I’m starting to wonder if it’s just me?
My experience of bike shops mechanics hasn’t been great:
- A rear shock installed with unequal spacers on either side of it so it was skew, and subsequently failed.
- A headset with a thin spacer shoved under the top cap instead of being properly shimmed, so that dirt could ingress and the top bearing failed.
- A mechanic unable to remove a lock ring on a DT Swiss hub so he can’t replace the bearings.
Added to that, my experience of most bike shops is that they don’t understand hard deadlines, such as needing a bike ready to go away on a trip that can’t be rebooked, despite the bike being booked in on plenty of notice and them being informed at the time of booking.
It also seems to me that they don’t really seem to understand the nature of mountain biking which is that things break frequently, and need to be fixed, often at short notice.
I’m polite, I try to give repeat service and support my LBS and I’ve been known to bring in chocolate biscuits to say thank you. Where am I going wrong?
I just find it all very stressful, when trying to get my bike fixed in time for trips away.
I just want a competent bike shop mechanic who does what they say they’re going to do, when they say they’re going to do it, without bodging it. I’m willing to pay extra for rush jobs.
Why does such a thing not seem to exist?
Nope, my LBS (Rotec Cycles in Reading) is awesome... he knows his stuff and is very effective. If he knows i'm not in a hurry, he's not in a hurry... but if i need it urgently, he drops everything for me... He's superb.
The biggest stress is whether i have time to pick him up beer for the shop on the way or not 🙂
Having worked in a bike shop that took the 'pay peanuts get monkeys' approach I've seen some truly terrifying acts of aggression performed on bikes in the name of 'repairs'.
I simply would not let any of my bikes anywhere near a shop where I didn't personally know and trust the mechanics.
Local knowledge is essential so maybe try some locally based MTB Facebook groups for recommendations?
I think many bike shops have failed to realise selling bikes is no longer what they should be concentrating on. There’s a million places to buy online that are cheaper with a wider selection. The future of bike shops is fixing and servicing ever more complicated bikes.
Problem may be made worse by some punters being unwilling to pay for decent service.
Finding a good bike shop is the key, and as bike tech has increased, it's getting harder to get good staff.
BigOnBikes in Derby are great, and know me very well - picked up some brake pads the other day, and they were handed over with a warning that the retaining bolts in the caliper were made of cheese and to go back to them if I was having problems before I wrecked them....🤣
No when compared to the terror of taking my car to the garage 😬
One tip I can give is try to find a shop where the owner is working in the shop day-to-day.
Even if you do find a shop where the service is excellent, if the owner is not the driving force behind that level of service then the shop is one key employee leaving away from turning into a total shit show.
The future of bike shops is fixing and servicing ever more complicated bikes
Dunno, like. Most people now seem to just sell their bike and buy a new one when something complicated breaks. And aren't willing to pay more than £20/hr labour.
See almost anything now. You sometimes want to pay to 'get the professionals in' but they are rarely that. Sometimes you get someone who really knows what they are doing and it's a joy, more often you end up fighting both the broken thing and the 'professional'
But they DO exist, they are usually heavily booked though 🙁
Maybe not local to you but North West Mtbikes in Cheadle have always been great. Andrew Kyffin - shop owner top chap and knows his stuff.
I don't get stressed about it but after a couple of incidents of poor work I no longer let anyone but me touch my bikes. So thats my tip - learn to do stuff yourself
You could learn to do it yourself...
Second issue is going to happen whatever is used...it might take longer, but it is happening every time you ride your bike when it is wet (and dirty)...
You could learn to do it yourself…
If only the world was that simple for everyone hey 🙂
There are plenty of decent independent mechanics around these days - more mechanics than shops in this part of the world in fact.
Thanks for the advice, good to know that it isn’t just me.
I do try and do a lot of things myself, it’s just for things that need specialist tools that I go to a bike shop, but I’m beginning to think that I may need to upgrade my tools even more.
Nope, I don't use any - do all my own spannering. It's really not hard at all, and there is youtube too.
Our local bike store is called City Bike
No guesses how we pronounce it 😉
Bloke at work needed a new mech on his commuter. 5 day turnaround time at the bike shop. Price was something like XT price for Claris, "fitted". In quotes, cos it wouldn't change gear properly on his first ride to work. Told him to take it back that day and tell them they forgot to adjust the B-screw. 5 day turnaround time for rectifying the mechanic's shoddy work. When he turned up at work after getting it fixed he asked me how I knew what the problem was without even looking at it. I just knew. Least we now have a toolstation thing by the bike sheds, and I'd have fixed it for him in the coffee break.
They also fitted a tyre the wrong way round for him... seemed to think the arrow on the front points to the front, and the arrow on the rear points toward the rear 🙄
My only direct experience of the local BS is to go there to collect parcels sent from CRC/Wiggle 😉
Been doing all my maintenance since I was about 12.
Bunnyhop has beat me to it, my local is NWMTB, Andy is great and Ben is a great mechanic. Bike is going in for a pre mega service next week and it'll come back feeling brand new and better than ever.
They are happy to put up with my weird requests for products they don't stock and support local racing.
A mechanic unable to remove a lock ring on a DT Swiss hub so he can’t replace the bearings.
I have some sympathy for the shop here having recently seen a snapped vice from try to remove the offending part.
I’m willing to pay extra for rush jobs.
All that means is overtime or annoying other customers
There are plenty of decent independent mechanics around these days
And a few chancers constantly spamming the local FB riding groups.
There are plenty of decent independent mechanics around these days – more mechanics than shops in this part of the world in fact.
We have a few round here, but definitely "mixed" reviews.
Whilst we're all insufferable clever clogs on here and very happy doing our own spannering (I very much count myself in this), Bike shops are essential infrastructure for getting new or more casual people into cycling and keeping them rolling so I'm always inclined to support them where possible as without them the future for cycling looks pretty bleak.
Local to me, Brink, BC and Spokes are all good for spannering with Ride St Albans being good for Bosch E-bike stuff.
Few local shops in Leamington, none of which I'd leave my bike with. Do everything myself bar rear shocks as don't have the tools.
Kenevo SL goes to Certini/Specialized in Birmingham when it needs a motor, tops lads in there, quick turnaround and top quality workmanship.
I just want a competent bike shop mechanic who does what they say they’re going to do, when they say they’re going to do it, without bodging it. I’m willing to pay extra for rush jobs.
Why does such a thing not seem to exist?
Pay is lot, Cytech is quite honestly crap and there isn't much in the way of training, as the focus is selling bikes. The good mechanics are ones that are proactive and are just a good mechanic, its hard to teach that (having 20 technician apprentices, we've got 5 good ones and 15 that need improvement!!)
There are 3 local shops for me. 2 are fine, but my last experience at the third (steerer tube full of metal shavings, steerer cut too short, jagged and the incorrect number of spacers despite providing them) was the absolute final straw for me.
Do 90% of it myself now, and deliberately choose bikes, frames and parts that are easily user serviceable with guides online. Suspension sent off to Sprung or TFT for servicing, the occasional small job that I don’t have a tool for will get taken to the one of the decent two local shops but in the next couple of years I’ll look to bring those ‘in-house’ as well.
Whilst we’re all insufferable clever clogs on here and very happy doing our own spannering (I very much count myself in this)
Haha, I do 95% of my own jobs, but I really value a good LBS for the 5% when something defeats me or (more often) I just CBA.
I have only used bike shops when I have had the tools or knowledge to do the job and buying the tools wouldnt be cost effective, and then yes I have found it stressful
I had a repair done at one, and it failed straight away, my wife took the wheel back in because I couldnt. She doesnt know much about bikes and the guy made her cry blaming her for making it fail again and why had she brought it back.
I also dont like how they fix something, with a new part, even though you asked them in advance to ring you if it needed a new part., and then you find the part they have used is super expensive and you could have got it a lot cheaper.
In contrast the local car garage I use is brilliant. Explain why something needs doing, offer different parts and prices, explain how they can leave something but it might cost x amount in the future. Had an issue with an oil warning light and they just said pop along, had it up on a ramp, sampled the oil to check it was ok, all for no charge. At recent MOT it needed 2 new tyres. He rang me up said he could get them for x amount, but if I rang around quickly I might get them cheaper elsewhere. Turned out he was just as cheap.
Yes, totally. Decent shops are getting few and far between and trying a new one brings a great deal of stress. I've had bikes stuck in shops for months in the past, with phone calls ignored, making me wonder if I actually will ever get the bike back.
The shops in our town have now all closed, meaning I have to travel for a shop (not always easy when the bike has broken), but there are a lot of lone man mechanics who have set up in sheds. Some are very good - others just seem to be someone who can fix gears and brakes and therefore decided to charge people for this service. I've seen if they're missing the dedicated press, they'll resort to the hammer, or haven't a clue about what type of grease to use. The days of having a trusty local store run by someone who knows everything about bikes have gone around here. Hopefully I will find someone local I trust with good knowledge soon.
Support your local shop if you have a good one, as you'll miss it when it's gone.
Every rush job that you want to pay extra for is someone else's job being delayed. It seems you want to eat your cake and have it.
Maybe I've been lucky but every shop I've used has done what I asked for in a reasonable time for a fair price.
I took me 6h to change the bearing on my geometron. That is with the right tools and having done it before. Geometron charge £200 and do it in two hours.
At almost a full day of my time, I'd say £200 is pretty fair rate. Even if they can do it in 2h I certainly can't.
I agree with much of the OP, I have always been a bit mystified as to why many bike shops seem to be excluded from the most basic sort of standards and expectations that would be required of literally any other industry.
I've dismissed using at least 4 local to me for dumb or annoying things like missing spacers before big events, large chips in the paint/top-tube where bike has obviously been dropped onto something and literally just wordlessly handed it back to me. Bottom brackets not fitted properly. No call from them to notify me my bike is ready and then when I phone them they ask me why I haven't been along to pick it up, its been ready for days....etc
Having said that, I have found a very organised and professional one near me recently so I guess its just a matter of using the good ones and spreading the word.
I don't have garage or a shed so rely forced to rely on them to one extent or another really.
I do most things myself but when we lived in Leicestershire I'd found a home mechanic that did a good job and now we've moved to S. Sheffield there's two local ish shops that I'm happy to use. So not really in answer to your question.
Nope, I don’t use any – do all my own spannering. It’s really not hard at all, and there is youtube too.
This is fine for 90% of stuff, but the other 10% requires specialist tools that, for the most part it simply isn't viable for a home mechanic to purchase, i.e. new expensive, bespoke tools required to service a shock every time fox release a new shock. cost of shock specific tools required to service an X2 shock is about €300 🙁
Of course the number of LBSs that would be able to service an X2 shock properly is very small. We're lucky in Dublin to have a number of very good LBSs that do this higher end work so stuff doesn't have to get posted abroad to get done.
Just some positives. Nathan is really good, unlike the shop across the road from him. Shame he is now a 2hr drive from where I live
Every rush job that you want to pay extra for is someone else’s job being delayed. It seems you want to eat your cake and have it.
Not necessarily! If they take standard jobs that will take 3hrs to do but tell the customer they will get the bike back in a week. If someone walks in with a rush job it can be fitted in without disappointing the other customers, the rush job can pay extra boosting margins for the shop. If no rush job arrives the standard job gets done quicker and either the customer doesn't know or gets a nice phone call to say ready. Most bikes that are left for a week are not a week's work - they are there to be convenient for the mechanic to fit around other stuff. I suspect a bigger issue with rush jobs is that (1) nobody wants to hold spare parts in stock (2) rush jobs are usually broken stuff not "clean and grease". So the parts delivery is the rate-determining step. That and staff who having booked the bike in Monday and promised it back on Friday don't bother to look at it until lunch time Friday! I've got good shop near me who can sense if something is quick fix and urgent or not, but I've never brought them biscuits or beer - instead I pay them properly for the job. There used to be an amazing wee shop that just did repairs but he retired. He would actually try to fix stuff rather than just swap parts.
I stopped using my LBS after a series of low-grade annoyances just made me think "**** this for a game of soldiers", and bought specific tools as and when needed. I think the only thing I won't touch now is headset cup installation.
The LBS just did stuff like:
Installed a Hope headset with a star nut and lobbed the valuable head doctor in their spares drawer as they "didn't know what it was".
Fobbed me off twice about the pickup time for a relatively simple job which resulted in a riding day not happening.
Used their 'wheel guy' who could basically make a wheel laterally true with no regard for even spoke tension. Wheel subsequently buckled again without particularly whacking it on anything.
At the point where I started to dread taking it there, I just stopped.
I also stopped using a well-known suspension tuning company as (twice) they searched and searched for miniscule faults to avoid warrantying their work - once leaving me with an irate wife and two kids in the car after they'd promised to reassemble a fork so I could pick it up on a drive back from a holiday. They hadn't and only very grudgingly did it whilst I waited.
Soz guys, but if you let people down enough, they stop coming back. 🤷♂️
Ah, maybe where you are the good shops aren't struggling to accommodate more work and therefore have some spare capacity. That's not been my experience for a while.
I'm very fortunate in that my LBS is a 5 min walk away, it's a lone concern - the same guy owns and runs the place and has done for 20+ years - and he really knows his stuff.
I take pretty much everything to him now, even the basics (in spite of being a former bike mechanic myself). Plus we have a cool barter system, I get cheap deals and I've helped him with stuff in the past.
Mechanic-ing is his bread and butter, he doesn't sell much kit just due to stock and up front costs.
On the other side of the coin, have you seen some bike shop customers?! 😳
The paucity of quality workshops across the various places I have lived in the UK is the reason I am a home mechanic.
There's only so much 'I could have done that but they've ****ed it up so I may as well have' before one actually does the work.
Ironically, I am competent enough from my own learnings that I WAS a bike mechanic for nearly a year in the credit crunch after I was made redundant.
What I can say from that experience is that 99% of punters don't want to pay the money for the labour, and you get what you pay for.
It also seems to me that they don’t really seem to understand the nature of mountain biking which is that things break frequently, and need to be fixed, often at short notice.
My experience of working in bike shops is that customers expect you to stop working on bikes that were booked in for service weeks in advance because they have broken something that no one keeps in stock and needs to be ordered....on a Friday at 4pm because they have a major ride* the next morning
*Playing in the local woods with some mates
After a time you realise it's paying someone who knows less about your bike than you do, to work on it at some point in the future, possibly in an average and / or untimely manner.
Far better to take it to a conscientious expert who'll work on it right away for free - yourself.
Saying that I paid a garage for an oil change last week and didn't think twice about it, so I understand if some folk CBA.
Far better to take it to a conscientious expert who’ll work on it right away for free – yourself
STW is a tiny microcosm of an already niche sport. The vast vast majority of people riding bikes are very much like the vast majority of people driving cars - they don't have a clue about even the basics and they don't care.
Even at club/enthusiast level, the number of "modifications", self-setup and self-service issues I've seen is truly staggering. People are not "conscientious experts", they're clueless idiots winging it (mostly based now off internet "advice").
And the bike shop then has to fix these abominations.
Maybe not local to you but North West Mtbikes in Cheadle have always been great.
All nice guys too.
Related to a couple of the posts above...
If you took your bike in for a new spoke and wheel true, and they bent a long straight pull spoke to make a j spoke and then fitted it to your bike.
Is that good? Or a bit mince?
"And the bike shop then has to fix these abominations."
They don't "have to"...
