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Within most bike shops, whether a chain or privately owned, you will have most likely seen a bike servicing list. But what is a bike service?
For many, this may be a bit of a daunting list, which might not make a lot of sense. Alternatively, you may just want to know what the different levels of services involve and which is best suited to your bike’s needs.
What Is a Bike Service?
A bike service is a type of maintenance carried out on a bicycle. There are many different levels of service. Some may be basic, and others will be more in-depth and possibly include updating of components and/or changes.
For example, you may have small-scale changes such as replacing brake pads or worn parts in the drive chain, or maybe even a re-true of a wheel that’s buckled.
As these services can range a great deal in price, you may end up paying anywhere from £25 to £200. It’s also important to note that a standard service charge does not often include the parts needed for replacements or upgrades.
What Should I Expect from a Bike Service?
What you should expect from a bike service will largely depend on what is wrong with your bike in the first place, and also what type of service you have decided to book your bike in for.
In addition to this, the type of bicycle that you bring in for a service will play a big part in what you get out of a service. For example, a more basic, low maintenance bike such as a fixie won’t cost or need as much doing as an electric bike.
Overall, after a service you should expect your bike to feel as though it runs more efficiently, as well as having had any issues noted, fixed, or corrected.
What’s Included in a Bicycle Service?
As standard most bicycle services will include:
- Checking / reindex of gears
- Checking wear on tyres and brake pads
- Tensioning of cables
- Checking wear of working parts
- Checking over for any obvious damage
More in depth bicycle services will include a thorough check of all parts. You may also have a deep clean of components and of the bike included in the more expensive services.
Most of the time there will be feedback left by the mechanic regarding any changes that may be recommended, such as worn tyres that may need replacing at some point, but not straight away.
Bike Service Cost
The table below shows the six main services offered by the popular UK bicycle servicing company, havebike.
As you can see these prices range quite drastically depending on the level of service you’re after, as well as the type of bike you need servicing. The cost of the same service for a regular or e-bike will differ.
However, across all of the six services, the average cost for servicing is £131.66.
| Service at Have Bike | Cost |
| Regular | £69.99 |
| Regular E-Bike | £79.99 |
| Deluxe | £99.99 |
| Deluxe E-Bike | £109.99 |
| Super Deluxe | £199.99 |
| Super Deluxe E-Bike | £229.99 |
How Much Do Bike Services Cost?
The cost of a bike service will vary depending on the level of the service, as well as the type of bike you have had scheduled for maintenance.
As you can see from the table above, electric bikes can often cost more than a regular bike when being serviced. This is because e-bikes are slightly more complex to work on, due to the added motor and battery.
Overall, the more basic the service that has been chosen (regardless of the bike) the cheaper it is. This is because less time (and therefore labour) is spent on the bike.
It would not be uncommon to spend anywhere between £30.00-£250.00 on a single bike service. This price could be a lot higher if it includes a large upgrade, such as a full new groupset.
Where Can I Get a Free Bike Service?
Free bike services are often offered by bike shops when purchasing a new bike. Therefore it’s important to ask before you buy your next bike, to ensure this is something the retailer offers.
Some stores do a free ‘health check’ style free service, which is basically a quick look around your bike to help advise on any maintenance changes that need to be carried out.
Do Decathlon Service Bikes?
Decathlon offers a range of bike services. However, they do have three main services listed on their website and in store.
These are as follows: Bike Service (£34.99), Drive Chain Repair Service Pack (£49.99) and Bike Reconditioning Starter Pack (£79.99).
Do Halfords Do Bike Servicing?
Halfords do offer bike servicing, and have three different levels of servicing to choose from, as well as a ‘health check’ to help advise which of the services best suits your bike.
These three services are: Bronze Service (from £35.00), Silver Service (from £50.00) and Gold Service (from £80.00).
How Often Should Your Bike Be Serviced?
How often you have your own bicycle serviced depends on a few variables. This includes how often you ride your bike, how well you take care of it, and if there are any issues that you feel need checking out.
However, a pretty standard schedule would be to have a basic service every three to six months. This is to ensure any issues or damage are taken care of. However, it’s important to carry out basic maintenance, clean your own bike regularly, and check for damage as well.
As a final note, to carry out your own checks and basic maintenance at home, I’d highly recommend investing in a decent bike stand to help ease the process.
