Another big bill

Bike serviced back in November came back today - it needs another new chain. It hasn't been cleaned or lubed since I had it last and has been ridden nearly every day. The rear mech has almost seized up around the main pivot and all the cable adjusters are seized up. It was very dirty and greasy - rubber glove territory!
I think if it had been cleaned the chain may have lasted substantially longer and a bit of lube every now and then would have stopped things seizing up.
But I can now look forward to rebuilding a resprayed Orange Five full suspension bike - though the choice of fluorescent yellow instead of black wouldn't have been my first choice of colours!

Spring is on it's way

Judging by the way the phone has started to ring so often spring must be on it's way! This was confirmed by me being able to work with the sound of new-born lambs in the workshop from the fields across the road. The first three or four have appeared since last night. This reminds me of what a lovely place I live and how lucky I am to be able to hop on my bike and ride the hills and plains of this part of Lancashire. There are more and more folk out on their bikes now - and my friend who runss a local bike shop is as busy as ever selling new bikes - so all in the world is great! See you on the road...

Busy again

Typically, the minute I opt for a long weekend away the phone starts ringing so I had a 'queue' of bikes waiting for me when I got back yesterday. It was a typical day in the workshop - lots of replacing cables, chains & cassettes, cleaning drivetrains and adjusting brakes. On the phone to suppliers for parts we need. One chap wants new forks fitting. Another has just bought a tidy looking Trek road bike for a very good price and would like it checked over please...
With the longer days on the way it'll be busier and busier if this year is the same as previous years - which is great. And I must get around to replacing the chain & cassette on my own road bike - talk about cobbler's children!

A salutary tale

An expensive pair of Fox Talas forks came in which hadn't been serviced for at least three years and put through some pretty tough riding. A normal service will cost about £99. Fox recommend a service every 50 hours for their forks - a bit excessive - you'd get away with 100 hours but 3 years...result - wear to left-hand stanchion. This means we cannot guarantee air/oil loss from the fork. Replacment will cost £134 on top of the service charge. Also, the fork was only partly stripped to ascertain the above - it was quite possible that on fully stripping them we'd find the bushings were worn too - an additional cost of £30 to fit those. Fox Talas need servicing more regularly than other Fox forks as there isn't much room in the left-hand stanchion for oil - so they can wear more quickly if not looked after. If they had had a full service every 100 hrs- followed by a regular lower leg removal clean and refit they would most likely have been good for many years.
These forks new are a £700-800 fork - not a cheap item. Of course my customer was most upset and decided not to go ahead with the work and will probably replace with a cheaper fork.:(

Busy start to the year!

Things have been busy since 3rd Jan wit the phone ringing a lot - milder weather has helped. Sad to say we are getting yet more disk brake bikes in with pads worn completly away to the metal :(. This means as well as new pads- a new rotor and a bigger bill. If the brake hasn't been set up right -one piston coming out farther than the other - this can result in the loss of fluid as well. All owners of these brakes comment that it has been making an awful noise or a metallic scraping noise. This is because IT IS METAL ON METAL!!! If the brake is making a noise all is not well - get it seen too. Some folk think cycle disk brake pads last as long as car ones do - 25,000 miles or more. They don't. Depending on where you live, what conditions you ride in, the way you ride they may only last 2-3 months! If you live where we do in sunny?? Lancs then a combination of gritstone, mud and lots of downhill braking will eat pads very, very quickly. Of course if you clean and tend to your bike regularly then you will spot the wear - if you leave it caked in mud then you won't - could be the diference between a big bill and a little bill. Same applies to chains. Some wear mud as a badge of honour - it ain't it just covers everything up. So don't blame the mechanic for the big bill if this is you!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our customers and trade colleagues. It's a bit of a wet and windy start to the Newy Year but already the workshop has been busy. Ideal time for suspension servicing!

Caveat Emptor!

Or in plain english - buyer beware! We have had two bikes this week bought on e-bay and another forum where the descriptions have 'implied' that the bike is ok and in working order. I hate to be the one who has to go back to someone who, in genuine faith, has bought a bike this way only to find that all is not as it seems. Sad to say there are some unscrupulous folk out there - they don't lie, they just don't tell it like it is and rely on the fact that most folk are not bike mechanics. One of these bikes had scratched and worn stanchions & knackered springs in the forks, worn bushings on the rear shock (we didn't go as far as examining the state of the shock), and a worn bottom bracket which we cannot access as the crank arm threads are destroyed and it failed to respond to the old -fashioned type puller. The only way to remove the crank will be to destroy it at the expense of the new owner. The other had chain, cassette & gear cables worn out, very tired forks, the wrong gear mech hanger and a cracked hydraulic caliper. The former description just listed the components on the bike - no comment about the condition - the latter merely commented about a small tear in the saddle cover - nothing else - to the average punter it seems that all would be well. Neither bike was cheap either - one was very expensive. Both purchasers are going back to the person who they bought from but this is never easy as the 'Caveat Emptor' clause rules. They are between a rock and a hard place and I feel for them.