How Much Does a Bike Tune Up Cost?
A bike tune-up is very similar to a car tune-up and is suggested every six months. A tune-up usually, at a minimum, involves checking the tires, brakes, the chain and the gears for multi-speed bikes.
How much does a bike tune-up cost?
On average, a standard bike tune-up can cost $30 to $80. This price will depend on the professional you choose, where you live and what’s included in the tune-up. A simple $30 to $50 job will include a quick clean and adjustment, while the costs can be much higher if you were to add more services to the job. For example, replacing all of the brake and shift cable/housing could be in the $100 to $150 range, while doing everything mentioned, plus removing the parts, rebuilding the bearing assemblies and performing a deeper clean can be closer to $200. Refer to our table below to see what the different tiers of service would cost at the average bike shop.
Members on BikeForums.net, for instance, chimed in and said they had paid anywhere from as little as $20 for a basic tune-up to as much as $200 for a complete tuneup.
Popular Mechanics says the costs can be between $30 to $75 and talks about what’s included in the average tune-up.
Dick’s Sporting Goods offers four tune-up options: basic, premium, brake system and drivetrain. The drivetrain and brake system tune-up retails for $24.99, whereas the basic option is $39.99.
| What's Included? | The Average Price |
|---|---|
| - Wheel truing - Adjusting the brakes - Tune gears - Drivetrain lubrication - Tighten all bolts - Tire inflation - Minor adjustments - Visual inspection | $30 to $60 |
| Everything in first, plus: - Bearing adjustments - Cleaning | $50 to $80 |
| Everything in top two, plus: - Deeper cleaning session - Spoke re-tensioning - Wheel truing | $80 to $150 |
| Everything above, plus: - 100% disassembly with cleaning. - Re-greasing all bearings - Advanced inspection | $150 to $275 |
Bike tune-up overview
Most bicycle tune-ups will include the cleaning, lubrication, wheel truing, drivetrain adjustment, brake adjustment and a thorough inspection. Premium tune-up jobs, as mentioned earlier, can include more work, including removing parts, rebuilding assemblies and/or replacing cables. While tune-ups will be similar, some may include certain services while others won’t. Before you pay, just make sure you know what you’re getting since all shops won’t be created equally.
What are the extra costs?
The prices mentioned above won’t include additional parts. For example, if you have an older bike, then it may need new brake pads, a new chain, new cables and/or housing. If the tires were bald and in need of replacement, this would be an additional cost to consider as well. However, even if all of these parts were to be replaced, it would only be another $100 to $200 or so. A simple chain installation, for instance, would cost $5 to $15 without the parts, while a grip install could be in the $5 to $10 range.
Additional costs can apply to rush orders.
Tips to know:
Experts recommend getting your bike tuned every year unless you ride more than the average cyclist.
How can I save money?
A lot of retailers that specialize in bikes often offer its customers discounts on tune-up as long as you purchased the bike through them. According to the BikeForums.net thread we had mentioned at the top, some said some retailers in their town offered free basic tuneups to their customers for life. REI, for instance, offers a free bicycle tune-up for every bike after 20 hours of use or six months from the purchase date, whichever comes first. If you didn’t buy your bike at REI, then the costs would be in the $60 to $105 range, depending on the package chosen.
Minor tune-up jobs can often be done on your own such as lubing the chain or checking the tire pressure. If you attempt to try some of the larger jobs and don’t have experience, then you may screw things up, causing more problems for the future.
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Average Reported Cost: $90
How much did you spend?
- Beachwood Bicycles (Bayville, New Jersey) paid $90 and said:
Full tune-up
Was it worth it? Yes
