Fix or Replace?

mattie007

Morning all,
Ive had my Giant Talon 0 for nearly 4 years and it now needs money spending on gears, brakes and hubs. Local shop has quoted around £350 for like for like parts which seems alot but the bike was quite expensive to start with so I guess parts will be more. I love the bike but it has been plauged with faults. Brakes and gears have never worked 100% (despite bike going back for servicing), i've had three replacement gearsets, 2 saddles, 3 seatposts and numerous disc changes. I understand some items are wear and tear, but it just doesn't feel as well built as I had expected. Im considering a Hybrid bike and have around £1500 to spend. 75% of the time im commuting 8 miles a day to work, the rest of the time is light off road use at weekends. This is where the Giant works best.
So, would I be best off fixing the bike or changing for a new bike that is more suited to more my needs? And can anyone recommend a decent Hybrid bike?
Thanks Matt

andyrr

I'm sure my comments here will be what a number of others will respond with :
Gears brakes and hubs are, most likely, the consumable items and are not hard to do yourself with some basic tools :
chain / cassette / chainrings / cables can be sourced at approx £ 10/15/30/20 maybe, then there's the cost for tools assumign you'd need these - chain tool, chain whip plus wrench and cassette tool and chainring tool. Hubs need a pair of cone spanners plus new bearings or maybe bearings plus cones IF they can be easily services - some cheap hubs seem hard to get any bits for.
Even a pair of gear mechs won't cost much,
£350 seems a lot, the transmission side shouldn't cost more £50-60 - I guess the bottom bracket could also be heading for replacement, it is a pretty cheap item too.
I'm guessing that the shop is looking to make the bike good as new and are replacing parts that aren't really required or they are replacing with more expensive parts and adding in a fair bit for labout.

mattv

What problem do you have with the brakes? It could be that the price includes a pair of new brakes and fitting. Have you had all the servicing done at the same shop? 3 New discs in 4 years is unheard of unless you have a habit of bouncing off rocks!

craker

Bikes are basically simple, so whatever needs fixing you could have a go at yourself. If you keep getting it serviced at the same shop and it keeps breaking then why not do it yourself?

I think you need to decide what needs doing now. What's wrong with the hubs for example? No idea what kind of wheels you've got but regreasing cup and cone hubs is a 10 minute job with the right tools.

A bike is never beyond economical repair in my experience, but that does depend on when and how you fix worn items.

mattie007

Thanks for the replies. I was quoted £120 for the chainset including fitting, then another £70 for discs and pads including serving, £35 for a general service, then extras like new chain, front derailer and bottom bracket.
I would be able to buy and fit the items myself but I can never seem to set the gears and brakes up myself, but perhaps the shop could do that.
Still tempted by a hybrid bike though!

ugo.santalucia

YOu don't need a chainset... you can buy TA or Stronglight rings for 20 quid each... so that's 80 pounds saved... the same probably applies to the rest...
I am pretty sure with DIY you can cut the bill in half at least

New discs? What's wrong with yours? New pads, probably 20 quid for some good ones

Moonbiker

2 saddles, 3 seatposts

Why did u need new ones were they breaking? :shock:

It sounds like the LBS might have being taking you for a ride with what they tell you needs replacing etc?

mattv

I work in a shop withan active workshop. Discs are only ever replaced if there is either major crash damage or an inherent brake fault with sticking pistons either scoring or overheating the disc. The shop should have picked up on this. Seatpost? Either they are screwing you, or selling you faulty posts.
The prices they are quoting are steep, a Deore chainset WITH bottom bracket is £80 RRP and maybe £15-20 fitting. Front mech maybe £25. Pads £30 the set for non genuine. £20 for chain, £25 for cassette (shimano RRP have just been reduced). You may then incur maybe £60-70 Labour. They are taking the p..., unless the bike is way worse than it sounds.

northpole

Setting aside the amount you have been charged/ quoted for maintenance works, I'm not sure if you simply like the idea of getting a new bike after 4 years ownership?

Depending on how light your off road use is, a single bike to replace (rather than supplement) your existing bike may be a cross bike something like the Canyon - much better on road than a hybrid, and strong enough for use on trails.

https://www.canyon.com/_en/roadbikes/se ... te-al.html

Peter

passout

You could fix it more cheaply for sure, but unless you love the frame I'd ebay it & get a new bike. Might not cost too much more and is more fun!