Why support LBS if the service is [censored]?

Why did you only need one or two of each size? Bikes coming in a ball or two short?? Do you mean the hub and headset had balls missing (wow rough running bearings there!)

Bit silly of the shops to not open a bag and just sell you one or two, hell shops must go through 3/16" balls quickly servicing all the shimano hubs out there. The 1/8" for headsets they probably don't do so much of (who ever needs headsets replaced before turfing the entire unit or bike).

In general if you get bad service anywhere don't go back...reward those who treat you well by going back. Shame it means considerably more effort for you.

gclark8 said:

Today (Sunday) I walked to two local bike shops (Morley) for a very small purchase:

2 x 3/16 ball bearings for a front hub and
2 x 1/8 ball bearings for a headset.

Sometimes bikes come in short a ball or two and I did not want to go all the way to town for a few cents purchase or send the bike back incomplete.

Well, bike shop #1, would sell me both, but only in quantities of 144!

Bike shop #2 only had the 3/16, but in a race of 7 for $2, so no good as no 1/8 balls.

Tomorrow I will spend the $1.40 on the train fare, go to my favourite shop in town and get 4 balls, have a chat and a coffee, spend no additional money and probably sell bike for him while I'm there!

Are you saying that your idea of supporting your shop is to make a $1.00 purchase, drink a cup of their coffee, butt in while they're trying to sell a bike to another customer and have a chat to keep the workers from doing any other work? If so, I'm thinking that they might not miss you very much.

gclark8 said:

Today (Sunday) I walked to two local bike shops (Morley) for a very small purchase:

2 x 3/16 ball bearings for a front hub and
2 x 1/8 ball bearings for a headset.

Sometimes bikes come in short a ball or two and I did not want to go all the way to town for a few cents purchase or send the bike back incomplete.

Well, bike shop #1, would sell me both, but only in quantities of 144!

Bike shop #2 only had the 3/16, but in a race of 7 for $2, so no good as no 1/8 balls.

Tomorrow I will spend the $1.40 on the train fare, go to my favourite shop in town and get 4 balls, have a chat and a coffee, spend no additional money and probably sell bike for him while I'm there!

I don't know why you wouldn't go to your favorite bike shop in the first place?

TrekDedicated said:

I don't know why you wouldn't go to your favorite bike shop in the first place?

My thought exactly.

My point is , when you support customers for the little things, say 4 balls, it comes back to bless the shop owners in sales for bigger things, a bike.

I will be ordering a bike this week for my Ex-wife, it won't be comming from any of the local shops.

gclark8 said:

My point is , when you support customers for the little things, say 4 balls, it comes back to bless the shop owners in sales for bigger things, a bike.

I will be ordering a bike this week for my Ex-wife, it won't be comming from any of the local shops.

Yeah, right!

on a side/related note, it's probably best to buy the best bearings possible and have them matched. I think "Campy" grade is diameter matched to 1/10,000" and roundness to something crazy like 1/30,000,000". However it doesn't cost that much. by keeping matching bearings, you won't have one or two "larger" bearings take most of the load (and therefore pinpointing wear etc). By going loose bearings, you may be able to fit one more bearing on each side. Exception is the nicer retainers which allow a full complement of bearings even with a retainer.

of course, if your races are already done, then it won't matter. or if you're rebuilding something that is not machined in original form. but if you're doing a nice machined-race cone/cup hub, then buying nice bearings is worth it. and get extras - if you drop one onto a concrete or tile floor, just toss it. the impact on the floor is enough to put it out of spec.

when I had a shop we gave away bearings since we got 1000 or so for $25-ish. Of course, as the shop no longer exists, that might be one of the reasons why.

cdr

CDR,

I wish it was for a nice well made bike, however, not so, it is a 50 year old european ladies bike that my ex wife had in the shed. I just didn't want to put it back together incomplete. There is just too much wear and to many un-repairable parts on the bike to make it a goer again. It will probably get a basket and become a garden ornament, with new grease in all the bearings. 😄

I ordered her a new Giant Elwood when I picked up the 3 x 3/16 balls for the hub. 😉 The head set turned out ok, 30 1/8 balls top and bottom, not 32.

carpediemracing said:

on a side/related note, it's probably best to buy the best bearings possible and have them matched. I think "Campy" grade is diameter matched to 1/10,000" and roundness to something crazy like 1/30,000,000". However it doesn't cost that much. by keeping matching bearings, you won't have one or two "larger" bearings take most of the load (and therefore pinpointing wear etc). By going loose bearings, you may be able to fit one more bearing on each side. Exception is the nicer retainers which allow a full complement of bearings even with a retainer.

of course, if your races are already done, then it won't matter. or if you're rebuilding something that is not machined in original form. but if you're doing a nice machined-race cone/cup hub, then buying nice bearings is worth it. and get extras - if you drop one onto a concrete or tile floor, just toss it. the impact on the floor is enough to put it out of spec.

when I had a shop we gave away bearings since we got 1000 or so for $25-ish. Of course, as the shop no longer exists, that might be one of the reasons why.

cdr

It is best to buy all the bearings from the same bag. Grade 25 means all balls will be within 25 millionths of an inch from their rated size, but typically a bag will be all over or under by the same amount. Conceivably you could wind up with half your bearings on the smallest side and the other half on the biggest size so the small ones would see next to no load.

For a junker bike this doesn't make much difference. Yes, the store should have sold the guy one bearing if that's what he wanted. No, I don't think they'll miss his business.

gclark8 said:

My point is , when you support customers for the little things, say 4 balls, it comes back to bless the shop owners in sales for bigger things, a bike.

I will be ordering a bike this week for my Ex-wife, it won't be comming from any of the local shops.

Your ordering a bike for your ex???? What is the world coming to? 😕

DiabloScott said:

It is best to buy all the bearings from the same bag. Grade 25 means all balls will be within 25 millionths of an inch from their rated size, but typically a bag will be all over or under by the same amount. Conceivably you could wind up with half your bearings on the smallest side and the other half on the biggest size so the small ones would see next to no load.

For a junker bike this doesn't make much difference. Yes, the store should have sold the guy one bearing if that's what he wanted. No, I don't think they'll miss his business.

thanks for the refresher. I forgot the Grade bit and the details.

and gclark8, sounds like you'll have the garden ornament with the best spinning wheels!

cdr