Push bike servicing in Canberra.. Who does it best?

Solidarity said :

People pay to have their bike serviced? WTF?

Bit of grease on the movey bits, replace tyres and brake pads when needed and you’re done!

I should start a business that “services” mobile phones. Not fixing them, but y’know, “giving the software a tune up”

Suckers.

Cool – so can I come to you to service my forks? Or bleed my hydraulic brakes, build me a new wheel set, run new brake and gear cables, sort out why the gears aren’t shifting into all cogs, replace the bottom bracket, repack the bearings in the hubs? And on top of all these – make sure that the parts you are using are the correct parts?

Didn’t think so.

People pay to have their bike serviced? WTF?

Bit of grease on the movey bits, replace tyres and brake pads when needed and you’re done!

I should start a business that “services” mobile phones. Not fixing them, but y’know, “giving the software a tune up”

Suckers.

It’s coming up school fete season. Last year at the Aranda primary school fete there was a bunch of guys drinking beer and doing a basic bike service for $5.
It was totally awesome.

Learn to do it yourself, in a case of emergency it is a handy skillset.

The state forest is on fire, the dams about to burst, the refinery is destroyed and people are rioting in the streets and the Army is powerless to stop them……PBO, what do we do?

PBO: Hmmmmm, this is a tricky one. Let me think back to my bicycle repair training………….

Another on the list to check out is Monkey Wrench Cycles in Hackett Shops. They have price lists on their website and outline what you will be getting for your money. The guys that run the shop have been in the business for a long time and are super friendly. Worth giving a shot.

Cycle Surgery (Simon) has been servicing my bikes for the last few years and I’m very happy.
I’m amazed at how good his pricing is, quite often on par with overseas online stores.

I was very happy with the work, price and friendliness of the guys at Monkey Wrench at Hackett shops. They have all the parts and accessories but I don’t think they stock new bikes so they won’t try to talk you into an upgrade. If you want a new bike they are probably a good source of independent advice. http://monkeywrenchcycles.com.au/ Great coffee next door into the bargain.

Jerry Atric said :

Another point : where can you pump up tyres these days? The fancy electronic pumps at the service stations don’t work.

50-100 will get you a track pump. Very little physical strength required.

Jerry Atric said :

Another point : where can you pump up tyres these days? The fancy electronic pumps at the service stations don’t work.

Are you serious? Perhaps your education is lacking. So, let me enhance it for you. Scattered throughout Canberra are a number of retail establishments, some known as bike shops, some purveyors of general discount merchandise, such as BigW. They sell wondrous inventions called bike pumps, that with a little elbow grease and application of just a teaspoon of commonsense, will fill your tyres with litres and litres of air, such that under pressure it aids your bicycle to roll carefree and effortlessly along the highways and byways of Canberra.

PantsMan said :

Don’t go to Lonsdale St Cyclery.

+1 for avoiding these guys. I took a bike there once to get a disc brake changed over. $10 job anywhere else in canberra. I was very specific about what I wanted done and made sure this was written on the store ticket. during the day they took the liberty of changing the headset spacer without consulting me at a cost of $50! they then tried to tell me they had to do this because they couldnt let me ride the bike out of there safely without having done this. note this was over a year ago and I did get the matter sorted out by the main store manager at the time. but won’t go back to anyone who so blatantly tries to rip customers off.

Ride Shop in Braddon and Bike Culture at O’Connor are my favourites. Agree with PantsMan that Lonsdale Street Cyclery is best avoided.

Jerry Atric said :

Another point : where can you pump up tyres these days? The fancy electronic pumps at the service stations don’t work.

I have used them a few times. Try the “flat tyre” button if they have one – it starts pumping straight away instead of waiting for some pressure from the tyre. Just be careful to take it off quick smart, particularly if you have skinny tyres – the machines pump a large volume of air fast.

Other options – Pop into your LBS and ask if you can borrow their floor/track pump. If they say “sure” then consider getting your bike serviced there. If they say no/try to make you pay – they’re a bit tight and probably best avoided. 😉

Or buy your own track pump. You can get an OK ones online for like $30 delivered these days. Hell, your LBS might even have some OK cheapies. Bike tyres foten deflate a bit over a week or two, so the $30 is well spent. Then you can also top up your barrow / pram / car tyres (thoug cars take a few minutes.!)

Jethro said :

I also use the Cycle Surgery at Florey. He has a nice dog.

Nice thing about Cycle Surgery is that there’s no appointment needed. You drop off the bike, and normally a couple of working days later it’s ready to collect. It’s not uncommon for many other places to have waiting times of a month or more.

Having not ridden for some years (hips now made of steel) I have left my old bike at the Surgery for a spruce up. The dog is OK. I went there because anyway else refused to touch an old bike, especially if it hadn’t been bought from them.

Another point : where can you pump up tyres these days? The fancy electronic pumps at the service stations don’t work.

You could consider just checking the tyres are pumped up, the brakes pull you up and the gears change when you flick the levers. If they were working when you last got off it, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be working now. A good squirt of light oil on the chain if it’s a bit dry might be needed.

If a test ride throws up any problems, sure, get it serviced, but don’t waste your money on something you probably don’t need.

I also use the Cycle Surgery at Florey. He has a nice dog.

Thanks so much for all the responses, I was initially looking at going to Pushys as thats where I got my bike from, but I’m on the north side and really close to the Cycle Surgery, so I’ll give him a go!! Thanks for the heads up on who to avoid too! 😛

Don’t go to Lonsdale St Cyclery
I went in there once and asked if they a different length quill stem. Any other bike shop would have said “Yes, we’ve got an old one out the back you can have for $20.” They said: “People don’t really use those anymore, you’d be better off buying a new bike.”

Went in and asked if they had a Campagnolo bottom bracket. They said: “Errrrr Campagnolo, we’re trying to get rid of that stuff,” before offering to order one in for me for around $250-$300.

Wanted a seat, they advised the only one I would ever contemplate buying was their $159 job. Went over the road and bought a titanium-railed one for $80.

A friend took her $50 student bike in for a quote on a service. $400 plus.

Last time I got mine serviced was at the Ride Shop in Braddon I think, I’ve also had one serviced at a store near David Jones (can’t remember the name now). Both times were fine from memory.

Guess it depends on where you live, app_2013, but I have been doing all my bike ‘stuff’ with TLC Cycles in Woden for yonks (32 Botany St, next to Repco), and they have been consistently good, and reasonably priced.

Good luck with taking up the cycling craze – you may need to stay well clear of some fellow Rioters 🙂

Your local bike store would be as good as the one on the other side of town. Best talk to your LBS and see what they say.
My local shop is Cycle Surgery at the Florey Shops, run by Simon, a one man band and I am happy with him.