Poor Service received Dublin bike shop

bazermc

lads

I got my Specialised Roubaix road bike serviced in an unamed, but well established Dublin bike shop over the weekend. it was just a general service, there was no issues.

I got the bike home and discovered the following problems

The back brake was over tightened to the extent that the lever thing on the side of the brake callipers (dont know what they are called) when pushed all the way down causes the break pads to completely lock against the wheels. I took the wheels off to get the bike into the car and I suspect the brake thing was not put back into place. However I would have thought the mechanic would notice something like that and put in back in place before servicing the brakes. I know need to cycle with the lock mechanism pushed up which I presume is not safe

Secondly, when bike is in the large chain ring the chain is now rubbing against the front derailleur. This was not happening when I left the bike in for the service.

Any thoughts? i obviously need to go back to the shop and get them to fix the issues. However I dont trust that bike shop now, so looking for somewhere more reliable.

Beasty

Take it back to the shop - a couple of minor issues really and they shouldn't charge you (whereas another shop is likely to). Should be quickly fixed. You can run the bike with the lever on the brake callipers partially open anyway and the FD may be simply a matter of adjusting the limit screw

seamus

You really need to go back to them, you can't really get a refund without giving them another shot at it.

The lever on the back brake is a quick-release lever. The idea is that it lets you quickly drop the wheel out without having to fiddle with the brakes. I see a lot of bikes being ridden with this lever in the open position. I can only assume that some people don't know what it is and set up the brakes with the lever open, when instead you should close the lever before setting the brakes up.

The end result is as you describe - when you close the lever, the brakes will lock against the wheel. It's perfectly safe to cycle with this in the open position, it just means you won't be able to easily remove your wheel. It's a rookie mistake to make, and any decent mechanic should be horrifically embarrassed that they made it.

I would suggest pointing out the exact problems you're talking about when you drop the bike back in and remark on how basic these things are to fix. Chances are they gave your bike to the shop rookie, and the next time they should get one of the experienced guys to sort it.

spyderski

...what Beasty said.....

bazermc

Cheers lads
- I will take it back and get them to sort FOC

I am getting seriously hacked off with Dublin bike shops. A different unamed bike shop in Dublin last year "forgot about" my bike when I dropped it in for a service. I told them I needed it back the following day as I was signed up for an event the day after. i went to collect it and they had not even looked at nor did they know what the bike was doing in their shop. In fairness they peformed an immediate full tune up which is all it needed.
I would love to be able to do service myself but I dont have the knowledge nor the time!!!!

I would love to name and shame!!!!!!

ford2600

Sheldon Brown
Park tools website
You tube and a few basic tools with a bike stand and no need to go near shop for most stuff

bazermc wrote: »

Cheers lads
- I will take it back and get them to sort FOC

I am getting seriously hacked off with Dublin bike shops. A different unamed bike shop in Dublin last year "forgot about" my bike when I dropped it in for a service. I told them I needed it back the following day as I was signed up for an event the day after. i went to collect it and they had not even looked at nor did they know what the bike was doing in their shop. In fairness they peformed an immediate full tune up which is all it needed.
I would love to be able to do service myself but I dont have the knowledge nor the time!!!!

I would love to name and shame!!!!!!

seamus

ford2600 wrote: »

Sheldon Brown
Park tools website
You tube and a few basic tools with a bike stand and no need to go near shop for most stuff

+ http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=40997 + http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=10187

I bet the service cost you more than €60

Great kit, great quality. I got one as a gift and although I already had all of the tools that are in it, I now use it for 90% of my repairs.

route66

bazermc wrote: »

<SNIP>
I would love to be able to do service myself but I dont have the knowledge nor the time!!!!

You say Knowledge, not ability. Easy - knowledge can be acquired nowadays in many places. Here for one, You-Tube, etc, etc. Lack of knowledge is something that's easy to fix.

Time? Well, how much time have you spent dropping the bike off and then collecting it? I think you'll find that you'd have been much faster doing it yourself.

And you'd have probably done a better job !

And you'd have probably enjoyed doing it !

rp

bazermc wrote: »

I would love to be able to do service myself but I dont have the knowledge nor the time

This is the problem with many shops too: the people doing the work also don't have the knowledge or the time, and certainly don't seem to be motivated by doing a good job.
There are a lot of good shops too, where the staff (or often, the owner) take an interest in you and your bike, its pays to build up a relationship with those shops and giving them your business (even if you could save a few bob ordering from chainreaction).
My two favorite shops are P&K on Patrick St., and BikeWork in Celbridge, but I'm sure others here can recommended decent shops, too,

MediaMan

But even the reputable, normally-reliable shops screw things up every now and then. I had a situation last year where I had a bike in for a general service and it came back with the rear derailleur aligned perfectly, except it was off by one cog!

As someone else mentioned, this kind of thing is highly likely to be rookie syndrome, or else someone rushing the job. And I agree that the solution is to go back and explain what you found. If they really are a good bike shop then they should be very embarrassed.

And, assuming it gets sorted, next time you drop the bike in for a service, eyeball the owner and get him/her to promise the best of TLC for your bike!

And +1 for servicing the bike yourself. It's a great pastime, and there's nothing like descending a hill at 70km/h and suddenly thinking - did I tighten that brake cable screw properly?

hakw80

There are some really great bike shops in Dublin; pity can't name them

vektarman

hakw80 wrote: »

There are some really great bike shops in Dublin; pity can't name them

Why not? It's always nice to hear about recommended bike shops.

Zyzz

I need to get my bike serviced, can anyone recommend a really quick and efficient crowd? (based in Dublin) PM if necessary!

Beasty

Zyzz wrote: »

I need to get my bike serviced, can anyone recommend a really quick and efficient crowd? (based in Dublin) PM if necessary!

Check out the bike mechanic ad sticky in the Cycling Adverts sub-forum

Also, as already pointed out by vektarman, there's nothing wrong with posters making recommendations (assuming there is no connection with the shop in question)

RonSwanson

Had a similar problem with a south Dublin LBS with which i had been a regular customer for around 4 years. Towards the end of last year I had3 services in as many months and discovered rookie errors each time that i had to fix myself after inspection when i got home. Took the plunge recently and switched to a nearby alternative and have to say that the difference in customer service is staggering, iv gone from dreading my trip to the LBS to looking forward to it.

buffalo

Although I'd always encourage naming of good/bad service shops, it always looks a bit suspect if it's your first post.:D

RonSwanson

ha yeah, thats exactly why i didn't get in the business of slandering....cheers for the welcome btw, only introduced to this today by a friend!

buffalo

RonSwanson wrote: »

ha yeah, thats exactly why i didn't get in the business of slandering....cheers for the welcome btw, only introduced to this today by a friend!

Welcome aboard! The first through nth rules of boards club are: don't talk about helmets, road tax, RSA, cycle lanes, RLJing...

Darkglasses

For me, it very much depends on which member of staff is on in my local bike shop how good the customer service is. Of the 3 who work there, one of whom I particularly don't like dealing with, if I see him/her inside I will come back another day. The other two I love to see/chat with. All are excellent mechanics though in truth.

Zyzz

Do people have any experience with 2Wheels down in Sandymount? Probably the closest to me and the last company I went with to get my bike serviced didn't help at all

(open to suggestions of places close to Dublin 4/town etc)