Tune-ups
Bike tune-ups in Castle Rock
A tune-up is an adjustment service, not a rebuild. I put your bike in the stand, get the brakes and shifting working correctly again, check that nothing is loose or worn to the point of being unsafe, and hand it back riding the way it did when it was new. There are three tiers because bikes arrive in three broadly different conditions, and charging one price for all of them means somebody is overpaying. A bike that sat in the garage over the winter needs a different job than a bike with four seasons of commuting on it. Kids' bikes on 20-inch wheels and under have their own price, listed below the tiers. Every number is on this page, and it doesn't change once you book.
Every price on this page is labor. Parts are quoted separately and you approve them before they go on your bike.
01
What's wrong, what's causing it, and what it costs
These are the things people actually say when they call. Find yours.
| What you're noticing | What's usually causing it | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| The bike sat all winter and everything feels stiff and slow | Dried chain lube, soft tires, cables that have started to bind inside their housing | Safety Tune, $95 plus parts. If the housing is genuinely seized rather than just dry, cable and housing replacement is $50 plus materials |
| Shifting is vague — you click and it takes a second to drop in | Cable tension has drifted as the cable settled and stretched | Derailleur adjustment, $25 front or rear. Included in every tune tier |
| Brakes still stop you but the lever comes most of the way to the bar | Worn pads, stretched cable, or both, on rim and mechanical disc brakes | Caliper brake adjustment $25 per brake, disc brake adjustment $30 per brake, pads $25 per brake. The adjustment is included in every tune tier; pads are their own job |
| The chain is loud, dry, and looks orange in places | Drivetrain is dirty and unlubricated; grit is now doing the work of a file | Full Tune, $150 plus parts — includes a degrease and re-lube |
| You can see the wheel wobble side to side as it spins | Uneven spoke tension, usually from a pothole or curb hit | Wheel true $30 per wheel. Front and rear truing included in the Full Tune |
| Something creaks under hard pedaling | Dry or loose bearing interface at the cranks, headset, or pedals | Full Tune, $150 plus parts — bearing adjustment is part of it. If a bearing is actually worn out rather than loose, get in touch and I'll tell you what it needs |
| You just bought it used and have no idea what it's been through | Unknown history, and cables and bearings that are almost certainly original | Overhaul, $275 plus parts |
| Kid's bike, hasn't moved since last summer | Brakes and tires, mostly — kids' bikes go out of adjustment sitting still | Kids bike tune-up, $50 plus parts, on 20-inch wheels and under |
If your symptom isn't on this list, send a photo when you book. A picture of the drivetrain and one of the brake in question usually tells me what I need to know before the bike arrives.
02
Tune-up tiers
01 — Safety Tune · $95 plus parts · usually 1 day
For a bike that's been stored over the winter, or a first ride of the season. Brake adjustment front and rear, derailleur and shifting adjustment, chain cleaned, lubricated and checked for wear, tire pressure and bead seat check, all frame hardware torqued, wipe-down and safety inspection.
It does not include wheel truing, bearing service, cable or housing replacement, or a deep drivetrain clean. If your bike needs one of those, I'll tell you before I start rather than after.
Specials come and go on this tier. When one is running it shows on the tier card with its price and the date it ends.
02 — Full Tune · $150 plus parts · 1–2 days
This is the one most people need — weekly riders and daily commuters. Everything in the Safety Tune, plus lateral wheel truing front and rear, hub, headset and bottom bracket bearing adjustment, a full drivetrain degrease and re-lube, brake pad and rotor inspection, and a cable tension reset.
It does not include a bearing overhaul or new cables and housing. Those are the Overhaul. A hydraulic brake flush isn't part of it either — that's $30 per brake as its own job.
03 — Overhaul · $275 plus parts · 3–5 days
For high-mileage bikes, a bike bought used, or a once-a-year full reset. Bearings at the headset, bottom bracket and hubs are cleaned and regreased — not replaced. New cables and housing throughout. The whole drivetrain comes off for a sonic clean, which gets grit out of places a brush cannot reach. Install labor on any new parts is included in the package price — you pay for the parts, not for putting them on.
If the bike has hydraulic brakes, a brake flush is part of the overhaul — the old fluid gets bled through and replaced, inside the package price.
If a bearing turns out to be worn rather than just dry, that's a quote rather than part of the package, and you'll hear about it from the stand before anything gets ordered.
Parts, suspension fork lower service, and wheel building are not included in the package.
Kids bikes · $50 plus parts
A kid's bike on 20-inch wheels or smaller is its own price, not a tier. It gets the same work the Safety Tune gets — brakes set, shifting adjusted if it has gears, chain cleaned and lubed, tires up to pressure, every bolt on the bike checked and torqued — on a bike with less to go through. Charging the adult price for it would be charging for time I didn't spend.
Anything bigger than 20-inch wheels is a full-size bike and prices as one, whoever rides it.
03
What a tune-up actually does
Most of what goes wrong on a bike is drift, not failure. A new brake cable stretches a small amount in its first few rides and then keeps creeping as the housing compresses. Shift cables do the same thing. Neither breaks — they just slowly move the system out of the range where it works, which is why a bike that shifted perfectly in April feels sloppy in July without anything visibly wrong.
The other half is wear you can predict. A chain stretches as its pins and rollers wear, and a stretched chain wears the cassette teeth to match it. Replace the chain at the right time and one cassette lasts three or four chains. Leave it too long and you're buying both. That's the single biggest money difference between a bike that gets serviced and one that doesn't, and it's the reason I check chain wear on every bike that comes in, whichever tier you booked.
04
How to pick a tier
Spin each wheel and watch the gap between the rim and the brake pad or the rotor and the caliper. If that gap changes as the wheel goes around, you need truing, which means Full Tune or higher. Grab the crank arm and push it side to side toward the frame — any knock you can feel is bearing play, which is also Full Tune. Lift the front wheel off the ground and turn the bars slowly; if it notches into the straight-ahead position instead of swinging freely, the headset bearings are worn and you should get in touch before booking a tier, because that's a parts conversation.
If none of that is happening and the bike just feels tired, the Safety Tune is enough. If it's a kid's bike on 20-inch wheels or under, book the kids tune-up instead — same checks, smaller bike, $50. When you're between two tiers, book the lower one. I'll call you from the stand if it needs the higher one, with the number, before I do the work.
05
Turnaround
Safety Tunes usually go out in a day. Full Tunes take one to two days. Overhauls take three to five, because parts have to be ordered and bearings need time out of the frame. You get a firm date when you book, not a maybe.
Drop off at the garage in Castle Rock, or I'll come to you — I cover Castle Rock and Castle Pines, run out to Franktown, Sedalia, and Larkspur regularly, and take work in Parker and Highlands Ranch. Tell me which you'd prefer when you book and I'll send the details.
06
FAQ
How often does my bike need a tune-up?
Once a year for most people, or every 1,500 miles or so if you ride more than that. If you ride through Colorado winters on treated roads, sooner — road salt and magnesium chloride get into cables and chains and do damage that has nothing to do with mileage.
Which tier do I need if I have no idea?
Book the Safety Tune and say so in the notes. I'll look at it, call you with what it actually needs and what that costs, and you decide. You are never upgraded without a conversation.
Should I clean the bike before I bring it in?
Yes, if possible. A clean bike makes it much easier to spot worn or damaged components and properly diagnose any mechanical issues. If your bike just has a little dust or trail grime from normal riding, don't worry — a quick wipe-down is included with your service. If your bike is heavily caked with mud, grease, or debris, a $40 wash and polish may be recommended before repairs begin. Thoroughly cleaning a very dirty bike takes time I'd rather spend wrenching on your bike and getting you back out riding.
Can you replace my bottom bracket?
Sometimes, and I'd rather say that plainly than find out with your bike in pieces. Bottom brackets can be tough — there are a lot of standards out there and each one takes its own special tool. I don't have all of them. Tell me the bike when you book and I'll check before you make the trip.
Are parts included in the tune-up price?
No. Every price here is labor. Cables, pads, chains, and tires are quoted separately and you approve them before they go on your bike. There are no surprise line items.
Mobile & drop-off
Getting the bike to me.
I cover Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Franktown, Sedalia, Larkspur, Parker and Highlands Ranch. Quick jobs get done on site; anything that needs the stand comes back to the shop and goes home when it’s finished.
Towns covered
- Castle Rock
- Castle Pines
- Franktown
- Sedalia
- Larkspur
- Parker
- Highlands Ranch
Drop-off details and directions come with your booking confirmation.
08 — Book
What’s it doing?
Tell me what the bike is doing and whether you'd rather drop it off or have me come to you. You talk to the mechanic, not a counter, and you'll hear back within 1 business day.
— James
Rather talk? (303) 667-1426