Questions we actually get asked

01How do I book, and how far ahead do I need to?

Email hello@crahift.com or use the contact form. There is no online calendar because with two of us it would be out of date within a day.

In practice, a basic service or a brake and gear setup can usually be fitted in within a week. A full service is normally one to two weeks out. Spring is busier than the rest of the year by a wide margin, so from March to May, add a week to all of that.

A custom build is a different conversation and starts whenever you want to start talking.

02Will you tell me what it costs before you start?

Yes, always, and twice.

When you book, we give you a price for the service and a rough view of what else the bike might need based on what you have told us. Once the bike is in the stand and we can see it properly, we confirm the real number.

If anything changes after that, we ring or email you and wait for an answer before spending your money. We have never added something to a bill and hoped it went unnoticed, and we are not going to start.

03Can I bring my own parts?

Yes, and it costs exactly the same to fit as a part we supplied. We are not going to penalise you for shopping around.

Two honest caveats. If the part turns out to be the wrong size or standard, we will have to charge for the time we spent finding that out, and we will tell you as soon as we know rather than at the end. And our three month warranty covers our work, not a part you sourced, though if it fails because we fitted it wrong that is obviously on us.

Bring the packaging and any fitting instructions if you have them, particularly for anything with a torque figure on it.

04Do you guarantee your work?

Three months on labour. If something we adjusted goes out of adjustment inside three months, bring it back and we will put it right at no charge.

That covers our work. It does not cover a part wearing out, which is not a fault, and it does not cover damage, which includes potholes, kerbs, crashes and having the bike knocked over in a rack.

Parts we supply carry whatever warranty the maker gives them and we will handle that claim for you rather than making you do it.

Hand built wheels get a free re true at six weeks on top of the warranty, because a new wheel settles and that is expected rather than a fault. That is included in the price on the wheel building page.

05Do you work on e bikes?

Yes, for everything except the inside of the motor.

We service the brakes, drivetrain, wheels, bearings and everything else exactly as we would on any bike, and we will diagnose the electrical system, check the wiring, connectors and battery mounting, and read the error codes.

What we do not do is open motors. That needs manufacturer tooling and diagnostic access we do not have, and a workshop that pretends otherwise is guessing with something expensive.

Bring the battery and the charger with the bike, and the key if the battery locks to the frame. E bikes are heavier and harder on drivetrains and brakes, so expect chains and pads to wear noticeably faster than you are used to.

One thing worth knowing: because of the weight, e bike wheels take a beating. If yours has developed a wobble, it is worth reading what wear looks like before it becomes a rebuild.

06Do you fit second hand parts?

Yes, and we keep a stock of them, because a great deal of what comes off bikes that are not worth repairing is perfectly good.

We will fit second hand for almost anything, and it is often the difference between a repair being worth doing and not. The student single speed was built largely this way.

There are things we will not fit used, and they are all safety critical: brake pads, cables, chains, helmets, and anything carbon with an unknown history. A used carbon bar or fork could have been in a crash and there is no way to see it.

07How long will you keep my bike, and is storage free?

While we are working on it, obviously, and then seven days after it is ready at no charge.

After seven days we will email or ring. After a month we will ask you to collect it, and we mean it kindly but firmly, because rack space is the actual limit on how much work two people can take on. A bike sitting finished for six weeks is a bike we cannot book someone else in behind.

If you have a genuine reason you cannot collect, tell us and we will work around it. We have held bikes for people who were in hospital or abroad. We just need to know rather than guess.

08What should I bring when I drop the bike off?

The bike, and the key to any lock that is attached to it. If it is an e bike, the battery, the charger and the battery key.

Leave the panniers, luggage, child seats and accessories at home unless the fault involves them, because we will take them off anyway.

Do not clean it. We would slightly rather see it dirty, because the wear patterns tell us what has actually been happening to it.

Tell us about any part you supplied yourself, anything that has been repaired before, and anything on the bike you do not want touched. The full routine is on the workshop page.

09Do you take a deposit, and how do I pay?

No deposit for a service or a repair. You pay when you collect.

Custom builds are the exception, because we are buying parts specifically for your bike. We ask for the parts cost up front once the spec is agreed, and the labour on completion. We do not ask for anything before the spec is written and you have said yes to it.

Card or bank transfer. Cash is fine too.

10Can you do it while I wait?

Sometimes, and it is worth asking.

A wheel true, a puncture, a brake adjustment or a gear setup on a basically sound bike can often be done in half an hour to an hour if you catch us at the right moment. Mornings are better than afternoons.

A basic service is a day, and a full service is two to three, and neither of those compresses. Email first rather than turning up hopefully, and we will tell you honestly whether it is a wait or a drop off.