local bike shop costin me

I think thats pretty standard for a tune up....they are $45-$60 here. Of course I would only pay that at a shop that I know would do a good job. A couple of the places around here cut every corner in the book and always overtighten the hubs... idiots.

Just do it yourself. Get a manual from the library, and save yourself some money, earn a little experiance, and get a warm feeling of self satisfaction.

The tune-up price sounds about right. But, you're better off spending that money on a set of allen keys and a good adjustable spanner. That should cover just about most jobs on bike maintenance. Park Tools' website will be handy for you and you'll be happy in the knowledge that any work done was by you and not some dude you don't know. I wouldn't worry about frame alignment unless you've been tarmac munchin'.

I just want to warn everybody NOT to take their bikes to CyclePath North York, Toronto. I took my bike their recently and they tried to charge me $50 extra for a tuneup after THEY didn't put my chain back on correctly. If you want your bike fixed right without getting ripped off, find another bike store to take your bike to.

Coocookacho said:

I just want to warn everybody NOT to take their bikes to CyclePath North York, Toronto. I took my bike their recently and they tried to charge me $50 extra for a tuneup after THEY didn't put my chain back on correctly. If you want your bike fixed right without getting ripped off, find another bike store to take your bike to.

You have five posts and all of them say the same thing, YOU'RE A HEAD CASE! Take the kacho off the back of your handle dude! YOU'RE COOCOO-COOCOO-COOCOO! You must be like ten years old. No one takes a person serious when they act so irrational about something. You would have done better to say it once and left it at that, but now YOU look like the problem and not the bike shop.

FELTF10 said:

You have five posts and all of them say the same thing, YOU'RE A HEAD CASE! Take the kacho off the back of your handle dude! YOU'RE COOCOO-COOCOO-COOCOO! You must be like ten years old. No one takes a person serious when they act so irrational about something. You would have done better to say it once and left it at that, but now YOU look like the problem and not the bike shop.

thanks for hijacking the thread. y do u even care about this person?

UNF_Chaz said:

thanks for hijacking the thread. y do u even care about this person?

Wasn't my intent and I apologize. I actually did what I'm trying to stop him from doing. I will explain by simply saying click on coocookacho's handle and then on the posts the person has made. As for your question about the bike shop prices, they're average, mine charges $65. for a tune-up. The best thing you can do is learn to do it yourself, the money you save buys in the end. Again I apologize.

REI REI REI REI!! Took my bike there and for $60 got one heck of a tune up and they go over exactly what they are going to do, and even give you a sheet of all the comments and what they did to the bike! In order to work there they all must have a degree from a certified mechanic! Just my opinion!!

As an all around outdoor sports store REI is probably the best out there. The staff are very much up to snuff on pretty much anything you ask them and are very helpful but they can't beat my LBS in the Q&A department when it comes to two wheels nor can they beat his prices. Nine times out of ten my guy will match or even beat prices from Performance, Nashbar or Supergo, but most important, He's honest.

UNF_Chaz said:

College life is rather frugal and at the time its a sh!t load of money for me.

Does your school have a cycling club? Most college cycling clubs have pretty decent shops that they'll let students use. Membership fees are typically pretty low.

Buying a bike is like everything else- there are certain responsibilities that come with it. If you buy a battery operated device, you know you're going to have to buy batteries. If you buy a car you know you're going to have to buy gasoline, insurance, and tires, and etc.

When you buy a bike you know that sooner or later it is going to need tires, tubes, and service. If you can't handle the cost or hassle of either, you shouldn't get a bike.

If the $50 cost of maintenance/repair is too high, you can go to a goodwill store or garage sale and look for another bike. Buy one for $10-20 and ride it until it breaks, then look for another and do the same again. Of course you may have to visit a lot of garage sales before you find a bike that's in better shape than the one you're about to throw away...

For most people, the $50 cost of a "tune-up" is either enough of a motivation to learn to do it themselves or enough to put them off bikes entirely. The hassle of shopping for a new bike (and disposing of the old one) every time something goes out of adjustment is more costly than $50 to get the old one fixed. But if you have LOTS of time one your hands, and no money, well, maybe it's time to go shopping or dumpster diving.

You can actually buy brand new "bikes" at Walmart for about $50. Do that a couple times per year and you'll probably never even need to put air in the tires. You can probably sell the used bike (with soft tires) for $20, so it will cost you $30 each time you get a new bike, a couple times per year.

Tuning a bike yourself is NOT a major undertaking. First make a list of the problems that need addressing, then go to the library or surf the web and find tweak instructions (or use your eyes and ability to reason and observe the operation of the parts and figure it out for yourself- it ain't rocket science!).

You can fix 95% of bike problems with an adjustable wrench and a screw driver (cost: $10 new, $2 at a garage sale). You'll need some 3 in 1 oil for the chain ($1- and no, you don't need the $10 per 2 oz bottle bike stuff) but only if you don't like squeaking and/or you ever attempt to shift gears.

Finally, if you want lowest maintenance cost, get an old one-speed bike with fat tires and a coaster brake. All you will ever have to do is replace tires/tubes once every 2 or 3 years, and oil the chain about as often.

TD

I recommend ordering this from nashbar.. it's ten bucks, and has a lot of handy stuff that you'll need for regular bike upkeep. I purchased mine a few weeks ago, and I use it pretty regularly.
It may save you a few $50 trips to the bike shop.

After your'e done fixing your bike, you'll feel a sense of triumph, at which time you should rejoice with beer. 🙂

artmichalek said:

Does your school have a cycling club? Most college cycling clubs have pretty decent shops that they'll let students use. Membership fees are typically pretty low.

Nope, i ought to start one though. u just gave me the idea. there are some triathletes around here. met the president and v.p at a party and they asked me train with them. i told them ok, but i suck at running, pretty quick on the saddle, and getting better in the liquidy stuff.

West Texas Jim said:

at which time you should rejoice with beer.

Never a beer drinker, except for those couple of nites with those girls, but i preferred the liquor. However those days ended back in June and decided never to go back.

I wish there was an REI around me. I probably go and hit that up. i remember the only time i went there and that place was amazing.

Nope you're not getting ripped off...

The shop I work at charges $90 for a tune-up. And thats their basic package. But, it almost never ends up costing that much.

What most shops do, at least I hope they do, is check the bike out first and call the person with what needs to be done. Most of the time its just a few basic adjustments, which will cost no more than $25. Although, some people get [censored] when they take a bike in that hasnt been ridden since last year, sitting out in the rain and don't understand why they need to replace a rusted chain and cassette.

So no, $50 isn't a rip-off by any means. But if you have a friend who can do it, take it to him and save yourself some bread.

$25 for a chain, $50 for a tuneup? yup sounds about right -I pay that much at the two bike shops that have been awesome for me and always get my bike on the road fast because they know it's my car.
I've tried to be cheap once an learned from it - I took my bike into the local sporting goods store .That was stupid- halfway home from the store from having a rear basket installed, the seat slipped down 2 inches because it wasn't properly tightened :eek:

BTW if you do have the chance to purchase a brand new bike - one of the benefits of buying one new from the shop is that usaually they come with free tuneups , sometimes for a year, sometimes for life - makes a nice excuse to buy the one you're drooling over 😄

So my question to the cyclingforum crowd is... Am i gettin ripped?[/QUOTE]
Yes and no. You are getting ripped, but as mentioned by others, everyone charges that nowadays. Just a few years ago, I could get my bikes tuned up for $35 and that would include greasing the bearings if they really needed it.

I took one to the shop this Spring, and they wanted $50, but they would not grease the bearings, they only wanted to ajust everything. I said "it's already in adjustment, I can do that myself". They wanted extra money for greasing the bearings. A Lot of extra money. I pity anyone who is not able to work on their own because these newer prices are a ripoff.