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right guys i only bought my bike 2 months ago, it's a specialized rockhopper sl. The shop i bought it from offered a free service after 2 months so i took it to the shop yesterday.
On the way home i was thinking to myself, how much does a service actually cost?
Anybody shed some light on this?
I shall go kindly, for you are young here. 😀
how much does a service actually cost?
Perhaps the shop in question could answer that...
So i take it it depends on how much the shop want to charge ?
They prob only readjusted the cables and gave it a quick checkover so prob half hours labour
I'm a mechanic and I get paid (not enough...) to fix stuff at the shop. So they need to cover the cost of that. Then there's the tools (which are neither cheap nor replaced often enough...) and the costs of heating us, lighting our working area and keeping us fuelled with tea.
When all these (plus various other) costs are totalled, the company then decides how much above that total they can get away with charging people for replacing an innertube (£14 - who would have thought it) and that's how servicing costs are worked out.
I shall repeat: I'm a bike mechanic (i.e. not an economist, hence the vague explanation).
'Ope that 'elps!
It's normally only a safety check and minor adjustment as a first service at that age, as much for the shop's benefit as yours(loose parts left untouched can cost a fair bit to replace under warranty). A general check over and adjustment costs £45 at our shop, though every shop has it's own idea of what constitutes a service, and will charge accordingly.
Also: the free checkover you've just had done on your bike doesn't really count as a service (it's just that - a checkover) and often only takes 10-15 minutes to accomplish. A lot of jobs take less than the time they're charged for, some take longer. Quickie things can be done for free if you go about asking the right way...
PSA: we like biscuits and clean bikes.
PROtip: if you keep your bike clean, it lasts longer.
Bikes been cleaned after every ride so far( i hate it but my mum doesn't stop moaning so it's gotta be done). Only thing is i don't really trust the local bike shop so the nearest one would be Edinburgh (30/35 Miles away)
Where do u live? Is they're not a nearer shop?
Get yourself into a riding group, and ask who they trust for their repairs. You'll probably find somebody in the group that's competent too, ask them nicely and they'll probably show you how to do things yourself.
Thats what i'm saying, i don't really trust the local shop and theres no other shops locally that i know of. Only good thing is i'm in edinburgh once a week at the moment for college so if i need anything done then it's gonna have to be on a day i'm at college as i simply can't afford the petrol to get there and back regularly.
If you can operate an allen key, there's really not much that needs to go to a shop luckily. Bike benefit from rolling maintenance, not like a car where every X months or X miles you get it looked at, you want to be aware of what the bike's up to and sorting it as and when. Preventative medicine...
Well thats a good thing then because i'm an apprentice Engineer so if i can get someone to teach me the basics then i'm sure i'll look at servicing it myself.
Cheers for all the help guys.
Anybody know any cycling groups for central scotland?
Cycling groups for riding? Not sure of groups but there's often wednesday night Edinburgh rides which are organised- disorganised?- by the Bike Chain... A great way to meet other riders if you're in the central belt is to come digging at glentress too, every second saturday we dig oles and eat cakes and sometimes even ride bikes
TBH bikes are pretty simple, there are courses but with a bit of mechanical understanding and the internet (especially Park Tools) it's not hard to self teach yourself. Some stuff is more complex than others- I'm a decent spanner but I don't do wheels- but mostly it's like muddy meccano.
Buy this:
And whenever you need/want to repair/maintain etc, buy the right tools - plus a workstand once funds allow.
Ohh glentress 😀 I do like a good ride there 😛 Will need to hook up with some guys and get a good ride going there 😀 Been there quite a few times now (previously renting a bike) And have loved it every time.
I'm quite prone to a bacon roll and banoffie pie afterwards 😀