| Re: you have to be kidding
On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 18:18:59 -0500, "psycholist" <technico@wctel.net> wrote:
>"Mary" <Sharkm@netcarrier.com> wrote in message
>news:4224ea05$0$165$ad3619e8@news.netcarrier.net. ..
>> six years ago I bought a Trek 1200. I love the bike and have put about
>> 4500 miles a year on it. I took it in for a tune-up last week and to have
>> the chain and chain ring in the back replaced. I just got a call from the
>> mechanic. He said that the front ring is worn out and that total cost of
>> replacing everything that needs to be replaced will be about $300. He
>> also said that many of the parts on the bike have become obsolete and that
>> in 6 months it will be hard to find parts for the bike. He recommended I
>> come in and look at a new bike in the 600 to 700 $$ range.
>> I thought this was the last bike I would have to buy. Didn't bikes use to
>> last like forever? Your opinion...should I fix the bike I have now for
>> 300$ and buy new when I come to that bridge or purchase new now? Any
>> thoughts would be appreciated. I ride daily when the temperature is over
>> 40 f. Longest ride each year is a century with 20 mile rides each night
>> and many 30 to 40 mile rides on the weekends.
>
>No reputable or knowledgeable bike dealer would try that load of garbage.
>That's what it is.
>
>If you're riding 4,500 miles a year, you should probably be changing your
>chain once or twice a year. Your rear cassette may need to be replaced
>every year, too. Your front chainrings should be checked out, but they may
>be OK for another six months to a year.
Mostly this is true.
>Those items can easily be replaced, and I'd bet you could do it through
>internet shopping for $100 or less. It shouldn't take a decent bike shop
>mechanic more than 15 to 20 minutes to replace all that. So maybe it will
>cost you for 1/3 of their hourly rate on top of the $100 (though my LBS will
>install about any part you buy from him for free).
WHOA!
We've got a bike with 27,000 miles on it and we don't know a damn thing about
its maintenance history. Do you really think that any bike with that kind of
mileage is going to get fixed in twenty freeking minutes? Especially since the
owner doesn't seem to have any perspective on replacing cogs or chains.
One of the shops in my area is advertising their overhaul which they recommend
for any bike over two years old at $192.
Now maybe you think that's too much, I don't want to pay it, but sometimes it
costs a lot to have someone else do the things you should learn to do for
yourself. Whether that's a lot or not, that is what people are charging for this
kind of work nowadays. I'm not going to begrudge them.
>Don't tolerate this rip-off. Don't tolerate ANY rip-off. It will only
>encourage the theif to continue in his wicked ways. Take your business
>elsewhere!
I think the sales pitch especially on the future availability of parts rings
badly. That is not the same as a rip-off.
If it turns out that this bike has been well maintained with annual repacks and
chains and the cogs were replaced every other year, then the price starts
looking excessive. But if, as is certainly possible given the description, the
bike has been riden enough miles as to circle the globe without frequent
maintenance, the bill may be very reasonable. What would you charge to spend a
day with this bike?
This group is full of bitching about how there are so few real, professional
bike mechanics, and bitching about how much the shops charge. Gee, do you think
there's a relationship there.
Ron
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