Bike Shop in Dublin

redser05

Hey there.

I have been looking for a bike shop in Dublin to service my bike. I have tried a few and am not really satisfied. I have had a number of issues which have included my bike being returned to me with a loose head set and another instance where a new crank was fitted and not torqued correctly.

So....

Can you guys recommend a shop?
Has anyone had any problems with any of the shops?

I didn't mention the names of the shops I have used as I wanted to see if it is just me. Maybe I have dismissed a shop that is usually very good.

Thanks for any help.

redser05

colm ó maonaigh

You will do well to best Mr. Skeff.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055611674

cormon

Cycle Inn Tallaght are the ones I always turn to . I mess around with bike repair myself but when thing start to make me feel dizzy I drop the bike over there for a result.

Bikerbhoy

May I suggest Thinkbike Rathmines

The tax man

+1 for Mr.Skeff. I doubt many bikes shops will let you stand in the workshop and have the mechanic explain everything he's doing step by step to you.
You'll come away with a well serviced bike and a bit of bike maintenance knowledge you didn't have beforehand.

Lumen

Cycleways has good mechanics, but phone ahead as they don't have storage space for bikes.

Also, this.

Acoustic

The tax man wrote: »

+1 for Mr.Skeff. I doubt many bikes shops will let you stand in the workshop and have the mechanic explain everything he's doing step by step to you.
You'll come away with a well serviced bike and a bit of bike maintenance knowledge you didn't have beforehand.

thats because most bike shops are super busy and probably in the middle of doing somebody else's repair

ffs

alfalad

Acoustic wrote: »

thats because most bike shops are super busy and probably in the middle of doing somebody else's repair

ffs

Even if you booked a time to have your bike seen to then I still highly doubt many would let you watch.

He provides a very good service and is happy to have you watch and learn if you wish.

Acoustic

alfalad wrote: »

Even if you booked a time to have your bike seen to then I still highly doubt many would let you watch.

He provides a very good service and is happy to have you watch and learn if you wish.

you can't book in a bike and if you can , the bike shop isnt a busy place

of course he's happy to have you watch , he's happy for the business

btw im not slagging the bloke , fair play to him i say

just stating most places are doing repairs when others are brought in and u cant book a time slot

DualFrontDiscs

Acoustic wrote: »

you can't book in a bike and if you can , the bike shop isnt a busy place

Or not organised enough to be able to offer the service, or don't understand that customers might appreciate and pay for such a service, perhaps?

I've a couple of spokes that need replacing on my trike. The wheel's still true, so I'm not too worried about it. I'd like to be able to book the trike in for a repair, knowing that the shop knows what needs doing and I'll get the trike back in time for picking up the kids.

DFD.

Acoustic

listen mate i was helping in my old mans shop today and im not exagerating , 27 bikes came in for repairs with a mixture of things to be done

people wont pay for the privilage to watch the repairs , and most dont give 2 fooks , they leave it in and told it will be tommorow there happy as larry , if its a case ur really not busy at all , ud say come back in 30 mins or whatever

you know people come in to view bikes , buy bikes , ask for advice

if they wanna know how to tune their gears up , go buy a book thats how most learn , i work as accountant ok and i wouldnt like somebody standing over my shoulder watching my work at all , your paid for the service not explanation

now if your working for yourself in a small place and not that busy , sure you can ask questions as he's just happy for the business

Lumen

Jack: Where's good to eat out in Dublin?

Jill: Mongolian BBQ is good, and you can see them cook the food, which is interesting. Not many restaurants allow you to see that.

Bob: I was helping out in my Dad's McDonalds franchise today. We served 8,791 McMeals. No way we'd be able to do that with people watching over our shoulders.

Jill: Yeah, but BBQ is tasty, and you can watch.

Bob: FFS, most people don't want to see their food prepared, they just want to stuff their face.

etc.

Acoustic

Lumen wrote: »

Jack: Where's good to eat out in Dublin?

Jill: Mongolian BBQ is good, and you can see them cook the food, which is interesting. Not many restaurants allow you to see that.

Bob: I was helping out in my Dad's McDonalds franchise today. We served 8,791 McMeals. No way we'd be able to do that with people watching over our shoulders.

Jill: Yeah, but BBQ is tasty, and you can watch.

Bob: FFS, most people don't want to see their food prepared, they just want to stuff their face.

etc.

ha ha well said

DualFrontDiscs

Acoustic wrote: »

listen mate <snip>

My point was that I would pay for being able to book a bike in for a specific time for a specific job. For some bikes, for sure, I don't mind when the shop gets round to it

Calculating charging for 'time sensitive' repairs wouldn't be particularly complicated. As an accountant perhaps you'd let your old man look over your shoulder whilst you do some calculations

Perhaps Excel headings (in descending order of cost) could be:

'I need it looked at now'
'I need it looked at at a specific time'
'I need it back tomorrow'
'I'll call back in a week'.

DFD.

Acoustic

any bike shop that lets you book in a time slot isnt busy

you can't have preferential treatment , first come first serve in most

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

Jill: Mongolian BBQ is good, and you can see them cook the food, which is interesting. Not many restaurants allow you to see that.

I was in one in Munich, but it was different from our one as you don't stay to watch them cook it. You go back to your seat and they bring it over. So, eh, yeah, it was very tasty food.

Acoustic

Raam wrote: »

I was in one in Munich, but it was different from our one as you don't stay to watch them cook it. You go back to your seat and they bring it over. So, eh, yeah, it was very tasty food.

pmsl

DualFrontDiscs

Acoustic wrote: »

any bike shop that lets you book in a time slot isnt busy

Conversely, any GP, restaurant, accountant, etc, that let's you 'just drop in' might be described as 'not busy'. Fair enough, there's some restaurants you can drop in on. All I'm saying is that if a bike shop had a system allowing 'bookings' they could achieve gourmet pricing for a fast food service.

Acoustic wrote: »

you can't have preferential treatment , first come first serve in most

Of course I can. I can pay for it. If you applied your logic to bike sales, people couldn't buy 'preferential' bikes, they'd only be offered the bike closest to the door. Clearly that doesn't make sense. Allowing people to pay a premium, if they want, for 'time sensitive' servicing could be a profitable service for a bike shop.

DFD.

Acoustic

it wouldnt

your not seeing my point , there's no demand for it

other than yourself and maybe a couple others

you go to a doctor because you could be dying or have some ailment etc that could be life treatning and restaurants are in that business , if they werent it be called a take away

ive yet to here anybody ever wanting to stay and look at his bike being fixed and happy to pay €20 to see his tube replaced

doesnt make sense

people like to leave it in and collect it in an hour or tommorow they dont wanna wait for you to fix a job that could take an hour depending how bad it is and being charged through the roof for the privilage

kona

How about acoustics dads place?;)

DualFrontDiscs

Acoustic wrote: »

ive yet to here anybody ever wanting to stay and look at his bike being fixed and happy to pay €20 to see his tube replaced

I'm not arguing staying to view the repair. I'm arguing bike shops offering 'time sensitive' charging. Apologies if any of my posts were misleading, though I don't think they were.

DFD.

Acoustic

why ???

thats like saying a bloke who makes a big mac takes 2 mins " i should be charged " 2 mins work

its a skilled position " bike mechanic " like any other skilled person you pay for their time

if its to change your tube lets say you get charged €10 ok it takes 5 mins

if thats too much for people then do it themselfs its really not hard to do

you pay for the knowledge that somebody whos competent is fixing your bike

kona

Acoustic wrote: »

ive yet to here anybody ever wanting to stay and look at his bike being fixed and happy to pay €20 to see his tube replaced

If a customer saw a good, experienced mechanic do this, they wouldnt pay e20.

We have races in the shop, quickest tube replace in rear from, wheel out, to wheel backe and brakes adjusted is 2mins.

Same with gear, brake, crank, headset, BB. All are piss easy, all fairly quick and all charged handsomley.

If mechanics let people view their work, You will get the know it all customer eventually, which will involve lodging a pedal spanner down his gob for free....If you know it all, why the **** are you paying me a rediculous amount of money for a simple job?? muppet.

blorg

If you have a bit of a relationship with your local shop they may well bump you up the queue if you are in a hurry.

As to Skeffington, The tax man just listed an advantage of going to him, an independent mechanic doing this as a bit of a side who is happy to teach you. Sure most bike shops don't have the time and indeed most people don't have the interest, this is not to put down your local shop but if you DO want to know Skeffington may be a better choice for you and indeed all reports are glowing. It's a niche he seems to be filling particularly well.

@Acoustic- not everything posted on Boards is an underhand jibe at your dad's shop, you really don't need to take it that way.

Having said that I have certainly picked up tips from my LBS and been shown how to do things, I would not however expect to hover while they repair, I realise that is not the business model...

DualFrontDiscs

Acoustic wrote: »

why ???
thats like saying a bloke who makes a big mac takes 2 mins " i should be charged " 2 mins work
<snip>

Okay, I'll try again. Let's say my derailleur needs adjusting, bike's still rideable but it's annoying.

My ideal LBS has four prices for this service.

1. Standard pricing: X
2. Fix it right now: 2X
3. Tell me when I can bring it in and you'll fix it then (I don't want to be without the bike): X+
4. Fix it when you get around it, I'll ride one of my other bikes: X-

That pricing 'allows' potential customers to give the shop more money for essentially the same service. Mechanic's skill or time to actually do the repair is not the question.

DFD.

kona

DualFrontDiscs wrote: »

That pricing 'allows' potential customers to give the shop more money for essentially the same service. Mechanic's skill or time to actually do the repair is not the question.

DFD.

You will find the more experienced mechanics will do the on the spot jobs because they are quicker.

The less experienced work on the bikes that are in no rush/ not expensive/ easy repairs.

So by paying x2 you are paying to skip the que and most the time have your bike worked on by the more experienced of the mechanics.

Also a experienced mechanic will, diagnose quicker, and usually can make the work cheaper.

Tackleberry

blorg wrote: »

As to Skeffington, The tax man just listed an advantage of going to him, an independent mechanic doing this as a bit of a side who is happy to teach you. Sure most bike shops don't have the time and indeed most people don't have the interest, this is not to put down your local shop but if you DO want to know Skeffington may be a better choice for you and indeed all reports are glowing. It's a niche he seems to be filling particularly well.

If you dont mind me asking, and its only coz I'd be tempted to go to him, does he have any formal training or qualifications? Or is there such a thing?!

For that matter, in general do these shops we love (to hate!) have certified qualified mechanics or is it all just work experience? And perhaps thats why the guy in the OP had these problems?

Acoustic

@ blorg

i wasnt taking anything as a jibe

just stating facts as they are

DFD if you came in the shop with an adjustment to ur derailer to be done yes he'd fix it there and then as its fast and easy

but if he's in the middle of a messy repair , he's hardly gonna take the bike down and stop what he's doing unless your a regular and in that case he's gladly fix it

if your a joe soap he'll keep doing what he's doing and tell the lad to leave it there and drop back in 20 mins or so

Acoustic

Tackleberry wrote: »

If you dont mind me asking, and its only coz I'd be tempted to go to him, does he have any formal training or qualifications? Or is there such a thing?!

For that matter, in general do these shops we love (to hate!) have certified qualified mechanics or is it all just work experience? And perhaps thats why the guy in the OP had these problems?

im not certain there's any courses out there as bike differ alot and always move forward etc

my brother learnt from my dad

its usually people who just love bikes and mechanically minded

The tax man

Acoustic, I was simply letting the OP know what service Mr.Skeff provides.
Something a bike shop doesn't provide. That little bit extra.
The OP wants piece of mind over the service,something he\she didn't get so far from two service jobs.

Acoustic

The tax man wrote: »

Acoustic, I was simply letting the OP know what service Mr.Skeff provides.
Something a bike shop doesn't provide. That little bit extra.
The OP wants piece of mind over the service,something he\she didn't get so far from two service jobs.

a reputable bikeshop does

im not be littling mr skeff at all , and have no idea where your getting that from

The tax man

Acoustic wrote: »

im not be littling mr skeff at all , and have no idea where your getting that from

Didn't say you were,so you ain't getting it from me. That "little bit extra" I'm on about is letting you watch and learn from him. Something you said most bike shops can't do cause they're busy. I do know that,you didn't have to tell me.

No need to end your original post with "ffs" It implies that you think I don't know what I'm talking about.

Single Malt

I'd say the main reason for shops not letting people watch is insurance. The shop insurance can exclude workshop areas in public liability, as its quite the likely place for an accident to happen. Most shops would not have a problem with letting customers watch out of principal. People usually think that after seeing how its done that they can do it themselves, only to feck it up, and have to bring it to a shop for more extensive work than what originally needed.

blorg

kona wrote: »

If you know it all, why the **** are you paying me a rediculous amount of money for a simple job?? muppet.

I accept that a bike shop mechanic is more experienced than me and is going to be able to fix stuff faster... I remember when fixing a puncture would take me 45 minutes, now I do it under 5. Through bitter experience.

I don't mind paying for this expertise, it's not a matter of "this takes the mechanic X minutes" - more like "this would take ME X minutes..." For what its worth I get the feeling that many shops undercharge if anything for maintenance jobs while making it up on bike sales. Maybe someone with inside knowledge could confirm- would a maintenance-only shop be viable with typical Dublin repair prices? Or does most of the money come from sales?

I do most basic maintenance on my bikes myself but there are things that I am happier brining it to the shop- sometimes things I have not done before, but often stuff I can do but only slowly, fiddly and badly... Wheel truing for example- I have seen experienced mechanics do this in almost literally seconds in front of my eyes but that doesn't mean that I can do it like that, and I don't mind paying a professional to sort it for me.

Single Malt wrote:

People usually think that after seeing how its done that they can do it themselves, only to feck it up, and have to bring it to a shop for more extensive work than what originally needed.

Although I am handy enough with basic bike maintenance there is definitely stuff that falls into this category To an extent though if you want to learn you have to try, and ultimately by doing, not just watching... there is stuff I have fecked up before but I now understand what I did wrong and would not feck up again. (E.g. no Blorg, you really need a cable cutter to cut cables.)

Lumen

The biggest downside of bike shops is that you have to be practically unemployed to use them.

If anyone knows of a bike shop that will come to my house after I've put the kids to bed and assemble a bike from scratch until gone midnight, please let me know.

Trojan

kona wrote: »

If a customer saw a good, experienced mechanic do this, they wouldnt pay e20.

We have races in the shop, quickest tube replace in rear from, wheel out, to wheel backe and brakes adjusted is 2mins.

If I was in a rush (and I usually am) and a bike shop could repair a puncture in 2 minutes on the spot, I'd be pretty happy to pay 20 quid for the privilege.

Hey, why not try it! Put up a sign that says "2 minute puncture repair: €20" and see how many people ask for the service over a couple of weeks (give it time for word to get out).

Acoustic

if somebody's paid 200 for a bike , why would they pay €20 for a puncture

most places dont have the staff to do that , most are bare minimum

if ur in the city centre you might have a niche market for it , but outside of the city u wouldnt , ud have your regulars which ud look after asap

alfalad

Acoustic wrote: »

most places dont have the staff to do that , most are bare minimum

Clearly bike shops is where the money is at!! Granted i'm sure getting good staff rather than having to train someone up from scratch is an issue.

Also on the original post that you replied that you can't book a bike in. I have booked it in shops before at a time when I won't need the bike and arranged to get it back in 2-3 hours. It's about being organised but then again i would never rock into a shop and expect to have it sorted there and then which a lot of people seem to do, I would have no prob if they said I won't be able to get round to it for 2 days but that they do a good job. Just my opinion!

Acoustic

wish people would be more clearer in what their saying

1. yes you can book your bike in and arrange to collect it in a few hours or a day or two

2. you cant book it in to get repaired while you watch

alfalad

Acoustic wrote: »

wish people would be more clearer in what their saying

1. yes you can book your bike in and arrange to collect it in a few hours or a day or two

2. you cant book it in to get repaired while you watch

Which is why Mr. Skeff doesn't have much free time these days as he does let you watch and hence he has a string of good reports and people who walk away with knowledge as well a fixed bike.

On point 1. please see post #9

Acoustic wrote: »

you can't book in a bike and if you can , the bike shop isnt a busy place

or #15 in which you say the same thing.

Not picking a fight or anything just pointing out that it is a service which is clearly working for skeff and which some and naturally just some people would be interested in.
Granted though I can also see that this is possibly taking away from your future business so hence a reluctance to do it!

furiousox

Slightly off topic but Quay Cycles in Drogheda just fitted new spindle springs to the front wheel on my Bianchi, adjusted the brakes and rear derailleur and fixed the wobble in the back wheel for .....15 euro!

Just thought it was worth a mention

Turbulent Bill

Acoustic wrote: »

listen mate i was helping in my old mans shop today and im not exagerating , 27 bikes came in for repairs with a mixture of things to be done

Just out of interest, of the 27 bikes that came in, how many owners needed the work done right now (e.g., a stranded commuter) and how many were willing to wait?

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a market for time-sensitive pricing. Of the 27 people, surely some of them would pay more for an express service? You can ignore watching the repair, the actual time needed to perform it by the mechanic - all that matters to the customer is when it's ready, and how much it costs.

Acoustic

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

Just out of interest, of the 27 bikes that came in, how many owners needed the work done right now (e.g., a stranded commuter) and how many were willing to wait?

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a market for time-sensitive pricing. Of the 27 people, surely some of them would pay more for an express service? You can ignore watching the repair, the actual time needed to perform it by the mechanic - all that matters to the customer is when it's ready, and how much it costs.

not 1 of them wanted it there and then , i think one wanted it for early next morning , he left in a bike at 5.30 and we were closing at 6 and he wanted it for 11am next day so no problem

and to the post above , what i meant was , if u just arrived and and wanted a job done and werent a regular and the shop did it then they aint busy

if you book to leave a bike in on tuesday and want it back for wed or thu then eveybike shop does this

Acoustic

alfalad wrote: »

Which is why Mr. Skeff doesn't have much free time these days as he does let you watch and hence he has a string of good reports and people who walk away with knowledge as well a fixed bike.

On point 1. please see post #9


or #15 in which you say the same thing.

Not picking a fight or anything just pointing out that it is a service which is clearly working for skeff and which some and naturally just some people would be interested in.
Granted though I can also see that this is possibly taking away from your future business so hence a reluctance to do it!

cause he wouldnt be as busy as a bike shop , nor would he be paying tax or insurance

what if a guy was looking at his bike being repaire and lets say he slipped on the floor for whatever reason , he's sue the shop , and the shop doesnt have insurance for that ??? i mean they have insurance , but not for people standing looking at a repair

kona

furiousox wrote: »

Slightly off topic but Quay Cycles in Drogheda just fitted new spindle springs to the front wheel on my Bianchi, adjusted the brakes and rear derailleur and fixed the wobble in the back wheel for .....15 euro!

Just thought it was worth a mention

Cheap, but still e15 for a 10 min job:)

kona

Trojan wrote: »

If I was in a rush (and I usually am) and a bike shop could repair a puncture in 2 minutes on the spot, I'd be pretty happy to pay 20 quid for the privilege.

Hey, why not try it! Put up a sign that says "2 minute puncture repair: €20" and see how many people ask for the service over a couple of weeks (give it time for word to get out).

Ha ye, but most people dont ride a bike that would facilitate that:D

some are heaps of **** your afraid to touch in case they break. The average would be about 3-4 mins.