Yeah, I know, I could probably do it on my own, but frankly I'd rather pay someone to do it and use the downtime w/ my kid.

I have a used set of OP's w/ Shimano 600 hubs that need to be repacked. How much would an LBS charge me? Any recommendations for reputable LBS's that would do it for a good price in the SF Peninsula?

I hope you've called a few shops and have a range of prices.

Next, find out how much it costs for a few cone wrenches, a tube of grease and a couple of those little bags of ball bearings and <a href="http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/howfix_hub.shtml" target="_blank"> consider doing it yourself. </a>

You can do it after your kid falls asleep after watching Finding Nemo for the umpteenth time. It's not that hard, and learning to do basic maintenance will save you a lot of money in the long haul. Your bike will be in better condition, last longer, and if you read some of the LBS horror stories on this site, you may do a better job anyway.

First, it costs anywhere from $20-$35/hub at my LBS.

But...I couldn't agree more with the above post.

Many newer hubs have sealed cartridges that simply need to be removed and replaced with new ones.

For hubs with loose bearings, it takes about 30 minutes to do the job correctly. Zinn's Roadbike/Mountainbike maintenance books have EXACT details on how to do it, with drawings and all. The first time, I simply had his book open right in front of my face and had my son read it with me as we did the work together. Not only did it work out perfectly, I got to spend some time with my 13 year old (tough to do). (Every repair the first time takes lots of time; the 2nd time, it's like, "Geez, what took so long the last time? Was I on drugs or what???")

One note: When working on hubs with free (loose) bearings, always replace, rather than clean, the old bearings. It costs $2.50 at my LBS for 20 bearings, and it eliminates the hassle of cleaning old ones that may have some small cracks or nicks that I cannot see. Make sure you know what size bearing. This often means removing the old ones (make sure you count them!!) and getting a proper replacement size. Also, the front hub does NOT always use the same size bearing as the rear hub (which often require larger bearings due to the increased load of the freewheel attached to it. I found that out the hard way, and had to return to the shop to buy a larger set the first time I did it.)

Cone wrenches cost about $12, and you only need one or two. Over time, you will more than earn that money back. And as the previous poster said, it is a good idea to do basic bike maintenance yourself. (I cannot recommend Zinn's book enough in that regard,)

Oooooh, the silky smoothness of my freshly packed hubs...Nothing beats it!

One further comment. Many shops make you feel that you cannot service your own bike. They generally won't even give you copies of the exploded diagrams they have for hubs, bottom brackets, etc. because they think you're too stupid to do it yourself.

I have Mavic wheels. When I called their headquarters and asked for the exploded schematic for their hubs (they are new wheels) they refused, saying only "qualified service technicians" are provided such details. I asked, "What makes you think I'm not qualified?" Long pause... Then, "Sir, we only deal with service shops." I responded that I have an MD, PhD, and keep them in business by buying their stinking product. He said it was their policy. I said it was MY policy to service my own bike, and my next set of wheels will be Bontragers, thank you very much.

The way I look at it is this: If I start a job and find I am over my head, I simply stop and bring it to the shop. So long as I didn't damage any parts (I never force any part that doesn't want to go where it doesn't want to), what did it cost me? Nothing, and may have even SAVED me $$ because I did the disassembly part for them. Hey, I was going to bring it in anyway!

It's fun to do repairs and look "under the hood". Having said that, there are clearly some things I won't do, or cannot afford the special equipment to do, such as a wheel truing stand, so that I leave to the pros. But cleaning hubs, replacing bottom brackets, derailleur adjustments, cable replacements, chain lubrication/servicing/replacement, changing tires, changing rear cassettes, hey, those I can do all by myself and very cheaply! Plus, I don't have to leave it at the shop for five days, so I get more riding time in along with the satisfaction of doing it myself.

I don't even own a workstand. I suspend my bike from two hooks in my garage with mesh cables (so I don't scratch my bike) that I tie around the bike frame. Or, I put it into my wind trainer when I have to tighten bolts with my torque wrench and I don't want the bike to move. A decent workstand costs about $100, but I'd rather buy neat stuff for my kids or a better cyclocomputer or whatever. You get the idea.

'Nuff said.

good call, coach, but I'd recommend against taking a half-done job to the LBS to finish
This can be an invitation to comments like "well, it's much harder to get back together if we didn't take it apart" or "you probably messed up something taking it apart"

get a truing stand and dishing tool and build a wheel...you'll like it!

one of my LBSs wanted $16 for a repack incl new bearings...another wanted $10 just to remove the freewheel :rolleyes:

I got a quote from a local team wrench for $20 for both. I think I'll go that route for now. I understand it's not that difficult, but what can I say, I'm lazy... :p

Assuming that it uses loose bearings, it's going to take you less time to repack the bearings than it will to drive to the shop. Consider that you'll need to leave the wheels there, then go back to pick them up later. What, 90-120 minutes wasted, plus the extra money? Just do it yourself and ride them the same day.

I got a quote from a local team wrench for $20 for both. I think I'll go that route for now. I understand it's not that difficult, but what can I say, I'm lazy... :p

Don't give in to the LBS! It's so easy. In fact, it's the very first work I did on my bike that actually involved disassembling something. It really IS easy and NOBODY cares more about your bike than you do.

See Sheldon Brown's article at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/hubs.html, It is excellent (as are all of his articles). However, it lacks pictures, which I got from Zinn's Roadbike maintenance book. The whole job took me, a total newbie, 40 minutes. The next time, around 20 and was better than the first. Now, I glide like teflon on butter.

Plus, the satisfaction of knowing I did it better than the LBS guy, who I KNOW doesn't have the time or inclincation to fine-tune the cone adjustment is well worth it. Heck, I find putting a chain back on more difficult than servicing my hubs. (I either don't push the pin out far enough, making it VERY difficult to put the chain back together, or I push it all the way out, which means time to buy a new chain!)

I got a quote from a local team wrench for $20 for both. I think I'll go that route for now. I understand it's not that difficult, but what can I say, I'm lazy... :p

Then you'll see how fast and easy it is, and know the $20 would have bought you the tools, bearings and grease to do it yourself.