Originally Posted by
Andrew R Stewart
With the right tools and parts the bearing replacement is not rocket science or very effort filled either. But the qualifier is tools and experience. Better shops invest in their tooling to reflect what they sell and can make $ on in the service side. No surprise that $ drive a lot of this. Some tooling isn't too costly, others are (like Chris King) can be sit down before you are told how costly. Andy
I bought my Chris King tools way back when i started about 10 years ago. While I don't need to use them often they have paid for themselves many times over. Nice tool set.
The one video I did on youtube explaining how a chris king hub (r45) works is immensely popular when compared to my other videos. That wouldn't have happened without those toolsets.
Best hub specific toolset I ever got was the set for Alchemy elf and orc hubs. Jeremy did a great job designing those and they work for tons of different hubs in different ways.
I spend a great deal of time servicing hubs. The right tools, and there are tons of different ones, make it worthwhile. If I was a home guy and really didn't have the right tools I would honestly just take them to a shop and have them done correctly (assuming the shop has the right experience and tools). Will take less time and been done well. Worth the money.
FWIW - OP - I will never say anything bad about the shop you went to - I like those guys and they do a great job. You are local though and sure I'm a long drive from the city but if you HAD brought your wheelset in I would have had it repaired and serviced while you waited most likely. It's because it fits my model and I am primarily a wheel company...