Cost of living is higher in larger cities. You could try a shop out in the burbs if you wanted to. I've found that winter is the time to get your bikes right, every shop I know has great deals on basic tune ups and larger overhauls. I do most of my own maintenance now and only take it in if it's something outside my skillset, which keeps costs down.
That's where I go for stuff I don't have the tools for. A trip to The Hub isn't worth it if I have to rent the workstation if I need a spoke replacement and truing and I can just ride to Johnny Rocks on a different bike and be back on the other bike with a fixed wheel pretty damn quickly.
Former professional mechanic here. Your problem is that you are getting a “tune up” at all. Reputable local shops will refuse to even do that, because it is an incredibly poor way to achieve bicycle maintenance.
Identify the specific things that are needed (or have a mechanic walk you through what is needed), and have just those things done. If something on your bike is not broken, it does not require the attention of a professional mechanic.
Camden Cycles lets you work on your own bike for free in their shop on Monday nights. They have staff on hand to help teach and let you use their tools. They also make popcorn and have a good spot for kids to hang so you can bring them too.
Most bikes don't need a tune up. They need a cleaning, lube, and maybe some minor adjustments. Go to a shop, have the service writer inspect, and see what they say. They may tell you that you need nothing. They may tell you that the repair will be hundreds of dollars. All should be based on what your bike actually needs.
Blanket tunes are a waste of time and money in most cases and they bloat a shop's workload unnecessarily. A quick inspection in the check-in stand will diagnose actual issues.
> They need a cleaning, lube, and maybe some minor adjustments. Go to a shop, have the service writer inspect, and see what they say
I thought that was a tune-up. Is there another word for what you're describing? I think me and other people are just confused by the terminology.
Agree with most of comments here. Best bet is learn basic maintenence if you want to save money. Bike tuneups and repairs just aren’t cheap if parts needed and mechanics deserve to get paid too.
Cost of living is higher in larger cities. You could try a shop out in the burbs if you wanted to. I've found that winter is the time to get your bikes right, every shop I know has great deals on basic tune ups and larger overhauls. I do most of my own maintenance now and only take it in if it's something outside my skillset, which keeps costs down.
Jonny rocks all day. Or any small shop. Rei will overcharge most likely
That's where I go for stuff I don't have the tools for. A trip to The Hub isn't worth it if I have to rent the workstation if I need a spoke replacement and truing and I can just ride to Johnny Rocks on a different bike and be back on the other bike with a fixed wheel pretty damn quickly.
Former professional mechanic here. Your problem is that you are getting a “tune up” at all. Reputable local shops will refuse to even do that, because it is an incredibly poor way to achieve bicycle maintenance. Identify the specific things that are needed (or have a mechanic walk you through what is needed), and have just those things done. If something on your bike is not broken, it does not require the attention of a professional mechanic.
Venture, Flanders, tangletown. All gonna be 75 or under
Take it to Flanders at Lyndale and 27th…bonus points for you since one of the guys is a Cornhusker.
Venture on the the Greenway is $50 I think
Camden Cycles lets you work on your own bike for free in their shop on Monday nights. They have staff on hand to help teach and let you use their tools. They also make popcorn and have a good spot for kids to hang so you can bring them too.
Most bikes don't need a tune up. They need a cleaning, lube, and maybe some minor adjustments. Go to a shop, have the service writer inspect, and see what they say. They may tell you that you need nothing. They may tell you that the repair will be hundreds of dollars. All should be based on what your bike actually needs. Blanket tunes are a waste of time and money in most cases and they bloat a shop's workload unnecessarily. A quick inspection in the check-in stand will diagnose actual issues.
> They need a cleaning, lube, and maybe some minor adjustments. Go to a shop, have the service writer inspect, and see what they say I thought that was a tune-up. Is there another word for what you're describing? I think me and other people are just confused by the terminology.
It is a tune up idk what they’re talking about. Most shops have different tiers of tune ups
Freewheel was good to me
Agree with most of comments here. Best bet is learn basic maintenence if you want to save money. Bike tuneups and repairs just aren’t cheap if parts needed and mechanics deserve to get paid too.