Is $150 a lot to pay for a (very) basic new mid-drive e-Bike assembly?

[Catalyzt]

Bike is brand new and mostly assembled, so this seemed like a lot! Motobecane Ultra e-Adventure, HAL series frame (though it seems to be a variant) Shimano Steps E5000, very simple display. And they want a week to do the job, which seems kind of excessive, though I know all bike shops are slammed right now. Brakes, derailleur, and all other cables were attached to handlebars (except for the display) and supposedly pre-tensioned correctly, wheels appeared true... the main reason I had this done was because I didn't have a torque wrench... and I'd never worked on hydraulic brakes or full suspension...

...and, I'm on blood thinners, so every time there's something I can do to decrease the odds of any kind of catastrophic failure, I do it.

I feel like I really didn't have a choice. Bummer also because the bike fell over as I was taking it out of my hatchback... very slow fall, slowed it further with my leg, but scratched the top of the shock absorber on the pavement, which might kill the warranty.

Maybe this isn't a question. Maybe I didn't have much choice-- I couldn't have driven much further, because the bike and wheel were crammed in so tight that I couldn't shift into 5th gear. Maybe I'm just complaining, and I shouldn't, because my LBS does deserve my business. Generally, he does very good work-- excellent work on the big important jobs, a few quibbles on the smaller ones.

Just seems like a lot, but my wallet is probably stuck in 1975. My first bike was a Raleigh Competition 531 Reynolds, and it cost $200-- a HUGE expense for my family! (I still have the bike in New York.)

 

[AHicks]

I agree it seems like a lot, but maybe that price gets your foot in the door as a customer, which may prove to be a good deal in the long run/ when playing the long game....

If he's a jerk when you need service down the line, THEN you were ripped off paying the 150 now...

 

[harryS]

Is $150 a fair price for putting on the handlebars and tuning up a Bikes Direct middrive? Yes, if you can't do it yourself.

No, if you have to take off the bars to get the bike back in the car to drive it home.

Looks like you were lucky to snag the bike. They're out of them again.

 

[Catalyzt]

Points taken. You would think my foot was in the door already-- they put in my Girvin Flexstem years ago, though they probably don't remember, and I paid them $50 in October to file the front dropouts for my kit (I did the rest of the kit myself, though it was a super easy one) and then $185 or so to replace the right rear shifter and get me tuned up in January. I guess that's not a lot of coin these days. He did kind of hint that he'll show me some stuff when I pick it up. I hope $400 clams is the price of admission!

And no, I'm not putting it in the car to get it home. They are a 30 minute walk from my house, so that's another consideration... if they were 20 miles away, I'd need to get a ride. I think I'm just stunned at the parts shortages / shipping delays / inflation for material goods I've seen in the last few weeks, but I shouldn't be. I've been expecting it for quite a while. I'm lucky I can afford the bike and I'm healthy enough to ride it, I should stick with that. Just needed to complain a little!

 

[rich c]

What did you expect to pay?

 

[Catalyzt]

What did you expect to pay?

$100, because that was the price he quoted for installing the Clean Republic Hub Kit out of the box on my other bike. Instead, I payed him $50 to file the dropouts for that one and fit the front wheel, and did the rest myself. So the number "100" stuck in my mind.

I figured this job was at about the same level of difficulty, kind of similar, just connecting some cables and wrenching on a few bolts here and there. Both are prepped jobs. But I could be wrong... the new bike is a heavier bike with more moving parts, full suspension, a display, etc.-- more stuff that could go wrong.

The main reason I did not do it myself was just because I haven't dealt with hydraulic brakes before, and I don't have a torque wrench, though I just ordered one. It all seemed pretty obvious, but I live at the top of a steep hill and I'm on blood thinners.

 

[Catalyzt]

That is a great resource! I bookmarked them, will get some prices from them.

I do want to support my LBS, but in addition to the price, a week seems like a long time to wait just to get a bike put together, though I know a lot of people are doing a lot of waiting. Good to have options.

 

[theemartymac]

If I were a shop owner and asked to assemble a bike (even a partial assembly), I wouldn't let the customer touch it without a full inspection and test of all adjustments. Even those supposedly done by the manufacturer/seller. Things move in shipping, factory staff get lazy after lunch, and if you biff out the front door you are going to blame that local shop regardless of what the point of failure was.

So with all that in mind, $150 isn't bad for a full assembly adjustment and inspection. If they just throw the bars on and let you take the risk, then ya, it's expensive.

 

[Newby]

150$ not to bad , but you can buy a torque wrench for way less and learn a new skill.

 

[Catalyzt]

If I were a shop owner and asked to assemble a bike (even a partial assembly), I wouldn't let the customer touch it without a full inspection and test of all adjustments. Even those supposedly done by the manufacturer/seller. Things move in shipping, factory staff get lazy after lunch, and if you biff out the front door you are going to blame that local shop regardless of what the point of failure was.

So with all that in mind, $150 isn't bad for a full assembly adjustment and inspection. If they just throw the bars on and let you take the risk, then ya, it's expensive.

Yeah-- this kind of sums up their attitude, though they said it a bit differently. I've hard generally very good things about Bikes Direct pre-assembly, BUT there are sporadic reports of issues-- wheels not trued, etc.-- generally older posts, but still. On an acoustic bike, I'd probably know 90% of the warning signs if something was put together wrong; I've never owned a mid-drive, so there are a more yellow or red flags I could miss.

 

[rich c]

I too cringe at the LBS prices, but I attribute that to being a farm boy and the electrician was the only professional we ever paid for. Everything else we figured out. But I watch a lot of videos, buy some new tools as I need them, and really get the satisfaction of learning new skills. Bleeding hydraulic brakes was tougher than I thought, and my lesson learned was how soft and little torque the Magura reservoir plugs are. I had to wait a couple days for new plugs to show up. So waiting a week to schedule or waiting a few days for parts or tools kinda equals out.

 

[EMGX]

$150 might seem like a lot to a customer but not much to a business owner who has to pay the bills and presumably make a profit. I've never needed a bike shop mechanic services but if I did I'd expect to pay to cover those business expenses, $150 doesn't buy a lot anymore. Myself, I'd use the $150 to buy a $50-60 bike stand and all the tools that could be necessary to work on the bike and still have money left over, YMMV.