Crappy Bike Shop Service!

i've been needing to change my brake levers awhile because the placement of the stock ones got affected by my new grips... anyway, i was in the city today and i decided to check out bike shops. i ended up at Hup Leong. they told me they'd install the new levers, and that i should come back after an hour (i didn't expect the wait to be that long and i was in a hurry! there weren't that many people in the shop except a bunch of white guys and only one other bike was getting serviced!). after the hour was up, i came back and the lady shop owner and the bike service guy both said that everything was done and i was good to go. i paid up, and left quickly because i was already late to my next appointment...

in the middle of pickering st., i noticed that my grips were loose, unaligned, and the ends were showing. the brakes were also loose. the placement of the shifters were uneven and the screws weren't tightened enough. i was totally disappointed! this has been the worse service i've had so far in singapore. is that normal for this shop? i swear, if i get anything done there next time i am going to inspect every single little detail before leaving. what crap man, i ended up stopping and wasting time fixing everything again.

dun wana comments much on shop
but always make an effort to check after something done to ur bike not matter how rush..
worst will be u got no brakes..

Pardon me for being direct, but for some components on your bike it is best you adjust it yourself. For example, the position of the brake levers, shifters, grips should be done by yourself since only you will know exactly what angle/position you want it to be.

By the way, I have heard only positive reviews about Hup Leong, its unfortunate that the level of service that you received was not what you expected.

tylsteve wrote:

Pardon me for being direct, but for some components on your bike it is best you adjust it yourself. For example, the position of the brake levers, shifters, grips should be done by yourself since only you will know exactly what angle/position you want it to be.

By the way, I have heard only positive reviews about Hup Leong, its unfortunate that the level of service that you received was not what you expected.

steve, i was expecting to adjust everything when i got home, but i didn't expect stuff to move around for the meantime. i know i should have checked the bike before leaving the shop and not doing so is clearly my fault, but there's a difference between being told that i was "good to go" and stuff on the bars being loose. i just assumed that everything was adjusted to the same position as it was before changing the levers and i know i made sure they knew i wasn't bike technical enough so if there were any concerns, i'd have thought the service guy would have let me know. it's also unfortunate that i've gotten that kind of service from them when everyone else recommended the shop to me (then the one time i complain, everyone else's horror stories come out as well. figures!). i guess it was just a bad day for all of us involved.

ya I agree they were being quite irresponsible when they didn't set up the stuff properly, so that the components are at least tightened up properly.

but don't worry, next time just adjust/install things yourself la. I also learnt how to adjust bike components on my own. There are many advantages:

1) No waiting
2) No need to pay
3) Adjustment is as perfect as you want it to be
4) Can do at home
5) (Anyone can add on?)

Sorry to hear about yr experience.

What I can say is finding the rite mechanic is like looking for a wife. Once u find a good one, stick to it. That's the reason why I always go back to MBS to repair service my bike. I normally hang around when the mechanic is doing the repair ...and a good mechanic is willing to share what you sld have done to avoid the "current damage" and even teach you how to do DIY.

omegaforest wrote:

Sorry to hear about yr experience.

What I can say is finding the rite mechanic is like looking for a wife. Once u find a good one, stick to it. That's the reason why I always go back to MBS to repair service my bike. I normally hang around when the mechanic is doing the repair ...and a good mechanic is willing to share what you sld have done to avoid the "current damage" and even teach you how to do DIY.

Well said Matt. Its good to be able to learn from the mechanic at the bike shop. Its a win-win situation: You learn to adjust your bike, while its also good for the mechanic as he doesn't have to adjust your bike for you next time, haha.

Agreed on the mechanic part. I alway got to the same LBS as well to ensure I got the service I expected.

omegaforest wrote:

Sorry to hear about yr experience.

What I can say is finding the rite mechanic is like looking for a wife. Once u find a good one, stick to it. That's the reason why I always go back to MBS to repair service my bike. I normally hang around when the mechanic is doing the repair ...and a good mechanic is willing to share what you sld have done to avoid the "current damage" and even teach you how to do DIY.

true words matt. that's what i do as well... this is the first time i've bought this bike to another mechanic haha