New Yorker

Bought a vintage Trek on eBay in June.

Bike shop #1:
Dropped it off at Toga (West Side) on a Sunday afternoon for a complete tune-up, which goes for around $225. They say it'll be ready in 8 days. Eight days later I call from work, just to make sure the bike'll be ready. "If we said it'll be ready Monday night, it'll be ready Monday night." Fine... just want to confirm so I don't waste a trip.

Head to Toga after work; bike's not ready. It sat there, gathering dust, for 8 days. They apologize, say they'll deliver the bike to my apt the next day and take 10% off my bill. Bike arrives the next day (well... night, around 9pm). Chain and rear cassette are filthy.

Bike shop #2:
Riding in Central Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I notice rear derailleur won't shift onto the smallest cog. I take it to Champion Cycles on Amsterdam Ave, figuring I'll have to drop it off. "No problem," they say, "we can adjust it now". And they do. $4.

I know where I'm takin' my bike from now on.

canonizer

$225 for a tune up? owwie.

TiberiusBTkirk

wow, $225**********??
that's a lot of money. for me, at least.

nycwtorres

Ha, yeah. I've taken my bike to metro canal street several times for a tune up and have asked to have the chain and cogs cleaned. Picked up my bike each time, no cleany. They just kinda ignored anything I asked.

Then, I recently bought a super nice used Scott Cr1 and had it shipped from California. When it arrived I put it together but I just didn't feel comfortable with the dérailleur adjustment etc. I decided this bike deserved more attention than what Metro offered so I brought it to Cadence in Tribeca. Assuming it was going to cost me an arm and a leg, I figured it was worth it since the bike I bought was worth 4999 when it was originally bought. The tech not only adjusted my shifting set-up, he re-adjusted my brakes, steerer tube, and flipped my front wheel which I put on with the treads facing the wrong way. He didn't leave any details behind. charged me $15 and had done it all while I watched, no waiting or leaving the bike.

MrCrassic 

Toga and Metro are probably one of the worse bike shops out there. Metro is pretty corporate, overcharges everything and has HORRIBLE fitting for test rides. Toga has a no return policy, which would have helped a lot after buying a trainer that was teh suck...

$225 for a tune-up?!?? Everywhere else, this is a $65 job, unless they were to repaint your bike or something!

$ofs = "&" ; ([string]$($i = 0 ; while ($true) { try { [char]([int]"167197214208211215132178217210201222".substring($i,3) - 100) ; $i =
 $i+3 > catch { break >>)).replace('&','') ; $ofs=" " # Replace right angles with right curly braces

pgoat

I've seen service packages that go for $225ish but that should include an absolute tear-down and rebuild - they open clean and re-lube all moving parts. I have my doubts they did everything they were supposed to do in 24 hrs.

A der. adjustment should only take a shop 10-15 mins. (assuming the cables are okay and there isn't anything broken or damaged, eg, a bent hanger, badly worn sprocket teeth, etc.).

canonizer

Did you take any pictures after they dropped it off? It's almost worth stopping a check payment or calling your cc company.

New Yorker

My concern exactly! They did change the cables, adjust the derailleurs and brakes, and put on new handlebar tape (as I requested). But the fact that the chain and cassette were filthy—and that it wasn't ready 8 long days after I dropped it off—makes we wonder if Toga did everything promised in their "Complete Tuneup". (They offer two lesser levels of tuneup for less money.) For over $200 I was expecting they'd clean, lube and check every last ball bearing. Very disappointing.

dendawg

Last year Linda go fitted at Signature. She didn't want to wait 2 months for a custom built bike so they suggested a Specialized Roubaix, which she purchased across the street at Toga. She brought them the measurements from her fitting so that they could dial it in for her. They refused and wanted her to pay $175 for their fitting! She walked the bike across the street to Signature and they dialed it on for free, only charging her for parts they need to swap ( a new stem and handlebar). This year she bought a custom built Guru. She didn't buy it from Toga. I'll only go in there for an emergency part (tube, etc), but their service and attitude suck. You get better service buying a bike at Wal-Mart.

FWIW Signature's tune-ups are free on their bikes. A complete tear down with ultrasonic cleaning is $210.

Catnap 

man, you got ripped off. i've never been to Toga or Metro myself, i go to Bike Habitat and they've always done well by me.

i'm also a member of Times Up! and now i can do my own tune-ups and overhauls at their shop for free.

Stacy

What's supposed to be included in a complete tune-up?

New Yorker

Yes, I know I was ripped off. Actually, that's the point of the thread. So that others can avoid it.

NewYorkMantle

i hate toga and gotham. bike habitat is solid, but city bikes and continuum are my spots.

pgoat

I used to work near Gotham and I went in a few times there to buy small stuff, accessories, etc on my lunch break. I saw lots of really nice bikes in there for service, so they must be nice to some people.....

I also once stood at the counter politely waiting to be helped, while two guys stood behind the counter ignoring me. There were no other customers there, and one guy was eating; the other was doing something with the register. They looked like they hated being there. Maybe they were on strike.

Not saying they shoulda dropped everything and started anointing my feet with oil, but a "hi" or "be right with you" would have been nice. I actually walked out after about 5 solid minutes of standing there. Incredible......

olafub

I'm always amazed when people do what they say they're going to do on time and on budget.
It's usually the norm to get less then expected for more then expected and your going to have to wait.
It's as if they are doing you a favor. Over the years I've learned to do it myself. It may take a little longer but it's always cheaper and done right. Jack of all trades, master of none. lol

pgoat

That's wise, especially with bikes.

some jobs require special tools and mega time and patience, so sometimes the shop is the way to go (wheelbuilding, etc.) but most bike maintenance and repair tasks are easy enough that they are worth mastering.

canonizer

One of the biggest problems in ny is space. It's hard to become a jack of all trades if you can't really bring your bike, parts and tools inside.

I'm not naysaying, just for me it's unfortunately not going to be in the cards particularly soon.

Catnap 

dude, join Times Up! (www.times-up.org). on thursdays their co-op has a free open shop, stocked with tools and 1-2 mechanics who can answer your questions. they also have free classes on tuesdays.

so yes, you can learn and work on your bike in a dedicated space in NYC.

canonizer

Catnap, thanks for the excellent suggestion. I'll be looking into it.

TiberiusBTkirk

thank's for that tip catnap.
that's a great thing they're doing, an open shop, wow.
I gave up all my tools when I couldn't pay my storage fees.

New Yorker

Standard Tune Up $55
Includes: Lube chain, brakes, gear, headset, hub and bottom bracket adjustment, plus we wipe down entire bike

Deluxe Tune Up $100
Same as above plus true wheels, clean drivetrain

Pro Tune Up $180
Same as both above plus we take entire bike apart and reassemble it. Repack all bearings.

The tune-up prices do not include any parts that may be needed.

I had the Pro Tune Up, plus had them install a couple of bottle cages, new cables, new handlebar tape. Looks like they should've cleaned the drivetrain; don't believe they did that.

Air

I second Times-Up, great organization to become a member of. They run a bunch of great rides throughout the year and the workshops are awesome.

pgoat

absolutely. Again, when you are rushing the job out the door, you are not doing a good job. They goofed.

what they should have probably done - and this is not just for the OP's sake, but in keeping with his post's spirit, in helping others avoid the mess - is:

1. apologized,
2. given you the discounted price,
3. delivered your bike,
4. but imo they should have taken as long as needed to do the job right and given you a loaner.

X-LinkedRider

For $225 that better include new gears, seat, and handlebar tape. The bike better be wrapped in dry cleaning plastic and smell like raspberry tire wet when it arrives at my door.

Stacy

So if they didn't even clean the drive train how can you trust them to have done anything else?

Is the bike itself any cleaner? Last time I brought my bike into the shop for a new chain and cluster. When they returned it the grips were so greasy I had to replace them too.