[Closed] £27 to fit a childs rear brake cable Rip Off Mugdock Country Cycles Glasgow

go on then, how much should it have been?

remember the overheads they have to pay.

Why didn't you buy the part and fit it yourself?

Certainly not £27.... how they expect to get any repeat custom with prices like that is beyond me.

Seems reasonable to me.

If it's that easy, your brother in law could have fixed it himself.

did they change just the inner or was it a full cable kit?

why didnt you just buy the cable and do it yourself if it is a "5 minute" job?

If it was a prearranged repair it might be less, but places based near trails get 90% of their business from people needing stuff fixed quick so take advantage of this as they may not have much repeat business from people visiting for the day..

wrong bike shop 😳

One inner cable, say £3.50

One metre of outer cable, say £4.

Crimp and ferrules, 50p.

£19 labour in the second biggest city in Scotland.

What's the problem?

I'm with ye OP, that is taking the piss.

It's not the 1960's; twenty seven quid is pocket money these days (go in half an hour earlier on Monday morning!)
Tell your BiL to get a better job or something. Cycling is more enjoyable if you've got more money to throw at it anyway.

Fixing kids bikes is always a nightmare when it comes to charging. Folk buy the cheapest shit out of Argos or Toys R Us then get upset when the bike shop tells them the cost of the repair, like it should be less because it's only a little bike.

Kids bikes also tend to see little maintenance and have components made out of pig iron or cheese. Fixing them often shows up other problems that then require more repair time.

These badly marked trails, how are they paid for?

You should set up shop and charge £200/HR. You would clean up.

Mate, Mugdock isn't a trailcentre. It doesn't HAVE marked trails.

There's a bigger city in Scotland than Glasgow?

On the spot repair at trail centre, never going to be cheap. Got you riding.

Working on most kids bikes is a mare.

Fwiw the last lbs I worked at would have charged £18

My shop would charge £9 labour plus any hardware used. £27 is a bit steep but he could have purchased a cable and done the job himself.

Don't think this thread is going the way the [s]classifides user[/s] forum member had hoped...

Seriously, getting it done, paying for it then whining about it is about the lowest of the low. If you don't want it done, or are willing to drive to wherever to get it done for less, knock yourself out. Or buy the parts and JFDI. I'm guessing the guy didn't threaten you because he so desperately wanted to work on that bike.

with the op. but i am not a fan of bike shops.

Oh the irony - classified only member comes on main forum to complain about bike shop prices.

Did you not offer to fit it yourself? I assume as you are so au fait with bike maintenance you had all the tools to hand and could have done it in seconds? If not stop whinging.

Robbing bastards. £27 is taking the piss but I'm not surprised.

seems perfectly reasonable to me. How much do you pay your car mechanic? Last time I had work done on my BMW motorcycle around 10 years ago it was £50 an hour and IIRC most car main dealers are a lot more.

I assume they did this while he waited - so regular customers work is delayed for this.

Its not a 5 min job to do properly and a shop will have to check it. Sorry dude but its expensive but its not unreasonable.

Robbing bastards

I'm not commenting on price as I see both sides of the "argument" there.

However, give the op a break.
He might only have posted on the classifieds but a slightly more welcoming response on the main forum might be nice?

It might even be why he hasn't posted on this forum before!

Just my take on things. 🙂

Just as a query what would the OP have considered to be a fair price for the work? Just to gauge opinion.

Just as a query what would the OP have considered to be a fair price for the work? Just to gauge opinion.

He may not have asked before the work got done, I'm just curious. None of this really matters bit we're all still here.

Does it really matter? If the OP was quoted a price and accepted, why are we moaning on the interwebz? If he didn't like the price, could the OP not have had any number of alternative solutions?

The english comprehension on this thread is not strong. The OP was never quoted or charged a penny.

£27 feels a bit rich to me. £20 would seem fair dos.

The english comprehension on this thread is not strong. The OP was never quoted or charged a penny.

£27 feels a bit rich to me. £20 would seem fair dos.

Yes - ok, then replace the OP with brother in law.

The guy complaining on the 'interwebz' is merely reporting the price a customer was charged. Bitching that he had a choice not to pay etc when it was not his decision either way is just a lack of ability to read on your behalf.

i am with the Op,daylight robbery

pitduck - Member
i am with the Op,daylight robbery

Wish I could open a bicycle repair business where the job as described could be charged at £27 !!. It's to much, £15 tops. But fair comment to say the OP should have bought the cable and fitted himself.

Is the 9 year old useless? Should be attempting to sort that themselves anyhow.

Bad example to give the kids that they need to go to a bike shop everytime a minor mechanical happens!

Btw it's only 300 per hour if another dozen or so ill prepared fools walk through the door one after another. Unlikely! 😆

Btw it's only 300 per hour if another dozen or so ill prepared fools walk through the door one after another. Unlikely!

Some days I'd love to see some of the STW mechanics against the clock.

Ok. Mugdock is just a country park. Its not a trail centre. No trails are specifically for biking, its a few paths for people to walk about. The trails which have evolved are all non official and built by local riders. We aint producing a map.....

The bikeshop is normally quite cheap.Certainly less than likes of Evans in town.... I suspect its more than just a brake cable that was done and your bil wasnt 100% on what they actually did to the bike. What does the reciept say? Maybe he had a couple if rolls from the cafe and charged it to you? 🙂

Pretty emotive title 😯

I'm sure Keith will be along soon with the shop version of the job.

As for the trails, as others have said, they have evolved over decades of work by local riders and we aren't going to mark them, or make a map. People are welcome to tag along to a GMBC or meet up ride to get a feel for some of them.

Surprised that courtyard toilets had problems, they are normally immaculate. Did you report the issues to anyone, in cafe, or shops ?

Bike shop mechanic here.

We'd have charged £11 to change the inner, an extra £1 if the outer needed doing.

5 mins to do the work is generous.

I like how it's £27, seems a very arbitrary figure, not 26 or 28 or even 30. it's like the bloke was trying his luck to see what he could get away with.

I'm amazed the bike shop at Laggan closed then if there's the potential to make £300 per hour...

I can only guess the the previous owner is now retired to St Tropez or somewhere. I'm just surprised someone else didn't keep it going.

Whilst overall it seems steep, it always seems steep when buying parts for kids bike, or for small jobs as labour makes up a substantial total of the cost. My guess would be £15 labour and £12 parts. Even if it did take just 5 mins, most places would charge by the half or quarter hour making labour more like £30-£60 per hour.

I ride Murdock pretty often and have a few mechanicals out on the trails,Snapped rear mech cable for instance,Keith took the bike off the stand he was working on,put mine one and fitted the cable,yes it was a 5 minute job,but he didn't have to do it on the spot,this guy runs a busy shop and he took his time out to help a stranger just so i could continue my day,To add to that,i had no money,he said to come see him next time i was up,took a fiver for the job,and that was including cable,

Since then we have been in a few times for on trail mechanicals,he fitted and bled a new brake lever for my mate,again,stopping what he was working on to do this,now he doesn't have to do this,he has other business to attend to,so i feel there may have been a bit more to the job than just a cable,I can't praise Keith highly enough for what he has done for me and my mates while up riding at Murdock,always very chatty and friendly,

as per the trails.Its not Glentress,if you really want to find the trails,maybe arrange to join one of the local rides that are organised weekly and they will show you around,I still don't know all the trails and I've ridden up there for years,Murdock is mostly used by families taking kids walks,to play in the parks,or dog walkers,

Walking into a bike shop on a weekend with a repair on a kids bike and getting it done right there and then so the kids day isn't ruined sounds like cracking service to me !
It really does well done them

Two ( ?) shop mechanic on this thread saying its a five minute job. Plus the time to check the bike in, do the work, take the money etc etc. Surely at least 15 or 20 mins if not longer total time? Do you not check a bike over before you send it out?

Broken toilets too! The scoundrels.

There's a bigger city in Scotland than Glasgow?

[img] [/img]

IF it was a simple cable replacement then £27 is steep. Most LBS would charge £10-20 at a guess. However, I would expect that the actual work included something else.

However, my issue is the OP has the typical British disease whereby they don't have the balls to complain or negotiate about the price directly to the shop, but retreat to the internet and presumably wish the company to go bust.

However, my issue is the OP has the typical British disease whereby they don't have the balls to complain or negotiate about the price directly to the shop, but retreat to the internet and presumably wish the company to go bust.

I give up - the lack of ability to read and comprehend is depressing.

Was the OP even in the shop? Maybe the person who actually paid the bill was fine with it.

give up - the lack of ability to read and comprehend is depressing.

Was the OP even in the shop? Maybe the person who actually paid the bill was fine with it.

Aww, depressed now after joining a debate,want a hug there?

OP was there, if he wasn't involved in the transaction I assume he was there or thereabouts. If the actual person making the transaction was fine with the price it makes the OP even more of a snowflake keyboard warrior.

Did you ask for the cost before the work was carried out? tbh you lost my interest at "badly marked trails" ,says it all to me ...Im out 🙄

Aww, depressed now after joining a debate,want a hug there?

Was not my first contribution - but I would not expect you to have read.

snowflake

The use of the word snowflake puts you in some very fine company.

convert - Member
Aww, depressed now after joining a debate,want a hug there?
Was not my first contribution - but I would not expect you to have read.

snowflake
The use of the word snowflake puts you in some very fine company.

Considering your first comment is your second one meant to be ironic? Personally I find this place fairly bulging with people keen to whine about the most minor of things, when they haven't even began to seek redress directly. Having a simple term to define that is fairly handy.

Was the OP even in the shop? Maybe the person who actually paid the bill was fine with it.

This, reckon the BiL said something along the lines of 'yeah, the day would have been ruined but luckily the bike shop managed to sort us out. Only £27 too'
'£27?!? ZOMG!!!11!! I could have sorted that in 2minutes for £18 if you'd driven it over to me, then driven back with it...

At least he wasn't called a ***** ***** as he left....

Cable £3
Cable outer £3
v-brake noodle £3.99
Ferrules 3 x 0.49p
Fray cap 5p
Labour £12
Drop everything and mend bike on the spot to save a kid's day [s]£3.49[/s] priceless

Cycling is more enjoyable if you've got more money to throw at it anyway.

^^^^

Thats sad 🙁

Thats sad

Come on, surely you've been on this forum long enough to spot the trolling from davidtaylforth?

@simon.

True.

Tbh, a quick repair at the side of the trail while you don't have parts or tools, worth every penny.

Did you drive there? Less of a wasted day.

I'd not trust a bike shop that can fit a new brake cable in five minutes.

On a kid's bike it's a bit more complicated. First you have to pump up the tyres, because they are never pumped up enough. If you don't the rims are so cheap that they go slightly out of true next time the tyre is inflated.

Then you'll replace the cable, which takes five minutes.

Then, because it's a kids bike with cheap rims that's been slammed into everything in sight, you will need to roughly true the wheel so it turns freely.

Finally you'll probably need to lower the bars and seat back below the maximum extension lines, because the parents consider putting their kid at risk more important that spending the money on the next size up "so they can get another six months out of it".

Twenty minutes later you have a safe, working bike with a new cable. This was standard procedure when I was a mechanic, anything less suggests a lack of pride in the job and a lack of care for the customer.

And when I said second biggest city I meant second most important 😉

gear of Glasgow in the west end charge £5 labour for a brake cable, a basic shimano cable is £4.99 retail, cable end 5p (at most). So if it is only a brake cable change then £27 is taking the utter piss

Not sure if the reply stating that the BiL should go in early on Monday mornings for half an hour extra to make 27 quid is genuine trolling or otherwise

I know the shop very well.

As others have said, there are no official trails. The toilets are nothing to do with either the non-existent trail centre, nor the bike shop - they are the Country Park's responsibility, and are currently being renovated. Keith is a capable, thorough and honest mechanic. I suspect he spotted other issues with the bike - notified the owner and repaired at sensible price.

gear of Glasgow in the west end charge £5 labour for a brake cable, a basic shimano cable is £4.99 retail, cable end 5p (at most). So if it is only a brake cable change then £27 is taking the utter piss

Tbh how LBS makes money and a living at these prices is beyond me, I would be charging minimum 1st hour plus parts,if your not happy paying the price then learn to do the job yourself , simples

tjagain - Member
Two ( ?) shop mechanic on this thread saying its a five minute job.

£20 for the first hour weather it took that long or not, another £20 if it creeps in to a second hour and so forth, this is made clear before work commences round here, then parts which does not seem unreasonable at £7

Tomhoward - Member
Was the OP even in the shop? Maybe the person who actually paid the bill was fine with it.
This, reckon the BiL said something along the lines of 'yeah, the day would have been ruined but luckily the bike shop managed to sort us out. Only £27 too'
'£27?!? ZOMG!!!11!! I could have sorted that in 2minutes for £18 if you'd driven it over to me, then driven back with it...

At least he wasn't called a ***** ***** as he left....

🙂

The job wouldn't have been just fit a new cable, tighten the bolt and done, it would have involved a quick inspection of the brake for pad wear, alignment and general condition (and wheel for trueness and rim wear if it's a rim brake). Then it will be strip down and replacement of inner cable plus possibly a new outer, cut to length and new ferrules fitted. You are also paying for the mechanic's time and knowledge and the convenience of having it done on-site. Add in the shop overheads and £27 is not unreasonable for an 'emergency' purchase at all. Don't forget that you'll also have to include a small amount for the shop's insurance to cover them if the brake should fail straight away due to an oversight on their part, they're only human so it's possible. If it was a job left a t a shop for them to do when they can fit it in then it's a little steep but in the circumstances I wouldn't have had any qualms about paying it.

I think it is expensive but not ridiculous. I have worked as a mechanic in the trade. I would suggest the OP/OPs friend needs to learn to fix bikes themselves, or indeed maintain them so they don't fail on a day out.

Wow, I didn't realise there were so many schoolboys posting on STW 😆

Why do I think there is more to this than the OP has chosen to post? That's the problem when you post online slagging off a bike shop or supplier only for the truth to subsequently come out. I know and use Mugdock Country Cycles and they aren't in the business of ripping off customers as the OP explicitly states.

I think I may have to get the Chocolate Digestives out and follow this thread.

Cheers

Sanny

There's also the potential that they're fed up with people asking for a quick fix for free or very cheap, done on the spot when they pop in, so they price accordingly to put you off.

But yeah, £27 is on the high side even with a courtesy check over the bike. Up to them though. They can charge what they like. Charge £270 if they like. So long as that charge is clear up front, they're not ripping you off as you have the option of just saying no.

Whilst at mugdock, did the BIL discover the flooded quarry famously used in Trainspotting?

We had a review of our cableset costs sometime back. At £6 per set we were not making money. It needs to be £8 really if not more. And hourly charging needs to be around £50 if not more.
If they took 15 minutes then it's getting close to being about ok!! If they are at a trail centre they may well be getting screwed for rent and rates above and beyond normal.

And don't forget their trade waste contract

First it being a Childs bike makes no difference at all to the cost.
At work we would only fit cable as part of a brake check/adjustment £15 which inc both front a rear.
Then
£5.00 cable and caseing
£3.00 for noodle (guessing as they are mostly knackered )

And as above mostly end up trueing both wheels a bit for free just to make brake work.
Only need to add a set of pads £5.00 and you get to £28 total.

"Whilst at mugdock, did the BIL discover the flooded quarry famously used in Trainspotting?"

That was Shallow Grave.

check out the trailforks app for the MTB trails, the paths are sign posted and there are maps.

First it being a Childs bike makes no difference at all to the cost.

Exactly. A brake is a brake.

Took it to Mugdock County Cycles and they charged my Brother in Law £27!!

LBS mechanic here.
In our shops pricing that's spot on.
A brake service is £10 per brake labour, but some shops won't just do one so £20 fixed price labour
We're £4.99 for an inner and £2 for outer including all crimps and ferrules

To fit a rear brake cable on a nine year old's bike !!!

Doesn't matter how old the rider is, sorry but it's neither here nor there

A 5 minute job and a £2 or less part!!

It's not a £2 part, it's a £7 part
And if you can do every brake in 5 minutes I'd like to see it.

That is £300 per hour

It's £40-£50 per hour. 10-15 mins per brake average. You should see how much of a faff it can be sometimes where something isn't working exactly as it should.

If you think you're that good, step up and put your money where your mouth is.
I did. 🙂

People are getting confused. They're not making 27. They're taking 27. Take off the VAT assuming they're registered, that's over a fiver gone. Then tax etc. Overheads. You're paying for the conveniece. It's expensive running a business.

People have to make a living.

And besides nothing is ever a 5 minute job, ever.

They have to make money from somewhere given the online retailers have crippled their margins.

At least mots people avoided saying "robbery". But not all. You my regard the price as steep but that doesn't make it a crime. The customer can always take the business else where

To me it seems a trifle steep. But I can see walk up repair at a weekend is going to cost more than booking it in mid week

"Whilst at mugdock, did the BIL discover the flooded quarry famously used in Trainspotting?"

That was Shallow Grave.

Anything with Danny Dyer in it is the same

in my exprience "kids brake cable" usually equates to
rusted solid inner and outer, adjuster on the end of the lever crushed,bent or missing, noodle broken or missing, pads down to backing or totally misaligned possibly both.
and that before the trying to get them to even remotely work as they are on a bag of shit from a supermarket.