Is the free Halfords 6 week service worth getting?

[hamlet1222]

Is there anything halfords do in the post-purchase service that someone with standard tools, youtube, and some experience cannot do themselves?

They make it sound like they do some critical stuff, but I wonder if all they do is tighten the brakes (that is critical, true) and adjust the gears - something I've done many times.

I know it's 'free', but it's annoying to have your bike off road while they have it.

[gaz]

.

[mercalia]

If any guarantee/warranty depends upon a stamp in the book that the bike has had its 6 week service then take it for a service.

If not, well it's your call.

+1

even if it dont a trouble some shop could say the owner had been negligent and caused any fault that the 6 week service would have detected before it came troublesome?

[Brian73]

I bet they don't check the wheel hub cones, these are usually the first to go on cheaper bikes as they're set too tight from the factory

[landsurfer]

Halfords 6 week service = Maintenance induced failure.
After my daughter took my GDaughters bike in for this service it took me an hour to get the gears, brakes and front wheel working correctly. They tightened the front wheel cones to the point where the wheel would only spin with the hardest of pushes ....
Rubbish ......

[shiznit76]

To be fair, it deoends on who your cycle mechanic is at Halfords, the guy at our local place is very good. Your bike is only likely to be off the road with them for half a day, and what they normally do is just tighten cables that become stretched and adjust gears/brakes. Your call, but don't just right it off because you think they will mess it up

[MikeF]

To be fair, it deoends on who your cycle mechanic is at Halfords, the guy at our local place is very good.

I think that's very true. I haven't had a bike checked/serviced by Halfords, but the chap who appears to run the bike bit of our local Halfords seems to know what he is doing judging by conversations I overheard. However bike maintenance is often let out to young juniors and I suspect this might be where some of the problems are.

They tightened the front wheel cones to the point where the wheel would only spin with the hardest of pushes ....
Rubbish ......

Well you don't want loose parts, especially on the wheels.
My father wasn't particularly "mechanical minded", but one thing he did know about was adjusting cones, and so I was shown that at quite a young age.

[100%JR]

It very much depends on the branch.They are very hit and miss and there are plenty of horror stories regarding their builds.My mate works as a mechanic at one of the Sheffield branches and he's a good mechanic but I'd still do the service myself.
I've never taken a bike back for it's 6 week service to any retailer and have never had any warranty issues.

[landsurfer]

It very much depends on the branch.They are very hit and miss and there are plenty of horror stories regarding their builds.My mate works as a mechanic at one of the Sheffield branches and he's a good mechanic but I'd still do the service myself.
I've never taken a bike back for it's 6 week service to any retailer and have never had any warranty issues.

+1

[Cyril Haearn]

Do use the free service but check the bike yourself afterwards before riding. My LBS once left the front wheel nuts loose.

[Spinners]

I've had three new bikes from Halfords over the past seven years (a Boardman road bike, a nice Carrera hybrid and the wife's Pendleton hybrid) and all were in good order at time of purchase so I never bothered with the six week service. I've had work colleagues also buy from Halford's and get a bit obsessive about "taking it in for a service".

[100%JR]

I've had three new bikes from Halfords over the past seven years (a Boardman road bike, a nice Carrera hybrid and the wife's Pendleton hybrid) and all were in good order at time of purchase so I never bothered with the six week service. I've had work colleagues also buy from Halford's and get a bit obsessive about "taking it in for a service".

As my mate is a Mechanic there I know exactly what their 6 weeks service consists of....from what he's told me I also know that in particularly busy times if they're short staffed the "full" check/service doesn't always get done
This is not exclusive to Halfords as he worked at Sheffields largest Independent bike shop for many years and it happened there.Nothing to do with the staff but more pressure from the Company!
I know that in the week leading upto Christmas his branch had almost 200 bikes to build and he was on his own!So even if the Shop does have good mechanics they are up against it

@ Spinners:-

Like the Avavatar BTW.One of my favourite bands,seen them many,many times over the years.
I had that single on a Promo 10" with a different cover and the B-side track(Of all the things we've made) was mis-printed and called "Experiments in vertical take-off".Sadly someone nicked it