You forgot that on of the threads is seized - and some numpty rounded the bolt last time they did it up...
Very interesting my post has generated such a difference in responses.
For info the bike was in perfect order and yes I should have had a cable with me but I did not and was 40 miles from home with a tearful nine year old
Yes I could have easily fitted it myself in 5 mins ( I am 54 have been building and restoring cycles and motorcycles for over 40 years and am a qualified engineer)
I should have asked for the cost however assumed it would be about £15.
I have checked with a number of cycle shops who ALL agree it is grossly over priced
The only part fitted was an inner cable and cable end cap , I was told that this was £7.50 and the hourly rate was £30 how we got to £27 dumbfounded me as the bike was returned in less than 15 minutes ( the shop also had other customers)
No receipt was given
I suspect that a number of the posts have came from friends of the owner which is fair enough.
The post I think has served its purpose
The post I think has served its purpose
which was?
I have been in the shop a few times, and bought a jacket. Didn't ask for a discount nor would I say I was a loyal customer. They are obviously passionate about cycling and I would imagine would have no problem giving you a breakdown of cost, or indeed double checking the amount if you had queried it. I would suggest that would be the way forward rather than posting on here or elsewhere but I can appreciate the price may have been a bit of a shock.
I also believe they have kids bike for hire at a lower/similar cost so that could have been a viable alternative..
That's possibly a teeny little bit untrue isn't it? I mean that brake cable snapping doesn't smell of "gets looked after alot and gets a quick once over every week to check everything's OK".For info the bike was in perfect order
Yes I could have easily fitted it myself in 5 mins ( I am 54 have been building and restoring cycles and motorcycles for over 40 years and am a qualified engineer)
So, when were the cables last replaced before they broke?
All I'm saying is that on a bike that's reasonably well looked after and otherwise in "perfect order" brake cables tend not to just let go suddenly unless something else has gone wrong. They should get changed as part of maintenance - not every week, but not never either.
I'm sorry for [s]your[/s] your BiL's £27 but yes, [s]you[/s] your BiL should definitely have asked what they'd take for it, and then weighed up the cost against taking said disappointed child somewhere else to get it fixed or [s]sucking it up and making a mental note to check things more often[/s] get it done there and then.
For info the bike was in perfect order
Apart from the brake cable that just fell to bits..
Yes I could have easily fitted it myself in 5 mins...
Ooh, LBS customer Bingo!! Dibber at the ready 😀 *dib*
...and am a qualified engineer
*dib*
I should have asked for the cost however assumed it would be about £15.
*dib* one more for a line..
The post I think has served its purpose.
No fair 🙁
I suspect that a number of the posts have came from friends of the owner which is fair enough.
Never been there, let alone met any of the staff!
And just for the record, don't live in the same country, never have been there and reasonably it can be expected I never will.I suspect that a number of the posts have came from friends of the owner which is fair enough.
DISCLAIMER : I have worked in sports shops quite a bit (skiing was my game) when younger, and have little sympathy for people who know more about everything than you, and could do it for a lot less, or a lot quicker or a lot better but, basically, haven't or won't.
am a qualified engineer
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If no other work was carried out such aligning pads, adjusting tension springs then £27 to fit a single inner cable & cable end cap takes the piss in my opinion.
Is this guy for real? This must be a troll.
Wasting seconds of his life over a £5-10 deviation in pricing for an on the spot repair that would have ruined family day out had it not been done? WTAF? Suck it up FFS - don't use the bike shop next time if you don't like it and go home, or bring your mobile workshop!
I work on my own bikes but I wouldn't classify myself as a shop competent mechanic - these guys are amazing, know all the tricks etc. A 15 minute job for them is probably 30-40 minutes for me.
I'd *hate* to be an LBS owner and have to deal with this sh it.
I think the comparisons with other shops isn't necessarily fair. There's no doubt that on a cold, mid January Tuesday afternoon, the footfall there is going to be pretty light compared to Evans on the high street. I'd suggest it's more of a destination shop and in these sorts of circumstances, I don't think normal rules apply. Labour costs for this sort of thing will be worked out to make sure the business is profitable and sustainable. The market will then decide if those prices are too high or not. That's how capitalism works and that's what this is.
Is the labour cost higher than the Evans on the High Street? Probably, maybe. But it's not on the High Street, it's right there in the location that your brake cable snapped.
Fast forward a year when that shop has to move because they can't afford to pay the bills because they've not been charging enough labour. Who fixes the kids brake cable then? No one does.
and was 40 miles from home with a tearful nine year old
Luckily there was a shop on hand to save the day eh? Nah, let's get on the internet and bash them. Plonker.
Never been there.
Never met the guy.
me neither, been going to mugdock for over 10 years too. Never even knew there was a bike shop!scotroutes - Member
Never been there.
Never met the guy.
Guess that might have been the OPs intention. To alert the rest of us who never go near the courtyard that there is a bike shop there, kind enough to do on the spot repairs? 😆
I'd have thought an experienced engineer would have spotted a brake cable badly worn enough that a 9 year could snap it fairly easy.ronnierush - Member
For info the bike was in perfect order
I'm not doubting your abilities(well seems I am 😆 ) but that you never spotted the dodgy cable doesn't really tally with the rest of your assessment that the bike was in fine working order.
[quote=seosamh77 ]
scotroutes - Member
Never been there.
Never met the guy.me neither, been going to mugdock for over 10 years too. Never even knew there was a bike shop!
Guess that might have been the OPs intention. To alert the rest of us who never go near the courtyard that there is a bike shop there, kind enough to do on the spot repairs? [img]
[/img]
The only part fitted was an inner cable and cable end cap , I was told that this was £7.50 and the hourly rate was £30 how we got to £27 dumbfounded me as the bike was returned in less than 15 minutes ( the shop also had other customers)No receipt was given
No one asked these questions at the time? Has anyone contacted the shop asked for a break down. If I ran I business I'd rather be asked for comment before i was complained about to the world
Did the sad 9 year old get you ahead of those other customers?
I'd love to have seen the posts if the OP had started a post thanking the amazing Mugdock cycles who saved his day out by only taking the princely sum of £27 for a brake cable and ferrule.... 😆
27 quid????? That's shocking!!! [b]What did they say when he asked them about it[/b]??I'd love to have seen the posts if the OP had started a post thanking the amazing Mugdock cycles who saved his day out by only taking the princely sum of £27 for a brake cable and ferrule....
Conundrum solved. The shop has a crack team of internet wizards to shut down [s]insane[/s] reasonable customer feedback, this additional overhead means they have to charge £27 for a five minute repair that any qualified engineer could do in his [s]dreams[/s] sleep.
I wish people would realise that everything they see in a shop has to be paid for.
Credit card terminal hire, transaction fees, even the bloody receipts. The new fee that they charge so that you can fill in a form promising not to be naughty with a credit card machine.
The electricity that magically costs more than twice the price of your home electricity.
The setting up of these bloody pensions, the cost of these bloody pensions.
The water bill for flushing a toilet and making a cup of tea that costs more than that of a family in a 3 bed house and no we can't have a water meter fitted,surprise surprise.
The £160 minimum to listen to the radio. It goes on and on. As could I.
As Sanny said Keith is not in the business of ripping customers off. It's tough going trying to keep a bike shop going but Keith is doing well purely because of the service he provides. Did you happen to notice all the bikes inside and outside the shop??? They're bikes that are waiting to be fixed, he did you a favor by fixing your kids bike on the spot and you paid £27 for the privilege, quit your moaning.
scotroutes - Member
😆
In the entirety of this thread has anyone, on either side of the "argument", actually changed their opinion? Even the slightest bit?
Perhaps been persuaded by what they have read to do a U-turn in their mind?
Just curious...
Some think £27 is too much. Some that it is completely justified.
No-one will ever post on here that they now feel they were wrong and have changed their mind. Just won't happen.
Why? The cost and it's merit is based upon opinion and personal experience. Then a thousand other variables.
I'm trying to say that it's subjective and an un-winnable argument!
Anyway, crack on. Takes my mind off the real problems in the world I suppose! 🙂
Just off to send a harsh email to Trump anyway...
Poopscoop, I've read most of it and although stw threads occasionally cause a bit of soul searching, this is obviously a piss take of the first order.
"why didnt you just buy the cable and do it yourself if it is a "5 minute" job?". Because few of us ride around with a set of spanners, pliers, cable cutters and crimpers for the end cap ('coz it might be child's face).
Captive market.
Me, i'm in the group of "i don't care about the cost, if we'd had to go home it would have trashed the day"
In simple terms, unless you've got the right tools and parts with you, it's a game ender of a problem. It's pack your stuff and put it all in the car, waste of a day.
The fact it was done on the spot means it's worth the price... simple as that.
^ this, with added if you or your Significant Other didn't have the guts to query or negotiate the price at the time, then don't be a keyboard warrior.
i don't care about the cost
Everyone has a price for everything. What would yours have been? Useful to know for any bike shop owners at honeypots out there 😉
Significant Other
You have carnal relations with your brother in law 😯 ? I would have to have drunk more than I could 'perform' on before mine would look even a teansy bit attractive!
These sort of posts make me smile. You go into store and ask how much it costs to change a cable - if they say £27 you make your decision to pay and continue the ride or not pay and go home.
I don't think you should begrudgingly pay and then moan about it.
On the flip side. Do I think it's expensive - yes, it's a tad steep but I can understand they need to make the business money.
Would I pay it to continue a ride with my family - yes I would.
Everyone has a price for everything. What would yours have been? Useful to know for any bike shop owners at honeypots out there
It would have had to be £50+ for me to not bother... But then again if he'd said "the bike is scrap, you've cracked the frame" for example, then the price is whatever kids bike he has in stock 🙂
You can't put a price on your kids happiness... it costs what it costs.
It would have had to be £50+ for me to not bother
You can't put a price on your kids happiness... it costs what it costs.
You just did 😉
Just thought about it again. My multitool would do everything needed to get a brake cable replaced apart from the cable cutter but by winding the extra into a loop and a bit of duct tape (a few cms of duct tape and zip ties always in saddlebag/rucksack) to secure and you'd be golden for at least a day's ride. Plenty newly assembled bikes have left my shed for a shake down ride in that condition. In 40 years cycling I can't recall ever snapping a brake cable mind.
The post I think has served its purposewhich was?
Tight bloke so shocked at having to open his wallet that he had to share on internet, apparently.
Tight self satisfied 'engineer', apparently.
Hit return and sat back smugly; pleased with trashing a business transaction he could have dealt with at the time.
He must have rode around that day with steam coming out of his ears. All the way home and in front of the keyboard.
Or he could have said something at the time. Especially if he had an engineer membership card.
Brake cable for £3.99? Wiggle are knocking them out for 79p....
*walks away whistling*
I have checked with a number of cycle shops who ALL agree it is grossly over priced
No you haven't.
£27 is you look at the part price is a lot but you're not just paying for that.
I've never been in the shop nor do I know the owner. £27 to fit the cable is expensive but not ridiculous. If the OP is an engineer he would know that its not a 5 min job for a shop ( or really for anyone)
So mr engineer - how much do you get paid an hour?
I just think it's funny.
a) that he didn't aske the price before hand.
b) that he didn't have the kit to fit a cable. How would he mend a bike out in the woods?
c) that he would expect sympathy here.
TJ it's not how much is he PAID by his company, but how much does he COST to get the comparison with the £27.
If I were the OP I'd be having a go at my bil for letting my neice's bike get into such a poor state of repair that the brake cable snapped - will no one think of the children?
Here's Evans' price list
No specific mention of replacing a brake cable however
"We will undertake any other stand-alone repair charged at £15 per 15 minutes (£15 minimum)."
So they'd be charging you £15 minimum plus parts therefore £27 is entirely possible
On the flipside, here's Willy Bain in the southside. He's a one man band operation working out of a shoebox sized shop in a shabby part of town.
http://www.bicyclerepair.co.uk/brake-service.htm
He'll charge you £7.50 an end and I'd assume parts are extra
£10 at Southwest Community Cycles: http://southwestcommunitycycles.co.uk/bike-maintenance-repair/#1483975044585-28666cfb-6650
£25 front and rear at Dales: https://www.dalescycles.com/servicing
"From" £20 to adjust gears at Cyclelane: https://www.cyclelane.co.uk/workshop.php
So in short, there's no right or wrong price for this. It varies
I'd expect those prices to differ if it's a walk-in and fix there and then job.
Tbh thats the bit I really don't get, it's not a chippy you normally stick a bike into bike shops for them to book in.
Walk-in and fix immediately, I'd expect to pay a premium.
correct BR - just trying to show him the comparison.
I can see both sides of it. £27 does seem very steep for a simple inner cable replacement, but I'm conscious that whenever friends have asked me to look at their kids' bikes, they're invariably trashed. Inner rusted and seized, brakes out of alignment, wheel out of true, etc... £27 to fix that lot would be very good value.
[quote=ransos ]I can see both sides of it. £27 does seem very steep for a simple inner cable replacement, but I'm conscious that whenever friends have asked me to look at their kids' bikes, they're invariably trashed. Inner rusted and seized, brakes out of alignment, wheel out of true, etc... £27 to fix that lot would be very good value.
Aye but he's an engineer! Who works for free!
Always amazes me when customer walks in with a 20 year old bike still with original parts, worn out shifters & expects them to work like they did the day they bought it after we've replaced the inner cable (they wouldn't stump up for an outer too)
"I don't want to spend too much on it, mind. It only cost me £25..."