mazdaspeed

wow

AssosMan

Seems that way. That's why I'm willing to wait it out for them. I just thought that I'd rather buy "local" and "support the community" by going with other shops, but............

urban_assault

I got the point, but it's a good tool to have around anyway.

It just seems that you are blowing this all out of proportion. Maybe it is just you.

mazdaspeed

That's nice of you, I guess if the shop is really that helpful then you should. Unfortunately for me it's just a matter of time before my shop du jour does something to piss me off bigtime

sac02

Just to be picky, the dealership/auto mechanic isn't the best. Most mechanics must own their own personal set of tools, as opposed to the LBS where the shop owns the tools.

Mac

AssosMan

LOL. I guess that they're playing the safe side. But if I was a dealer and talked to a guy who knew exactly what he needed (SPECIFICALLY asked for a 1" threadless black CK headset and a headset cup remover) it's a pretty safe bet that he knows what he's doing, loves bikes, and would never sue you.

mazdaspeed

Another difference is [GOOD] car shops will often times go out of their way to help you just so they have your business for later. There is a shop in town that will fix your flat tires for free if you ask them nicely. They took screws and nails out of my race tires a good 3-4 times with a smile because they knew I'd refer other people to them.

Bike shops, on the other hand...

Raven87

I wonder if on the LBS forums (if they have one), someone is posting a thread:

"Cyclists - borrowing tools - Are they just cheap or what?"

Suzie Green

Post of the week!

urbanknight

That wouldn't work in CA, but maybe people are more reasonable in other states.

sac02

Obviously not the case with your race tires (do you race on plug/patch tires? ), but most tire shops advertise and perform "free flat repairs" because in a good percentage of flats, the damage is irreparable (e.g. a nail in the sidewall). Now that the customer is in their tire shop, with a flat tire that can't be fixed, who do you think they're going to buy their new tire from?

I busted tires and worked behind the counter at a tire shop for a little over a year in high school. I'd say probably 30% of people who came in to take advantage of our "free flat repair" left with one, two, or four new tires. Pretty effective idea, this free flat repair...

What do you race? SM?

Mac

Flak

Get on a first name basis, throw them work, buy **** from them....basically; build a symbiotic relationship with your LBS and im sure they'll be happy to lend you ****. Mine does, and im probably one of their more frugal customers (i dont have a ton to spend). But hey, thats what makes them a good shop right? They're good guys.

JMT114

True, but each dealer is also required to have certain specialty tools to work on certain cars or systems. These are usually the tools people would want to borrow.

tmass

You know the other day in NYC I stopped a taxi and asked him if I could borrow his cab to run up to Starbucks. It would just take a few minutes to use his tool of trade and lively hood. He was all mean too.....I just don't get it.

lung

I work part-time in a shop... and I used to OWN a shop. They are trying to earn a living and you are the consumer. Whatever pidly thing you need wrenched... just ask your local mechanic to do it... pay the man... then TIP him! It will come back to you. My God... I can't believe people would even ask. I NEVER would walk into my local car dealer and ask to put my Jeep up on their lift! Buy the tools... or pay the expert. Period.

Cyclist0383

Why would they have a problem with it? Think here for a second, they make their living fixing bikes, and have invested in the tools to do so; why should they let some cheap schmo off the street come in and use their tools for free?

GP

There may be more to the shop owner's story. I was in the local shop once and a person came in and borrowed a pump. He used it and left. The owner commented that there had been several people in that day to borrow a pump or allen wrenches. So you never know; the shop owner may have got tired of loaning stuff out. Or maybe someone borrowed a different tool and f^^ked it up.

mollusk

Or you can do what I have done.

First of all I ride with the wrenches. That helps a lot.

Secondly I have lent them some of my tools. I do have some classics in my tool box that are getting hard to find.

Third I have been in the shop and have been able to help with folks walking in from the street. The most interesting one was somebody walking in and needing a dust cover for a Campy Superleggero pedal. I asked if they needed an authentic Campy one or just one that would work. They said that one that would work would be fine. Then I pointed at the MKS quill pedals and said that they could use the dust cap off of that.

And I just so happen to have the exact Campy tool for replacing it!

jonestr

Just to add my jerky 2 cents. A headset cup removal tool is quite a bit more that $10 as it is made out of sprung steel that is flared. If it was just a pipe it would not work.

Agree with all posters who said they you should not expect them to loan you tools.

BTW it sounds like you found the weirdest/greatest performance ever.

Randallissimo

You don't ask to borrow a working mechanic's tools like you would a neighbor's. It not the same thing.

I had a chain partially separate 12 miles from home last week that I could have snapped back together with Vise-grips. I passed two garages as I babied it in low gears on my way home rather than stop and bother them to borrow a pair. But that's just me. Luckily, I made it home.

slide13

I've worked in four different shops and unless we knew you really well there was no way you were borrowing our tools, sorry. To many people would find a way to damage the tool, damage the bike or part and try and blame us, etc. Tools that get lent out also have a tendency to go missing, you can't expect the shop people to stop working to watch you and make sure you get the tool back to them. One of the reasons people pay bike shops to work on their bike is because they have the tools. If you have the knowledge then buy your own tools and do the work yourself. Tools too expensive....yeah, that is why the bike shop is there to provide service.


Now we have had regulars at our shop that we knew had the skills to work on their bike and they were often allowed to use tools or have full use of the shop on occasion. That is one of the benefits of being a regular at a shop and getting to know the people who work there.

Finally, get a metal pipe and do it yourself. The tool works best by far, but it can be done with a pipe if your careful and use small taps and move around a lot so the cup doesn't get crooked. The first shop I worked at that was all we had and it worked find for many years. The proper tool is much quicker/easier though, a few good hits and the cup is out.

Rowan

So... you phone around seven shops and ask if you can borrow their tools? You don't even have the courtesy to ask this question in person. Then you dump on the bike shops... for a paltry sum of $130?

You are a fool.

And BT, when you say $75 to change out the compact cranks for standard ones, did that price include the new chain and the derailleur adjustment on the seat tube?

BananaTugger

No.

The shop just sucks.

Everest

Exactly, I would never dream of walking into a random shop and asking to borrow tools. My LBS on the other hand knows me and knows that I know what I'm doing and is willing to let me borrow tools on occasion. It's one of the perks I get for being a loyal customer over the years. That being said this is not something I exploit I often go into the shop and buy the tools I need, if it's a tool I don't want to buy for whatever reason I am more than happy to pay the mechs to do the job for me, when this happens I usually find that they offer to let me borrow the tool or will step outside on their break and do the work for free. This is not something I expect the shop to do but this type of treatment keeps me coming back.

Chucklehead

I needed a special tool to true a wheel after a crash. I could have ordered one from the company, but luckily the one shop in my area that has the tool agreed to let me take it home with me after offering to leave a deposit for less than half the value of the thing. Cool.