boo LBS

Need to rant.

So I take my bike in for its free 20hr tuneup. Some of the shifting had gotten a tad rattly, and I wanted them to give my first chain clean/lube attempt a once-over as well.

Wellll..on the trainer it seems ok. I was trying out new bars and a new saddle too. But I take my bike out today and when I try to get into the lowest 3 gears in traffic, up a hill, the chain slips all over the place in the rear. :mad: This is when I"m in the smaller of the big rings. In the bigger big ring, it seems ok but makes a sound like it's freewheeling or something. So my plan to warmup on the flatter trail and move to the hilly one was cut short after the flat one ended (I don't have a granny ring so I need those low gears!). It takes me a good 45 min or so to drive out to my LBS... I could take one trail that's got a slow incline most of the way there but the last couple miles are gravel and who knows what else--no good for my road bike. I was tempted to just ride on up there today. But no, I get to drive probably in rush hour again tomorrow.

boo

I can really identify with this, this has happened to us many times too.
Here, they say; and they adjust the bike. THis should do it!


So you profusely thank them, and ... 20 minutes later, on the road it's

WTF??? this thing isn't shifting *

grr
grr
grr
wah!
boo



*note; Mimi never says this out loud

The only thing that gave me a chuckle about this otherwise horrible morning was that my iPod wearing cycling buddy (usually it just insults me a bit but whatever, it's her life) was 30 min late AGAIN..and btw, it's damn COLD, and couldn't hear me when I tried to tell her which forks to take on a trail. But when I thought, hey, let's just stick with some big gears and try out the drops of these new bars, I dropped her. Fast. It was an accident. I swear. Must've been karma. :o

Yeah, boo. Let me try to explain the problem, and then I'll tell you that you can fix it yourself. Have you read the thread on cross-chaining (under Maintenance, I believe)? When you are on a given cog in the rear, your chain will be at a different angle depending on which chainring you are on. The derailleur should actually be at a slightly different place to center the chain on a rear cog depending on which chainring you are on. For a friction shift derailleur, it's no problem, you just move the lever very slightly and you get the perfect adjustment. With indexed shifting, you can't do that. Apparently what your LBS did was adjust the rear derailleur so all rear shifts align on your large chainring. But using the inner rear cogs with the large chairing is cross-chaining and should be avoided. The adjustments need to be set for the gear combinations you will actually use, ie. small chainring with those 3 inner cogs. Go to the Park Tool website and read up on derailleur adjustments http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=64. Then put your bike on a workstand or trainer, start pedaling, and adjust your gears properly using the barrel adjuster. You've saved yourself a trip to the LBS, and now you can keep those gears adjusted properly by yourself.

Thanks. I think that's exactly what the shop did.

I thought I could maybe figure it out with my trainer (no work stand). But I also kind of want the satisfaction of going in there and pointing out how they messed up and make them do the work. The shifting was a little sticky under some load when I took it in on a gear or two. But now it's totally messed up.

No patience right now to work on it. I'll mull it over. ;)

Thanks for the link. It'll definitely help me prolong the next tuneup.

This must be the standard for LBS's. Once they got your money, they just want you gone. At least 1 or 2 of them around where I live has this attitude. (The 3rd LBS' jury is still in deliberation).

First it takes me having to leave my bike overnight and I MIGHT get it back the next day. Then, when I do get it back, it never shifts much better than when I took it in.

I'm with Mimi on this one...GGRRRRR..........

May I ask which LBS this was in the DC area? I'd like to avoid it.
:confused:

I consider myself BLESSED with my LBS.. Jimmy at The Bike Line is one of my biggest fans and does everything he can to keep me on the bike. They've always tweeked my bike here and there and I stop in at one point during most of my rides sometimes just to hang out too. :D
Sorry the rest of you have a problem with yours...:(

Maybe we should hear more about this Jimmy fellow?? Sounds like there may be more to the story.... ? ;)

City Bikes in Chevy Chase. Apparently, I got slacker mechanic day. Maybe it's because the tuneup was free they felt they could half-*** it. I will say they did a great job of installing new bars, putting new tape with gel pad things on them, and fixing a shift lever I had knocked a little wonky with my first slow-mo clipless fall.

I've met the head service guy (Shawn) who seems great but he wasn't there that day, obviously. The guys working on my bike could barely figure out how to use the computer to find the service order that Shawn had entered a week before. (this only involved entering in my phone number to look me up...)

oh, and FYI, I almost took it in to Revolution yesterday since it was on the way home for my ride. But 1) I didn't want to pay, and 2) I'm not 100% sure how they'd do, because one new bike I tested there had horrible shifting. The guy said he tweaked it after I complained when I brought it back from my test ride, but I didn't sit back on it to see the difference.

A woman I met this summer said Revolution has a decent, but slow, service department, and that she "wasn't really happy with any of the local bike shops."

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

that she "wasn't really happy with any of the local bike shops."

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THIS is my biggest fear with moving (lol!). My old LBS was awesome, if i had a question, no matter how big or small, they'd answer it. Now, I'm in an area where there every college student has a bike (Grrr....and do not wear helmets) and the LBS' staff seem ok, but not as good as my old place. For instance, with buying my road bike I got "Don't worry, we will find your perfect fit", with ordering my mountain bike I've gotten "Well, let's see what we can do".

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

oh, and FYI, I almost took it in to Revolution yesterday since it was on the way home for my ride. But 1) I didn't want to pay, and 2) I'm not 100% sure how they'd do, because one new bike I tested there had horrible shifting. The guy said he tweaked it after I complained when I brought it back from my test ride, but I didn't sit back on it to see the difference.

A woman I met this summer said Revolution has a decent, but slow, service department, and that she "wasn't really happy with any of the local bike shops."

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I had a few bad experiences with the Revolution shop in Clarendon. First, one of their "wrenches" treated me like a dumb female, actually challenging me on why I wanted to switch out my triple for a compact double. I figured that they don't want the business and will let Spokes do it for me. Then, the same guy supposedly repaired a flat. The knucklehead never even checked to see what caused the first flat and wouldn't you know it, the next time I rode the bike, the little sharp stone that caused the first flat promptly ruined the new tube. By the way, they CHARGED my husband to repair the flat and replace the tube after the second flat (no, I wasn't with him when he took my bike in to the shop or else, you can bet I wouldn't have paid).

Spokes (Alexandria) and Capitol Hill Bikes (depending on who helps you) have all given me good service and treated me with respect.

I was referring to the Revolution in Georgetown. Not that I'm saying they'd be much different :p . I've been to Spokes for something, but it's also a hassle to drive to like Chevy Chase. They were really helpful with the stuff I needed that day. At least my regular maintenance is supposed to be free. I could take it to Adams Morgan I guess but the guys at the CC one don't seem to like them, and I get kinda lost over there.

Good to know about the Clarendon shop.

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Originally Posted by Velobambina

I had a few bad experiences with the Revolution shop in Clarendon. First, one of their "wrenches" treated me like a dumb female, actually challenging me on why I wanted to switch out my triple for a compact double.

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Hah! (I may have posted this already, forgive me) This happened to me last time I went to a bike shop, the entire drive train on my beloved red Trek was worn out. So I go in and tell the 18 yr old dude with the headband that I need a new chain, new freewheel and probably a new crank as well, but I'm not quite sure about the last one. He doesn't even look at the bike, but rolls his eyes and goes, in a patronizing voice: "okaay, well, how old is the bike?"

I just stare at him. "What's that got to do with it? The bike is 8 yrs old, but I changed the crank last October."

:D

I hesitated posting this until I had ridden my commuting bike a few times this week, but I had good luck getting my rear derailleur adjusted by Jerry at Proteus Bikes in College Park. I had taken it to two shops before and the gears still slid all over the place, especially on hills. (Actually at the second shop, the new one in Takoma Park, the guy told me to take it somewhere else because he couldn't see that anything was wrong with it. Not sure how long he'll be in business with that attitude.) I have had no problem riding it four days this week after having it adjusted last weekend. Apparently Jerry is some kind of genius at repairing bikes, and prefers to fix things instead of replacing them with new parts.

So anyway, try Proteus. An added bonus is that it's a woman-owned business.

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Originally Posted by divingbiker

I hesitated posting this until I had ridden my commuting bike a few times this week, but I had good luck getting my rear derailleur adjusted by Jerry at Proteus Bikes in College Park. I had taken it to two shops before and the gears still slid all over the place, especially on hills. I have had no problem riding it four days this week after having it adjusted last weekend. Apparently Jerry is some kind of genius at repairing bikes, and prefers to fix things instead of replacing them with new parts.

So anyway, try Proteus. An added bonus is that it's a woman-owned business.

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Oh. I remember that place. The summer of 1977 I was working in the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and getting paid by U.Maryland. My only transportation was my bike or my thumb (hitching, that is). The Proteus bike shop was just down Rt. 1 from U.Maryland. Very cool place. They sold Proteus bikes which I don't remember much about, but they were cool. I bought my first helmet (a Bell Biker) at that shop - it was the first thing I did with my first paycheck, since riding on Rt. 1 was freaking me out. Anyway, nice to know the place is still in business.

I've heard great things about Proteus, too. Maybe I'll start having them work on my two Lunas, since I baby those bikes.

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Originally Posted by CyclChyk

Maybe we should hear more about this Jimmy fellow?? Sounds like there may be more to the story.... ? ;)

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LOL, Nah, Jimmy is just a really great guy who happens to be the person who sold me my bike when he worked at The Bike Line in Carmel and now that the family has opened their third store downtown, he's at that store now. He's been one of my number one fans since day one and when I have a problem with the bike, he gets it fixed up/tweeked asap because he knows how much the bike has done for me and that it's basically my car as well. If you're ever in Indianapolis and need something done to/with your bike I definitely recommend them. :D
Now I will admit, he's not hard on the eyes though LOL....:D :D :p

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Originally Posted by DebW

Oh. I remember that place. The summer of 1977 I was working in the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and getting paid by U.Maryland.

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Deb, the BARC is one of my favorite rides. It's like being in the country right next to the city, with cows and corn and pigs. On the weekends there's very little traffic, and the shoulders are nice and wide. Now Route 1 is another story...

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Originally Posted by divingbiker

Deb, the BARC is one of my favorite rides. It's like being in the country right next to the city, with cows and corn and pigs. On the weekends there's very little traffic, and the shoulders are nice and wide. Now Route 1 is another story...

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Yup, it was a good place to ride. I was renting a room in Greenbelt for the summer, and a few times I rode as far an Annapolis.

I took it back and complained. Yep, limit screw issue. Now it shifts like a dream and they threw on some new brake pads :). They also taught me about the 5 positions on the 105 front derailleur so I can stop the rattle if I crosschain a little.

Plus I walked out with some shorts on sale and some toasty tights. And in love with $230 Specialized sunglasses that I can't afford. Not a bad trip to the ol' LBS. Finally. The good mechanics were there in addition to the guys who did a shoddy job last time. Keeps them on their toes I guess.

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Plus I walked out with some shorts on sale and some toasty tights.

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Which is exactly why they should give you the good customer service you deserve -- so you will remain a good customer!

Congrats!

I just went on my first ride this weekend - 20 miles :D And I was having a problem with the left shifter/front deraileur. I took it straight to the LBS where I bought it. They "tweaked" it. But it still stuck/was very hard to shift/skipped one of the rails (went from small to large and skipped medium) and so they tweaked it again. I left it there b/c I didn't want to wait, but I am crossing my fingers that the repair guy was good and got it right this time. He rode it and said he could "fix it" but he also said "these are just hard to shift" Hmph! The right one is fine....

So we'll see. It's interesting to read about the same issues with others.

Oh, and yesterday I found out that the guy that sold me my $1000 bike is now the manager of their little "mini-starbucks" in the store. He serves cappucinos....you know, I had a weird feeling that day that he was "winging it". One of the other guys told me that biking is "not his area of expertise". I observed while I was there yesterday and got names of who I should ask for from now on.....

my seat was too low and my handlebars too wide - the cappucino guy never measured my shoulders but they did yesterday and I went from a 40 cm bar to a 36 cm and WOW what a difference. :) Anyway, live and learn! I love coming here to learn......

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

I thought I could maybe figure it out with my trainer (no work stand). But I also kind of want the satisfaction of going in there and pointing out how they messed up and make them do the work.

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I think this is the wrong way to think about it. A bike is like a stringed instruments. You wouldn't imagine bringing a violin to a music shope to be 'tuned' on a regular basis, so why a bike? Strings stretch, stuff gets bumped and moved. Even if the LBS adjusts in perfectly, it can be out of adjustment for your next ride. Only when you learn to take responsiblity for you own bike will you be able to make it sing at will.

If the LBS had adjusted it perfectly, then I would've been able to shift into those gears in the first 2 minutes of my next ride. This wasn't the case. I am very careful with how I move, handle, and store my bike. The shifting problem didn't occur until it went in for maintenance. The service was part of the package they throw in with a purchase--they check it after the first 20hrs of riding or 30 days to see what's moved around in the initial breaking in period. If the wire tension had been my fault or part of the normal course of wear, I'd be ok with it. I did ask them for some help in figuring out how to adjust it myself. But it's just like my car: when it goes in for a checkup and comes out with new problems, I get upset. If it develops new problems due to no fault of the mechanics, then that's just life with a vehicle or instrument or whatever. If it's their bad, they should fix it. It's their job.

Please don't take this the wrong way. I am not saying its your fault. Of course its their fault, and their responsiblity to fix it. BUT, what I am saying is that THIS IS HOW IT IS. So, in my experience, I got sick and tired of the wasted time and money I spent bringing my bike in for service and having problems persist, so I decided to learn to do it myself. Its just something to consider.