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.

Weepsie

I'd like to do it myself but the few times I've tried anything I've done something wrong. Spokesman stops near where I work once a week so if I need something done to a bike I'd cycle it in that day and leave it with them for a few hours. Asked for a full service for a bike once, looked at it, told me it didn't need it, and did the necessaries and saved me a good chunk of money

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