7 Month old bike needs £300 worth of parts and labour

Let’s separate this down:

Let’s separate this down:
First, I hope you haven’t left your bike at this place? If you have, go get it back, sharpish.

I have a Ribble Sportive Racer purchased in July last year and done 6250kms.

Good going, mun. Nice mileage. Problem is, some LBS will see ‘Ribble’ and think ‘twat who doesn’t support LBS’. That’s one strike (from the mechanic’s point of view) against you from the start. If he’s being a cockwomble, of course.

In recent months the bottom bracket has become rather crunchy. I looked at replacing it and am familiar with replacing Hollowtech BBs and have the tools, however this one is Pressfit. I neither have the tools or knowledge to replace it. I am rather disappointed with the quality of this design; though to be honest BB type was not an issue in my decision to buy.

Precisely why I avoid press fit. I was so chuffed my new build wasn’t press fit.
OK. Plan of action:
– either buy the tools to do it yourself from now until forever. You’ll need a bearing press (~£30) and a removal tool (~£20) and an online video or two ( https://youtu.be/yOJAKBQOU9U ).
 – or find a LBS to remove the press fit and replace with a Praxis converter and go back to Hollowtech. Plus, you’ll need a new crankset, etc, but if you’re doing that much mileage, replacing the chainrings won’t be far off anyway, and that can cost just as much. 

So I’ve taken it into a well know high street chain of bike shops for a service.
The service quote is £298.91 when the bike itself cost about £1100 just last summer.

Ouchy. I’m guessing it’s this one – carbon with 105, PF30 BB?
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-sportive-racing/

Apparently I need a new cassette (maybe fair, third chain)…

After that mileage. Yeah.
Say £50 for the cassette & chain. Work of a few minutes if you want to do it yourself.

…need a brake caliper (as the rear one is a little stiff from a muddy winter, I often put tape over the gaps as I’ve had issues like this before, but this happens every winter)…

Mudguards. Full length buggers. Think about them. They’ll protect your calipers and headset and cables. And your arse. And the face of anyone on your wheel.
Apart from that, if there’s play, I’d contact Ribble. If it’s stiff, I’d take it off and give it a damn good clean.
New caliper: £30 – piss easy to replace yourself.

…need new headset bearings because there is about half a mm of play in the fork, apparently tightening this one up is not possible,) …

*blinks*
Right. If you’ve not been using mudguards and the original fitter didn’t use enough grease or tighten it correctly, this isn’t entirely surprising (assuming it’s the lower bearing). Has it been creaking?
Headsets are easy. Just remember to take pics as you take it apart. (https://youtu.be/pARonM0tFpM)
£15 for new bearings. Use a shitload of grease around them.

…need new brake pads …(though I have more at home and put new ones on a month ago,)

A month for a set of pads??? Either, you fucked up on installation and didn’t get them square, or you’re heavy-handed as fuck with your braking. Or, they haven’t really looked at them.
Sidenote: new calipers come with new pads, btw. Not that you want to use them as the Shimano ones are generally shit. BUT I don’t know why they’re charging you for these.
£8-15
(Get Kool Stop Salmon next time, btw. They’re better, and last longer, and don’t pick up as much shit.)

…and need new cabling (though again the bike is only a few months old.)…

After a mucky winter, I’m not surprised at this. You should be changing your cabling every six months. And you’ll want a full change, not just the inners, as the outers are probably corroded and full of shit off the road due to your non-mudguardy habits.
~£25 for a set of new cables. Takes a while if you haven’t done it before, and a decent pair of cable cutters.

…need new bar tape (though I don’t really give an eff about a few frayed tape ends)…

As someone else mentions, bar tape is usually replaced if you change the cables. If it’s fraying and dirty and yucky, they probably don’t want to try to rewrap. Some of it’s not worth rewrapping anyway.
£20-30
(Fork out for Lizard Skins if you can.)

Thoughts gentlemen and dottigirls**? Does this sound reasonable?

BB – £20-50 (plus £50 of tools)
Cassette & chain – £50
Caliper – £30
Pads – £10-15
Headset bearings – £15
Cables – £15-25 (plus £20 for cutters if you don’t have them)
Tape – £20
So, estimate £180-200 for DIY parts. That quote doesn’t look too unreasonable now, does it? Maybe high on the labour side, if you think of it per hour, but they may have standard charges per job.
Mechanic friends assure me that trade for many of these parts is sometimes above what you can find them for yourself online. It’s not a case of the shops adding stuff on – one friend even orders retail parts as it’s cheaper.
Now, at Casa Dotti, I’d do it all myself. Due to being laid up, I have the time and inclination to watch a load of videos and search online for the best part price and how to do it. I’d probably get it down to about £150 for parts, or more if I decided to convert the BB. However, others aren’t so lucky/unlucky* with the time/financial* constraints (delete as applicable – can’t walk atm so it’s the latter). 
It may be worth going to another LBS to get another quote. I would. As others have pointed out, some of these items may just need a clean/grease.

But you have to think, how much do you value your time? Either to DIY or find another shop/quote.

 

Oh, and get some bloody decent ‘guards.

 

**

I think that when the bike

I think that when the bike was brought is surely less relevant to how many miles it’s done and 6250km’s since july through winter, with little ongoing maintenence done yourself, is a lot!

What is a service anyway? I’d expect a basic service would cover a clean, thourough checking  alignment and condition of all the parts, cables replaced as defacto although I don’t begrudge the three quid for cables my LBS charges, and torquing of all bolts.

I think you’ve also thrown up another issue here.. I think the ribble you’ve brought may not be the best bike for your needs. Surely you’re a candidate for a steel is real, threaded BB, made to last bike running on a set of built for British weather Royce hubs and a set of canti’s (or discs) may be better. 

 

 

Getting pressfit bbs out is

Getting pressfit bbs out is simplicity itself – use a tool like that or just tap on them with a blunt rod – not a screwdriver in case you damage the BB shell.

I made my own BB press with a length of threaded rod and two short lengths of wood. Worked for me. Total cost: about £20 including the cups.

I doubt the cables need replacing, You can usually wind up the frayed cable and stick a ferrule on it. They don’t come off if you squeeze them properly.

My winter bike gets used for

My winter bike gets used for ~4 months of the year, though not for commuting.  It’s got 7000km over three winters on it.  In that time it’s on its third chain, second cassette, second set of cables (and bar tape) and second rear brake caliper (can’t bring myself to ride a bike with mudguards!).

All of those I replaced myself, none was a big job nor expensive (even including the tools)

 

I’d say all of those items were replaced as they got worn out/beaten up by the conditions.  The only parts I’d be worried over replacing are the BB and headset as I’ve never done it.  I tend to take a youtube approach though – I don’t mind buying tools and researching/doing things myself.  Worst case I have three bikes so if it takes me a while to sort something I can ride one of the others.

It does sound like you have

It does sound like you have ridden through the winter on it so some expenditure is inevitable after that mileage.And a rear brake caliper WILL seize up eventually if you have no rear mudguard protecting it from muck and road spray.

Tbh your circumstances are precisely the reason why so many people, who do none of their own maintenanace, buy new bikes all the time- because the cost of servicing by a shop against the price of a new bike doesn’t represent economic sense a lot of the time .

Cost of parts is less than £100 and yes the brake caliper can almost certainly be restored to serviceable condition.But if you want a shop to do it for you then £200+ is the mimimum you are going to pay for this kind of work.

For a reality check, take a studied look at the staff who work in these ‘large chain’ bike shops- and ask youreslf  the question do they fill you with awe at the thought of  their dazzling bike servicing skills. Or,as is more likely, do you not think in all honesty that what these 20 something year old lads are going to do to your bike you could just as easily do for yourself?

Depends on the abuse it sees
Depends on the abuse it sees and how it’s been finished to begin with… And also how much you’re prepared to do yourself.

I use my CX bike for commuting, sometimes through mud and over trails and is left at work during the day, uncleared, in that state. It also does the odd CX race and winter weekend blast and it doesn’t always get cleaned or looked after as it should. It’s a workhorse and it unfortunately is treated as such.

Also cost about a grand, does about 4,000 miles per year, replacement parts tend to be 105-ish spec. I expect to go through a chain and cassette per year, I also got new headset bearings and bb in the first year and expect a full yearly service with a local (shit-hot, trusted and not a rip-off) mobile mechanic to cost £2-300. I don’t know whether your bike needs all that stuff replacing, but if it does and it’s part of a full service and clean, it seems to be in the normal ballpark for me.

I could do everything that I’ve had done to that bike myself (although I’ve never played with headset bearings before so that’s an ‘unknown’ for me). But it would take me ages.. I’m not an experienced mechanic, so my methodical means S L O W. I’ve got a young family, I’m busy, it would be the odd stolen hour or two here and there so I reckon my bike would be out of action for a few weeks while I did it all. So that amount of money per year is a pittance when I consider what I’m saving in time and commuting costs for a different mode of transport.

ps if you don’t ride with
ps if you don’t ride with full length mudguards in winter already, this may reduce your repair bills in future!