Lost faith in LBS already - bad advice on chain

nuggiebok

Hi all

My local bike shop serviced my bike over the weekend. I left it with them for a few days. When I dropped it off they asked if there were any specific problems and I said that I'd noticed the gear changes weren't as accurate or smooth as before. The cost was going to be £36 + parts.

Now I've owned this from virually brand new, the previous owner had ridden 4/5 miles and decided it was not for her. I 100% trust the previous owner! they'd had the 6 week check but due to very little use, nothing needed doing.

I've ridden around 230-250miles on it according to strava, building up slowly from 5 miles to 40miles at a a time. When I collected it yesterday they told me they had fitted a new chain...I was gobsmacked. When I asked why, he said it would have been showing signs of wear and that was the only way they could get the gears to change smoothly. I smelled a bit of bull poo but I didn't know for definite so kept my mouth shut. I told him how many miles I had ridden and that I was very surprised it needed a new chain already, another bloke chipped in and said, you'll be lucky to get 100 miles out of a chain...

I knew this didnt seem right but paid up £60 for service and chain and left. I asked around a few of my biking friends (one who has just completed the Fred Whitton) and they all said chain life was around at least 1500-2500 miles if looked after. I rang the manager and challenged him. All he said was sorry for me being told a chain lasts 100 miles, and after checking with the mechanic, the chain was showing 60% wear so they replaced it in case I wasn't going to have another service for a year.

So, 60% wear on 230-250 miles, giving the chain a life of only 450-500 miles...from the factory...really?

He said the bikes come fitted with a poor quality KMC chain and they have fitted a better quality KMC chain. The bike is a Giant Avail 2 2013. I've asked for the original chain back, he said he would try and find it...I think I know what the answer is going to be.

What are your thoughts? Sorry for the essay!

Colinthecop

Once I asked for a refund i'd report them to trading standards for charging you for unnecessary work...

nuggiebok

Oh just to add, wouldn't it have been nice for them to have phoned me before replacing the chain or giving me an 'advisory' warning?

rafletcher

A good reason to learn the basics of bike maintenance I'd say. A "service" for £36 (or to put it another way, half an hours work max) won't consist of much more than cleaning and lubricating chain and mechs and maybe adjusting brakes. There isn't time for anything else. And all of that you can do yourself quite easily. Adjusting gears can be a bit of a trial, but the tech docs available from Shimano etc. online are pretty good. As you have experienced cycling friends, have a chat and see who has tools you can borrow / will help you learn etc.

keef66

I get at least 1500 miles per 10 speed chain on a bike that's ridden all year round, and I probably replace them prematurely (hoping to get more miles per cassette).

So unless you've been riding on the beach and / or you've never lubricated the thing I'd say they were taking the p1ss.

I didn't know KMC manufactured rubbish chains just for Giant. (I suspect they don't)

Do you know which supposedly better KMC chain they've now fitted?

Wipe it down and lube sparingly once a week or after a wet ride. Buy yourself a chain wear checker and keep an eye on the new chain. Replace it (yourself) when it reaches 0.75% wear and definitely before 1%. (you'll also need a good chain tool to cut the new chain to the right length)

monkimark

Lucky to get 100 miles per chain!? So a chain wouldn't last me a week (and I'm sure plenty of people on here would need to take one or two spare chains out on a ride - I'd be spending well over a grand a year just on chains at that rate, it'd be cheaper for me to commute on the motorbike.

drlodge

Sounds like they replaced the chain to just get some more money out of you. My last 11sp chain last 3000 miles before it was replaced and even then, it could have lasted a bit longer.

arran77

Very poor advice and service from the shop......care to name them?

vorsprung

rafletcher wrote:

A good reason to learn the basics of bike maintenance I'd say.

+1

read this book, get a cheap toolkit and only use shops for stuff you can't do or don't have the time to do
"Bicycling" Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair

owenlars

Name and shame the shop. What they have told you is tantamount to fraud. If there was something wrong with the chain rather than wear and tear, they should have kept it and shown you. However to put the other point of view are you sure the person you bought it from hadn't ridden a little further than she told you?

I would learn how to deal with chains and cassettes yourself and buy a chain checker.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/bbb- ... lsrc=aw.ds

drlodge

I would always ask the shop to call me if something needs to be changed and wasn't expected, that I would make quite clear at the outset.

slowbike

My KMC X9-93 (9 speed) has done just shy of 2000 miles and is only just over 0.75% stretch. This has been used on my CX machine in all conditions and used for winter commuting - it's not been mollycoddled!

The KMC chains come with a quick-link which make it easy to remove and clean if you wish - or you can just wipe with a cloth (which is what I do most of the time - when I remember!)

Bozman

I always put a new chain on before every ride and I'll take a spare to swap it out if I'm on a long ride, safety comes first.

wannabecyclist

I took my 3 month old bike to Cycles UK in Watford as I was struggling to adjust the gears correctly and needed a new spoke as well. The assistant waved a chain checker over my chain and said I needed a new one, and in turn a new cassette and chain rings. I said stick to the gear adjustment which funnily enough they managed to do without changing anything. Once home I brought a chain checker on Ebay and it is not at 0.75% yet. I always clean the chain and cassette after a wet ride so I knew it was a bit fishy. All my business will now go to another local LBS who stocked a part I needed and laughed when I told them what the other company had said.

dj58

Was this your first visit for a service to that shop? Sounds like they have made the assumption that you're a woman so don't know anything about bikes. If the chain on your bike was the O.E. fitment, I would be very surprised if it needed replacement at the mileage you stated, KMC are considered by many to be good quality chains. Never heard of a reputable bike company fitting a substandard chain in the factory, sounds like a load of BS.

Now you have a chain checker tool buy a chain breaker tool, then you can do this for yourself in future. You mentioned in one of your previous posts that you had done plenty of spannering on motorbikes, so I don't think you will have any problems maintaining your bike. Read the online tech docs. watch the YouTube videos, by a book ask questions on BR. Build up a tool kit as you go and save yourself time and money = more riding time.

Mr Will

Don't go there any more. I don't care if you have to travel a bit further but find a good LBS and support them instead. We need jokers like this to go out of business so that the good guys can thrive.

DKay

Name and shame please. For all our sakes.

giant_man

+1 .....

nuggiebok

Thanks everyone.

To address a few questions, I did go back to the previous owner before phoning the bike shop to check the facts. I trust them 100%. Plus I bought it through this forum 8)

I booked it in because these days I just do not have the time to have a go myself. And I wanted a guarantee that all was well ready for an impending 100km charity ride at the end of the month.

So if the gees chain checker tools show either 0.75 or 1.0 wear, how did he get 60%?

What should I do now? Call them to find out if they have found my chain, demand a refund, just let it go? I will name and shame them when this has been resolved.

nuggiebok

I chose them to do my bike because they are my only local Giant stockist, gave me some fairly reasonable advice when I was out looking, just didn't have the bike in stock when I wanted it, so I bought it second hand instead. I know I probably didn't need a Giant stockist, but that was my logic at picking a bike shop for the first time.

Colinthecop

nuggiebok wrote:

What should I do now? Call them to find out if they have found my chain,

Out of interest, are you going to know the chain they hand over (if they find one) was yours and the one they took off your bike...?

It'd be easy for them to produce any old knackered bit of crap.... :?

nuggiebok

Colinthecop wrote:

nuggiebok wrote:

What should I do now? Call them to find out if they have found my chain,

Out of interest, are you going to know the chain they hand over (if they find one) was yours and the one they took of your bike...?

It'd be easy for them to produce any old knackered bit of crap.... :?

That's what I was thinking, but I said that I was considering keeping it to use again in the future when my chain set gets a bit worn...does that work?

dodgy

I know you say you trust your friend 100%, that's admirable. But honestly, you would only know for sure how the chain has been treated and for how many miles if it was your own bike from new.

Having said that, I still think it's likely the LBS has taken you for a ride.

Rodrego Hernandez

they should show you the worn out parts when you pick up the bike.

Definitely sounds like they were taking the pi$$ though - especially if they are saying you will only get 100 miles out of a chain. It isn't unusual to ride in excess of 100 miles in one ride. I change chains every other month and they have a thousand miles in them at least and are still very usable.

Complain to the manager and don't pay for the unnecessary work. A basic service should sort out gears easily enough and if they couldn't do that they should have called you.

Cowboys by the sound of it. Reminds me of the shop that charged £90 to change 4 brake blocks for a naive women cyclist.

Monty Dog

A lot of bike shops stiff have a 'traditional' i.e. patronising / condescending attitude to women cyclists - so no surprises. I service a couple of bikes for women friends because they know I don't bull$hit them and replace parts that don't need replacing - the trouble with shops it's the spares and servicing where they make their money - particularly replacing cables, part-worn brake blocks and chains.
I would simply put it down to experience and find a different shop - your chain will be at the bottom of the trash/recycling bin so no certainty they can find the old one.

owenlars

Why don't you find a mate who is bike tech savvy who is prepared to go with you and argue the toss with the manager Any shop worth its salt would say sorry and sort you out in the interest of future work. If that doesn't work just tell them you will go elsewhere and let the world know of their incompetence.

nuggiebok

And the award for crappiest Local Bike Shop advice goes to....

Swindon Cycle Superstore

47p2

nuggiebok wrote:

And the award for crappiest Local Bike Shop advice goes to....

Di you go back to them and get a suitable explanation?
Did they show you/give you back your old chain?

Bozman

The LBS makes hay while the sun shines.
You're going to get the odd shite LBS and with the current explosion in cycling they're going to take Mr wet behind the ears for every penny they can. It's not easy to find a good LBS but it is easy to maintain your bike, if you're new to it,
use You Tube and Park Tools or buy a book because it's not rocket science.

It doesn't help when you get the likes of the Bike Show telling you to replace your cassette when you swap your chain, a couple of my mates who are new to cycling picked up on that.

nuggiebok

I rode it for the first time since the service on Sunday (great western sportive) and there was a squeaky/creaking noise coming from the front end, and one of the rear brake blocks was rubbing constantly, which I only realise half way round the 82 km circuit...

Went out this evening just for 8 miles and the squeaking is coming from turning the handlebars, maybe it's all a bit too tight?? Needless to say I shall be giving them a call tomorrow!

iPete

I wouldn't bother personally. You can do all of those tasks with a few allens keys. Better than taking it back in.