I have got the day off work and went for a spin this morning. On my travels out of the town I spotted a sign for a cycle shop. Repairs, spares and sales ect… It used to be there years ago but closed down, now there's a recession on it's back.!
Any who I dropped in because I am going to need my hope headset taking out of my old frame and put into my shiny new on-one. 😀

After a puzzled look and a scratch of the head he quoted £20.!

Don't think I'll bother. Not so much the steep price but the puzzled look I got.!

I don't think that's too expensive. Par for the course I reckon.

Half an hour labour? Seems fair to me.

lbs epected to exist on dust shocker.

sounds about right to be fair.

last time i had to do it i stumped up the cash and bought the tools.

my mates use the tools more than me – but they buy more rounds than i do now 8)

about right if you ask me…

Not all bike shops can pay their bills with packets of Jaffa Cakes.

Why not do it yourself if you're so worried?

That sounds a very fair price, especially as it would seem that none of the parts were bought there.

Doesn't sound bad to me. They have to pay rent, fuel, wages, tools,etc

eff that! do it yourself!

Quoted a tenner at the "usual" place. With a coffee as well.

The last few I've had done at a small but friendly shop and they charge £5. I've bought a few things from them and had the occasional bit of work done but I'm by no means a regular.

The only other bike shop (a big one) that I've asked to do a headset swap wanted £25.

Seems fair enough. Use of very specialist tools (yes, I *know* you can do it with a screwdriver, hammer and a plank of wood if needs be), none of the parts bought there.

A fiver is undervaluing themselves.

doesn't take half an hour to remove a headset :roll:, maybe splitting hairs here but £15 is a decent price for me

£20 to remove and fit to a different frame is what my LBS charged me last time, and I didn't feel ripped off.

ITS A 2 MINUTE JOB!

i appreciate the correct tools will set you back £150 + but come on!

a windy gun and compressor cost 100 + but if i go to a car tyre shop i dont expect to be charged extra cos they use one!

£10 MAX.

Half an hour labour? Seems fair to me.

Half an hour?!? 😆
Takes about 5 mins.

£20 to me seems quite expensive. Yes of course lbs's need to survive, but 20 quid for 5 mins work, hmmm.

I'm guessing you didn't buy the headset or frames from them?

Seems a fair price to me regardless of the people on here banging on about the length of time it could or should take.

How about 35 quid to reseat my hope pro 2 bearings (not even fit new ones)?

Sounds fair enough- buy the tools and do it yourself if you think it isn't.

takes about 5 minutes to actually do it – yes probably

but i bet it takes half an hour to get the bike all set up in the stand, sort the tools out, check the work needing done, take the headset out the old frame, get the old frame out the way, stick the new frame in, prep the new frame, put the headset it, clean it all up a bit, find somewhere to stick both the frames, check you have done all the work, sign it off, have a cup of tea.

takes about 5 minutes to actually do it – yes probably

but i bet it takes half an hour to get the bike all set up in the stand, sort the tools out, check the work needing done, take the headset out the old frame, get the old frame out the way, stick the new frame in, prep the new frame, put the headset it, clean it all up a bit, find somewhere to stick both the frames, check you have done all the work, sign it off, have a cup of tea.

jesus! you havent sprung this job on your nan! you've taken it to a proper bike shop. if they have to spend time 'sorting out tools' and finding somewhere to put the frames then they need to sort their sh1t out…

ha ha
just seen the cup of tea bit… might be right there. maybe its a 45 min job.

Sounds fair enough- buy the tools and do it yourself if you think it isn't.

Or take it to another shop that charges realistic prices 🙄

I bought a proper cup removal tool, brand new, for £10 and a home-made headset press, fashioned out of washers, a length of bolt thread and some welded metal bits, for about £5, both from Ebay. Hope headsets have a split crown race so no need for a removal tool for that. I've changed half a dozen headsets with this set up. Simples.

if you bought it from me(all of it) free but if not £10-£15…headset press is pretty dear.park ones £170….

£20 here. Free if you buy your headset from us though above £40.

£20 sounds fair to me. Also have to factor in a price for if the yoof who does the job knacks the frame or any component up. I would be happy to pay £20 for that. In no way is this a 5 minute job.

£20 here. Free if you buy your headset from us though above £40.

gives a realistic impression of how much it actually costs right there…

if the profit if a £40 headset (lets say £4 clear) can cover the cost of the fitment…

Or take it to another shop that charges realistic prices

You mean one that charges unrealistic prices? It's not worth anyone's time to do it for much less than that, favours aside.

not excessive at all, esp if they swap the crown races without mashing your fork crown! Hope is split i know, but even so, it's a fair price if they do a good job.

I got quoted £20 to press a headset so bought a Cyclus press for about £30 and did it myself. Since I have another frame arriving in a month or two it will have paid for itself.

"ITS A 2 MINUTE JOB!"

not done properly it isn't. i swap headsets / crown races between bikes all the time and doing both cups and the race is a bit more than a 2 min job.

but feel free to bash them in not-quite-straight with a block of wood and scratch your fork crown by rushing it 😉

if the profit if a £40 headset (lets say £4 clear) can cover the cost of the fitment…

PMSL 🙂

5 Minute job?

Now I'm crying 🙂

Buy a part for your car at say Halfords.. Pop your car round the local garage and ask them to fit it. Would you moan at £20 then? Why do some people think that £20 to have someone qualified and capable and crucially who earns their living from selling and servicing bikes should do it for a couple of quid or a nod and a pack of biscuits?

Most shops have to cover their work with insurance in case they **** it up. That requires paperwork for each job in the form of a job sheet. Name, address, contact details, work asked for etc.. That not only has to be completed when the bike is dropped off but filed away after.. There's your 5 minutes right there and he hasn't even touched your bike yet..

Wheel the bike in… Lift it into the stand… get tools together.. Remove stem.. drop out forks.. put them out of the way… Take bearings out and put somewhere safe… grab HS removal tool and carefully tap out both cups… put them together with headset… Put forks back in frame minus headset.. Nip up the old stem and bars on the steerer so the bike generally stays together in one piece… remove bike from the stand.. set aside in the workshop… Get new frame and mount in stand.. Clean up the old headset cups.. Get HS press.. Unscrew and fit through frame…. Insert cups and twist HS tool to seat headset cups… Ziptie through the rest of the headset parts to keep them together… drop into a plastic bag…. Remove frame from stand… Put frame over with the old bike… label up both so Saturday shop lad doesn't sell em… Clean up workspace.. put tools away… Find job sheet… complete paperwork… clean hands… head out to shop phone… call customer to tell him his bike and frame are ready…

…customer comes in… bike and frame handed over… work done explained… job sheet signed off… filed away..

Done!

5 Minutes! really?
🙂

£20? Not a problem.

Some Saturday looking teenager with a headset press made out of threaded bolts and washers offering to do all that to MY bike for £5? Jog on! I'll have a real mechanic thankyou and pay for it properly like I pay to have my car serviced by a real mechanic and not some monkey with a few Hanes manuals offering to 'tune' it for £30

🙂

I think some kind of race is in order; like the boxxer world champs but with the above posters and a load of frames and headsets.