What should I expect from a bicycle service?

Question

I'm thinking about getting my bicycle serviced for the first time to make sure it's entirely roadworthy.

My question is what should I expect from a bike service from a professional?

i.e. what checks are carried out, what maintenance is done, to what price level will parts be replaced within the service price?

And finally what price should I be paying for a service? (London UK)

EDIT: I'll further add there might be a minor problem with my back dérailleur, no parts needed to fix, just the know how...

Answer 1

These services vary wildly from shop to shop.

My local shop will look at any bike and tell the owner if it's safe to ride. And of course, they'll tell the owner how much it would cost to make it safe if it's not already. They're pretty honest about it, but of course I can't guarantee that other places are.

Most shops offer a free "tune-up" with the purchase of a new bike. This usually includes minor maintenance and inspections such as tightening bolts, airing up tires, adjusting brake and derailleur cable tightness, checking that the wheels are true, etc., but no parts replacement. If the bike was not purchased from the shop in question, they will usually offer the same tune-up service for a relatively low fee, $25 (~£16) US where I live.

Many shops offer additional service levels beyond this. They may include replacing cables and/or cable housing, bar tape, brake pads, actually truing the wheels (this can be a more time consuming job and may not be included in a basic tune-up), and perhaps even a bike wash. These tune-ups can get fairly expensive, $100-$150 (£67-£100) US.

Exactly how much you pay for any tune-up will depend on exactly what combination of services a shop offers and the amount of local competition, so you should really shop around.

Answer 2

Personally, I wouldn't go for the tune-up service package unless I needed to have everything done that was in the package. For instance, at my LBS, they charge $50 for brake, gears, minor wheel true, light cleaning (no disassembly), lube, air in the tires, safety inspection, and minor parts/accessories installation. Which might be good if I just picked up a used bike and needed all those things, but at lot of it is stuff I could do on my own. For instance, they charge $25 for a wheel truing, so if the wheels are already true, most of the price of the service package is wasted. Even people without any mechanical aptitude can do things like oiling their chain, filling up the tires, and putting on a water bottle cage. I would pay for exactly what you need, which might just be a safety inspection to make sure it's all safe, and maybe some simple adjustments like brakes and gears.

Answer 3

In London? Check out Evans Cycles, they have a gozillion shops and do Bronze, Silver and Gold services.

Their web site tells you what you get at each level, looks like their stores price separately but to give you and idea the pricing from one of their stores can be found here. Have generally found Evans a little more expensive than other shops for parts, but those numbers will put you in the ball park as regards what you can expect to pay in general.

Presumably once they've seen the bike they are able to advise what level of service you need, and for "bespoke" work like straightening your derailleur I guess they'll just charge by the hour.

Never used them myself tho' so not a personal recommendation.