CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff

Annual service costs?

(37 posts)

No tags yet.


12

  1. DaveC
    Member

    I'm starting this as I've been tweeting with a few on here (offline - sorry chdot). So to summerise...

    I'm having my ~2006 (I've owned for a year) Dawes Galaxy serviced locally as its looking tired and had a couple of nocks recently. I'm having a main service £65 plus new brakes pads, cassette, chain and rim on the rear (incl spokes and wheel rebuild).

    Its costing me ~£210 all in but will require a new rim on the front soon as I don't know how long its been on the road. I'm holding off for now as I want a Dynamo hub in the wheel build so may as well buy that then get the new wheel built up at the same time around that instead of the current normal front hib.

    Others on here with more expensive bikes are opting for new bikes as annual serv costs are VERY expensive, like max cycle to work scheme money apparently!! Wow!!

    So who services there bikes annually, themselves, at local shops, and how much do you think you spend?

    Dave C

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    It'll be interesting to see the results of this. I can't help myself - I guess I service each bike properly roughly annually (did the Kaff the other week since I was changing brakes and cables anyway). But in the main it's ongoing 'replace as needed' on stuff, so in general there's never a big one-off annual cost.

    I'll bet I don't save any money though!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I think baldcyclist may have stimulated this conversation on Twitter? I like his idea of keeping a running spreadsheet of costs for the year - because other than that I don't know how I could keep tabs!

    Hoping that "this year" the bike won't need anything more than tyres, cassettes, chains, brake blocks, a re-cable and probably a new rear derailleur.

    It got a new front derailleur, reclaimed front chainring, numberous cassettes and chains, bottom bracket, wheelset, 1 x set of tyres and a rack last year, but some of that was more finishing building the bike to how I wanted it, rather than just maintenance - a lot of the bits that went on when I built it up in March / April were already quite old.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. wingpig
    Member

    Again prompted by tweets, I'm going to try and keep track of non-optional-upgrade bike-related spending this year, even perhaps assigning the cost of things installed this year but bought last year (or the year before, in the case of one pair of brake pads I'd forgotten I'd bought too many of). Rough estimate for normalbike for last year is £250 including consumables (liquid, rubber, chromoplastic, stainless steel) but not including upsidewaysgrades like switching to clipsypedals. Seems quite high considering the cost of the bike but last year saw at least both tyres, the rear wheel, the drivetrain, the front mech, the computer and one mudguard failing, wearing out or being lost.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. kaputnik
    Moderator

    how did you lose your drive train?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Morningsider
    Member

    DaveC - would it not be cheaper to buy new wheels? Not sure what you have at present, but £200 would get you a fairly decent set.

    I tend to find that brake pads need replaced about 4 times a year, cables probably annually, wheels every 4/5 years, tyres every 3/4 years, drivetrain every 2/3 years. Then there is lube, cleaners, degreasers, inner tubes etc. I've never totalled it up, but would reckon on an average of about £150 per year. Could be wildly wrong on that though - little bike treats have a habit of slipping through my usually strict spending controls.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. DaveC
    Member

    Hi Morningsider,

    I'd be interested to see the spec for two wheels (not including a cassette) for ~£200. My build for instance:

    New rim, Mavic Open Sport - £30
    Spokes ~£15 (x36)
    Build - £30
    (no postage as I'm collecting in person - next twon along from me)

    Thats ~£75 right there.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. Roibeard
    Member

    I'm with Morningsider in simply buying wheels, usually after catastrophic failure! That said, I've never had a good enough hub to make the rebuild worthwhile. (Changed with the Pino purchase, but that has disc "breaks" so no rim wear.)

    That means I do have a few hubs around that could perhaps be rebuilt as part of the postulated wheel building course!

    Oh, and I'm with Anth that things only get serviced if they need it, and usually by myself. Nothing deluxe, just the occasional oil or recable, but I have replaced the ball bearings on two bits of the Norco commuter in the last 18 months - never needed that in the entire life of the EBC hack prior to that!

    Robert

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. DaveC
    Member

    Wow Spa are very competetive... £75 for Rigida Sputnik/Snyper or Exal L17 on a Deore M530 Hub.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. wingpig
    Member

    @kaputnik The chain, cassette and chainrings ground each other into little pieces which got lost down the drain when I thought I was just washing off muck.

    @Morningsider I assume you're counting the replacement of a single brake pad as one brake-pad replacement-event? Also what are these tyres which can last 3/4 years?

    @DaveC for about £50 I built my rear wheel with a Tiagra freehub, DT spokes (DB, SS) and a Mavic CXP23 rim.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. crowriver
    Member

    Oh this is a tough one. I have a bit of upgrade-itis on my bikes so it is difficult to specify essential maintenance/replacement costs over the past year. I'd separate out getting a 2nd hand (or new) bike to the state of upgrade/sidegrade you are comfortable with (for the moment at least) with essential safety/preventative maintenance.

    My spend is usually just tubes, lube, grease, blocks, cables if needed. Had to replace the cantis on my Raleigh Pioneer as the spring retainer shells got cracked somehow: not expensive. Put the hybrid in for a service at Eastside last summer before going cycle camping: wheel truing, plus all the safety checks, cable adjusting etc. Again not expensive.

    Can't decide whether to service all the bearings on my Raleigh Pioneer myself (do I have the time/skills?) or put it into the shop. Between 50 and 70 quid depending on whether I ask them to just service some stuff or essentially strip, clean, lube/grease and rebuild the whole bike.

    @DaveC, Spa Cycles will hand build you a dynamo hub front wheel with choice of several rims from £75 upwards inclusive of all hardware. Not bad! Oh I see you've already noticed! :-) Check their Dynamo lighting section, the dynamo wheel builds are in there.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm very happy with the Tiagra freehub on my Openpros. Beyond that price bracket I get the distinct impression I'd only be paying to shave some grams off the weight of the thing or to increase claims of lowered rolling resistance or something. Not really what I need to be spending money on for a commuting / all-purpose sorta bike.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Oh dear, what have I done...
    I've decided to keep a spreadsheet this year of what I spend on bikes - more out of interest, than justification or anything like that.

    Last Year I don't really know what I spent on servicing etc, only the big ticket things:
    2011:
    SRAM Force groupset: £640 fitted
    Mavic open pro wheels on hope hubs : £300
    Replace broken (Cervelo specific) seatpost £175

    Those are things I remember, on top of that I go through...
    Conti Gatorskins x 2 every 9 months
    Tubes whenever they go (I don't patch), 4 - 6 per year?
    Chain/Cassette replaced every 3 to 4 months.
    What ever other stuff/tools etc...

    In fairness though, aside from chain/cassette, the groupset and wheels will last a number of years, so last year was just especially expensive.

    This year so far (from spread sheet):
    Front mech service: £5
    New bar tape: £12
    Chain tool thingmy: £8
    Second hand pedals for new bike: £30

    Unfortunately this year will be expensive too, as I am getting a new bike which will only be used as a commuter.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. crowriver
    Member

    Chain/Cassette replaced every 3 to 4 months.

    That's pretty frequent! You must be putting a lot of miles in!

    Oh I forgot to add this year's first essential replacement: a new front dynamo lamp for the folder to swap for the one that snapped off its mount when I fell off. 17 quid.

    Next is probably servicing the bearings on the Raleigh Pioneer.

    Luckily/unluckily I don't really have expensive bikes so when components need replacing it's usually quite reasonable. Fanciest bike is probably the Kona Ute, which for many cyclists would be a contradiction in terms I'm sure!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. DaveC
    Member

    @wingpig. I can see how shopping at Rose bikes could get you the parts for ~£50 but I don't have the knowledge or skills to build a wheel from scratch and I don't have a spare £50 at the moment to buy the parts. Plus the thread on Dave's self build class appears to be dragging on with no date set, last time I looked. Though that said I'd still love to learn how to do it and all being well a rebuild for practice would only be the cost of a set of new spokes.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. LivM
    Member

    I was thinking a few weeks ago that someone should make an App (iPhone/Android...) for tracking bike maintenance. I have two bikes and I am completely useless at remembering when I bought that tyre, or when my last puncture was, or when I last changed my brake blocks. Anyone know of any appropriate app (or has the Skillz to make one?!)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  17. gembo
    Member

    What is the point of twitter? If it generates enough heat it can become a thread? Anytime I go into local bike shop I am looking at 100 pound multiples probably 600 last year but was expensive year. Apps and spreadsheets good but may tell you what you don't want to know. It is expensive to commute well on a bicycle either financially or in terms of your own time. My view tho is that it is money well spent.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  18. ExcitableBoy
    Member

    As Anth says this is interesting I wish I'd kept a tally from New Year.
    I'm very much a keep it going til it will go no more and then try and replace it myself. However, I have spent quite a bit this year so far on extra lights - just 'cos I fancied them, cables, brake pads etc (so they're there when I need them), new gloves, spokes x2, and spoke key (old one didn't fit) - but main outlay was a new bike for my daughter, who managed to triple what she'd have had spent on her birthday present, by asking for a new bike. Due to be collected on Saturday, which is almost as exciting as a new bike for myself.
    While I now seem to have 4+ bikes on the go, the BadBoy does many more miles than the rest. I have now had it for two years. It has done approx. 7000+ miles and all I've done is oiled the chain, regreased the jockey wheels, replaced the brake pads, and one or two new inner-tubes. [That said, it will soon need a new chain, rear cassette and 2 tyres].

    Posted 12 years ago #

  19. crowriver
    Member

    Anyone know of any appropriate app (or has the Skillz to make one?!)

    Hmm. Maybe a clipboard, hung on a nail in the garage/shed/hall, with paper log sheets for each bike? Column entries: date, repair, cost, notes.

    Everything can be hand written in pen/pencil, or one could run up a template in Word/Pages and print off as many as one requires.

    Attach a pencil/biro on string to clipboard with sticky tape.

    Voila! One 'app'. Skills required: P3 reading and writing level approximately. :-D

    If this is too simple, collating the data into a spreadsheet on a computer will aid analysis of costs, peak times, etc.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  20. wingpig
    Member

    "Apps and spreadsheets good but may tell you what you don't want to know."

    What I would really never ever want to see is a printout of everything logged against my name from EBC's till system.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  21. gembo
    Member

    They can do that quite easily. Can lead to more civility in the intercourse.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  22. crowriver
    Member

    fleaBay makes it all too easy to see what you've been spending over the past 60 days.....sans post and packing, mind you. Can get scary if you've been having a parts/accessories upgrade frenzy!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  23. Nelly
    Member

    I 'thought' I spent next to nothing, but its just kidding myself. Even on my 'zero maintenance' SS commuter, 2xgatorskins, bar tape, new BB, new chain last 12 months.

    Sure I spend more on lycra, lights and stuff.

    That said, I am of the view that each bike will be gradually rebuilt as time goes on - only serious issues (bb shell will last another year max on SS ) necessitate purchasing new frames etc.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  24. alibali
    Member

    @LivD

    If you want to track such stuff on the go and want to avoid the data sink that is paper and pencil, you could install Google Docs (free on a Droid) and use its spreadsheet or use the Web App spreadsheets from Google or Microsoft (free on anything with a browser).

    Might be a market for a cycle specific app though, there are lots for cars/motor bikes/planes etc but they all seem to major on scheduling tasks. Sounds like cyclists mostly fix things as they break or stop working well...

    Posted 12 years ago #

  25. chdot
    Admin

    "I was thinking a few weeks ago that someone should make an App (iPhone/Android...) for tracking bike maintenance."

    What would you actually want it to do that an expenses app won't handle?

    There are lots of app some free - but most are "lite" with payment required for inputting more items or for extra functions.

    Found this today -

    http://lemon.com/download

    All main mobile platforms. You can photograph receipts (they are OCRed) or manually input info. Keeps photos on-line. Can send reports too.

    Upgrade options for extra functions but free version looks useful.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  26. ruggtomcat
    Member

    just put mine in for its first service today, its gonna get a new cassette and chain at least, fingers crossed for the rest...

    I actually said 'look after my baby' as I left the shop #fail

    Posted 12 years ago #

  27. Its_Me_Knees
    Member

    @Gembo It is expensive to commute well on a bicycle either financially or in terms of your own time.

    I take it that's referring to the absolute cost of commuting by bike. The cost relative to running a car on the same commute must surely be cheap, isn't it..(he asked hopefully, having not dared look at what he'd spent over the last year on bike related stuff...)?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  28. gembo
    Member

    @IMK - generally Yes you are correct. Relative cost to running a car is low. However, my old gaffer ran an ancient fiat punto on little fuel and fixed in lock-up near the canal. Took us both all round Edinburgh. He claimed his essential car users allowance and may therefore have been making money out of it. Chapeau. So there can be exceptions. I hadn't considered this until now always assuming my bike was cheaper than a car. Now I will say most cars.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  29. wingpig
    Member

    My wife's car recently demanded new front shock absorbers which cost about as much as my bike-service charges for last year minus the new tyres.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  30. gembo
    Member

    Yes my old gaffer did not go in for shock absorbers. Car parked on slope to give it a chance of starting too.

    Posted 12 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

12

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin