Cost to do cable work at LBS?

Hi all

I have two road bikes I bought in the uk. Brakes and shifters are completely opposite to what I'm used to in the US (left brake for me is front)

Roughly how much would this cost to swap the cabling around at my LBS? Asking here as I don't want to get ripped off...Evans quoted £80 for both bikes wth. I haven't had time to check out any LBS yet until a weekend when I'm free (and they're open!)

Thanks

Learn the new way.

Imagine signalling to turn right and attempting to simultaneously using your left hand to control speed, tell me whether you would prefer this left hand to be connected to a rear brake of front?

^^ £80 will include new cables (I hope) and sounds about right.

It should be less if you go to your local proper bike shop and tell them it's a swap, not new cabling.

£80 sound like a mid-level service (silver service) which is an overhaul of your bicycle, assuming you don't want that, even for an overhaul, £80 is way too much.

Brake service only should be £15-20, possibly more if bar tape might need replacing.

Imagine signalling to turn right and attempting to simultaneously using your left hand to control speed, tell me whether you would prefer this left hand to be connected to a rear brake of front?

It doesn't matter one ounce.

I'm intrigued as to who would do that job for £15.

Our shop does, £15-20 is the labour, not including the cost of the cable, ferrel and possibly housing.

Learn the new way.

Imagine signalling to turn right and attempting to simultaneously using your left hand to control speed, tell me whether you would prefer this left hand to be connected to a rear brake of front?

I've never thought it to be anything to do with indicating. It's the dominant (for most) hand controlling the most powerful brake.

I've never thought it to be anything to do with indicating. It's the dominant (for most) hand controlling the most powerful brake.

It isn't and you're right.

Its not as if you brake with one brake to indicate left and the other to indicate right.

Um, but it is?

Wait, americans are all left handed? Who knew?

This is what happens when you multi-task, I think I meant to say something exactly the opposite to what I typed.

I'm intrigued as to who would do that job for £15.

Hadron Cycles in Finsbury Park cabled up my entire bike, set up the brakes and indexed my gears for £20.

I don't think I'll ever forget the time I tried doing a wheelie on a MTB in America, the momentary panic of pulling the left lever and it doing sweet fuck all to stop me flying backwards onto my arse.

My current bike (bought second hand) is for some reason cabled the US way, front brake on the left. I just got used to it, might get round to changing it eventually though. Probably wait til I need to get new bar tape though.

http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

/end debate

Hadron Cycles in Finsbury Park cabled up my entire bike, set up the brakes and indexed my gears for £20.

I'd hope that was mates rates? Margins on that must be squeaky tight.

It isn't and you're right.

Its not as if you brake with one brake to indicate left and the other to indicate right.

Signalling left, or in the case of right sided countries, signalling right. Is something you need to do much less often as you can usually make the manoeuvre without affecting anyone else.

Often getting yourself into the centre of a road/inner lane so you can turn right involves building some speed, which you then have to immediately scrub to turn right, and if you often have to do this one handed too! Personally, I would much rather be using the rear brake when doing this.

You're making it sound complicated when it's not.

All you have to do is scrub some speed off before you signal.

£80 sounds extortionate.

They route the cables the long way round, more expensive.

^^ Sure does.

Watch this video and DIY. Chances are you can re-use your cables. If not, a new set shouldn't set you back a fortune. This video is for disc brakes on a mountainbike, but it's pretty much the same principle for a roadbike. You might need to replace the bar tape as well. Vid is even in American English!

How to Replace Brake Cables - Bicycling Magazine - YouTube

Road bike brakes are so shite it makes no odds which way round they're set up.

Hadron Cycles in Finsbury Park cabled up my entire bike, set up the brakes and indexed my gears for £20.

Are they good with collisions?

I'd be conCERNed about paying too much

every time i walk in they're all like 'what's the matter?'