Best value priced shop/mechanic for tune up on Trek FX 7.4

[Judd]

A tune up at Bikenetic will cost you $65 or $95 bucks depending on what the bike needs. They’re a biker’s bike shop kind of place and they won’t try to sell you any service or parts that you don’t need.

[Greenbelt]

A good shop will give you a free estimate after fully inspecting the bike — sometimes a bike doesn’t really need a full tuneup, but instead needs a specific new part, like a new bottom bracket. Note also that tuneup prices reflect labor time to adjust brakes, shifting, truing wheels etc., but don’t usually reflect cost of new parts needed (cable housings, chain or cassette etc.) Agree with Judd that shops that serve lots of commuters often best for repair of hard-working bikes. -Jeff

[LhasaCM]

@Daekwan 165594 wrote:

Good morning fellow riders,

I have a Trek FX 7.4 that was bought new in 2015. I use it weekly to commute 5 miles roundtrip to the metro station, where its locked up in a bike locker during the day. The first year or two of ownership was bliss.. but now in my 3rd year the bike just feels slower, heavier and bulky. I have no doubt many of these issues can be fixed with a tuneup by a good bike shop or mechanic.. but I’m also hoping not to pay $100 or more for this service. Ideally I’d like someone to go over the bike and adjust the drivetrain and brakes, a quick cleanup and let me know if anything has been broken or needs to be replaced. Rather than fool around for hours on youtube guessing how to do this myself.. I’d like to pay a professional.

Just hoping to keep the price reasonable!

Did you have a particular location/part of the metro area in mind? That pricing is pretty typical from what I’ve seen at area shops (including the great folks at Bikenetic Judd mentioned), so a better question might be “where’s a good shop to get service close to _____?”

[Daekwan]

@LhasaCM 165601 wrote:

Did you have a particular location/part of the metro area in mind? That pricing is pretty typical from what I’ve seen at area shops (including the great folks at Bikenetic Judd mentioned), so a better question might be “where’s a good shop to get service close to _____?”

I live in Bowie, MD.. but work in Washington, DC. So Im in DC almost everyday of the week. I dont mind traveling a little bit to get the best service for the money. More than anything I just a shop to go over the bike, get it running like new again and not try to upsell me on bunch of unnecessary stuff. The bike was fine as is on day 1.. and should be fine as is on day 900.. with the proper TLC and service. I’m pretty much open to any shop in DC or off the 495 beltway.

I actually bought the bike from Spokes in Alexandria, VA. But feel weary returning there for service as their quoted price for service is $120!!!!! But I believe the services they list.. are the ones that my bike will need after 3 years of ownership and weekly rides.

http://spokesetc.com/about/service-repair-center-pg1155.htm

Deluxe Tune-Up Package – $120*
*Parts are additional

Recommended in your owner’s manual, this package covers the periodic maintenance necessary to keep your bike in excellent riding condition based on normal usage. This package includes adjustments to all of the major systems, including:

Shifting system – derailleur and cable’s adjusted and lubed
Braking system – brake, brake pads and cable’s adjusted and lubed
Wheel system – hub adjustments, true and tension spokes
Tires – inspect for wear, properly adjust air pressure
Steering system – headset adjustment
Bottom Bracket – adjustment
Chain – inspected, wiped down and lubed

[LhasaCM]

@Daekwan 165604 wrote:

I live in Bowie, MD.. but work in Washington, DC. So Im in DC almost everyday of the week. I dont mind traveling a little bit to get the best service for the money. More than anything I just a shop to go over the bike, get it running like new again and not try to upsell me on bunch of unnecessary stuff. The bike was fine as is on day 1.. and should be fine as is on day 900.. with the proper TLC and service. I’m pretty much open to any shop in DC or off the 495 beltway.

As Jeff mentioned – I think any good shop would start off with a free estimate of what is/isn’t needed to determine if the bundled package is right for you or if you just need a few things from the a la carte menu. Honestly – I think it’s more important to find a place you’re comfortable with and is relatively convenient for you to get to as needed rather than saving a few bucks by travelling around the metro area, but that’s just me.

Closer to home for you – I’ve heard good things about the Family Bike Shop in Crofton – they may be worth checking out.

[Judd]

If you’re in Bowie, I’d recommend Proteus in College Park which has a fantastic reputation. It’s the bike shop that it seems most of my Maryland friends go to. According to their website, a basic tune up is $90. Like Jeff said, a good shop will throw your bike into the stand and look it over for free and tell you that you don’t need a full tune up if something else will take care of the issue.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Judd 165610 wrote:

If you’re in Bowie, I’d recommend Proteus in College Park which has a fantastic reputation. It’s the bike shop that it seems most of my Maryland friends go to. According to their website, a basic tune up is $90. Like Jeff said, a good shop will throw your bike into the stand and look it over for free and tell you that you don’t need a full tune up if something else will take care of the issue.

I would just caveat that by adding you probably shouldn’t just say “my bike needs a tuneup”…I think even good shops will just give you what you ask for in that situation. If you can point to a certain issue, then also say “and please also check out xyz” you may get better results.

[Crickey7]

If you’re using that puppy five days a week, you need to show it some love. Seriously, don’t get fixated on a price point, since you’re amortizing it pretty quickly. Fixate on doing what needs to be done so that you’ll be happy riding it and it won’t break on you.

[Daekwan]

@Judd 165610 wrote:

If you’re in Bowie, I’d recommend Proteus in College Park which has a fantastic reputation. It’s the bike shop that it seems most of my Maryland friends go to. According to their website, a basic tune up is $90. Like Jeff said, a good shop will throw your bike into the stand and look it over for free and tell you that you don’t need a full tune up if something else will take care of the issue.

Thanks that one is much closer. Like about 10min from my house!

@TwoWheelsDC 165611 wrote:

I would just caveat that by adding you probably shouldn’t just say “my bike needs a tuneup”…I think even good shops will just give you what you ask for in that situation. If you can point to a certain issue, then also say “and please also check out xyz” you may get better results.

Just went over the bike myself and the right pad from the rear linear brake is sticking to the rim. That explains why the bike feels sluggish. Im embarrassed to even think how long that pad had been dragging me down. I fiddled around with it for 30mins or so.. but still can’t figure it out. Oh well I’d like the both f/r brakes looked over.. and I’ve noticed when shifting it now a delay and hops up one, even two gears. Definitely needs some TLC!

[Kitty]

Hello fellow everyday commuter rider! I’m not going to dispute what the others have said about going to a shop like Proteous, asking them to look it over and go from there.

As a daily commuter myself of similar distance, that time out the in elements can really add up. It’s not just rain, but dust, road oil etc. combine with the general wear and tear of using it everyday. I personally think its worth it to pay for a full tune up once a year (usually in the fall or winter when some shops have “off-season pricing”) so I have the piece of mind that the ride is good to go for another year.
(Note: This was before I started doing serious distance on the same bike… now I beat her up a lot more, but off-set it with weekly maintenance on my own :rolleyes:)

From there, I’ve learned that after developing a relationship with my local bike shop, if something is off/not riding right I can just take it in and ask them to look at it. 9 times out of 10 they can make the adjustment and I’m out the door free of charge.

Anyhoo, the 7.4 is a great bike with some nice components, so I want to hear that its all fixed up and working for you again.

[Emm]

@Kitty 165649 wrote:

As a daily commuter myself of similar distance, that time out the in elements can really add up. It’s not just rain, but dust, road oil etc. combine with the general wear and tear of using it everyday. I personally think its worth it to pay for a full tune up once a year (usually in the fall or winter when some shops have “off-season pricing”) so I have the piece of mind that the ride is good to go for another year.

Agreed with Kitty. Over 3 years of riding daily, you’ve likely beaten the bike up, which is normal. But it’s good to have a professional check it out annually if you’re not super-bike savy. I generally need a new chain and cassette every 18-24 months at least. Plus cables eventually get worn out fray, wheels go out of true, brake pads need replacing, along with all sorts of other fun stuff that needs adjusting. I think I usually pay about $100 a year to tune up my commuter during the off-season, and every other year I end up coughing up closer to $200-300 when I need replacement parts since at least in my case, everything seems to break at once. My commute is much longer than yours though, so I likely go through parts much quicker than you do.

If you’d like to save money in the long term though, you can take basic maintenance classes at some of the local bike shops, REI, and some of the bike co-ops like Velocity. I think those would definitely be worth it if you’re concerned about spending too much $.

[vern]

@Daekwan 165604 wrote:

I live in Bowie, MD.. but work in Washington, DC. So Im in DC almost everyday of the week. I dont mind traveling a little bit to get the best service for the money. More than anything I just a shop to go over the bike, get it running like new again and not try to upsell me on bunch of unnecessary stuff. The bike was fine as is on day 1.. and should be fine as is on day 900.. with the proper TLC and service. I’m pretty much open to any shop in DC or off the 495 beltway.

I actually bought the bike from Spokes in Alexandria, VA. But feel weary returning there for service as their quoted price for service is $120!!!!! But I believe the services they list.. are the ones that my bike will need after 3 years of ownership and weekly rides.

http://spokesetc.com/about/service-repair-center-pg1155.htm

Deluxe Tune-Up Package – $120*
*Parts are additional

Recommended in your owner’s manual, this package covers the periodic maintenance necessary to keep your bike in excellent riding condition based on normal usage. This package includes adjustments to all of the major systems, including:

Shifting system – derailleur and cable’s adjusted and lubed
Braking system – brake, brake pads and cable’s adjusted and lubed
Wheel system – hub adjustments, true and tension spokes
Tires – inspect for wear, properly adjust air pressure
Steering system – headset adjustment
Bottom Bracket – adjustment
Chain – inspected, wiped down and lubed

So, you haven’t serviced your bike for 3 years and see a quote for $120 to provide the maintenance you need. That averages out to $40 per year for maintenance. Honestly, what are you complaining about?

[huskerdont]

If the $120 is a hardship and not just more than you want to pay, you might consider getting a bike repair book* and learning to do some of this yourself. Bikes do need some love over the miles and years to continue functioning optimally.

As for shops, since you said you work downtown, BicycleSpace has been good to me over the years when I’ve had problems that I wasn’t equipped to handle at work.

*youtube videos and online sites are great too, but I really like having a book that I can open up next to the bike I’m working on.

[Judd]

@vern 165667 wrote:

So, you haven’t serviced your bike for 3 years

It would be pretty sweet if I could make it three years without any maintenance. I would settle for just having my bikes not all break at the same time, always. A few months ago, I had four bikes all that had some sort of mechanical issue at the same time.

[huskerdont]

@Judd 165669 wrote:

It would be pretty sweet if I could make it three years without any maintenance. I would settle for just having my bikes not all break at the same time, always. A few months ago, I had four bikes all that had some sort of mechanical issue at the same time.

Dude you ride like 15k a year.

[Author]

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