BIKE N GEAR

On 06/24/2014, I showed them my roadbike and asked how much it is to replace the worn-out chain, chain rings and cassette with components of the same size and quality as the old ones (combination of Shimano 105 and LX from 2005). The owner looked up the parts to be ordered and gave me an estimate between $200 and $250. I agreed and paid the requested $40 deposit. The parts came in relatively quickly, and I brought the bike in on 06/26 to have them do the repairs. Five days later, on 07/01, I picked the bike up and paid the remaining $273 (about $60 more than originally quoted because the front derailleur needed to be replaced as well), but had to learn that the repairs were not done well: It was impossible to switch to the smallest chain ring, and the chain was rubbing against the new front derailleur. The mechanic tried a quick fix, but that made it even worse, and my ride home was a nightmare. A dangerous safety issue was the fact that the rear brake cable ferrule was not snapped in correctly in the frame, such that this brake could suddenly lose its tension and fail. Even if this had already been the case when I brought it in (which I strongly doubt), they should have fixed it. At home, I also noticed that they had replaced the 48-teeth chain ring by a 44-teeth chain ring. Therefore, I'm giving only a "D" for professionalism. I complained and they agreed to order the correct chain ring and replace it at no charge. On 07/19, I brought the bike in again, and picked it up five days later, on 07/24. In summary, I paid $313 for a job that was finally well done (therefore still a "B" and not worse for quality), but unfortunately I lost several hours of my time and about a week of bike riding because of the incorrect first repair, which completely killed my original goal of saving time. However, my other goal of supporting a local business went obviously quite well: The prices that I paid for the parts ($240) are much higher than what I found online, and I did not even get a refund for the cheaper Sora derailleur that they put in during he second repair instead of the more expensive SLX that I had paid for after the first repair. But this is the only bike shop around, and Gary and his mechanic are friendly people, so that's okay.