Cost to swap bike tyre

moneymakeover

Registered User
Messages
961
Say I bought a tyre and asked a bike shop to remove old tyre and put new tyre on the bike, what's a reasonable charge for that in Dublin today ?

Before I say how much I was charged can I ask people what they would normally pay?

Please don't give a guess if you genuinely have no experience

Obviously we're living in inflationary times and prices are going up
 
Depends on
  • The tyre: Puncture resistant, e.g. Schwalble Marathon Plus are significantly more expensive
  • The bike: If you have an internally geared rear hub, e-bike, drum brakes, etc, this can make it harder to remove the wheel (especially if rear) then it can take much longer to do the job.
  • If there was a puncture then you would also have needed a new tube (~€5)
In total:
Tyre: €20-€50
Labour: €5-€50
Tube: €0-€10

Gives us a very wide range (€25-€110) of what {cost of goods + labour + reasonable margin} might come to, with the biggest variable being how long it takes to remove and replace the wheel.

Source: I've worked in several bike shops over the years as a mechanic (it has been a while, though)
 
Depends on whether you bought it in that same bike shop.

If bought in the bike shop, maybe €10

If not bought in the bike shop, maybe €20-€25
 
Yeah, I'd say about 20 to 25 to fit it if you didn't buy it in the shop. Less if you are getting a service / other stuff done probably
A tube is usually 10 (15-20 with cost of tube) for fitting so would expect more than that

But personally, unless it's a specialist tyre that you can't get through the shop, I'd say give them the business with the sale of the tyre in future. Local bike shops find it very hard to compete with online stores, and Amazon, decathlon or online bike shops simply won't change a tube for you, won't fit a tyre, won't fix a mechanical issue if you need it.

So it's good to support them with a few extra quid now and then so they're still there when you really need them - if you have a good bike shop that is. Not all are good bike shops but if you do find one that's good they're worth their weight in gold and worth a few quid extra for the quality of service they will give you as well imo

When you break down and need a fix to get home - decathlon won't do that for you
 
In my day it depended a lot on the type of customer and the the work involved and also the type of bike shop
If you walked in with the wheel in your hand and asked for a new tyre to be fitted, usually it was just the cost of the tyre
If you walked in with the bike it's not as simple as just swapping the tyre, the mechanic then after replacing the tyre then has to refit the wheel and make sure the braking system is working as it should so as to avoid any customer problems later on
That charge I would expect nowadays I would presume is in the €10 to €20 bracket on top of the tyre cost
 
A tube in Halfords costs approx 6 euro.
A new 20 inch tyre for my folding bike was about 16 euro.
Halfords also do bike servicing.
 
Found these pricelists





So these + the price of the tyre.
 
While it's too late for the original poster, anyone else that needs a new tyre should just look it up on YouTube, it's an easy enough job to do.

I'll add to this...if cycling any distance knowing how to swap a tube is something to practise with just the tools in your bag. Much easier to learn in your back garden than on the side of a road.

Of course many reasons why you'd bring it to a shop.

I'll assume the OP was shocked at the price.
 
Inner tubes can be patched

At the side of the road I used to just swap the tube. Or at home swap the tube then repair the old one and leave it as a spare. Patches can be troublesome.

I've a memory of a repair guy asking me had my tyre been patched before. Me saying no then him pulling out my tube with a about 10 patches on it. I think we'll get a new one. So long ago I no longer remember where or why I was in the shop.
 
The shop I'd normally use charges €8 to change over a tyre
My local suburban shop charged me whopping €30 which I didn't expect

My mistake, I didn't ask first for the price and yes for that I'd rather do it myself

I see other shops, halfords charges €12
Another city center shop charges €15

All valid prices just as long as you check first what you're going to pay

Thanks for all the feedback
 
Yes, but doing them properly can be troublesome.

the main problem I find is I buy a patch kit to repair a tube. Next time I go to repair a tube the glue has all gone!
I have had some success with glue-less patches; but glue or not I'd say my success rate is about 50%.
 
Actually, strictly it's not glue but vulcanising solution.

And this is the bit that many people do wrong - they apply the patch too early (and/or they don't prepare and clean the area properly):


Edit: yeah - I see that they say "glue"...
 
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