Bicycle Shop issues

[Jaco Steyn]

On 11/18/2025 at 3:28 PM, eddy said:

As everyone knows, the most important part of fitting a tyre is ensuring that the center of the logo  is aligned perfectly with the valve stem. 

I do not align the logo with the valve stem, but the bit on the tyre that indicates the recommended pressure range. Just a subtle reminder for those who forget that they're inflating their MTB's tyre and not a road bike tyre. Or vice versa.  

[hillel]

On 11/20/2025 at 9:08 AM, Sandro said:

I've brought this topic up before and been told to learn to do it myself, which I have been doing more and more lately. This really is the only way. I don''t understand why the level of service is so appalling, from the small local guys to the big brand names. In fact the big brands are the worst in my experience. The worst decision I made was buying a Campagnolo groupset for my road bike a few years ago, I will never make that mistake again. Easier to find a good mechanic for an Alfa Romeo.

There is no better Campag service than JMK1 on the hub. 

[openmind]

1 hour ago, Jaco Steyn said:

I do not align the logo with the valve stem, but the bit on the tyre that indicates the recommended pressure range. Just a subtle reminder for those who forget that they're inflating their MTB's tyre and not a road bike tyre. Or vice versa.  

The traditional reason for aligning the tyre logo with the valve stem was to help you locate the valve in a hurry as you go to fix a puncture while the bunch is disappearing down the road. With tubeless that’s less of an issue and now it’s become an aesthetic thing. 

[droo]

15 hours ago, AR SLABBERT said:

I spent about four years in sales and tech at Specialized before moving into the bicycle insurance world, and honestly, there are far more good bike shops out there than bad ones. There are plenty of genuinely passionate people wrenching because they love it, not just for the paycheck.

My best advice is to visit your local bike shops, with or without your bike and just chat to the staff. You can usually tell pretty quickly whether they’re in it for the money or whether the money comes naturally because they care about what they do.

There’ll always be a bit of trial and error, but that’s why it’s so important to hold onto a good mechanic once you find one.

If they're in it for the money they will likely be sorely disappointed.

[Paul Ruinaard]

On 11/20/2025 at 9:08 AM, Sandro said:

I've brought this topic up before and been told to learn to do it myself, which I have been doing more and more lately. This really is the only way. I don''t understand why the level of service is so appalling, from the small local guys to the big brand names. In fact the big brands are the worst in my experience. The worst decision I made was buying a Campagnolo groupset for my road bike a few years ago, I will never make that mistake again. Easier to find a good mechanic for an Alfa Romeo.

You do not need a mechanic for Campagnolo. You set it correctly once and it operates like clockwork forever. #truestory

[ChrisF]

4 hours ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

You do not need a mechanic for Campagnolo. You set it correctly once and it operates like clockwork forever. #truestory

 

So almost as good as Shimano 11 speed then ..... 

[Barry]

21 hours ago, AR SLABBERT said:

I spent about four years in sales and tech at Specialized before moving into the bicycle insurance world, and honestly, there are far more good bike shops out there than bad ones. There are plenty of genuinely passionate people wrenching because they love it, not just for the paycheck.

My best advice is to visit your local bike shops, with or without your bike and just chat to the staff. You can usually tell pretty quickly whether they’re in it for the money or whether the money comes naturally because they care about what they do.

There’ll always be a bit of trial and error, but that’s why it’s so important to hold onto a good mechanic once you find one.

Okay, so now i can associate the username with a face, you were a mechanic at Specialized up in JHB. This is the same mechanic who thought it was a good idea to put two quick links on my S-Works Epic when I sent it for a full service and a new chain. When the chain snapped on the second ride, I returned three days after collecting it, and I was told that I must have done something wrong. You basically chased me out of the shop when things got a little heated.

[AR SLABBERT]

Hey, @Barryfortunately, no, not me, I was based in Pretoria all my time with Spez and briefly in Paarl. And back then, I was fairly young too and not confrontational at all.

[Barry]

14 minutes ago, AR SLABBERT said:

Hey, @Barryfortunately, no, not me, I was based in Pretoria all my time with Spez and briefly in Paarl. And back then, I was fairly young too and not confrontational at all.

Ok my apologies i thaught this was Alain that worked at Centurion Specialized. 

Edited November 21, 2025 by Barry

[AR SLABBERT]

8 minutes ago, Barry said:

Ok my apologies i thaught this was Alain that worked at Centurion Specialized. 

@Barry No, that is me, I was there for a very brief stint in sales and stock control before moving to Lynnwood Cyclery. I may have helped in bringing your bike to the front for you, but I certainly wouldn't have argued about it. I was at the end of matric in high school at Centurion Cyclery. Are you perhaps not thinking of the older, taller employee who was also blonde, often causing people to get us mixed up? If it was, I can only apologise now, but as I said, I was around 18 and I can't think of myself chasing a grown man out of a bicycle store at the time.

[Barry]

5 minutes ago, AR SLABBERT said:

@Barry No, that is me, I was there for a very brief stint in sales and stock control before moving to Lynnwood Cyclery. I may have helped in bringing your bike to the front for you, but I certainly wouldn't have argued about it. I was at the end of matric in high school at Centurion Cyclery. Are you perhaps not thinking of the older, taller employee who was also blonde, often causing people to get us mixed up? If it was, I can only apologise now, but as I said, I was around 18 and I can't think of myself chasing a grown man out of a bicycle store at the 

Between you and Graham ganging up, he said that you worked on the bike and that you were qualified and would never do something like that. However, it’s in the past. It still bites that I had to go somewhere else to replace a new chain and fork out another R2500, but anyways, we learn.

[AR SLABBERT]

Hey @Barry, Most people on BikeHub and those I’ve dealt with throughout my career can vouch for my demeanour and the way I do business, so this really doesn’t sound like something I would have done. That said, it was about 6,7 or 8 years ago now, and if it happened at Centurion Cyclery, I genuinely have no recollection of the incident. But can still appologise if it did and leave it at that. My post on this thread was for the betterment of the cycling community and I'd rather carry on with that path, have a lekker eve!

 

[Barry]

12 minutes ago, AR SLABBERT said:

Hey @Barry, Most people on BikeHub and those I’ve dealt with throughout my career can vouch for my demeanour and the way I do business, so this really doesn’t sound like something I would have done. That said, it was about 6,7 or 8 years ago now, and if it happened at Centurion Cyclery, I genuinely have no recollection of the incident. But can still appologise if it did and leave it at that. My post on this thread was for the betterment of the cycling community and I'd rather carry on with that path, have a lekker eve!

 

No worries; it's in the past. However, it does show that sometimes customers hold onto negative experiences for a long time, and more often than not, the shop loses a customer for good. I promised myself never to support that shop again, and I haven't. Ultimately, they closed down.

[eddy]

17 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

So almost as good as Shimano 11 speed then ..... 

Yislaaik Chris, I have long respected your opinion, maar nou praat jy mos tjol.😇

After standing idle for 10 years, I ook out my Merckx with 10spd Campag Titanium for a Cradle ride last week and was again astonished at how smooth and how precise the shifting was and how silent the drivetrain runs.

Back on 11 spd Dura Ace this morning and as good as it is, it is like comparing Alistair Coetzee to Rassie the man.

Edited November 22, 2025 by eddy

[DJR]

13 minutes ago, eddy said:

..............After standing idle for 10 years, I ook out my Merckx with 10spd Campag Titanium............

What on earth !?? How could you????

Just kidding Eddy. 

[Martin Albrecht]

23 hours ago, openmind said:

The traditional reason for aligning the tyre logo with the valve stem was to help you locate the valve in a hurry as you go to fix a puncture while the bunch is disappearing down the road. With tubeless that’s less of an issue and now it’s become an aesthetic thing. 

Im guessing this is a roadie thing? Or I have been living under a rock my entire cycling life? I have never heard of this idea, nor have I ever given a moments thought about how the logos on my tires are aligned. 
 

back onto the topic of this thread, if one has to make use of a shop for work on your bike, my advice is to avoid any shop that is strongly affiliated to any specific brand etc, specifically the “concept store” type shops that are dedicated to selling specific bike brands. As a rule, they will always have pretty terrible workshop service. In all the years, the only shop I have found that is an exception to this is Hellsend in Stellenbosch, and Greg Minnaar in KZN. Even though they are a trek and SC dealers, their workshop is top notch and staffed by real bike people that know what they doing. 
 

best bet if you have to use a shop, is find a workshop, not a bike seller that also has a workshop attached. There is a huge difference between a service centre, and a bike shop that has a workshop attached. Generally, the bike dealer workshops are only good enough to assemble bikes out of the box, and even then, they normally don’t do it very well.