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$30 fork swap

2K views 28 replies 19 participants last post by  dundundata 
#1 ·
is $30 a good price for labor for a fork swap?
 
#2 ·
I wouldn't quibble about $30 for a fork swap, especially if a disc brake is involved.

You're paying the shop for their time. You're paying them to accept liability for a mistake. You're paying for them to have the right tools.

I swap my own forks around, but I'm willing to risk dinging the paint and possibly breaking my crown race through my use of the hammer-and-screwdriver method of crown race removal.
 
#4 ·
Crown race remover - park's cost $120
Crown race setter - Park's cost $60
Steere tube cutting guide - $30
Hack saw- $30
Star nut setter- $20
Allen keys to swap the brake and install the stem- $15

About an 1/2 to a full hour of time and $275 worth of tools to do it right. $30 is a pretty good deal, try to get a car dealer to spend an hour on you car for $30.
 
#5 ·
I just got through swapping the fork on my bike and its not to difficult. Just take things loose one by one and pay close attention to the way it is in order to put it back together. I would let the lbs deal with the crown race (only cost me 3 bucks to have it taken off and put back on, though it will likely cost you a little more).

Aside from that you can use a hacksaw to cut the steerer and a 5/8 inch socket to set the starnut.
 
#6 ·
You don't necessarily need the crown race tools to remove and replace it, they just make it less likely to damage something in the process. I've used the hammer and screwdriver method and it worked fine, I just took it slow. Installing the crown race onto the new fork is easy using a piece of PVC pipe.

It really is a straight forward process, especially if you're already somewhat mechanically inclined.

That said; $30 doesn't sound like a bad price to let someone else do it.
 
#7 ·
as a shop mechanic, i'll say that the $30 fork swap really doesn't make us a lot of money. the process takes about 15 minutes for someone who'se done it a time or ten. but when you get your fork back from a shop that knows what it is doing, pop the topcap off and look at the cut that was made to the steer tube. any decent shop and mechanic will reproduce a nearly perfect machine-like finish to that cut and more importantly that same level of detail to the job as a whole.
 
#12 ·
my shop charged me less then 1/2 that... but think thats the "club" price... after watching him I was confident enough to do it myself a few weeks later on my other bike...

all you need is a hex key set, a flat head screw driver (to remove the race), a vacuum cleaner tube (what I used to seat the race) and a mallet (in my case a bit of 2x4) for tapping the screw driver and the vacuum cleaner tube ;-)... oh and a dab of grease

was over at the shop last week and my shop guy swapped a fork for a buddy of mine... he got the old fork and happily proclaimed that it had a split race... the race literally has a small slit in it... can be removed with your hand and installed the same way.
 
#15 ·
forceyoda said:
Crown race remover - park's cost $120
Crown race setter - Park's cost $60
Steere tube cutting guide - $30
Hack saw- $30
Star nut setter- $20
Allen keys to swap the brake and install the stem- $15

About an 1/2 to a full hour of time and $275 worth of tools to do it right. $30 is a pretty good deal, try to get a car dealer to spend an hour on you car for $30.
or

Flathead screwdriver- 2$ hammer-you probably own one of those
steel pipe-FREE from junkyard
cutting guides? overrated
hacksaw- ok ill give you that one
nut setter-bolt and hammer
 
#16 ·
CdaleProph6 said:
or

Flathead screwdriver- 2$ hammer-you probably own one of those
steel pipe-FREE from junkyard
cutting guides? overrated
hacksaw- ok ill give you that one
nut setter-bolt and hammer
That sounds like a very easy way to ruin the fork or headset race. But if you have no plans on being able to sell any of it down the line or do not expect it to last more than a season then go for it.

It amazes me that people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on bikes and parts that are machined to exact tolerances but when it comes to putting it together right they think a steal pipe, hacksaw, hammer, and a screwdriver can take the place of the precision tools needed to install them correctly.
 
#17 ·
i apologize if i have upset you, but it can be done without the overpriced tools made by park and or the other brands. yea they are machined to exact tolerances but you can cut a steerer tube without the guide, you can take a race off a fork with a flathead and a hammer without ruining a fork, and you can install it on a new one without the pipe that park sells, substituting a plain old fashioned pipe from home depot.

it can be done without royally f-ing things up
 
#18 ·
$ally Hu$tle said:
sounds like you just need to find a good local bike shop..

I had my shop swap out my Fox 36 Van RC2 for a Fox 40 RC2 and they charged me 7 dollars for the whole thing.

Bribing with beer always helps.
It seems like an unspoken rule that if you show up with a pimp new fork and even the vauge promise of beer, you get a HUGE discount on the price of a fork swap. I think (as a sop mech myself) ts just one of those jobs that mechs actually look forward to the chance to doing, because you get to use some cool tools, work with a cool new parts, make a fair it of noise, and pretty much always have a very happy customer when yah get done.

That said, $30 isn't outlandish; it takes almost as much time as a "basic tune up". If the shop is real busy this time of year, they may not be able to sqeeze in "mechs choice" jobs without charging full price for the time.
 
#19 ·
forceyoda said:
It amazes me that people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on bikes and parts that are machined to exact tolerances but when it comes to putting it together right they think a steal pipe, hacksaw, hammer, and a screwdriver can take the place of the precision tools needed to install them correctly.
It's ok. I use a very expensive hammer. :drumroll:

fungazi said:
It seems like an unspoken rule that if you show up with a pimp new fork and even the vauge promise of beer, you get a HUGE discount on the price of a fork swap.
I've never understood this beer thing. Does anyone, ever, try to pay their mechanic with beer? I would feel like I was insulting mine were I to trivialize his work by offering beer rather than cash. He does work. I pay him--with money.
 
#20 ·
JonathanGennick said:
I've never understood this beer thing. Does anyone, ever, try to pay their mechanic with beer? I would feel like I was insulting mine were I to trivialize his work by offering beer rather than cash. He does work. I pay him--with money.
Well, there has to already be some relationship, preferably one that invovles some riding and drinking. Its not that you are paying them with beer; its that they are already inclined to do the work for free (because you are a frequent customer and riding buddy) and you feel inclined to provide a gift.

Beer isn't always the best bet though. Offering to buy them lunch or dinner is a good call; busy mechs don't always have time to run out for food, or will forget it because they are in the zone. I've known a few customers to buy lunch for the whole shop, when it was clear we were busy and needed to squeeze in a big job for them.

Or, as in my case, if the mech doesn't have a car, inviting them to go for a ride on trail they wouldn't normally be able to get to is cool. At one shop I was at, the service manager actually got to fly with a guy in a private airplane to Pisgah!

"Beer" is just a handy term for "do something nice for them that lets them know you see them as people, not bolt torquing robots".
 
#21 ·
JonathanGennick said:
It's ok. I use a very expensive hammer. :drumroll:

I've never understood this beer thing. Does anyone, ever, try to pay their mechanic with beer? I would feel like I was insulting mine were I to trivialize his work by offering beer rather than cash. He does work. I pay him--with money.
Here is how the beer thing works. You actually pay the shop and the mechanic gets a small cut. So you pay for the work and bring beer as a tip and the next time he cuts you a deal on the labor or does simple quick jobs for free. If you stay and have a beer they may show you how to do it yourself.
 
#22 ·
...ya it's a buddy kind of thing... I don't think my guy drinks beer (nor do I so I wouldn't bring beer anyway haha)... but a bunch of the guys bring cookies or lunch by... next time my wife makes some cookies he's getting a plate of em :)

I think it's mostly a "hey thanks man" type deal... from what I can tell bike shops are highly social... the guys in there aren't in it to make a ton of money... they do it because they live riding and being around bikes... i've seen a few shops with a "lounge" area... free coffee and mags to read though and just sit and chill... talking bikes is the norm :)... on a side note... from a car guy side of thing... it's very common for a buddy to come over and work on the car in your garage with your tools... but they bring the beer... turns a job into a good time... or so i've seen haha... but like i mentioned i don't drink the stuff...
 
#23 ·
As a mechanic, I'd have to say:
1) Make sure you bring "good" beer. I get kind of offended when someone tries to bribe me with Natty Light. Anything from a microbrew, or in the $7.50-$9.00 range for a six pack is good. Lunch is a good option for those one-in-a-hundred shops with religious/straight-edge/underage mechanics who don't drink.

2) I don't like "hourly rates." You're not paying for my time, you're paying for me to know how to do it properly, and to stand behind my work in the case of mistakes. If you go to a car mechanic, whether it takes 2 hours or 15 minutes, a transmission flush is a transmission flush. Why should they be penalized because they're good at doing it and can do it properly and quickly?

3) $30 for a half hour of work doesn't make much money when you really think about it. I'd say most shops break even, or lose money on that deal. Yes, my personal labor rate isn't much. It costs the store about $5-10 in wages for the time it takes. But then there is rent/mortgage on the building, insurance on the building, liability if I do a bad job and break your fork and we have to buy a new one for you, having all the tools necessary to do a good job, the money to replace the tools when they get worn out.

A full-service shop takes a tremendous amount of initial investment, probably $20k at least, plus additional funds on a regular basis to replace worn tools, buy new bottles of lube, cleaner etc.

4) The best thing you can do, if you want to ingratiate yourself with a shop, is don't be a jerk, don't be impatient, don't be needy. If someone comes in and says "I need this done right now" I'm not very inclined to help them. If they say "I'm sorry to bring this in last minute, I understand your time is valuable and there are other customers ahead of me in the queue" etc, I'm much more likely to do it quickly.
 
#24 ·
nato_the_greato said:
As a mechanic, I'd have to say:
1) Make sure you bring "good" beer. I get kind of offended when someone tries to bribe me with Natty Light. Anything from a microbrew, or in the $7.50-$9.00 range for a six pack is good. Lunch is a good option for those one-in-a-hundred shops with religious/straight-edge/underage mechanics who don't drink.

2) I don't like "hourly rates." You're not paying for my time, you're paying for me to know how to do it properly, and to stand behind my work in the case of mistakes. If you go to a car mechanic, whether it takes 2 hours or 15 minutes, a transmission flush is a transmission flush. Why should they be penalized because they're good at doing it and can do it properly and quickly?

3) $30 for a half hour of work doesn't make much money when you really think about it. I'd say most shops break even, or lose money on that deal. Yes, my personal labor rate isn't much. It costs the store about $5-10 in wages for the time it takes. But then there is rent/mortgage on the building, insurance on the building, liability if I do a bad job and break your fork and we have to buy a new one for you, having all the tools necessary to do a good job, the money to replace the tools when they get worn out.

A full-service shop takes a tremendous amount of initial investment, probably $20k at least, plus additional funds on a regular basis to replace worn tools, buy new bottles of lube, cleaner etc.

4) The best thing you can do, if you want to ingratiate yourself with a shop, is don't be a jerk, don't be impatient, don't be needy. If someone comes in and says "I need this done right now" I'm not very inclined to help them. If they say "I'm sorry to bring this in last minute, I understand your time is valuable and there are other customers ahead of me in the queue" etc, I'm much more likely to do it quickly.
I like this response. I try to be courteous of their time and always thank them for their help. I try to call them before I come and describe my problems and ask when a good time to swing by and have them show me how to repair it is. Usually I come in around lunch and bring a pizza or something and possibly a 6 pack if I have any beer in my fridge. At the time of the repair I buy the parts I need and buy the bike specific tools that I would need to do it own my own in the future if I don't already have them.

The shop owner never charges me for labor when doing this and takes the time to show me how to do the work properly on my own. I really like this because I get to not only learn how to not be dependent on my LBS but also get to know the guys at the shop. The LBS gets business on tools that they normally wouldn't get and I get free labor and lessons out of it. Plus, this has given me a really nice toolbox of tools that I take to the trail head with me. There have been a couple times that I have used the tools that I bought from them at the trail head and been able to continue riding rather than go back home because I had the know how and shop quality tools right there at the trail head.

Just yesterday I came in and needed new brake cables and a seat collar. He gave me the collar at cost and gave me the cables for free. I installed them right there in his shop with the tools that I bought from him. I walked around the shop and wound up replacing my grips, getting a new saddle to reduce saddle soreness, and got a couple of water bottle cages for a new bike. It is a win-win situation for us since we both just try to be considerate and scratch each other's back when we can.
 
#25 ·
When I eventually get my fork swapped, I'm just going to take it to my LBS to get it done. Because if they f*ck up, they have to give me a new fork free of charge and replace what ever else they f*cked up. Now if I did it myself, that's hundred's of dollars of my money that I would have to spend again to get a new fork and to replace whatever else broke if I f*cked up.
 
#26 ·
gdpolk said:
I like this response. I try to be courteous of their time and always thank them for their help. I try to call them before I come and describe my problems and ask when a good time to swing by and have them show me how to repair it is. Usually I come in around lunch and bring a pizza or something and possibly a 6 pack if I have any beer in my fridge. At the time of the repair I buy the parts I need and buy the bike specific tools that I would need to do it own my own in the future if I don't already have them.

The shop owner never charges me for labor when doing this and takes the time to show me how to do the work properly on my own. I really like this because I get to not only learn how to not be dependent on my LBS but also get to know the guys at the shop. The LBS gets business on tools that they normally wouldn't get and I get free labor and lessons out of it. Plus, this has given me a really nice toolbox of tools that I take to the trail head with me. There have been a couple times that I have used the tools that I bought from them at the trail head and been able to continue riding rather than go back home because I had the know how and shop quality tools right there at the trail head.

Just yesterday I came in and needed new brake cables and a seat collar. He gave me the collar at cost and gave me the cables for free. I installed them right there in his shop with the tools that I bought from him. I walked around the shop and wound up replacing my grips, getting a new saddle to reduce saddle soreness, and got a couple of water bottle cages for a new bike. It is a win-win situation for us since we both just try to be considerate and scratch each other's back when we can.
My LBS is like that too. They have a whole set of tools(almost all parktool) for people to work and install stuff on there bike. Most of the guys who run the part's area are willing to give you a hand on most stuff they can help with. Any other shop I've gone to, they've charged me $5 just to get a damn cable cut.
 
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