Bicycle Servicing Costs

flea72

so youve had the bike a few years and havent serviced at all? how many years? because if you break it down over how many years you have had the bike, then £10-£15 a year isnt that bad for servicing

i spend about £30 a year on replacing basic stuff like brakes/cables/tyres. if it needs new mech, bottom bracket, etc. then its anywhere between £50-£100 on parts (but these usually last a couple of years depending on use/riding style)

bikes are very easy to service and maintain. Haynes do a manual, or youtube is great for learning stuff, so id check those out first.

although i will point out that you tend to get what you pay for. so if you buy bottom end parts, then dont expect them to last long. i also find gripshift gears are more temperamental than rapidfire, so maybe look at changing your gear system.

F

sujman

sujman wrote: »

Keep a close eye on all the daily deals websites. Rare but on a couple occasions, I have seen bike service offered for less than £20.

Also local colleges might offer bike maintenance courses. Might cost £50 - £100 but you then get a life time of free servicing.

PasturesNew

flea72 wrote: »

so youve had the bike a few years and havent serviced at all? how many years? because if you break it down over how many years you have had the bike, then £10-£15 a year isnt that bad for servicing i spend about £30 a year on replacing basic stuff like brakes/cables/tyres. if it needs new mech, bottom bracket, etc. then its anywhere between £50-£100 on parts (but these usually last a couple of years depending on use/riding style)

Probably 6 years, but most of those it's been in storage as every time I went out it got a puncture or the chain fell off.

Probably cycled once for 30 miles one day ... and about six journeys of 2 miles each.

My riding style is: "middle-aged woman ambles along, looking at the view."

Now I'm in an area where there are flatter/safer places to ride and I've got it out this week and been out for 17 miles and 8 miles. Just always worried I can't go too far in case bits fall off.... including the front wheel as that is only on "hand tight", so I've been stopping every 2 miles to check/tighten it (although I did buy a spanner the right size at the weekend so can now tighten the nuts).

flea72 wrote: »

bikes are very easy to service and maintain. Haynes do a manual, or youtube is great for learning stuff, so id check those out first.

The main problem is space/mess. I'm a lodger, so only one small room. Even the bike is stored 3 miles away in a secure unit, so I have to actively drive out and collect it to use it.

flea72 wrote: »

although i will point out that you tend to get what you pay for. so if you buy bottom end parts, then dont expect them to last long. i also find gripshift gears are more temperamental than rapidfire, so maybe look at changing your gear system.

F

I'd have been happy with a little 3-gear thumb-changer, like old bikes.... but when I bought my bike I was in an area that didn't have much choice and I had to drive round several shops/towns (100 miles a couple of times) just to get the one I did. Never used posh gears before, didn't know they existed.... I bought a bike, which to me meant: wheels, handles, pedals

PasturesNew

No courses at any colleges for probably 100 miles... I'll keep an eye out though.

I'll keep looking for discount vouchers etc too.

rev_henry

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't know what this means... what I do is continue to cycle and flick the handlebar round while pedalling .... I continue pedalling while it's making all the clunking noises and I pray that it'll 'catch' and engage, rather than fall off


So 60 minutes is £47? Where can I learn to become a servicer of bicycles??? If one worked 35 hours/week doing that it'd annualise at £85,000.

SRSLY .... interested in bikes now

Ah but you're forgetting the cost of rent, rates, business tax etc.

I have a local mobile fellow who is slightly cheaper than that for a basic service, and a little more for a major service, so its about right.

fred7777

PasturesNew wrote: »

So 60 minutes is £47? Where can I learn to become a servicer of bicycles??? If one worked 35 hours/week doing that it'd annualise at £85,000.

£85,000 from which you would have to subtract all the costs of running a business, eg rates, heating lighting water, tools, publicity, tax, VAT employers NI etc etc etc you would also have to add on extra time per week for administration on top of the 35 hours spent doing the income generating work.

I know how to service bicycles so I could start up a business in my home garage and the first thing I would have to pay is business rates at around £300 (according to other MSE threads). Which would mean at £47 per service I'd have to service 6 bikes just to pay rates.

As far as the £47 goes it's a good rate for 1 hour's labour compared to many car places, it all depends on what they are doing for that £1.

PasturesNew

fred7777 wrote: »

£85,000 from which you would have to subtract all the costs of running a business, eg rates, heating lighting water, tools, publicity, tax, VAT employers NI etc etc etc

pfftttt.....
Most of that are taxes..... taxing us to death they are.

sequence

Bikes are so simple to work on. Just try it! It's very easy to learn.

PasturesNew

sequence wrote: »

Bikes are so simple to work on. Just try it! It's very easy to learn.

But where....? I don't have any space. Not even space to keep my bike.

rev_henry

Here in Manchester the people who organise the Critical Mass rides have a lock up which is opened a few nights a week for people to come, use the tools and space and fix up their bikes. Think you pay about £2 a go. See if there's something similar in your area?