Full GOLD Service

NWLondoner
Posts: 2,047
Next month I need to get my steed fully serviced as it's now a few years old and I CANNOT afford any mechanical excuses for not riding thru the winter. Nor do i want to have a mech moment in the middle of nowhere in the freezing depths of winter :shock:
I also want to fully replace my cables with a fully sealed set from Gore.
I looking at using one of the following shops and wondered if anyone had used them for a service and if they did a good/bad job or any other recommendations?
Sigma Sport (Kingston)
Cycle Surgery (West Hampstead)
On Your Bike (London Bridge)
Evans (Hendon)
I also want to fully replace my cables with a fully sealed set from Gore.
I looking at using one of the following shops and wondered if anyone had used them for a service and if they did a good/bad job or any other recommendations?
Sigma Sport (Kingston)
Cycle Surgery (West Hampstead)
On Your Bike (London Bridge)
Evans (Hendon)
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Comments
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NWLondoner wrote:Next month I need to get my steed fully serviced as it's now a few years old and I CANNOT afford any mechanical excuses for not riding thru the winter. Nor do i want to have a mech moment in the middle of nowhere in the freezing depths of winter :shock:
I also want to fully replace my cables with a fully sealed set from Gore.
I looking at using one of the following shops and wondered if anyone had used them for a service and if they did a good/bad job or any other recommendations?
Sigma Sport (Kingston)
Cycle Surgery (West Hampstead)
On Your Bike (London Bridge)
Evans (Hendon)
Sigma is probably the one offering the best service... what bike do you have? Full carbon fork? Shimano?left the forum March 20230 -
I know the workshop guys at Sigma as I’ve been on their one day mechanic’s course. It’s more show and tell than hands on but it entails the full strip down of a top level service.
I used to think these servicings were more marketing than anything else but after watching everything come off right down to the frame - the only way of going further would be to take the paint off, I can now see how much genuine work is really involved.
All parts go though their green but industrial cleaning tank (the apprentice has to start somewhere!). Frame washed down. Head tube and BB cleaned of all old grease and inspected. Threads gently reamed if need be. At this point you would be notified of any parts that should be replaced. Up to you whether you do.
Everything goes back but with new cables and outers (well stretched as they do so) and any replacements as you dictate. Wheels trued and hubs serviced.
If you can’t or don’t like doing this stuff yourself, it’s money well spent. Your bike will come back as “new” as it can be.
But book early - there's always a queue for their workshop!I may be a minority of one but that doesn't prevent me from being right.
http://www.dalynchi.com0 -
the thing a bike does not need a full strip down to service it. If the BB is smooth is does not need to be removed. I have never found that I cannot remove. Why the heck is there grease that needs cleaning in a modern BB unless you mean threads.
Headsets do not need to be removed if the are smooth. If it is the caged ball type or roller bearing type they can be serviced with cups in place. Wheels should be trued on a basic service anyway it does not take long. Cassettes only need to be removed to replace, attend to the freewheel or replace DS spokes. Getting it clean clean does not improve performance unless it is really clogged up which is unlikely on a road bike.
Why degrease a chain completely it does not improve chain life. rmemebr on the road it doies not get clogged up like they can on a MTB. I don't think I have ever found the need to clean my road chains. Just lub with something like Rock n roll and be done with it.
If you want the bike really clean then it is worth it I suppose but that won't imprive the way it performs or it's reliability. Sounds like marketing to me and a waste of money.
I am not saying that fitting new cables is a waste of money or replacing worn parts. You can wrok out what's worn your self though or any shop should be able work that out in a 10 minute check over.http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.0 -
I just replaced my derailleur cables with the Gore RideOn sealed set - very easy to do, but have a look on Youtube for a video on it as the Gore instructions are brief to the point of being useless. The cables work very very well.0
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waste of money in my opinion. Shops often list the checks and the majority are really silly things like check brake pads. Check cable wear etc. Save the money, buy a couple of tools and replacement cables instead and do it yourself.0
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lef wrote:waste of money in my opinion. Shops often list the checks and the majority are really silly things like check brake pads. Check cable wear etc. Save the money, buy a couple of tools and replacement cables instead and do it yourself.
yes and no... the basic service is not dissimilar from what you describe. The full service is a full service, problem is these days it comes at around 150 pounds + parts, which begs the question whether it's worth that much moneyleft the forum March 20230 -
ugo.santalucia wrote:lef wrote:waste of money in my opinion. Shops often list the checks and the majority are really silly things like check brake pads. Check cable wear etc. Save the money, buy a couple of tools and replacement cables instead and do it yourself.
yes and no... the basic service is not dissimilar from what you describe. The full service is a full service, problem is these days it comes at around 150 pounds + parts, which begs the question whether it's worth that much money
And the other thing is that unless you do it quite frequently, you can't be sure that your bike is still tip top. It seems to me to make more sense to learn the skills yourself and make sure your bike is genuinely tip top all the time than paying big money to have the decay fixed every 6 months/year. If your bike is as it should be, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference after you've serviced it!Faster than a tent.......0 -
Rolf F wrote:ugo.santalucia wrote:lef wrote:waste of money in my opinion. Shops often list the checks and the majority are really silly things like check brake pads. Check cable wear etc. Save the money, buy a couple of tools and replacement cables instead and do it yourself.
yes and no... the basic service is not dissimilar from what you describe. The full service is a full service, problem is these days it comes at around 150 pounds + parts, which begs the question whether it's worth that much money
And the other thing is that unless you do it quite frequently, you can't be sure that your bike is still tip top. It seems to me to make more sense to learn the skills yourself and make sure your bike is genuinely tip top all the time than paying big money to have the decay fixed every 6 months/year. If your bike is as it should be, you shouldn't be able to tell the difference after you've serviced it!
Agree, but some people have a taste for carbon fibre and not much experience in handling tools... the combination is very dangerousleft the forum March 20230 -
I tend to have a short fuse when doing fiddly work!!! That and carbon is not a good mix :-0
After reading your comments and watching many YouTube videos and I will give it ago myself. I did managed to replace my brakes with Ultegra ones a couple of years back with no disasters0 -
Have usedDr D for all my bike issues, excellent. Ex Sigma, Dauphins mechanic.0
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thecycleclinic wrote:the thing a bike does not need a full strip down to service it. If the BB is smooth is does not need to be removed. I have never found that I cannot remove. Why the heck is there grease that needs cleaning in a modern BB unless you mean threads.
Headsets do not need to be removed if the are smooth. If it is the caged ball type or roller bearing type they can be serviced with cups in place. Wheels should be trued on a basic service anyway it does not take long. Cassettes only need to be removed to replace, attend to the freewheel or replace DS spokes. Getting it clean clean does not improve performance unless it is really clogged up which is unlikely on a road bike.
Why degrease a chain completely it does not improve chain life. rmemebr on the road it doies not get clogged up like they can on a MTB. I don't think I have ever found the need to clean my road chains. Just lub with something like Rock n roll and be done with it.
If you want the bike really clean then it is worth it I suppose but that won't imprive the way it performs or it's reliability. Sounds like marketing to me and a waste of money.
I am not saying that fitting new cables is a waste of money or replacing worn parts. You can wrok out what's worn your self though or any shop should be able work that out in a 10 minute check over.0 -
lef wrote:waste of money in my opinion. Shops often list the checks and the majority are really silly things like check brake pads. Check cable wear etc. Save the money, buy a couple of tools and replacement cables instead and do it yourself.
completely agree. I do everything myself and if I'm not sure I ask on here, always plenty of people with good knowledge and ready to share it. For the price of a top service you can buy lots of tools that will enable you to while away those winter nights stripping down and servicing. Plus, all blokes love a good collection of tools surely?0 -
I'm in need of some advice on this topic. My bike, a 15 month old entry level Carrera, is off for a service at Evans. The mechanic has come back saying it needs over £200 spent on replacing the chain, cassette, bottom bracket, cables and pads.
Now I'm no expert however I'm rather sceptical - I've had no problem with changing gears, the chain doesn't slip and the bike was serviced at a different bike place about 9 months ago. I'm also fairly confident that with a bit of research I could change cassette, cables, pads, chain etc fairly routinely.
I am somewhat dubious, any experience of this or advice?
Many thanks!0 -
£150 for a full serivce blimey. I would never pay that of dream of charging that. Even my customers with expensive bikes would not pay that. That why they come.http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.0
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Buttons wrote:I'm in need of some advice on this topic. My bike, a 15 month old entry level Carrera, is off for a service at Evans. The mechanic has come back saying it needs over £200 spent on replacing the chain, cassette, bottom bracket, cables and pads.
Now I'm no expert however I'm rather sceptical - I've had no problem with changing gears, the chain doesn't slip and the bike was serviced at a different bike place about 9 months ago. I'm also fairly confident that with a bit of research I could change cassette, cables, pads, chain etc fairly routinely.
I am somewhat dubious, any experience of this or advice?
Many thanks!
I'd be dubious. For one thing, I'm not sure you've been quoted for more than about £60 worth of parts for an entry level bike so £200 seems steep for all in fitted. I'd either take it somewhere else or learn how to do that stuff yourself. It isn't hard.Faster than a tent.......0 -
I also agree that these De Luke services are largely a lot of hooey.
I think your idea of the sealed cables is a good one though. I have Gore Ride-Ons on one of my bikes, and Transfil Mudlovers on two other bikes. Both are fully sealed, both perform extremely well (I've had them for a while) but the Transfils cost only half as much. Something to consider.0 -
150 quid for a bike service, not including parts?
My LBS charges CHF 90 (£60) an hour, which for Switzerland is about the norm but UK labour rates are far lower. A good mechanic can strip, clean and rebuild a bike in less than 2 hours, especially when the cleaning involves dumping everything into an ultrasonic cleaner and whilst that is happening, he can be getting on with another job.
I do my own spannering these days but I'm pretty sure the last service I paid for was 1.5 hours plus parts and it came back like new. I was still shocked at a CHF 300 bill though, which made me teach myself. It's not that hard, you just need time a patience and don't try 'last minute' fettling on something you've never fettled before!!0 -
I was quoted £150 last week for a service. I have a few creaks after a run in heavy rain.
I baulked at the thought and did it myself. I took everything off appart from the chain, FD and BB, cleaned the cassette in the kitchen sink and regreased the bearing in the headset and cleaned and regreased the stearer.
I am not a very good mechanic but this took me under two hours to do a good clean and cable adjustment.
Unfortunately I don't have the tools to take a BB and didn't have a quick link for the chain so I couldn't do a full service, but a trained mechanic should do the job in under 2.5 hours easily. At £150 a pop that's good money.0 -
"I have a few creaks after a run in heavy rain"
Me too, but I put that down to my age.0 -
I'd recommend the following tools for the budding mechanic
BB removal tool
pedal spanner
chain wear measure
chain break tool
Quick link removal tool
multi tool (BBB torque wrench if you can stretch to it and if working on a carbon frame)
a good grease
inner and outer cable cutters
chain whip and cassette lock ring removal
Bike stand - i think the 'the bike hut' one is okay from ribble
degreaser and an old toothbrush
...and you tube / park tools website for guides.
I think you could do most of the servicing with that, other than bearing press stuff for the likes of some headsets and BB30s. I'm pretty sure you could purchase all that for the price of a full service (or there abouts).0 -
lef wrote:I'd recommend the following tools for the budding mechanic
BB removal tool
pedal spanner
chain wear measure
chain break tool
Quick link removal tool
multi tool (BBB torque wrench if you can stretch to it and if working on a carbon frame)
a good grease
inner and outer cable cutters
chain whip and cassette lock ring removal
Bike stand - i think the 'the bike hut' one is okay from ribble
degreaser and an old toothbrush
...and you tube / park tools website for guides.
I think you could do most of the servicing with that, other than bearing press stuff for the likes of some headsets and BB30s. I'm pretty sure you could purchase all that for the price of a full service (or there abouts).
Blimey! Didn't realise that it's now so expensive to get stuff done at an LBS.
I bought a tool box five years ago (simply because I thought it would be fun to do stuff myself). The park tools ak37 cost me £100 at the time.
Didn't realise how much I was saving myself.
Buy once, save loads it seems.
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