Home vs Shop

[Man with no name]

Will do a complete service for R200.

Maillot Jaune Cycles- 011 692 1076

 

Where are you based? ....please dont say cape town or the east rand....

[lowracer]

 

The one time I did the spark plugs on the car I had to be towed to the garage afterwards.

 

 

I am impressed ... did it hurt?

[madmarc]

There is no such thing as a qualified bike mechanic, as there is no recognized trade or trade test for this type of mechanic in SA. the few good mechanics around have been on bike maintenance courses being offered and then learn't from experience. I have never been totally satisfied with LBS service and repairs as ther is always something they have forgotten to do.

On big problem is, not many have or even know how to use a torque wrench.

The 1st time i rebuilt Campy ergo levers, i purchased all the spares springs and carriers etc from a LBS they laughed at me and said they looked forward to my next visit with the ergo's in a packet for them to rebuild. Thar 1st rebuild took 1 hour each and now i can do both in 40 minutes and have rebuilt many.

 

I have invested in all the tools, which agreed are not cheap but any good tool is expensive. I built my own service stands, have spent many hours downloading parts manuals and service instructions. I even have strip and assembly videos of ergo levers mavic hubs and a few others.

I also enjoy working on bikes as a hobby so it's good fun.

 

But what really pisses me off is the prices local distributors and LBS charge for spares. As soon as you want spares they load the price cause they not getting the repair work.

 

EG :- Chorus 9 speed rear deraileur pulleys R 380.00. (for 2 plastic pulley wheels??) I mean WTF!!!! a Record chain cost R 350.00 - where do they get off with this kind of disparety in pricing.

 

So now i'm negotiating with a contact in Europe to bring in spares myself, the end result the LBS will not only lose the service work but also the spares business as well.

 

 

[AndreZA]

Para' date=' it includes all of the above apart from the wheel bearings and the seals on the XTR cable kit. Strip and service of shock and fork is included as well.[/quote']

 

Then there is nothing wrong with the price. The fork alone, if they replaced the seals, are R300+.

 

 

[lowracer]

Para' date=' it includes all of the above apart from the wheel bearings and the seals on the XTR cable kit. Strip and service of shock and fork is included as well.[/quote']

 

chain?

[AndreZA]

EG :- Chorus 9 speed rear deraileur pulleys R 380.00. (for 2 plastic pulley wheels??)  

 

That price I do not understand. I wanted XT pulleys and seeing that you only get generic Shimano or XTR ones (did not want BBB or other make)which cost R380 (R480 for a complete derailleur), I went with bling KCNC ones for R170.

 

 

[Dirtbreath]

No, they check the seals and the chain. If it has to be replaced you get charged for the parts.

 

I think the thing is that I would rather pay R650 vs R300-400 knowing that the work has been done 100%. I will do this major service once a year and do the minor stuff myself.

 

I think marc outlines very well how much time and enthusiasm it takes to be a good home mechanic.

[Old school]

For R650 it better include new wheel bearings (R40) a top end cable kit like XTR' date=' Dura-Ace or Record (R200), complete strip and rebuild and cleaning/drying of the inside of the frame (yes, water still gets inside), relube of all contact points and all bolts torqued to the right settings.

 

So, if you do only 2 bikes a day like this and charge R600 ea, you can cover the mechanics salary.

 

 

[/quote']

 

Yip that should be a rule for all bike shops asking that much.. also gear and frame allignment should be included if its not a Carbon bike.

[AndreZA]

Para' date=' it includes all of the above apart from the wheel bearings and the seals on the XTR cable kit. Strip and service of shock and fork is included as well.[/quote']

 

chain?

 

A chain will never be included and only gets changed when you change the casette and or chainrings.

 

 

[lowracer]

Para' date=' it includes all of the above apart from the wheel bearings and the seals on the XTR cable kit. Strip and service of shock and fork is included as well.[/quote']

 

chain?

 

A chain will never be included and only gets changed when you change the casette and or chainrings.

 

 

 

on my mtb (when i was regularly riding lots of mud) i changed it after every 1000 km. on road I change it about every 3000 km

 

i was under the impression (that for mtb and road) to regularly change the chain, and every 4th or 5th time to change the rest of the drivetrain.

 

just asking, should they be changed together or ????

[AndreZA]

YOu only change a chain if or when it is worn. No need for a set amount of kms. If it is stretched then you change it and the cassette seeing that the streched chain would have worn out the teeth. Avery 2nd chain/casette you change the chain rings.

 

The last time I changed my roadbike's chain/cassette, I've done 10 000km and only did it because I reached that number, not because it was worn. I'm very gentle with my (cycling) equipment.

 

 

[madmarc]

Changing the clustrer when you change the chain is a way they get you to spend more money. I have gone through many chains which have been totally shot and when inspecting the teeth on the cluster there is absolutly nothing wrong other than light rubbing marks caused by the chain. I have never had to replace a cluster because of chain wear. It's all a bullsh*t story to get you to buy new clusters when all you need is a new chain.

[dirtrider]

Like changing the clutch plate but not the pressure plate ? You can always go back later and do it all properly again .

[El Gringo]

Damm! Just taken my bike to get new chain fitted and they told me I need to change cassette and 2nd chain ring as well. Gonna cost me about R1000.00. Cassette and chain ring looked fine to me. Chain was just a bit stretched and didnt have time to fit one myself before the weekend.

[Hog_]

I have no problem forking out good money for a good service - if I know I can trust the guys working on it. I also do a lot of the maintenance myself.

 

My bike is scheduled to go to Mike's next week, because there are some things I don't trust myself to do - wheels and forks. I reckon while it's there I may as well let them do a full service. The last time after I picked my bike up from them after a full service it felt better than new, and even though it was expensive I felt it was worth it.

 

 

[Baaisikilist]

If the LBS in question is near a big traffic circle, then that R650 service fee is what u pay for a full susser, because as stated, your fork and shock get a full strip and service, as well as your entire bike getting stripped down to nuts and bolts and each individual part being washed in a bath of hot water and inspected, and EVERY part of the bike requiring grease (linkages etc) gets greased. Linkage bearings, brakes (pads checked for glazing, truing of rotors etc) are inspected, wheels are trued, all cables inspected n lubed and then the whole bike re-built from scratch.

 

Hardtail service is cheaper, and they only do mountain bikes (road bikes on request).

 

I hand over my R650 with a smile on my face, knowing it's all sorted.

In the unlikely event of something not being 100%, pop back in and NOTHING is too much of a hassle for them to whip your bike on the stand and have a quick look at it for you...