Bike Service rip off

[Motard660]

I am also in the DIY thing with a nice thick book, google and the hub, but there is a few things that i dont want take on because it just look very complicated. Shocks for one. For these i would prefer that a bike shop do it, but where do you find a proper shop that you can trust and atleast know what they are doing. Most bike shops employ Tom, Dick and Harry....that never serviced a bike of R300 to work on bikes that is worth 30+k??? My question is.....do they actuality sent Tom, Dick and Harry on a caurse or something to work on these bikes, or is it a case of cost saving and teach themself by trail and error on our expence? Is that not the reason why we get poor service results as most of the people earning R100 a day is left to work on bikes without proper training.

 

I am also on my 5 bike shop in Durban area and there is not a lot left. Who is next?

 

We seriously need a proper bike shop with proper bike service centre on the South Coast of Durban.....

[Vetseun]

No there isn't. Service yuorself or build a retationship with somebody who does private bike services.

[Mojoman]

Just do it yourself, I learnt the hardway after taking my bike to a reputable shop near me and explained what was wrong with my bike and the fact the bike was only a few months old. When I came to pick it up they had replaced the chain and cassette to the tune of almost R1000 and the problem was still there, i.e damaged freehub. I still stripped it doen myself and showed them and they did not offer an discount/return on the replaced parts. After that (and the shop where I bought my bike in Rustenburg using a shifting spanner on a brake bleed nipple!) I decided that the best way forward was to learn to do it myself. Occasionally I make a mistake but I don;t profess to be a bike 'mechanic' like some of the clowns you deal with. Just because they (bike shops) have expensive gear and bikes in the shop it does not make them knowledgeable at all...

[Zook]

For the guys who do it themselves, they have peace of mind and can take pride in doing the job well. I get that. Lucky there are alternatives

 

I firmly believe in the "division of labour", which has underpinned the rise of the modern economy and means I don't have to farm my own food. My time isn't best spent fiddling with my bike even if I could do it better than a bike shop, because there are other activities that are more valuable to me. I'll get a specialist to do it. If I'm not happy with the LBS I'll find a good mechanic from the hub.

[BMXER]

DIY no option. I race the bike, I only trust my own work. Most of the bike is simple, only FS bearings and shocks need expert attention. DIY is simple, if you get stuck Park Tools on the net are realy good.

[LukeV-2]

Give the Cyclists Workshop a try! First shop that never just changed my chain for no reason! Had very good dealings with Josh and my bikes are always well looked after! I recently referred a mate to him who also had trouble finding a good shop to service his bike and now he's more than happy with the quality of work and price! Give him a try, his number is 0732617483.

 

Cannot Agree more, Josh is a legend and sorts my bikes out exactly how i want them every time!! Will never go anywhere else...

[Minion]

Must be a gap for some dude willing to be a bit pro-active as well and run a service on the go thing such a picking up your bike or just coming round and servicing the bike at home/office.

There used to be a guy running a business called Mobile Bike Technic, or something, that did just that. Not sure what happened to him, though.

 

I firmly believe in the "division of labour", which has underpinned the rise of the modern economy and means I don't have to farm my own food. My time isn't best spent fiddling with my bike even if I could do it better than a bike shop, because there are other activities that are more valuable to me.

I have serviced my bike in the past and at the time it was interesting because it was a new learning experience. Now that I've done it a few times, it's become routine and I'd rather pay someone else to do it and spend the time doing things that interest me. Of course, if there's a new job that I haven't done before, I'll do it myself the first couple of times before getting someone else to do it.

 

I do believe that everyone should know how to fix their own bike and should try and service it themselves at least once.

[SwissVan]

if a guy can afford and is happy to pay for that type of service, then it shouldn't be an issue. the problem comes in when a guy can afford it, the bike shop lets him down. I don't think it's about the money, rather about the quality of service you receive for the money paid.

 

The issue is wheither the bike shops can afford to provide that kind of service (pickup and delivery). They would have to employ someone suitably qualified to deal with customers and the technical side to do the pickup and delivery, it would not work just using a "delivery" type person nor would it work using the bike mechanic who normaly works in the shop.

[RexFuzzle]

To me some of the fun is the DIY service... Even took my shock apart the other day and fixed what they said couldn't be fixed, yes it took me 2 days but now I know how to do and it took about an hour the next time. I wouldn't recommend starting with a shock though, try pumping the wheels and then a puncture and then cleaning it etc etc... I only go to shops when the shipping is more than the product and I'm in a hurry, like brake pads the other day...

[SwissVan]

To me some of the fun is the DIY service... Even took my shock apart the other day and fixed what they said couldn't be fixed, yes it took me 2 days but now I know how to do and it took about an hour the next time. I wouldn't recommend starting with a shock though, try pumping the wheels and then a puncture and then cleaning it etc etc... I only go to shops when the shipping is more than the product and I'm in a hurry, like brake pads the other day...

 

Good points.

I sure hope most hubbers can pump their tyres and clean their own bikes....

[davidl]

In the Cape Town area we have workshops that do very good work. The turnaround time may sometimes be a little longer than what you would expect, but the quality of work more than makes up for time.

[RexFuzzle]

Good points.

I sure hope most hubbers can pump their tyres and clean their own bikes....

You never know... shops still have prices for fixing punctures and cleaning...

[THE HULK]

As far as I know Josh at The Cyclist workshop does offer a pick up and drop off service!

[Sandro]

As far as I know Josh at The Cyclist workshop does offer a pick up and drop off service!

 

Is he still based at that Excel garage just off witkoppen road? I must say he serviced my bike twice and was very good and really well priced.

 

I must say I'm jealous of you guys who service your own bikes though. I used to years ago but I wouldn't know where to start now.

[TheV]

For the guys who do it themselves, they have peace of mind and can take pride in doing the job well. I get that. Lucky there are alternatives

 

I firmly believe in the "division of labour", which has underpinned the rise of the modern economy and means I don't have to farm my own food. My time isn't best spent fiddling with my bike even if I could do it better than a bike shop, because there are other activities that are more valuable to me. I'll get a specialist to do it. If I'm not happy with the LBS I'll find a good mechanic from the hub.

 

Whats your take on global warming?

[Minion]

Whats your take on global warming?

That came out of nowhere