour.

Magilla Gorilla

Yourmama wrote: »

99% of my purchases are online. The price difference is so substantial, I simply can't justify going to lbs unless I need something immediately. I do all repairs myself.

This.


I find most local shops won't have what I want or will have the cheapo version of it. Otherwise, it's a half-hearted "we can order it" and that usually means they won't or they won't bother to let you know it's in if they do (common to all Irish retailers IME). Plus that means two trips minimum and I live in the country so extra hassle.


If I had a genuinely decent shop near me I might be tempted, but in essence no-one gets to mess with any of my bikes as I don't trust them...

magicbastarder

had another experience with my LBS where the owner turned down an easy couple of bob - my front wheel has a tiny bit of play in it, and a lad in work who has worked on many wheels in the past reckons that since it has about 20,000km on it, once you go near the hub, you may as well just replace the bearings as they owe you nothing.
i don't own a bearing removal tool, and have never worked with cartridge bearings, so brought the bike around to the LBS and he said, 'sure just tighten up the nuts a hair and see how you go, and if that works, great, if not, bring it back to me'. and it's not the first time he's done something similar.

FWIW, if i do get him to replace the bearings (mavic aksium), it's €25 all in.

CramCycle

magicbastarder wrote: »

FWIW, if i do get him to replace the bearings (mavic aksium), it's €25 all in.

I was under the impression you couldn't do that with Askiums, I await Doozerie to set me straight as he knows more about Mavics than anyone IIRC but I thought Mavics were built for death (and in that regard, not surviviing it once it comes).

Either way if your shop sorts it for 25euro, I would say nope to the tightening and see can he pull it off.

magicbastarder

well, as it turns out, my hubs can't be adjusted - well, they don't tale 17mm spanners, they're auto adjusting (the relevant part would be LV2370300 KIT FRONT AUTO ADJUSTING PLAY 15mm AXLE); they're different looking to non-disc aksiums, which can be disassembled with a spanner.
and when i put the wheel back on the bike, the play has disappeared - even though the QR was done up nice and tight to begin with.

€25 saved, i guess.