# What to expect in a tune-up?



## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

OK - so visited the LBS yesterday and told them I had 3 bikes to get done. Asked what that kinda entailed and when was the best time to bring the bikes in.

He said 30 bucks for a minor tune up, 60 for a major tune up. They would assess the bike when I brought it in, what level of tune-up is needed.

So curious - if any wires (e.g. Front derailleur) need replacing, does that qualify under a major tune-up or is that even more? I'm assuming a minor tune-up involves tightening loose screws, adjusting brakes, and lubricating various parts.

I really wouldn't mind learning more about basic bike adjustment - would it be out of place for me to ask if I can watch them while they work on my bike? I think their shop is in the back of the store, outside of the sales area.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

No one here sets the policy for some unidentified bike shop. You will need to ask them.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

armstrong said:


> He said 30 bucks for a minor tune up, 60 for a major tune up.


 Why didn't you just ask him what was included in the minor and major tune up? 




> I really wouldn't mind learning more about basic bike adjustment - would it be out of place for me to ask if I can watch them while they work on my bike? I think their shop is in the back of the store, outside of the sales area.


Do you ask to watch your car mechanic do work on your car? If so, then I suppose it'd be normal for you to ask the bike mechanic the same thing.


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## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

>Why didn't you just ask him what was included in the minor and major tune up? 

I kinda implied that question, but he just repeated that they would look at the bike and decide if it was a major or minor when I brought it in. 

>Do you ask to watch your car mechanic do work on your car? If so, then I suppose it'd be normal for you to ask the bike mechanic the same thing.

No I don't. Anyways - I'll just ask. Just don't know if it's totally wrong in terms of etiquette or whatever.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

> I kinda implied that question, but he just repeated that they would look at the bike and decide if it was a major or minor when I brought it in.


Well of course they wouldn't know how much work was required without seeing the bike. The point is... you need to ask them "What work is done with the minor tune up vs major tune up".


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## uberculture (Feb 26, 2013)

Every place should be different. I like it when a shop provides a list of what is included... here's an example that should in no way be taken as a suggestion of what a $30 or $60 should get you at your shop:
Maintenance Packages & Service Center Price List - Boehm's Cycle, Fitness, Hockey

If you want to learn about maintenance, you may want to ask your shop if they provide any basic maintenance classes, or know of anyplace that does. For instance, REI does clinics to show folks how to do basic stuff.

It sounds like your shop is intimidating you a bit... not sure if they are a snobby shop, or if you just didn't want to rock the boat. Either way, it sounds like you're genuinely curious, and there are a few unanswered (and maybe too-gently-asked) questions out there.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

I'd be a little worried about a shop that only charges $30.00 and $60.00 for their "tune-ups". For that kind of money they must be either doing the absolute minimum...or on the way to going out of business. 
The shop I work at has positioned itself right in the middle of the pricing in our area (north bay area, CA). We charge $100 for a basic tune up. It's about an hour of work and we clean, adjust, inspect and check virtually everything on the bike. Our "full tune up" is $225.00 (labor only) and we basically tear the bike down to the bare frame and rebuild it. This includes labor for replacing the cables and housing, chain if needed, installing new bar tape, and putting all drivetrain parts in the solvent tank. 
We're not the most expensive nor the least expensive in our area. Our service queue is consistently backed up about a week so almost everything is by appt. 
To answer your other questions, there is no way I'd let a customer "hang out" and watch me work on his bike. They'd end up making the work take twice as long and I seriously doubt many would want to pay $450.00/labor for a full tune. I totally agree w/ your shops policy of assessing the bike when it's brought in, there is no way you can say for sure what's needed w/o seeing the bike in the stand. People call us all the time asking if we have time to do a "quick adjustment" and end up needing major work. Bring your bike(s) in and let them have a look...then ask some questions if things aren't clear. No one here can help you out w/ this, you have to deal w/ the shop yourself.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

cxwrench said:


> *I'd be a little worried about a shop that only charges $30.00 and $60.00 for their "tune-ups". *For that kind of money they must be either doing the absolute minimum...or on the way to going out of business.
> The shop I work at has positioned itself right in the middle of the pricing in our area (north bay area, CA). *We charge $100 for a basic tune up. It's about an hour of work *


Sounds like your area is way higher than most places.
I live in Boston, which ain't cheap, and $60 an hour labor is the standard. You charge $100 for what you say takes an hour. So that $60 elsewhere is likely the same as your $100 dollar job so probably no cause for worry.

The full tear down rebuild isn't something most places I'm familiar with would catagorize as any type of "tune up".


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Shops in my area often have a couple levels of tune-up with typical work explicitly stated on the price list. That goes all the way up to a full tear down and rebuild, which they'd probably call an "overhaul," but list alongside basic and major tunes.

In my region, replacing a cable would probably still fit within a minor tune but might incur some additional labor. From the outside, it appears to me that cracking open bearings is one of the major dividing lines.

OP, I'm curious - are all three bikes yours? I don't find I get enough ride time on my 'B' or special-purpose bikes to need a lot of maintenance, so I pretty much only get shop tunes on the MTB I hammer around on regularly and the road bike I train on. And, maybe once a year or less - I keep the drivetrains in adjustment (very easy) and lube the chains myself. Other bikes, if I have a problem I can't fix myself, I usually pay for service a la carte.


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## armstrong (Jul 9, 2013)

AndrwSwitch said:


> OP, I'm curious - are all three bikes yours?


Two roadies are mine, and a hybrid was brought for the wife. All bought in a span of about 4 weeks over the summer off Kijiji. The top end road bike definitely needs a tune (the front derailleur wire is splitting) but the other two probably just need minor adjustment (except the 2nd roadie front wheel - see the other thread).


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## seacoaster (May 9, 2010)

Park Tool (parktool.com) has repair information on their website. They also hold repair classes in participating shops. Youtube also has videos on bike maintenance and repair (and just about anything else you can think of).


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## genux (Jun 18, 2012)

OP, does your LBS have a website? Some bike shops will show their service menu prices and what's part of their packages.

Examples:

1. Mike's Bikes (big chain in Northern California)

Comp Tune-Up - $85
Pro Tune-Up - $200

2. Bicycle Outfitter

Basic Tune-Up - $80
Major Tune-Up - $185
Complete Overhaul - $325

Your LBS should also have an "a la carte" pricing for individual adjustments/tweaks/fixes.

I started out with going to my LBS roughly every 6 months for maintenance and tune-up. Looking back, this was probably on the "excessive" side but at that time I thought I also put in a commensurate amount of riding (~700-800 miles/month in California weather).

Though my LBS was happy to see me every time, not being able to ride was a downer (yeah, I know, n+1 bikes). My LBS did show me the tricks for the easier jobs so I could do it myself (I was a frequent enough patron that several times they'd do various jobs without charging me).

Eventually, I started looking at the tune-up packages and what was involved with each and started learning and doing it myself — lubing cables, cleaning the chain, tightening bolts to recommended torque ratings, adjusting brakes, etc.

For me, it was a balancing act, though, between cost and skill. I started with the cheap and easy stuff (cleaning, degreasing, lubrication of components). You'll be accumulating tools needed to perform certain tasks (e.g. removing cranks, bottom brackets, etc), and there are many of them and a few aren't cheap.

The Park Tool website has been enormously helpful, as have numerous YouTube videos and Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance.

There are still some tasks that I haven't tackled for various reasons (no tools, no time, lack of experience/understanding)


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Jay Strongbow said:


> Sounds like your area is way higher than most places.
> I live in Boston, which ain't cheap, and $60 an hour labor is the standard. You charge $100 for what you say takes an hour. So that $60 elsewhere is likely the same as your $100 dollar job so probably no cause for worry.
> 
> The full tear down rebuild isn't something most places I'm familiar with would catagorize as any type of "tune up".


The one that I'd be concerned about is the "full" for $60.00. We charge $225.00 and Mike's charges $200.00. I know we do a better job because we end up "fixing" a substantial amount of their work. I'm not sure what gets done on a $60.00 "full" tune up but I'm betting it's not anywhere near what we or Mike's do.


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## czuber (Apr 9, 2013)

Wow I had no clue of these prices. When I got my new bike, the LBS offered free tuneups for life. I just now realize how good that deal was.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

OP, sounds like you can probably do okay just paying for the services you actually need. A bike with a damaged front derailleur cable could certainly use a new one. But that doesn't mean you need a tuneup.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Same deal with whatever you need involving wheels. That thread's already up to more posts than I want to read, though.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

czuber said:


> Wow I had no clue of these prices. When I got my new bike, the LBS offered free tuneups for life. I just now realize how good that deal was.


The things we're talking about aren't covered by any "free lifetime tune-up" deal. We offer basically the same thing on bikes we sell but don't devalue our service dept. by saying we provide free lifetime anything. The whole free tune-up thing is a bunch of BS so shops can sell bikes. If you need service that includes replacing any parts, trust me...you'll not be getting it for free.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

czuber said:


> Wow I had no clue of these prices. When I got my new bike, the LBS offered free tuneups for life. I just now realize how good that deal was.


Usually the "lifetime" deal is pretty basic. 
Performance Bike for instance offers Lifetime Free Adjustments. Which includes...
•Adjust brake & gear settings
•True the wheels
•Tighten loose bolts
•Provide complete safety inspections​
Anything more than that and you have to pay for the Basic Tune-Up
•Precision bottom bracket adjustment
•Precision brake adjustment
•Chain lubrication
•Precision gear adjustment
•Headset adjustment
•Hub adjustments
•Wheel truing​


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