Bike service????

dogllabtoof

Hi,

I bought a second hand bike last month, and although it is running well i think the gears could do with a service. The gears will change well enough, but its not very smooth at times and in certain gears the chain is catching on the front cage (is this what the thing thet moves the chain on the front cogs is called?)

I have tinkered about with it myself, but when i sort one problem i seem to cause another one :oops:

What does a bike service invilve and how much do they cost?

Cheers

NFMC

I'm a big believer in getting it serviced. Most (if not all) bike shops will do it but some only do so if you bought the bike from them in the first place.

In Manchester it tends to cost about £40.00 for a basic service. You can pay more for a more comprehensive service and, obviously, if you need new parts then you'll have to pay for them.

I have had the experience of getting 'told off' if things are very worn/ruined but I have a pretty thick skin. You also have to make sure it's clean before you drop it off.

Much cheaper than any car service, that's for sure!

ukdavvy

Much cheaper than any car service, that's for sure!

But not as cheap as doing it yourself

A bike shop wont service your bike for charity, they do it for profit - obviously

£40 sounds cheap, and it is arguably
So how long do you think it takes?

Bike maintenance is easy and helps you bond with your machine, no really

Theres nothing complex and you will need few special tools if any for a tune up

Google and places like this will help

Its very satisfying

Go on, try it
If you stuff it up take it to a shop anyway

My interest in mechanics stemmed from my LBS's in the Potteries being so rubbish

Cheers

alfablue

These two web sites:

Park Tools

and

Sheldon Brown

Contain all the information you might need to service your bike.

This Maintenance Guide from the London Cyclist's Trust is also very informative.

There are also some useful guides on YouTube, such as these:

Gears

Brakes

It really is worth getting to know how to service your bike, then you can tweak it as required without all the hassle. It also helps you to get more in tune with your bike so you can diagnose problems as they arise. Most basic maintenance and servicing can be done with a set of allen keys, only more advanced operations require special tools.

The Edinburgh Cycling Co-Op pages show what is included, and the costs for each type of service - a good benchmark I would suggest.