[Closed] What Would You Do? Turned Over By LBS content!!

If you post on here and have a go at the OP because he is an engineer and doesn't fix his own bike you are a complete idiot. There is no argument you are an idiot and these kinds of posts are not helpful. My advice to all those with comments about not fixing your own bike is: keep your stupid comments to yourselves, you completely miss the point.

More an more often I am seeing people post really rude and unhelpful comments on this forum which do not contribute positively to such a community.

Anyone venting or airing a complaint should be allowed to do so without fear of being shot down and abused. Maybe they are a bit upset and post in haste, perhaps they are a bit emotional and just need a reality check and to be put straight by some friendly comments.

what they don't need is for some fool to quickly check how many posts they have made and then judge them on that basis and follow up with ridicule. More and more comments I'm seeing would have been met with a punch in the face if they had been made in a pub or face to face. Just because you are hiding behind a keyboard does not make it acceptable.

Be nice to your fellow bikers, make this a nice place to contribute to and promote a positive and respectful attitude to the posts of others.

these kinds of posts are not helpful

You'll need to point out the part of your post that is

😉

That's us told.

To elaborate on the above my frame is a BB30.The original slx chainset and BB was fitted to a BB30 to shimano adaptor.
My new chainset is BB30 although came with external cups (larger ID for the BB30 axle).
It was suggested that I utilise the BB30 frame with my new chainset which made sense...
So the old one was removed, BB30 bearings fitted to the frame, the guy then realised the axle was slightly longer and would require a couple of spacers which he didnt have.

I do have genuine symapthy with the OP. But I'm also not surprised that end was great when I read the above.

I think taking a bike to a shop and saying up grade my chainset and BB you expect a perfect job

Take them all the parts needed again you expect the job done

Take them most of the parts needed, well that's much harder on the shop.

I think the line "I'd have whipped them up on a lathe" is intresting. I for one would be surprised that a bike shop contacted me asking if I
fancied creating some parts for a job I'd asked them to do...

Any way I'm glad the stem thing didn't result in injury

I doubt the OP will take the bike back to 'that' shop, he'll probably do a bit more himself, and even when there's a big rush he'll give it a once over. Think that's a forgone conclusion, and we've all agreed. Quite helpful I think.

My first boss always told me to leave the stem very much on te piss if no front wheel has been suplied
That way when a wheel is put in its obvious that it need putting right.

I'd be a little concerd as to why they have taken a dremel to the inside of the frame
And would be having a little look inside the shell

Blimey STW, you've got some time on your hands tonight. Nothing on the telly? This has got to rank as the dullest most repetitive thread I've ever been silly enough to wade through. And I've got a really high boredom threshold. I even read the OP.

Not as dull as cars, watches or things that burn wood 🙂

Can't be arsed to read past 'I'm an engineer & it would take me 5 minutes'

Although I may have seen the post about no real engineer giving their P&J to a kid in a bike shop 😉

So to reiterate, we have an engineer that either doesn't have the time to fix their own bike or the knowledge to fix a very simple bit of kit, or maybe it's because they are to busy (presumably) earning money to fix their own bike. The latter assumes the OP's time is worth more than the bike shops, I wonder what an engineer with a bricks & mortar workshop (probably not high street with silly rates) charges per hour?

I won't bother with the box of bits & a bike brought from elsewhere as I'm sure it has been covered 😉

Cheers.

No reason to think a shop would not be happy with fitting stuff they have not supplied
It's all money in the till

orangeboy - Member
No reason to think a shop would not be happy with fitting stuff they have not supplied
It's all money in the till

Fitting used parts is never as easy, all the spacers, adapters etc are missing, getting used stuff to run like new is tough. Condition is never guaranteed, neither is compatibility.

You will need to drop into the spares box more than you want to for the missing/not quite right bits.

Why does being an engineer mean you should be doing your own bike spannering? I'm an engineer with a full time job and two kids, I like to ride my bike on the rare occasion I get to play, not fix and build. However my lbs is fantastic for this, if they're good enough for Steve Peat...

Though I'd buy parts I couldn't fit myself from them as well...

Nothing pisses off bike shops more than people bringing in piles of new and S/H kit and asking them to build it

Yeah, how dare we offer to pay bike shops to fix bikes!
It disgusts me, it really does.
About time we put a stop to this blatant exchange of money for services.

And to the OP - you bought a secondhand frame?
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?
I smelted the steel, made the tubing and brazed my own.
It's the kind of basic skills I'd expect from every 'proper' cyclist.
Sorry if that a bit patronising, but it makes me feel awesome.
AWESOME, I TELL YOU!
[img] https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFOIc0DEnpWaBvymDWi8r3xFyvFs2LCK6WRloOh70p_yv3kSpG [/img]
See?

Yeah, how dare we offer to pay bike shops to fix bikes!
It disgusts me, it really does.
About time we put a stop to this blatant exchange of money for services.

It's probably more to do with the much higher chance of poor outcomes, hard to explain why the sum of all the used parts doesn't quite work "Like it did on my old bike" and why you needed more time/effort & bits to fit. Usually followed by LBS ripped me off by charging for their time to make it as good as possible. I could have done better myself (if I owned the tools, workshop, spares and knew what I was doing).

Intresting responses from the bike shop bods, which don't really improve on the image painted by the op.

I would have to say repeated similar experiences and bike maintanace being simpler than breathing means I generally look after my own bikes and buy stuff off the net.

It's probably more to do with the much higher chance of poor outcomes, hard to explain why the sum of all the used parts doesn't quite work "Like it did on my old bike" and why you needed more time/effort & bits to fit. Usually followed by LBS ripped me off by charging for their time to make it as good as possible. I could have done better myself (if I owned the tools, workshop, spares and knew what I was doing).

They could always have said 'no'.
Or insisted he didn't mix and match new and old drivetrain parts.
Or they could have maybe phoned him up, explained the problem and come to a mutually beneficial conclusion (which is what my excellent LBS have done in the past).

But they didn't.

Yeah, how dare we offer to pay bike shops to fix bikes!
It disgusts me, it really does.
About time we put a stop to this blatant exchange of money for services.

It's more that it's quite a lot of messing about - and comeback when it doesn't work - to fit stuff that came from somewhere else. I wouldn't even take on that job, it might be money in the till but it's not worth the hassle.

Why does being an engineer mean you should be doing your own bike spannering?

It doesn't. However the phrase "I'm an engineer" is a running joke in the bike industry, because it's often used by people who have no idea what they're talking about, and what they really mean is they once changed the wheel on their car.

It's more that it's quite a lot of messing about - and comeback when it doesn't work - to fit stuff that came from somewhere else. I wouldn't even take on that job, it might be money in the till but it's not worth the hassle.

I'm not saying it isn't - but surely they should have told him this?

Yup, I'm not defending the LBS at all. I've taken on some daft jobs before, you learn not to next time 😉

I bought a bike from Merlin about 6 years ago.
It went back about a dozen times because the post kept slipping.

They replaced the seat collar with a Hope one. Still slipped.
They replaced the seatpost with a Thomson. It still slipped.
They blamed me repeatedly for running the saddle too far back and not knowing how to use a QR.
They insisted there was nothing wrong with the bike.
Guess what? It still slipped.

I just gave up on Merlin because of it.

Last year the Hope collar broke & I bought a new one from On-One.
Eventually, after six years, the post doesn't slip anymore.

Strange things, bikes. 😐

I had a Koga that kept doing that - tried several posts, double and triple checked diameters, tried several clamps. Turned out it was the extra-shiny anodising on the posts Koga specified - ran it through a knurling tool and problem solved.

The repair problems I hate are the ones I can't replicate - "it makes a funny creaking noise when I go uphill on wet days" - that kind of thing.

"it makes a funny creaking noise when I go uphill on wet days" - that kind of thing.

I've got knees like that. 🙂

The repair problems I hate are the ones I can't replicate - "it makes a funny creaking noise when I go uphill on wet days" - that kind of thing.

My favorite 😕

"usually starts after 5 or 6 miles of hard pedalling around Weston...you'll have to do that to test it"

or

"I think my speedo is coming up slow:- can you ride alongside me so I can compare speedos?"

And the Op.....

Majorly crap LBS. Letting a bike out with a loose bar/stem/levers (not clear from the post) is unforgivable. Possible they don't have a torque wrench and were scared of crushing the bars, although the matchmaker torx clamp jobbies are absolute shit.
They should've phoned about the BB, although I would steer clear of any homemade spacers the customer offered - who would be at fault if the collapsed/broke/exploded? I'll get the proper WheelsMFG ones fanks.

Dremel - If he went at the frame without asking he's a bloody idiot

No gear cable - just bloody weird

We get the "I'm an engineer/astrophysicist/architect(!)" a lot. It'll get you nowhere. Not out of spite, but I've seen a lot of engineers who've tried to tighten a headset without undoing the stem bolts...

LBS spanner wiggler for 12 years and counting FWIW

I can strip, repair and rebuild Campagnolo Ergo levers.

Can I upgrade?

The repair problems I hate are the ones I can't replicate - "it makes a funny creaking noise when I go uphill on wet days" - that kind of thing.

Yet that's what I went into my LBS with at the end of summer with my road bike. 5 mins chatting about what/how/where and they took the bike in and fixed it. Maybe my LBS are a little more happy to do what customers need without making it sound like a chore though.

What crank is it? Surely one of the points of BB30 is that it's really simple. Just press in a couple of bearings, slide the axle through, slide the bearing cap and spring washer on, install crank, tighten to 40Nm and ride....Why has someone come up with something more complicated?? And why is that the LBS's fault? All the comments about loose stuff if fair enough though. And I'd love to know what they were Dremelling.... Sounds like a big clusterfork trying to get a daft crank on to a 'standard' BB30 frame?

Eventually, after six years, the post doesn't slip anymore.

Has it seized in place?

There is something worse than a customer bringing a load of 2nd hand bike parts and new bits in.

The guys that come in claiming to be "engineers" telling you how the Canyon they bought is way better designed than the brands you stock. Then hand you a wiggle bottle and ask you to fill it up. Good job they can't see the tap 😈

Or just people who walk in and start a conversation with "i'm an engineer....."

He took his bike and parts to the shop to make use of a service they offer. This bike shop provided a poor level of service by not getting in touch with him when they encountered problems and failed to deliver what he asked for.

Poor show on the LBS side IMO

And if they'd dremmel'd my frame without asking I'd be furious

I don't know why people are prattling on about being 'engineers' etc; the simple fact is that the bike shop undertook the work, and should have completed it to an acceptable standard. Which they didn't. They then left the bike in an unroadworthy condition, by the sounds of things, leaving themselves liable for any damage or injuries caused by their negligence. Not sure how anyone can attack the OP in this instance; you don't know his situation or circumstances, so to blether on about 'should have fixed it yourself then if you're so clever' is neither relevant nor helpful.

The onus is on the bike shop to rectify the poor standard of their work, to the customer's satisfaction. I had a bit of an issue with a bike shop a few years ago, who didn't do what I'd asked them to, and wasted my time. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, we agreed that the fee for the work would go to a charity. Maybe one possible option for the OP and his bike shop.

As for the dremelling of the frame; that could well be a whole other, more serious matter, especially as the bike shop did so without the permission of the OP. Such an action could potentially cause a safety issue with the structure of the frame (I'm not saying it is in this case specifically, just in general).

And if they'd dremmel'd my frame without asking I'd be furious

Too right. The bike shop could potentially be liable for damages there, and and be legally obliged to replace the frame completely. I'd be seeking legal advice at this stage anyway. It doesn't sound like a good situation at all.

Why are bike shops apparently so precious about assembling stuff you bought yourself? Either take the work and do it properly and with good grace or refuse the work. If I want to pay for the work why do I also have to pay RRP on all the parts?

Difficult to imagine a shop turning down a perfectly easy job due to weird arsey protectionism but that's their prerogative I suppose.

I'm happy to fit anything for anyone, regardless of where they brought it. I'm not happy to do it for peanuts though. I will do it as quickly and as professionally as I possibly can and hopefully the customer is happy with the service and the resultant charge. I always tell people a ballpark figure of the cost of the work and will call them if it goes higher for whatever reason or if there is a delay/problem.
Buy it from me and I will fit it for free/nominal charge depending on the complexity of the job.
I know of a couple of shops locally who will not fit anything they haven't sold, one of which won't work on any bike they didn't sell which is just crackers to me but its their business.

I know of a couple of shops locally who will not fit anything they haven't sold, one of which won't work on any bike they didn't sell which is just crackers to me but its their business.

I do that - officially at least. Unofficially if I like you or it's an interesting bike I'll repair it. I have that policy for several reasons:

- I'm not an expert in "normal stuff" - MTB suspension, disc brakes etc.
- I'm pretty busy with my custom building and framebuilding.
- I think my own customers should have priority on my workshop time.
- I don't like mucky bikes cluttering up my lovely workshop.
- I got tired of the Costco specials that many people think are decent bikes, especially when brought in on the back of a Lexus.

Strikes me that regardless of the shoddy work and/or the OPs requests, if the LBS had just phoned him a couple of times with updates on the issues - the whole thing would have been avoided and the post would have read....'Lots of issues, but great customer care'.

It's all about comms

*also pet hate, if you think the OP is too long, don't read it or bother to comment, no one is forcing you

My wife was once charged £180 or something, to rectify a buckled front wheel. What happened was that the shop, without her knowledge or permission, decided both her wheels were 'worn out', and replaced both with brand new ones. They then had to replace the gear cogs (cassette?), as they couldn't get the old ones off the old wheel. And the chain. Fair enough the front may well have been 'beyond economic repair', but that would have been sorted with just replacing it; something like £60 or so (which she'd been quoted). When she asked to see the original wheels, the shop had 'disposed' of them. Unfortunately for the shop, my wife is a solicitor. Fortunately for my wife, she only paid what she'd been quoted for the work she'd agreed to.

We still use that shop though; they've been much better since that debacle.

I only read the first page so forgive me any mistakes...

You say you bought an FRM stem? Well that should be the first hint you were going to die 😀

Regardless of experience or reputation of a bike workshop why do people not check the work out before they leave the shop (or do it just around the corner)? How do you let something go wrong in a race after the work? Maybe it is just my OCD which means I would check every bolt torque and every new component was working the way I think it should.

This is all of course an aside to customer service, shoddy work, whatever.

Regardless of experience or reputation of a bike workshop why do people not check the work out before they leave the shop (or do it just around the corner)?

If you took your car to a garage to have the brakes/whatever serviced, would you then jack the car up yourself, remove the wheels and check the work has been done properly? Or would you simply trust the mechanics to do the job properly?

If you took your car to a garage to have the brakes/whatever serviced, would you then jack the car up yourself, remove the wheels and check the work has been done properly?

pointless comparison. The answer is obviously no, because I dont have the jacks, space, tools etc. Most people are capable of picking up a bicycle and giving a handlebar a tug, or turning an allen key though. Turn it around; if you had a mechanical such as a rotated stem mid-ride would you fix it with a trail tool, or walk 3 hours to the nearest professional bike mechanic? If you can do it mid-ride you can do it before a ride, and after someone else has worked on your bike.

I agree with your earlier post and arent defending the actions of the shop BTW, but I cant imagine [i]not[/i] giving a bike the once-over.

pointless comparison.

In what way? Maybe the OP didn't have the tools/space/time to check everything (the bike shop were supposed to have done to a reasonable standard) with him. Checking before the race itself would be the OP's responsibility though I agree. But if he'd picked up the bike then ridden it from the shop, maybe he'd have discovered the problem there and then. Possibly on a public road, with motor vehicle traffic.

So it's not a 'pointless comparison' at all, but a perfectly valid one. The bottom line is, the shop should have ensured the bike was in a safe and roadworthy condition before they handed it back to the customer. That's their minimum legal responsibility. They failed in that.

If you took your car to a garage to have the brakes/whatever serviced, would you then jack the car up yourself, remove the wheels and check the work has been done properly?

As crashtestmonkey says the comparison of a quick run through everything on a bike can be done in a matter of minutes with basic tools and basic knowledge to that of a car is not valid. That being said if I owned a car I would want to know it inside out too. Maybe it is because "I am an Engineer" 😉

If you are the sort who takes a bike to a shop for repair you may not be able to check that the work is up to scratch

A few odd comments from those in the trade which merely fuel my suspicions that I have been ripped a few times recently. The idea that you should as a matter of course check your whole bike out immediately after the work is done (and IMO the valid comparison with car servicing) says about as much as you need to know. Very telling and informative suggestions from the trade.... 🙁

Just took my bike in to new LBS to check out broken rear shifter. Phone call saying we have mended shifter but doesn't work because you need new BB, middle ring (recently replaced), chain (a few weeks old and already stretched?) and rear cassette (a few months old). Also need a new headset (true). Never have th words CAVEAT EMPTOR been more appropriate - the whole thing is rapidly putting me off MTB. Spend more in LBS than on car servicing which is ridiculous.

Your shifter doesn't work because your drivetrain is (not) in need of replacement?

Pure BS, go elsewhere.

All the above is why ive learnt to do alot of the work myself, only one thing ive attempted and failed so far is brake bleeding but other than that everything else is fairly simple to do, sometimes takes a little time but saves my bike going to the lbs.

If you are the sort who takes a bike to a shop for repair you may not be able to check that the work is up to scratch

While this looks sensible on the face of it, it should not be beyond anyone to give their bike a quick once over. Tyres pressure, brakes smooth, gears ok, all bolts ok, anything feel loose or like there's play, covers most things. While not everyone may not be able to remedy a problem they notice they should at least be able to notice it in the first place and a quick check should be done before every ride. It is common sense when you put so must trust in a machine taking you in to the middle of nowhere at daft speeds 😀

While this looks sensible on the face of it, it should not be beyond anyone to give their bike a quick once over. Tyres pressure, brakes smooth, gears ok, all bolts ok, anything feel loose or like there's play, covers most things.

True, but for a professional bike shop mechanic not to be able to do those things is pretty criminal TBH.

Most people are capable of picking up a bicycle and giving a handlebar a tug, or turning an allen key though.

Except a professional bike shop mechanic it seems.

As crashtestmonkey says the comparison of a quick run through everything on a bike can be done in a matter of minutes with basic tools and basic knowledge to that of a car is not valid.

Wrong. See this:

If you are the sort who takes a bike to a shop for repair you may not be able to check that the work is up to scratch

My wife has neither the mind, time nor inclination to become expert in bicycle mechanics. Hence why she entrusts that job to others, whose knowledge and expertise she is willing to pay for. Those who undertake the work (and enter into a legal contract to do so) have legal obligations to ensure the work they do is of sufficient safe standard. The problem the bike shop made when they tried to rip her off (I see it more as them trying to get as much money as possible in rather than deliberately defrauding people really), is that they had insufficient knowledge of the law. Perhaps they should have made sure that they did, seeing as it's a fundamental requirement of running such a business.

The idea that a LBS is not to be trusted (by and large) is a well established one. I think we all assume this. Some are shonky and all are human prone to mistakes. The main pain free way around LBS servicing problems is to make a little effort to understand your own bike. Maybe it shouldn't be like this but it is. I don't expect anyone in any trade, business or profession to be completely error free.

There will be plenty of times you encounter a problem on the trail or in the middle of nowhere and without a bit of basic bike knowledge you're screwed. Why you would completely avoid any bike know how is beyond me.

The idea that you should as a matter of course check your whole bike out immediately after the work is done (and IMO the valid comparison with car servicing) says about as much as you need to know. Very telling and informative suggestions [b]from the trade[/b]....

No, common sense suggestions from [b]someone with OCDwhovaluestheirteeth (TM)[/b]. See the previous post:

While not everyone may not be able to remedy a problem they notice they should at least be able to notice it in the first place and a quick check should be done before every ride.

Spend more in LBS than on car servicing which is ridiculous

Always going to be the case! Bikes ain't cheap nowadays but if you really love cycling then it becomes easy to justify the pennies. My tyres cost more than car tyres, so what? Most decent full sus frames cost more than an entire reasonable second hand car, so what? Love isn't logical 😀

Its precisely this kind of rubbish work from LBs's that forced me, over a couple of years, into a steep learning curve of DIY bike maintenance.

The irony is that I became a competent enough home mechanic that I became an LBS bike mechanic for a year.

I can see both sides of the story here, and by far, the largest proportion of the blame sites with the shop, both for any kind of reasonable communication, the low standard of worksmanship and decision making and a lack of professionalism.

Mr 'I'm and Engineer' probably didn't help with that attitude though. Also, everyone knows that most engineers are borderline autistic...

I do that - officially at least. Unofficially if I like you or it's an interesting bike I'll repair it. I have that policy for several reasons:

- I'm not an expert in "normal stuff" - MTB suspension, disc brakes etc.
- I'm pretty busy with my custom building and framebuilding.
- I think my own customers should have priority on my workshop time.
- I don't like mucky bikes cluttering up my lovely workshop.
- I got tired of the Costco specials that many people think are decent bikes, especially when brought in on the back of a Lexus.

Just sounds a bit like snobbery TBH - but it's your business so up to you of course.

The idea that a LBS is not to be trusted (by and large) is a well established one.

Only on STW. If it really was true, there would be no LBSs.

The attitude of the bike shops on here just reinforces why I don't use them and learnt to do it myself. If you have a good one then support it all you can, but most I've experienced don't deserve my pity, let alone my money.

Just sounds a bit like snobbery TBH - but it's your business so up to you of course.

Well, perhaps - but there are lots of decent bike shops in Glasgow, I don't see the point in competing with them. Besides, if it was snobbery I wouldn't be spending this morning brazing a courier's bike back together for a few quid 😉

The idea that a LBS is not to be trusted (by and large) is a well established one.

Only on STW. If it really was true, there would be no LBSs.

I am yet to find a LBS workshop I trust 100%. Some will agree, some will disagree. The whole LBS love/ hate is polarizing and I genuinely feel sorry for the few good shops who have their reputations knocked by the abundance of shonky shops. As smeel_it says if you are lucky to have a really good LBS then support it as much as you can. Until then, make an effort to know your bike 😀

I think that's a pretty big fail on the LBS's part.

A minor recent annoyance for me was taking my bike in to have its forks serviced, and then thinking that as I'm v busy and the brake pads needed changing and the brakes were due for a bleed, I might as well let them do that at the same time as it seemed a fair exchange on extra cost vs my time. I specified that I wanted original Hope sintered pads, that I was willing to pay the extra over the Clarkes sintered they normally fit and happy to wait for them to get them in. Picked the bike up a week later, went out for a ride and whilst standing around in the woods noticed that the front and rear pads looked different to each other. Rode to the shop (on the other side of town) after that ride and established that they'd fitted a Hope organic at the front and Nukeproof sintered at the rear. Baffling!

They were apologetic, no Hope sintered in stock, so at some point I need to go back to return the pads I didn't want and buy the ones I did. A very minor detail but the only reason I asked them to service the brakes was because I'm short of time, time I don't have to waste getting to the end result I'd originally asked for...

[i]Why are bike shops apparently so precious about assembling stuff you bought yourself?[/i]

I've lost count of the number of times people have bought in something they've bought on eBay and asked me to fit it, only to discover that it's knackered.

Slightly bent rear derailleurs are a favourite - get the parallelogram twisted and no amount of adjustment is going to get that thing indexing properly. Solution? eBay it as "slightly scratched but in good condition".

Stripped stem faceplate bolts? Loctite some in and eBay it as "sold as seen" - it looks OK until you get to about 3Nm and it all pulls apart.

Brakes that "just need a bleed" often have knackered seals or cracked pistons, "part worn" shocks are frequently leaky or blown, and I've seen several wheels that "just need a new spoke" but have taco'd rims.

I'll try and work with whatever you bring me, but I'll also try and warn you that if I haven't supplied the parts and don't know the provenance, it's not my fault if you got stiffed on eBay and they don't work properly.

As usual the STW "this is why all bike shops are shit and I am now massively superior" keyboard warriors are out in force. But FWIW (and I doubt many read this far down the post before writing me off as another defensive LBS) I think the OP had pretty bad service. I'd be interested to hear the shop's side of the story, but this is where communication is so important. "we couldn't finish the job because..." or a timely "we need to discuss fitting xyz part" can prevent so much of this, especially if there's a deadline.

When you skip all the crap, this is a terrible experience.

Name and shame, will clean their act up. Ever looked on trust pilot or review center? people kick off for a lot less.

My favorite personal experience was a customer claiming I had sold him a fake Wilson tennis racket all down to the fact he had used it for a season and the "W" was wearing off the strings. Wilson sent him a letter explaining it was a genuine racket and this happens, We even offered a few re-string to shut him up. but we still got abuse in every forum, on his blog, a letter from his solicitor etc.

Common sense says just check a bike before a big event, but that's not the issue. The fact someone doesn't take pride in their work is.

I got a bit sick of what I thought were crappy services from my LBS, so I learned to service my bike myself. Armed with a little knowledge I built a bike from scratch with shiny new parts and on the back of that built another with used parts. I now know my bikes inside out and do all repairs and maintenance myself.

The irony is that now I know my onions I suspect my LBS were actually doing a decent job and it was my expectations that were crappy.

Pierre for president!

I'll try and work with whatever you bring me, but I'll also try and warn you that if I haven't supplied the parts and don't know the provenance, it's not my fault if you got stiffed on eBay and they don't work properly.

Yup that's totally fair enough, as long as you make it clear at the outset (or just refuse the work because of the issues you mention). What's not fair is to take on the work but do it badly/grudgingly, and without warning charge the customer far more than was agreed.

It's not just about second hand parts though - it seems some bike shops get the huff if you bought stuff elsewhere and want to pay them to fit it. Again, either have a policy that you don't do that - or accept the job with good grace, charge accordingly and do it well.

Given that decent service/repairs is pretty much the only USP of a bike shop these days you'd think people would be bending over backwards to provide a decent service, instead of acting like sulky teenagers. 😕

Bit surprised to see this stuff about disrespect and being insulted if people bring in parts to be fitted. If people are happy to pay the asking price for the service the shop is supposedly offering where's the offence? If I took parts to a shop with my money in hand and they got on their high horse I wouldn't be back there if I could help it- after all they clearly don't need the business, and if that's actually the case then good luck to them.

That said, if the shop wants to steer clear of it for other reasons (the ones bencooper and pierre have mentioned make a lot of sense) then obviously that's fair enough too and I'd go somewhere else with no hard feelings.

The idea that you should as a matter of course check your whole bike out immediately after the work is done (and IMO the valid comparison with car servicing) says about as much as you need to know. Very telling and informative suggestions from the trade....

(As an aside, I'm not an accredited engineer but I've checked my car over after a basic services eg wheel nuts and brake tests on a quiet road, as well as learning how to do services, replace brake pads / discs, radiator and other basics myself. I also have a scar from when I was a junior racer who fixed his own bike but didn't check it properly before a race.)

All this is sod all to do with the OP tho, that should be sorted between them as the only way of getting anything positive out of the situ.

In response to the OP's questions "what should I do?"

Remove that FRM stem for a start. The stem is another worry I wouldn't want hanging over me. FRM don't have a good history for reliability and the 85kg rider weight limit would be a concern for me too in such a crucial component (regardless of being 75kg myself).

I would like to see what you ride if you consider sram XX, a BOR666 chainset, XX brakes, FRM stem and carbon bars junk??

All,

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input be it negative or otherwise....
As expected there are some idiots....indeed some may say that I was for not building my own bike!
As mentioned I generally do service/build my own bikes but as it was the first race of the season, new bike, new nice bits I thought I would get it professionally built as a treat to myself if you like.
Something that keeps cropping up though is "why didnt you check the work yourself?"
You are perfectly correct although I have been going to this bike shop for a number of years and always been satisfied with the work that has been done for me....
Therefore you kind of build an element of trust in someones workmanship so why would I check it??

Some clarrification on the dremmel side of things is also required I feel.The guy dremmeled the adaptor within the frame not the frame itself as apparently the BB30 axle wouldnt fit through. I am yet to confirm this as it is built and I just want to ride the bike!!
The outcome of this post for me is a few lesson learnt.

-I wont be going there again...
-I will do my own bike building in future...
-I wont ever tell anyone I am an engineer again..
-I will learn how to spell lathe properly...
-I wont ever refer to my bike as a steed again...

Believe it or not the positive comments have given me closure on this!! I was really annoyed to the point I wanted some kind of revenge but at the end of the day life is too short.
I could quite easily have named and shamed but it is his livelihood at the end of the day and if he does this kind of thing to everyone going in there then he will be his own undoing!!

many thanks once again all!!

its a funny old game innit

was only in the bank the other day and heard the manager state "theres no such thing as customer service anymore" in the context of the conversation i literally laughed out loud

Damn good honesty policy however

Your bank has a manager? I have a "business relationship manager" who is about 15 and who looks like his main relationship is with his right hand.

He also writes emails in text-speak.

Wot like?

U R in det. U O us dollar innit.

Ah, so I think I've figured out what the cranks are?

[img] [/img]

Are they well known in the UK? That spider is the scariest thing I've ever seen (including spiders....)! It's not surprising the LBS didn't know immediately what to do with them. I still don't understand the dremmeling though.

If you're an engineer, WTF didn't you build it yourself?

MTFU & STFU

As usual the STW "this is why all bike shops are shit and I am now massively superior" keyboard warriors are out in force.

Really? Where? I haven't noticed that myself; just some people criticising the shop for failing in their legal duty to comlete the work to a safe and satisfactory standard (fact), and others bleating on about 'if you're an engineer you should do it yourself'.

Like this nonsense:

If you're an engineer, WTF didn't you build it yourself?

MTFU & STFU

Oh dear.

This has been a very useful thread. I went to (new) LBS and went through work proposed work requirments in detail. A lot of common sense sadly dashed with "we saw you coming." They might have got away with it before really starting to take the proverbial. Checked it all out wi other LBS and 80% BS designed to empty my pockets. So very much Caveat Emptor.

Accepting that keeping a bike on the road is going to be at least/more expensive that a car is more than
Iove isn't logical. It's bloody barking!

At walleater...
Yes those are the ones!!
Dremmelling occured apparently to the dia of the bb30 axle being ...well 30mm and the id of the through bore on the adaptor being 24mm apparently?
Like i said without taking it apart i dont know but it seems highly unlikely to me that th adaptor would be of such a reduced dia that 30mm wouldnt go through?
Ive never seen an adaptor but assume it is just a plastic sleeve threaded either end?
He is implying that it is threaded then the centre of the adaptor reduces down below 30mm?

As for not knowing what do with them? It is bb30 chainset, doesnt matter if it is hollowgram, sram, tune or indeed the bor one supplied...i assume only the axle length changes.

At lord felchum.... If you read the post i have explained why i didnt build it myself, just because i can doesnt mean I have to? I think the award for biggest tool of the thread has to go to you...well done!

Like this nonsense:

If you're an engineer, WTF didn't you build it yourself?

MTFU & STFU

Oh dear.

Come on now, No need for that.

We need nonsense, without it this forum would be a very boring place.

@teamhurtmore which shops? (mail if you don't want to write on forum)

(cancel that, cba)

bencooper - Member

Your bank has a manager? I have a "business relationship manager" who is about 15 and who looks like his main relationship is with his right hand.

He also writes emails in text-speak.

Bollocks, whats best to get beer out of a keyboard? 😉

Bollocks, whats best to get beer out of a keyboard?

Straw, suck really hard.

I once met a Tai lass who could suck a golf ball through a hosepipe. She also made great frames.

"I said that I am engineer by trade"

Oh the humanity

[img] [/img]

Dremmelling occured apparently to the dia of the bb30 axle being ...well 30mm and the id of the through bore on the adaptor being 24mm apparently?
Like i said without taking it apart i dont know but it seems highly unlikely to me that th adaptor would be of such a reduced dia that 30mm wouldnt go through?
Ive never seen an adaptor but assume it is just a plastic sleeve threaded either end?
He is implying that it is threaded then the centre of the adaptor reduces down below 30mm?

As for not knowing what do with them? It is bb30 chainset, doesnt matter if it is hollowgram, sram, tune or indeed the bor one supplied...i assume only the axle length changes.

If they really dremelled as described then I can't decide if they need to enter the 2013 World Dremelling Championships due to their craftsmanship, or if indeed you were to remove the cranks, you'd find a complete clusterfork. Seeing that they couldn't tighten stem bolts, I'll take a guess..... As for 'only' the axle length changing, well that's a pretty big difference, in that I don't know a shop that has BB30 spacers lying around. Most BB30 set ups don't even need any spacer, just the spring washer which allows for crappy tolerances (Well, Cannondale did come up with it....).