[johnbryanpeters]

Wednesday, maybe, I came back from a ride with no rear brakes. Handle went right to the bar.

I peered at the caliper in some pretty poor light and decided I had lost a pad, so I got myself down to LBS on Thursday, bought a pair of pads. Discovered that I had two pads, but real worn, so I clicked in the new set. Still no brakes, and I noticed some leakage where the hose mates with the master cylinder.

Back into the shop, ask them to fix it. The wrench says headset is loose, so I say go ahead and tighten it. He says he'll have it ready Friday afternoon.

Friday: On the way back from work, I stop at the shop. They haven't touched the bike.

This morning: I call them, they say tubing nipple's broken off master cylinder, do I want to replace it? Well, yeah, I asked you to fix the brakes.

This afternoon: Pick up the bike, chuck it in the van, eventually try riding it. High,stiff lever, but no stopping. Headset's so tight the bars don't turn if you lift the bike off the ground. Adjust the headset. Ride around some get some brakes, but still not good...

Tomorrow I plan to pull the new pads and I suspect that they'll prove to be contaminated with brake fluid...

And this is the best of the three shops I go to...

 

[binary visions]

...reason number 6,428 to obtain the tools and know-how to fix all of your bike's problems...

I just don't know of any shops that can effectively fix all problems that I might have, and have the knowledge to do so properly.

Sucks - good luck with your brakes!

 

[Discostu]

If you don't mind, could you PM me the shop and name of the wrench that did the work? I think I might know who it was, but I don't want to name names on here. I stopped bringing my bikes to bike shops a long time ago and now own a full set of tools.

I don't trust any shops with my bikes. Some of the guys that work at these shops are just bad mechanics in general and others don't know their way around mountain bike specific parts like hydraulic disc brakes and newer suspension forks.

 

[chicodude]

Hmmm.........seems like I go to the only good shop around.



Sucks to be you guys........

 

[TreeSaw]

Wednesday, maybe, I came back from a ride with no rear brakes. Handle went right to the bar.

I peered at the caliper in some pretty poor light and decided I had lost a pad, so I got myself down to LBS on Thursday, bought a pair of pads. Discovered that I had two pads, but real worn, so I clicked in the new set. Still no brakes, and I noticed some leakage where the hose mates with the master cylinder.

Back into the shop, ask them to fix it. The wrench says headset is loose, so I say go ahead and tighten it. He says he'll have it ready Friday afternoon.

Friday: On the way back from work, I stop at the shop. They haven't touched the bike.

This morning: I call them, they say tubing nipple's broken off master cylinder, do I want to replace it? Well, yeah, I asked you to fix the brakes.

This afternoon: Pick up the bike, chuck it in the van, eventually try riding it. High,stiff lever, but no stopping. Headset's so tight the bars don't turn if you lift the bike off the ground. Adjust the headset. Ride around some get some brakes, but still not good...

Tomorrow I plan to pull the new pads and I suspect that they'll prove to be contaminated with brake fluid...

And this is the best of the three shops I go to...

Yeah, well....once again my LBS owner/manager doesn't order shiat when we do....

Squirrel called him just after MLK day to order a serfas case. He say "no problem". A week later we call him..."oh, I better order that soon so you'll have that in time for your race"....

Needless to say, he didn't order it. We haven't received it. We need to ship our bikes on Monday....with no case expected until atleast mid-week. Yeah, our LBS sucks! :mumble:

 

[COmtbiker12]

That sucks man.

I love my lbs. No joke about them, the youngest guy there is atleast 35. The cheapest bike they stock I'd be surprised if it cost less than $1k. Several of the mechanics used to be on pro road crew teams and would follow around in the cars and stuff. If I take my bike in one day, 8/10 times it's done the next day. If I order something, it's always in by Friday. They reamed and rethreaded my whole bottom bracket and installed a new one in under half an hour for a normal cost. They get all my money.

 

[ito]

That sucks man.

I love my lbs. No joke about them, the youngest guy there is atleast 35. The cheapest bike they stock I'd be surprised if it cost less than $1k. Several of the mechanics used to be on pro road crew teams and would follow around in the cars and stuff. If I take my bike in one day, 8/10 times it's done the next day. If I order something, it's always in by Friday. They reamed and rethreaded my whole bottom bracket and installed a new one in under half an hour for a normal cost. They get all my money.

Rethreaded a bottom bracket? Wow, I don't know too many shops that would do that without bitching quite a bit. Actually I only know of one shop that will do it for and that I would trust. Too bad they are a bunch of pricks who wouldn't help a fellow biker if they couldn't charge a fee. :mumble:

The Ito

 

[mack]

That sucks man.

I love my lbs. No joke about them, the youngest guy there is atleast 35. The cheapest bike they stock I'd be surprised if it cost less than $1k. Several of the mechanics used to be on pro road crew teams and would follow around in the cars and stuff. If I take my bike in one day, 8/10 times it's done the next day. If I order something, it's always in by Friday. They reamed and rethreaded my whole bottom bracket and installed a new one in under half an hour for a normal cost. They get all my money.

We dont demand that much, epescially for what we pay!

If i can have my car oil changed in 30 min and a new ****ing oil filter installed for 19.95 you think that i can also have my bike working properly for 29.95... but nope...

 

[=[Stinky]=]

Find a different shop dude. I work at a shop, and if a bike comes back that I have worked on, I figure it out then and there with the cust. And then do whatever it needs to correct it. If someone is paying for my skills I want whatever it is to be perfect.

-ANdrew

 

[COmtbiker12]

Rethreaded a bottom bracket? Wow, I don't know too many shops that would do that without bitching quite a bit. Actually I only know of one shop that will do it for and that I would trust. Too bad they are a bunch of pricks who wouldn't help a fellow biker if they couldn't charge a fee. :mumble:

The Ito

I was even $8 short so they were like "Don't worry about it Tony" and worked out the price to what I had.

 

[JMAC]

Yeah dude fix you're own bike, I got so sick of my LBS that any time something went wrong I just bought the tools i needed. It was cheaper and it actaully got fixed and without a headache. I now have almost all the tools needed.

 

[punkassean]

It's not like bikes are hard to work on. It's just basic mechanics we're talking about. Spend $100-$200 on tools, maybe a book or two and DIY.

I barely even take my vehicles to a "professional" . For anything short of an engine rebuild I do it at home.

That's not to say that a shop shouldn't stand behind their work and hopefully get it right the first time, but I don't trust that to happen.

 

[ito]

I was even $8 short so they were like "Don't worry about it Tony" and worked out the price to what I had.

Wow, that's wicked

I double flatted outside of their shop and didn't have any money or the tools to fix myself up. The guys knew me and actually sponsor our school's club team that I'm on. They wouldn't let me borrow tools and more or less told me to jump in a lake if I thought I could get some credit and have them fix the flats for me(I live 2 miles from the shop). I ended up walking home and never entering the shop again. I've even gone so far as to block out the name of their shop on my school jersey. I unblocked it though when I realized it was more effective for people to ask about them and then let them know about my experience. Am I bitter still? Yes. Is it unreasonable? Possibly, but I could really care less.

Don't get me wrong, they do incredible work on the bikes and the two guys who work there(it's an old track/roadie shop) have something like 70 combined years of cycling knowledge(think Sheldon Brown type knowledge), but they are impossible to deal with. I was also told I wasn't a real cyclist because I ride a mountain bike.

I decided a while ago that I can work on my bike better than most of the people in shops can(I was a shop wrench for a year or two) and prefer to do my own work. Slowly getting the tools of the trade together

The Ito

 

[McGRP01]

Yeah, well....once again my LBS owner/manager doesn't order shiat when we do....

Squirrel called him just after MLK day to order a serfas case. He say "no problem". A week later we call him..."oh, I better order that soon so you'll have that in time for your race"....

Needless to say, he didn't order it. We haven't received it. We need to ship our bikes on Monday....with no case expected until atleast mid-week. Yeah, our LBS sucks! :mumble:

That's sucks.

But doesn't really surprise me.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I have the tools, knowledge, and skills most of the time.

Sometimes I don't have the time.

It's just annoying and sometimes expensive when you pay for help and don't get what you need.

J

 

[splat]

I know the Owners of the 2 shops closest to me personally. If I can't do the work my self they are the only ones I will let touch it ! I made the mistake of letting one of the Bigger shops work on my wifes bike once , they are just an assembly line , never again.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

...reason number 6,428 to obtain the tools and know-how to fix all of your bike's problems...

Bingo, it's huge to be able to work on your own bike.

 

[JRB]

I have the tools, knowledge, and skills most of the time.

Sometimes I don't have the time.

It's just annoying and sometimes expensive when you pay for help and don't get what you need.

J

So true, JBP. This further adds to my frustration about the lbs vs internet complaint as well. I may compose my own rant late. On a bumper, the dude at our shop is lazy, is a gossip, and will usually only help out after several requests. Add on to that, he only hires drunks or dopeheads that know nothing about bikes.

 

[blue]

Hooray for being on your kickass LBS's team

Usually they're pretty good about everything...They forgot to orders something of mine once, apologized, and it came in on the next order. If I'd needed it faster, I'm sure they would've next day aired it. Basic human error.