How new boxed bikes arrive at your LBS

[bargainguy]

While hanging out at my LBS the other day, I was watching a new Giant hybrid being set up out of the box.

What astounded me was the amount of work it needed to get anywhere close to dialed in. Derailleur hanger way out of alignment, wheels untrue, headset loose, wonky V-brakes, you name it.

Now I've not worked in a bike shop before, but even still, I thought - do all new bikes arrive this way? Or do some manufacturers dial everything in before they box & ship?

[excel1959]

My LBS pretty much overhauls every new bike. Whether it's $250 or $10,000. Usually no grease on threads, derailleur hangers are always bent, wheels out of true.

[JayBay]

I worked in shops for several years, and yes, for the most part they need quite a bit of work to get set up and running properly. And the quality of this "build" varies greatly between shops and techs, too. Lots of little things tend to get overlooked - like hub bearings being left too tight, brake pads way out of alignment, etc, etc..

[tuscanyswe]

While hanging out at my LBS the other day, I was watching a new Giant hybrid being set up out of the box.

What astounded me was the amount of work it needed to get anywhere close to dialed in. Derailleur hanger way out of alignment, wheels untrue, headset loose, wonky V-brakes, you name it.

Now I've not worked in a bike shop before, but even still, I thought - do all new bikes arrive this way? Or do some manufacturers dial everything in before they box & ship?

Where i worked i would guess it was about 20 min to get a bike on the floor. Im slow so an experienced mech could prolly have it out in half that time. Bikes with discs and fenders took longer (atleast for me).

[RedRider]

The irony is that you have to put your best mechanics on those bikes to get them aligned and tuned. It's harder to get an $800 bike in a box ready for sale than it is a high end build. It's relatively easy to build a finely finished custom frame with high end components.

[oldpotatoe]

Where i worked i would guess it was about 20 min to get a bike on the floor. Im slow so an experienced mech could prolly have it out in half that time. Bikes with discs and fenders took longer (atleast for me).

Builders are on the lowest rung of the food chain..most bike shops are too clueless to see if you spend the time($) up front, you save money later but...some LBS wonder why they are going under...

First service manager job I had, first thing I did, after talking to the 'builders', is to get rid of them( I can slap it together in 30 minutes, dude)..then made the normal wrenches build bikes, meaning, take apart, re-assemble...so it took about 90 minutes to 'build' a bike but we didn't see them after one or 2 rides either.

[gavingould]

^ what they said. it definitely takes more work to correct something than it does to do it right the first time... i've done it wrong and then fixed it enough times to know.

from my time prepping boxed bikes for the sales floor, i will say that it seems like they must have good and bad days at the manufacturers. some bikes would take less than 5 minutes to have totally ready to ride out, then you'd pop open the box next to it with an identical model that would need a good bit longer if you've got to grease and adjust every bearing, adjust everything that has a cable, then true/tension the wheels...

[charliedid]

Yep

[bargainguy]

Same LBS, true story:

They had to get rid of one of their builders, fairly young chap, who had the annoying habit of not tightening pedals or even getting them screwed in most of the way, this after being reminded countless times. Every now and then, one would sneak out without a final check by the head tech because the store was busy or whatever.

So of course, customers would take a test ride in the parking lot and come back to read the riot act to the manager when a pedal or two fell off a brand new bike.

[charliedid]

Same LBS, true story:

They had to get rid of one of their builders, fairly young chap, who had the annoying habit of not tightening pedals or even getting them screwed in most of the way, this after being reminded countless times. Every now and then, one would sneak out without a final check by the head tech because the store was busy or whatever.

So of course, customers would take a test ride in the parking lot and come back to read the riot act to the manager when a pedal or two fell off a brand new bike.

That's why we do a "test ride check" every time someone rides a bike. Yes, even if someone test rode it 2 hours before and it just sat there. Lousy riding/unsafe bikes on a test ride is a nightmare for sales people. We also always make sure the last person who touched it before it gets a NBCO 'new bike check out - is not the last person who checked it for a test ride. It's a hassle but...

[leooooo]

So BD boxed bikes are par?

Gotta stop whining when I build 'em cheap commuters up lol

[likebikes]

While hanging out at my LBS the other day, I was watching a new Giant hybrid being set up out of the box.

What astounded me was the amount of work it needed to get anywhere close to dialed in. Derailleur hanger way out of alignment, wheels untrue, headset loose, wonky V-brakes, you name it.

Now I've not worked in a bike shop before, but even still, I thought - do all new bikes arrive this way? Or do some manufacturers dial everything in before they box & ship?
cannondales are the worst re: assembly time needed until they can hit the sales floor or test ride.

[Pegoready]

Good observation.

Cervelos come pretty well disassembled. Meaning no bar tape, no cabling, no crank, etc. I cannot believe a shop can make a profit selling them after the 2 hours it must take to get them up and running.

[Peter P.]

When I wrenched at a bike shop, it took me at least an hour to unbox and assemble a bike. I assembled it following a progression from front to rear and made sure to check every nut and bolt, including little, forgotten things like the cassette lockring. Probably explains why I was the slowest assembler.

Most of the time, front hub bearings were too tight, but the rears were fine. I'd also sand the inside of the seat tube and remove burrs from the edge for a smoother, non scratching seatpost fit. Brakes and gears always had to be adjusted. Both wheels always needed truing but you really couldn't take the time to put them in a truing stand so you'd give them a touch up right on the bike. Higher end bikes typically didn't need as much wheel care.

I'd take the time to center the saddle on the rails and level it as well. We also had to write the serial number of the bike, and sign our name, on the sales tag. The guys who cut corners to increase their assembly numbers would skip all the little things like that, as well as to keep themselves untraceable when there was a problem.

[carpediemracing]

A few years ago I built a road bike from one of the big companies (I was trying to help a shop). Granted, it was the first time I worked at that work bench so I didn't know where all the tools were, but still, it was horrific. It probably took me 2 hours to get the bike done. Carbon, Ultegra (pre-Di2), a very nice bike, $3k?

The shop said I did a good job but I was shocked at how long it took. (I built a couple other bikes, not nearly as bad).

To give some background on me, my personal expectation is that a normal box-section wheel build is 30 minutes. To spend a couple hours on that bike felt like a disaster.

I read up on stuff after, the whole 98% pre-assembled nonsense. Problem is that it's done wrong so you have to undo things and then redo them.

This didn't include cutting down cables/housing (too long but may be necessary if they did some odd fit) or redoing the tape (it was poorly done).

[pbarry]

Builders are on the lowest rung of the food chain..most bike shops are too clueless to see if you spend the time($) up front, you save money later but...some LBS wonder why they are going under...

First service manager job I had, first thing I did, after talking to the 'builders', is to get rid of them( I can slap it together in 30 minutes, dude)..then made the normal wrenches build bikes, meaning, take apart, re-assemble...so it took about 90 minutes to 'build' a bike but we didn't see them after one or 2 rides either.

This ^ nails it.

We had a quota of 5 bikes a day when I wrenched for Life Cycle in Cambridge in the early 80's. If you were really on your game, you might do 6. Everything from the HS down to the BB was adjusted, cables removed and lubed, wheels trued on a stand, etc. The Service Manager did not want to see any bike we sold returned for an adjustment in the first 6 months, and if one was, and had not been ridden hard, the mechanic heard about it.

[bikinchris]

Same LBS, true story:

They had to get rid of one of their builders, fairly young chap, who had the annoying habit of not tightening pedals or even getting them screwed in most of the way, this after being reminded countless times. Every now and then, one would sneak out without a final check by the head tech because the store was busy or whatever.

So of course, customers would take a test ride in the parking lot and come back to read the riot act to the manager when a pedal or two fell off a brand new bike.

When I was a shop manager, every bike was test ridden and rechecked by someone other than the one who built it. Check each others' work and sign off on it..

[Shoeman]

Most all the profits are ate up by this. There is not a lot of margin in new bikes and a good chunk gets ate up by this.

[jeffreng58]

Same LBS, true story:

They had to get rid of one of their builders, fairly young chap, who had the annoying habit of not tightening pedals or even getting them screwed in most of the way, this after being reminded countless times. Every now and then, one would sneak out without a final check by the head tech because the store was busy or whatever.

So of course, customers would take a test ride in the parking lot and come back to read the riot act to the manager when a pedal or two fell off a brand new bike.

Hes young so he'll learn.
Whats worst is when the guys become veterans and stop caring

[ryker]

The most important thing before a bike hits the floor is to check the brakes. Did a test ride once and the brake pads were not tightened suitably - they failed and I just about got intimate with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The assembly ticket was mysteriously missing the mechanic's name. ;-)

[jmpsmash]

This ^ nails it.

We had a quota of 5 bikes a day when I wrenched for Life Cycle in Cambridge in the early 80's. If you were really on your game, you might do 6. Everything from the HS down to the BB was adjusted, cables removed and lubed, wheels trued on a stand, etc. The Service Manager did not want to see any bike we sold returned for an adjustment in the first 6 months, and if one was, and had not been ridden hard, the mechanic heard about it.

How did u prevent cable stretching? When I build up my own bike I find that I need to adjust the shift cables after 50-100 miles. Do u pre-stretch them to avoid having the customer come back after a couple of rides complaining the shifting is off ?

[aramis]

The only new bike I bought came from competitive cyclist and was a fairly expensive ($2500 on clearance DI2 bike) but man that thing was put together perfectly. I mean all the details, the routing of the cables, bar tape, etc.. were so nice. Derailleurs were perfect.. I just put on the handlebars, wheels and pedals and it was really to ride.

I think all of their bikes are built in house though. It came with a build sheet signed by the builder.

Now I just bought a bike off ebay that I think the owner put together with a pretty much brand new 105 group and the derailleurs are off, brake pads are scarily set up and the front brakes are run backwards (front brake on right like a motorcycle). I mean all the parts are nice but I'm just going to take it all apart and re-assemble the thing.

I always assumed bikes came to the shop just needing the handlebars bolted on. :p I wonder how bikes come when you order them from most online places?

[lhuerta]

The difference between a MECHANIC and an installer/builder/assembler is vast. Unfortunately the latter is seldom found in most LBSs today. Lou

[bart998]

Worked in bike shops years ago... at the time there was a big difference from company to company in how much work was required to be ride ready. I recall the Peugeots and (French) Motobecanes were relatively easy to put together as were bikes made in Japan. But the stuff out of Taiwan was often poorly done and it all had to be extensively re-worked. I can only imagine was bikes from China are like out of the box.

[mtnbkr]

In general yes, lots of work. A friend of mine wants to get a BD bike which certainly is a deal. He's never owned a modern bike and believes it's as simple as throwing the handlebars on and putting the front wheel in place. I'm not sure if he believes me, but I spent a ton of time trying to convince him otherwise. He's a stubborn fella.

[Jawn P]

Good observation.

Cervelos come pretty well disassembled. Meaning no bar tape, no cabling, no crank, etc. I cannot believe a shop can make a profit selling them after the 2 hours it must take to get them up and running.

I work at a pretty busy Cervelo dealer.

Don't forget gluing in the fork insert and giving it 24 hours to cure :help:

[fuzzalow]

I have bought a new bike sold by a bike shop via e-bay, a Bianchi MTB. They just threw it in a box off the showroom floor, it was a previous model year cleared out in November. I didn't care that the only thing that looked like it got done was connecting the cables; I wish they hadn't even done that because they munged up the cable tightening the clamp multiple times with the hit 'n' miss adjustment method.

Machine-built wheels on new bikes are a hoot. They are straight outta the box but when the wheel is checked out on a stand, the spoke tensions are all over the map. So the wheel has to be de-tensioned and brought back up again evenly. If done right, the rim doesn't even move much. But for a shop it is still time spent but those wheels will only stay straight for a short time before going crooked if not tuned up - pay now or pay later but snake eyes for the shop either way.

The difference between a MECHANIC and an installer/builder/assembler is vast. Unfortunately the latter is seldom found in most LBSs today. Lou

Strike that, reverse it.

[Gummee]

I'm not adding ANYthing to this conversation. Nope. Not gonna do it.

Considering where I work and what we sell, all I'm gonna say is 'lower end bikes suck arse to put together' and leave it at that.

...but yet... The owners want em to work like they have XTR on em.

M

[oldpotatoe]

How did u prevent cable stretching? When I build up my own bike I find that I need to adjust the shift cables after 50-100 miles. Do u pre-stretch them to avoid having the customer come back after a couple of rides complaining the shifting is off ?

yes

[oldpotatoe]

Good observation.

Cervelos come pretty well disassembled. Meaning no bar tape, no cabling, no crank, etc. I cannot believe a shop can make a profit selling them after the 2 hours it must take to get them up and running.

Easier to sell, build, etc 2 $3000 bikes than 10 $600 bikes. Worse margin in a bike shop is a bike. Manufacturers don't do bike shops any favors when it comes to assembling bikes. The $ to build rests entirely with the bike shop. And yes, it does eat into margin and yes, why a lot of shops use low end assemblers to build and yes, often in the long run it does cost more...

Often the buyer of the $600 bike won't slam it around, ride it lots but if they do, yep it will need attention sooner rather than later.

Most bike shops just break even or are slightly negative..meaning using credit to survive..lots go under. Tough biz.