When John Dower made the kind offer of a free premium tune up at MEC, the catch of writing a review was left off the table but here’s my best attempt at it. The way I like to think of it is this will be the first time I’ve been compensated for my writing!
After accepting John’s offer to “secret shop” MEC and try out their premium bike service, the first decision was “Which bike?!” as I’m fortunate enough to have a selection. Several questions floated through my head – this would be at no cost to me so which bike is the most neglected that I don’t want to put money into? Which bike do I want to risk with a mechanic I don’t know at all? Which one would actually warrant a “performance” tune up and realize a benefit from it? My good road bike was all ready for Sardinia plus I wouldn’t take it to somebody I didn’t know. Same for my mountain bike. Maybe the ‘cross bike? Hmm… I think the Cinderella of this story is the decade old Norco CRR One that has seen a lot of wear and tear through the rain and even a bit of snow this past winter with very minimal TLC!
So I phoned the MEC bike shop and set up the appointment for late in the week. When I dropped my bike off, Ben, the head mechanic, went over the bike with me and offered some recommendations on the service options available. He tried to talk me out of the more expensive premium tune up I had scheduled for and offered an overhaul for a lower cost as a better option. Ben was also quick to point out that the Norco would not really see the “performance” benefit of the tune up. However the premium service did include the cost of the Shimano cables and housing for both shifters and brakes, bar tape, pulleys, and brake pads. This turned out to be my rationale for sticking with the more expensive service in an attempt to keep my cover for “secret shopping” (although the bike was a clear give away).
Ben ensured that any concerns I had about the bike were known before the service as well as inspecting the bike with me to give me a heads up on some additional work that would be necessary. The drive train would need replacing so some options for a new cassette and chain were provided. The back wheel would likely need replacing although they would attempt to true it as much as possible and the bearings were done. (This is all pretty much confirmed what I had already known so my next post will be in the classifieds for a cheap rear wheel!). I also let Ben know that there used to be a triple chain ring on the front that was replaced with a double, so the shifting might need to be checked as sometimes the chain comes off.
When I went back the next day to pick up my Norco, it was a shiny bright white, the cleanest it had ever been in the last few years. The mechanic on hand went through Ben’s notes on the service form and made sure it was clear what was done with the bike and addressed any questions or concerns I had. A couple of rides afterwards and it felt great – the shifting was so much smoother.
All in all, it was a positive experience with good communication, from the service options on the website, to the service form with check-in notes, and the mechanics explaining various options for services and components based on cost and benefits. My one recommendation going forward for the “secret shop” experience would be to choose a lower to mid range service package as I think the premium tune up is too rare and a bit biased, rather than representing an average customer experience. Plus the old winter bike just about gave it away!
Happy Pedaling, Jen
MEC Bike Shop Review
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