Bike shop assembly estimate?

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mvcap
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:50 pm

by mvcap

I know, takes all the fun out of a new build, but what would I expect to pay for a shop to just assemble a bike for me if I have all the parts? Any ideas? It is just a question of can I wait the extra time to do it at home vs maybe have it done faster. The home build route would no doubt be more educational, I realize!

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bilwit
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Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

Asking your bike shop for a quote/estimate would give you a better idea if it's worth it or not.

IMO whatever it is it isn't worth it, don't know about you but the LBS around here will charge you an arm and a leg and take forever to do the simplest of things (over $40 and a couple of days to trim a steerer tube when given just the fork, over $80 and a week to change a headset, etc). I avoid going to the LBS at all costs unless it's absolutely something I can't do myself, so my advice is to get specific things like BB (pressfit), headset, etc done at the shop and do the rest yourself, should save you a pretty penny.

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GothicCastle
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Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:52 am

by GothicCastle

My local shop (in Brooklyn, NY) charges $250 for a build from a bare frame, and a bit more for a DI2 build.

morganb
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Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 5:30 pm

by morganb

In my experience from working in shops, this varies massively depending on if you bought most of the parts there.

Kaboom
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Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:53 pm

by Kaboom

man you guys are getting GOUGED!
Granted I live in Spain (and I do most of my own wrenching) but about a month ago I payed 15€ to get my crankset swapped. Another 15 to transfer a lower bearing race from one fork to another. If you buy a set of pads they get installed for free. I get it cleaned adjusted and lubed about once a month and for another 15€ and they do a great job of it too. I do buy stuff there (but certainly not most of it) and I'm
I don't know how much they'd charge to build a bike form the ground up, but I sure as HELL would not pay 250€ to have a shop do it. At that price I'd be looking at buying the few tools I lack that still require me to go to a shop, like a bb press and a few other doo-hickeys and I'd still have some cash left to throw at the bike.
Last edited by Kaboom on Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

wingguy
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Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

morganb wrote:In my experience from working in shops, this varies massively depending on if you bought most of the parts there.

Exactly. A lot of shops will view a bike bought on the web as a lost sale and will charge a lot for the build to de-incentivise the online purchase. Others have accepted that the ship has sailed and are pricing competitively so their workshops stay super busy building and servicing mail order bikes.

Make a few phone calls and figure out which type of shops you have near you.

Donic
Posts: 64
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2010 6:54 am
Location: Thailand

by Donic

I just had my bike build and paid ~25$ (Thailand).

ntb1001
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:38 pm

by ntb1001

I like to do my own wrenching...but sometimes it's just easier to use the shop.
My last build I had all the parts (Campy EPS) transferred from one bike to the new frame and set up. I was charged $150.00...I thought that was a good deal.

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fa63
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Location: Atlanta, GA, US

by fa63

The shop in Atlanta where I help my buddy (owner) out on the weekends charges between $100 and $200, depending on the complexity of the build.

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havana
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by havana

100-150€ here in The Netherlands.
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gravity
Posts: 657
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 10:01 am

by gravity

My LBS will charge MYR 150-200 for a complete build. Dollar to dollar -- it is about the same. But if we were to convert to USD, it would amount to USD 40 - 50 only. Perhaps it's USD250 for this service is because the living cost there is also very expensive.

I once had a clicking issue where I thought it was my pedal. Went to a couple of LBS, paid them but problem persist. The 3rd LBS I went took an extra effort to ride my bike, see first hand what the problem was and finally resolved it -- it was my worn chain. I paid good money for this. I would've paid more actually. If it's a good quality service and solve your problem, the fee is considered cheap in comparison.

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FIJIGabe
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Location: The Lone Star State

by FIJIGabe

morganb wrote:In my experience from working in shops, this varies massively depending on if you bought most of the parts there.


And also the number of shops that serve the area. I learned to wrench on my bikes after my wife was gouged on bar tape to the tune of $60, installed (yes, Lizard Skin, but $20 for bar tape install is robbery). After that, I bought my own set of tools and got started.

If in the US, I think the going rate for bike building is $150-200, but if you only have one shop, or shops that work together, in the area, expect to pay more.

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Asteroid
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Location: Los Angeles, California

by Asteroid

FIJIGabe wrote:
And also the number of shops that serve the area. I learned to wrench on my bikes after my wife was gouged on bar tape to the tune of $60, installed (yes, Lizard Skin, but $20 for bar tape install is robbery). After that, I bought my own set of tools and got started.

If in the US, I think the going rate for bike building is $150-200, but if you only have one shop, or shops that work together, in the area, expect to pay more.


I agree with your build estimate of $150-200, but the $20 charge to install bar tape is hardly a gouge.
Especially if the mechanic needs to remove the old stuff.
With bare bars and meticulously done, my guess puts it at twenty minutes, including writing up the ticket and arranging on the stand.
Obviously something easy for somebody to do themselves. Glad it became the impetus for you to do your own wrenching. :beerchug:
Oldbie

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FIJIGabe
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Location: The Lone Star State

by FIJIGabe

Considering I had paid $30 for the same job with the same tape from another shop, not two months before (I moved, which is why I couldn't go back to the old shop), I felt a little gouged. She had to have the tape replaced because it was torn up during a crash on a shop ride. $40 for tape, $20 for install. Now, I get tape when it's on clearance, and do it myself (same with BB's, chains, etc...)

RussellS
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Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:31 am

by RussellS

Agree with the other post. $20 for installing tape, and removing old tape, is not outrageous. In the USA anyway. Figure the employees are paid $25,000 per year salary, hourly. That is about $12 per hour for them to be in the shop. The shop has to cover its operating costs, utilities, property taxes. So add on 100% mark up to labor. Now at $24 per hour. Figure it took half hour to do the entire job if he was quick and that was his only job going. You were charged $20 for the half hour job. Charged $40 per hour basically. $40 minus $24 labor and operating costs leaves $16 per hour for profit and state income tax. Net of $12 for the shop owner. $12 per hour profit? You can live on it, but not too high on the hog.

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