What Does It Cost To Tune Up A Bike?

Most people think it’s all over once you have bought your favorite mountain bike. They tend to forget that you also need to take your bike and show it some love.

The best part is that the cost to tune up a bike is not that much, provided you keep a regular check. A regular mountain bike tune up will keep it going. And you will be able to tackle any problems before they become severe.

This post will highlight a few points associated with the cost of tuning up a bike.

So, keep reading.

Are Mountain Bike tune ups Expensive?

Yes, mountain bike tune up costs can be high, and this is precisely why most people don’t go for them. But avoiding these tune-ups will jeopardize your bike’s overall performance in the long run. So, you might end up causing an injury.

However, if you have the right tools, like bike wrenches or other tools, you can do these tune-ups independently. This will reduce a good portion of these costs. But to do these tune-ups on your own, you have to understand the different types of tune-ups.

This will also tell you how much it will cost to tune up a bike. And we will explain this in the following text.

Different types of tune-ups

●     Safety tune-ups

Mountain bikes tend to get a lot of punishment over time. But, again, this is because you ride them on challenging and uneven terrains. This results in damaging the bike if not tuned up.

Therefore, with this kind of tune-up, you can assess the features of your bike to keep it safe for riding. These are the types of tune-ups that you can conveniently do right at the comfort of your home.

But this is only going to work if you have an understanding of how these components work. With this tune-up, your bike will be ready for the trail and any competition.

●     Service tune-ups

You might end up confusing safety tune-up with service tune-up, but they both are entirely different. Safety tune-ups keep your bike safe to ride. In contrast, service tune-ups allow you to have a look at your bike’s frame and other intricate parts like your forks. With this, you will scan your bike for any cracks or various other possible damages.

If you are an expert and have your tool kit like the 23 Piece Bike Tool Kit bye cyclists at hand, you can perform these turnups at home. In most cases, your drivetrains will suffer the most damage. If you are an expert, you will find these minor issues pretty conveniently.

●     Overhauling tune-ups

And then, of course, there are overhauling tune-ups. These tune-ups are the most complicated ones, and you have to be a top-notch expert to perform them with the right kind of tools at your hand.

As these tune-ups are quite complicated, they are the most expensive ones as well. Here, you will look into different components in your mountain bike to make them work better, either by repairing or replacing them.

For instance, your bike might feature mechanical brakes. But being an expert, you will find hydraulic brakes much better in terms of performance than mechanical brakes.

Therefore, you will have to replace those mechanical brakes with hydraulic ones. These tune-ups will work on your bike for the longest period. This is the reason they are expensive.

What does a Mountain Bike tune up consist of?

What is involved in your mountain bike tune up will decide how much it is going to cost.  It will also tell you what types of tools you will need to get the job done.

After going through the different types of tune-ups, you have to understand the basic process of a mountain bike tune up. After that, having the right tools at home will let you get the job done independently.

●     Begin with those Tires

Your bike tires are the first component that will show you any signs of wear and tear on your mountain bike. After you have cleaned your bike, have a look at those tires and their tread. The worn-out tread will tell you how much you have to ride your bike. Also, check those thorns that might end up puncturing your tires.

●     Check the Drivetrain

After checking the tires, it’s time to check the drivetrain, which is also prone to a lot of damage over time. The drivetrain of a bike also features cassettes, derailleurs, and various other components linking them to the shifters. Your drivetrain itself might be fine, but its chain will have signs of rusting. So, it might not sit properly on your cassette.

●     Clean the frame

The next thing you got to do is cleaning the frame along with the fork. After you have cleaned them, you can easily see the damage.

If you are not an expert at doing it, you might easily mistake many scratches with a crack. Therefore, with experience, you will be able to make a better decision. Forks, however, are much easier to replace, and they are much less costly.

●      Brakes

After checking your frame, it’s time to move to those brakes. Brakes provide your bike with stopping power. These brakes are critical to the overall control of your mountain bike. With standard V-brakes, you will only have to look if your pads are worn out or not. But disc brakes are much more sophisticated, and you need to make sure that they are in proper working condition.

●     Other minor components

There are other minor components as well, like shifters and cables. These components won’t have any scratches or cracks that often significantly if you haven’t fallen much with your mountain bike.

But you still need to clean them to ensure they are still responsive and not worn out. Once you have checked them, you will be sure that your bike is absolutely fine to ride. Possibly bleed the brakes if needed.

●     Reassembling and cleaning

In the end, you will have to assemble your bike and then clean it. Putting all the components back in place is critical for the trail and mountain bikes because they have more components.

You will also have to be more careful and make sure all the components are clean. Double-check that all the components are back in their palace and the bolts are back in their place.

Importance of Tune-Up

Tuning up your mountain bike is one of the most important aspects of owning your bike. It doesn’t matter how frequently you ride your bike. However, it is highly recommended that you run your bike through at least one check-up per year.

If you ride more frequently and take your bike to tough terrain, you will regularly have to do these tune-ups. These tune-ups can be expensive if you hire a mechanic to do the job for you.

Therefore, to save costs, you need to learn how to do these tune-ups on your own. This is because tuning up your bike will be much more cost-effective if you do that in your home.

But keeping your bike in good shape is very important. You won’t have to deal with any issues during your rides because you have already dealt with them before time.

Average Cost of a Mountain Bike Tune Up

Even though you own a mountain bike, road bike, or hybrid bike, they all need regular as well as seasonal maintenance. Mountain bikes are more prone to maintenance and repairs, especially if you ride them frequently because they roll on rugged terrains.

These costs can be pretty high based on where you live. The cost to tune up a bike can be around $60 to $100, and there are a couple of options that you can avail of as well.

You can go for a basic mountain bike tune-up, and this cost to tune up a bike will be around $50 to $90, or a significant tune-up that may cost you anywhere about $120 to $250. This cost to tune up a bike mostly depends upon the services included in the tune-up.

Basic tuning will take around a half-hour to a full hour, while any significant tune-up can take up to a couple of hours as well. However, if you know how to tune up your bike and have the tools at your disposal, you can save this money and only have to go for any replacements.

If you do it on your own, it will take about half an hour more if you are an experienced rider who has dealt with these tools and repair jobs before. Otherwise, a basic tune-up will take you around a couple of hours to complete, and an entire tune-up job will take up to four hours.

Therefore, you must go through the entire process and have the necessary tools right at home to get through the jobs on your own. Doing this once or twice will make you more comfortable while performing your repairs, and the job is done much quicker.

Final Word

The cost to tune up a bike can be pretty high if you hire a mechanic for this job. But if you have the right tools at hand, you might end up doing it on your own without sending too much.

Tuning up a mountain bike is a process that will ensure you check all those components for any wear and tear and replace them if needed. Mountain bike tune-up is not that difficult once you get a hold of the entire process and have the right tools available.