Both my car and bike (Public V7) had recently broken down to the point of nonfunctionality. I…read moreneeded a reliable set of new wheels, so I bought a Priority Turi. I know and am mechanically inclined enough to do simple installations/removals of basic components and accessories. I can do the stuff that has a binary answer to, "Is it on securely or not? It is obviously presenting a hazard to the rider or not?" But I don't know enough to easily and accurately diagnose a problem should one arise, nor do I have enough mechanical intuition of bikes to recognize when I've fine-tuned a part correctly.
I had spent eight fruitless months, on and off, trying to fix my Public V7. The experience was so demoralizing that I knew I had to challenge myself to self-assemble the Priority Turi for the practice and, afterwards, have it vetted by a pro for my own safety.
Once complete, I went on a short test ride. First, I noticed my front wheel still felt wobbly even though I had tightened the axle nuts until I physically couldn't tighten them any further. Secondly, my rear brakes seemed substantially weaker than my front brakes. I wrote the latter off as perhaps a quirk of the bike and only mentioned the former to James when he arrived for my appointment.
James and his adorable little dog arrived ~8 minutes late. To me, this was reasonable given that I live in Loveland and scheduled a service with a roving bike repair business based in Fort Collins. On top of that, the booking platform didn't seem to provide James with much buffer time between different appointments.
I booked just the minimum Safety Check knowing that there was a possibility the quote would change if I needed more services than that package offered. I also deliberately booked a slot that started three hours before his next appointment just in case. I told James about the front wheel, wiggled it to demonstrate, he checked to see if I'd secure the axle nuts adequately, then asked me if the wheel came that way out of the box. I said yes. He explained that the wheel appears to be too loose from its own hub, which means putting miles on it would cause excess wear on the hub bearings and lead to premature wheel failure. James clarified that the issue can be fixed the same-day, but of course such a repair would change my service tier from a bare bones Safety Inspection ($55) to a Bike Build ($130). I gave him the OK and he went to work.
Within the hour, James was wrapping up and had me test ride. The front wheel was now totally secured and it was much easier to engage the rear brakes. When I mentioned the improved rear brake, he sounded relieved that I'd noticed, confirmed that the rear brake is supposed to be more powerful than what I got out of the box, that he did troubleshoot, but that attempting a permanent resolution would probably require a disc brake bleed service (a separate $30 service not included in the Bike Build package). I again agreed, waited, went on another test ride where I noticed that the rear brake was even more responsive but a new subtle noise like metal-on-metal was coming from the rear, and brought it to his attention. James quickly and accurate diagnosed the entry-level disc brake rotor as being slightly out of true, which he manually adjusted before having me go on one last test ride that proved much quieter. I seriously appreciate that he was able to take feedback humbly and impersonally to get to the bottom of things.
Before he left, I had him help me install an Ergon bar end mirror, got multiple quotes regarding potential services on two other bikes I own, and consulted with him on an upcoming purchase of a pre-owned bike. He provided candid advice and fair service quotes based on my stated goals, even when those stated goals would not involve the most lucrative services for him. It was clear that he wasn't trying to upsell me; always a nice feeling. Plus, I got to talk to him about bike parts, the local biking community (he's an alum of the FC Bike Co-Op and still maintains close ties to them), and I learned he contributes to local biking nonprofits. LOL even my neighbors poached him for a bit to get a quote on their bikes before he began my service, and he did have time to help them after completing mine.
Some things to keep in mind: James does keep a fair amount of bike parts on hand, so you can buy replacements directly from him at MSRP during service. He also has some bikes available for purchase. Additionally, he can source a pre-owned bike from the FC Bike Co-Op to purchase based on what you're looking for, then deliver it to your home to either ride as-is or refurb it more. James' cute rescue dog Charlie may accompany him to your appointment and you'll want to mention any pet allergies ahead of time in the booking details.
In summary, the mobile Bike Wrench is a B-Corp-adjacent local business that does such good and honest work that your neighbors may try to elbow in on your appointment!
