Who fixes your bike?

Micilin Muc

Do you:
a) use bike shops
b) do your own repairs
c) go to an 'independent' bike mechanic?

Until recently I've always gone to bike shops to get my bikes repaired. Some great experiences, some not so great.

I try to do as much maintenance myself as possible now, but have very little time to do the repairs I'm able for, and even less time to learn new maintenance and repair skills.

My brother goes to an independent bike mechanic who works from his home garage, and swears by him.

How do you get your bike fixed?

mickydcork

Trying to do more of it myself.
It's tough though. I don't have the time or often I don't have the necessary tools.
I'd have no problem bringing it to my LBS if I had to though.
It's just I prefer to save money on things I should be able to do myself.

Alek

99.9% myself. If I do not have access to some rare special tools, like for bottom bracket facing - I go to Dara the beekeeper

ZiabR

99% of repairs I will do myself. I don't have some of the special tools that are needed for some of the bigger jobs but I will try my hand at anything. At least then I know something has been done right.

Johnnio13

90% myself. But recently the chain broke passing the bike shop in Clontarf. The one up by Bay. So I popped into the lads there. Very chatty, and they popped a link out and reset it in about 3mins. Cost me 12eur. I had a fiver in my hand.
Then I hear one of the guys I work with getting charge €180 for a service. I don't know what he got for that but thats why I try to do most stuff myself.

ednwireland

me and my local bike shop (getting lazy in my old age)

loinnsigh

I typically try to repair everything myself, then go to my LBS to undo the damage I've done.
Owner always smiles when he sees me coming sheepishly through the door with unwell bike in hand.

I am slowly getting better though - LBS owner is very good (and patient) at explaining how I should have repaired it...

smacl

99% myself, with the only exception in the last couple of years also being Dara at Beecycles replacing an unusual spoke in an old RD80 wheel. I quite enjoy mucking about with the bikes, and while the job a mechanic would do would doubtless be better, I'm still happy to do it myself.

Brian?

I do, if I get bamboozled I ring a mate of mine. He talks me out of bamboozlement and I still fix it myself.

G1032

Johnnio13 wrote: »

90% myself. But recently the chain broke passing the bike shop in Clontarf. The one up by Bay. So I popped into the lads there. Very chatty, and they popped a link out and reset it in about 3mins. Cost me 12eur. I had a fiver in my hand.
Then I hear one of the guys I work with getting charge €180 for a service. I don't know what he got for that but thats why I try to do most stuff myself.

He must have been on about his car

Beasty

If I can't fix it myself, I tend to feel it's time for a new bike ....

Lemonwilly

I do my own repairs most of the time, but like Alek said above, Dara at Bee Cycles is the bees knees, excuse the pun.

Colonel Panic

I'm about 50/50 right now. Still learning as I go, sometimes I just think "screw that" and haul my bike to the LBS.

Johnnio13

G1032 wrote: »

He must have been on about his car

Nope, his 4 year old Specialized. Cycles from milltown every day and doesn't as much as put a drop of oil on his chain from one service to the next.

mondeo

Getting gears adjusted is the only thing I get a bike shop to do. Everything else is not that complicated so I do it myself.

cdaly_

loinnsigh wrote: »

I typically try to repair everything myself, then go to my LBS to undo the damage I've done.
Owner always smiles when he sees me coming sheepishly through the door with unwell bike in hand.

I am slowly getting better though - LBS owner is very good (and patient) at explaining how I should have repaired it...

Great way to learn.

I do all my own.

NeedMoreGears

All my own work - except a press fit BB replacement (hadn't the tools) and a rear hanger (had to a wait a week for a spare so left the bike with the LBS)

I find it's quicker and cheaper to do it yourself - and you can usually schedule the work to suit rather than depending on the workload in the shop

Garzard

Can do some basic servicing myself as far as brake replacing and tubes but nothing much more complicated yet. Which is why I must try and get a few weeks work experience in a bike shop to get the gist of servicing gears, spokes, adjusting and bike assembly - might be interested in my doing own builds in a few years.

Think Bike seems to have a pretty good rep around here so I got in touch with them the other day to arrange a service at the end of August and got a pretty reasonable quote off them everything the bike needs.

ROK ON

I do the majoority with the exception of BB's and derailleurs (though I have begun to to some derailleur work).
I do take all the bikes in to a mechanic once a year for a thorough stripping and service.
The places that I find good are:
Denis OShea and Matt Slattery in The Big Little Bike Shop in Killarney
Polish lad in Cycleways, Dublin.
Tall lad in Cyclebike, Dublin - sorry I just dont know these guys names.

el tel

A lot of people getting bikes "fixed".

In all my years cycling I've only broken one thing (gear hangar, two occassions) on a bike.

I'd love to know what's going on to necessitate so many repairs with you cats.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I've done everything myself since I started cycling a few years ago. I haven't had any major failures so nothing too overly complicated to repair/replace.

I couldn't justify paying a BS for servicing when I can do it myself. Money ain't that free flowing.

Solobally8

el tel wrote: »

A lot of people getting bikes "fixed".

In all my years cycling I've only broken one thing (gear hangar, two occassions) on a bike.

I'd love to know what's going on to necessitate so many repairs with you cats.

I keep crashing

Micilin Muc

el tel wrote: »

A lot of people getting bikes "fixed".

In all my years cycling I've only broken one thing (gear hangar, two occassions) on a bike.

I'd love to know what's going on to necessitate so many repairs with you cats.

Mountain biking breaks lots of things!

Broke my road bike's gear hangar last night. Cage mangled too.

smacl

el tel wrote: »

A lot of people getting bikes "fixed".

In all my years cycling I've only broken one thing (gear hangar, two occassions) on a bike.

I'd love to know what's going on to necessitate so many repairs with you cats.

Mostly running maintenance on what is now quite an old bike. Cables and brake pads every year as a matter of course. Broke one shifter, so decided to upgrade both, along with derailleurs to move from 9 to 10 speed. New cassettes, one new chain ring where the ramps had worn down. A few new chains. New tyres. Stinky bar tape change every spring after a winter of turbo use. New stem (longer and shallower). New saddle (B17). New wheels after Dara reckoned the old RD80s didn't have much rim left. Upgraded single pivot to dual pivot brakes.

The above is about three years worth of the main bike, but there's also some faffing about with the wife's and kids' bikes.

WillyFXP

Built my bike from the frame up, simply because it was cheaper than buying an off the shelf bike with the spec I wanted, so i learned as I went and do all my own repairs and maintenance. Only thing I cant do myself is wheel truing/building, but thats something I also plan to have a go at.

daragh_

If I attempt to fix anything more complicated than a puncture my bike explodes, bursts into flame or just falls apart.

A nice man in Dublin 8 with awesome tattoos laughs at my ineptitude and performs miracles.

Mr X15

quite enjoy messing around with my bike so I've done everything myself so far, though I haven't went near the BB

68 lost souls

I can varela change a tyre. Want to fix things myself but don't have experience or knowledge yet.

Think bike do all my work, great lads and thankfully my bike is still under free servicing scheme with them.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Solobally8 wrote: »

I keep crashing

Welcome to my world lol..

This evenings ride;



And if anyone here was one of the cyclists who stopped and offered assistance this evening (Portmarnock coast road), then many thanks, but apart from some embarrassment I was fine ~ although the bike was a bit bashed up.

Oh, most things I'll do myself ~ I also service my car and motorbike so the bicycles over the years have rarely been a challenge.

StevieGriff

Do it all myself, every time a big job popped up (bottom bracket or headset..ect) I just buy the specific tools for it so over the years I've built up a tool box to fix 98% of problems. And now I've ended up working in a bike shop because of this

arybvtcw0eolkf

StevieGriff wrote: »

Do it all myself, every time a big job popped up (bottom bracket or headset..ect) I just buy the specific tools for it so over the years I've built up a tool box to fix 98% of problems. And now I work I've ended up working in a bike shop because of this

Picking up the tools is so easy with online ordering these days, and for the casual cyclist there's not need to go for expensive top end tools, then with youtube instructionals its easier than ever to get stuck in yourself.

diomed

I fix it. Well, I just replace things (some of them aren't broken).

StevieGriff

Beckett Echoing Tarantula wrote: »

Picking up the tools is so easy with online ordering these days, and for the casual cyclist there's not need to go for expensive top end tools, then with youtube instructionals its easier than ever to get stuck in yourself.

Not a truer word spoken! Next on the list for tools is a decent torque wrench, have a Topeak combotorq but don't really trust it and with my switch to a full carbon racer I want something dependable and accurate!

macnab

I do all my own builds and repairs. I have also built bikes for friends and family. I repair and maintain bikes for lots of friends and family also. I often wonder how much of this work would dry up if I started charging. It is however a labour of love so I am not complaining.

snollup

Try to fix most (simple) things myself. Had been bring my bike over to Skeff (Boardie) but then he left the country. Then started to bring the bike over to Karma (another Boardie) but them he left the country. Then started bring the bike into Eurocycles on St. William St but then the shop closed!! I'm starting to feel a little to blame for the countries immigration problems.

Thankfully the guts in Eurocycles are still there but the shop has changed owners. If anything the service has gone from excellent to excellenter :pac::pac::pac:

cdaly_

macnab wrote: »

I repair and maintain bikes for lots of friends and family also. I often wonder how much of this work would dry up if I started charging. It is however a labour of love so I am not complaining.

I do a bit of this too but I make the client do the work under guidance so they're learning how to do it themselves (and hopefully absorbing the notion that DIY is a reasonable option)...

triggermortis

I used to use my LBS in Carrickmacross but recently moved to Zurich. Had an issue that I tried to sort myself and realised how little I know about bikes. I changed a BB myself, fitted a new chain and RD but just could not get it set up.
Took it to a shop here to set up gears, true a wheel and fix a bottle holder boss. 125 CHFs!! (About €100). Nothing is cheap here so I need to learn more about bike maintenance!!!

2 Wheels Good

I was talking with a friend about this. There's a LBS shop in Cork that's sadly winding down business, but we were thinking they should do some evening classes in repair/servicing. There's a lot of things that are easy to do once you know how. I'd be comfortable with most of the basics but it would be good to know how to do a basic strip down of your bike, change cables properly etc.

eeeee

cdaly_ wrote: »

I do a bit of this too but I make the client do the work under guidance so they're learning how to do it themselves (and hopefully absorbing the notion that DIY is a reasonable option)...

I have had the benefit of this tutelage

Once someone shows you something it gives you the confidence to go off and do it on your own, even if it's another job entirely. It's having it explained what things do, and showing you that it would crumble and die if you touch it. I hadn't a clue, not a notion, but after cdaly_'s this-is-how-a-bike-works and rear hub and BB lesson I went on and did the rest of my hubs (other bikes), headset, brakes, adjusted front and back derallieurs. I don't know if I would do a BB on my own though, that is a supervised job!

You should run courses. I can pay you in cake

bwalsh1983

2 Wheels Good wrote: »

I was talking with a friend about this. There's a LBS shop in Cork that's sadly winding down business, but we were thinking they should do some evening classes in repair/servicing. There's a lot of things that are easy to do once you know how. I'd be comfortable with most of the basics but it would be good to know how to do a basic strip down of your bike, change cables properly etc.

Never good to hear. Which shop is it? Not exactly a huge amuont of shops in the city as it stands.

2 Wheels Good

bwalsh1983 wrote: »

Never good to hear. Which shop is it? Not exactly a huge amuont of shops in the city as it stands.

Blarney cycles out at the driving range. Pity as Aidan is a good mechanic. It'd be a good location for classes, either as a classroom or bring your own and work on it as a group.

Bloggsie

I have gone to the LBS that I got my bike in for a couple of services, I did a spin a while ago & a friend of my wifes husband was taking our bikes to the start, he advised me that the front & back wheels were loose & that the brakes werent something(cant remember exactly what he said). he did the remedies & the bike is hunky dorey.
I have not gone back to the LBS since or I didnt mention it to them.

as an aside one of my colleagues who used the same LBS had an issue with a service on his OH's bike! I decided that I would go elsewere for future service, possibly the guy that spotted the issues as he does his own services on his roadbike, mtb & his wife's roadbike.

Seweryn

loinnsigh wrote: »

I typically try to repair everything myself, then go to my LBS to undo the damage I've done.
Owner always smiles when he sees me coming sheepishly through the door with unwell bike in hand.

I am slowly getting better though - LBS owner is very good (and patient) at explaining how I should have repaired it...

Great story. Reminds me of that picture in the bottom left corner .

Living in a quite remote place and cycling to work every day, I can't imagine having my bike serviced by anybody else except myself. The bike gets attention every 1-2 days for a basic service and I try to keep in stock the usual wear and tear items, if anything pops out to be replaced. It is not always easy, especially when a wheel needs to be repaired, but you live and learn.

nak

Can change gears, chain etc on the track bike myself, but leave most of the maintenance on my geared bikes to my husband as he's a mechanic.

numorouno

My 82 year old bike mechanic died. Funeral this evening RIP