Making a bike shop work for you, or something like that…

[Lamber]

For the first time in forever- I have set myself some goals for the year of 2014 (8 goals to be specific, of which 4 of them are cycling related). One of them is to lose 10kg before the Argus, and with 7.5kgs down, I’d say I am well on my way.

 

The most interesting of the 8 is “Work in a bicycle shop”.

 

To put this in perspective: I am 28 years old, reasonably qualified, blessed with a good job and a salary that meets my needs most of the time (for now). Due to the nature of my work, I am always the client and I am always right- seeing as the mining house I work for is one of the biggest in the world and comes down on service providers with the full force of their wallet.

 

So needless to say, customer relations is NOT one of my qualities.

 

On 10 January I started as a appy weekend mechanic in one of the top 10 Bike Shops in SA (according to Bicycling mag 2012) with a minimum wage and a mouth full of humble pie. Now I won’t say I’m useless with a tool here and there, but my idea with the bike shop was to learn and understand the thing that I’m riding. Much like Giniel de Villiers knows his vehicle and how to push it.

 

But I digress, the reason for writing this is to make all the “ranters” with the “bike shop blues” aware of the situation that these shops operate in. The shop (can’t call it “our shop” seeing as I’m a temp) prides itself in treating everyone the same, whether you’re there for a valve cap of new Epic S-Works. It might sound silly, but the shop got started with low income customers buying spare tubes and tyres and patch kits for dikwiele and 40year old roadbikes, and the owner therefore refuses to change his strategy.

 

As mechanics- NO ONE is out to stuff up your bike, that’s pointless- but the guys do make mistakes, I’ve made countless in the few days I’ve worked there. Some shops refuse to admit it though- and I understand the frustration some clients have. BUT prancing into the shop with your top of the range (insert make and model) and expecting it to be repaired immediately because you spend (insert amount here) cannot work every time. Bikes are SCHEDULED for services, and only x-amount per day can be serviced. Is your afternoon ride worth more than John Gardener who uses his “piece of scrap” (not my point of view- but general feeling) for commuting every single day? If he brought in his bike first- the NO, it most certainly is NOT.

 

To some up: have respect for the persons working on your bike, they try their best. If you feel you do not get the same kind of respect back- discuss it with the manager. If this fails, LEAVE the shop and find a better shop- there are LOTS of guys who give amazing service.

 

And even if you are getting great service like me for the past 3 years, it’s NEVER a bad idea to learn how to fix your own ride- you never know when you might need it most.

 

Thanks for reading this far. I might throw in a version #2 of “what the LBS has taught me” in a coupl’a weeks.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Lamber

[jugheaddave]

Well said!!!!

[Li Mu Bai]

yup. If you can build up some sort of relationship with the mechanic at your LBS, it helps a lot. He can put a face to the bike he is working on, and you can too.

[Donovan Le Cok]

Nice post, good luck, enjoy and keep us posted.

[ichnusa]

Well done, I am impressed. You obviously thought about what you want to achieve, and (most importantly) went out to achieve it.

 

I fully agree: no man is better than another.

 

I would also like to know what else is on your to-do list for 2014...

[Lamber]

Well done, I am impressed. You obviously thought about what you want to achieve, and (most importantly) went out to achieve it.

 

I fully agree: no man is better than another.

 

I would also like to know what else is on your to-do list for 2014...

 

Thanks man, I'm trying my best

 

Like i said, the bike shop was the most interesting of them all. Others include doing a sub3h30 Argus, hitting the R26 500 mark for my charity (and giving more back to the people I deem "less fortunate" in general), finishing (just finishing- thats it) the Magalies Monster, doing a sub3 94.7, and finishing my post grad studies. The others are more person and ongoing- but it's a lifestyle change really.

[No Hare]

...

Edited January 25, 2014 by No Hare

[johanpre44]

Nice post, enjoy learning the workings of the bike!

 

Funny thing about LBS's is that its hard to find one that is good at a lot of things (or everything). I have recently found that the one do not stock 26" mtb tires, except the most expensive, where another which I expected not to have had a great range of tires at reasonable prices.

 

Good point made about just accepting that the people working at the LBS is just human, this will make things easier on us when we don't get the service we expect (which is sometimes way above what we should expect).

[Tumbleweed]

Nice post, Lamber! I'm 43, and I help out at a bike shop on weekends. Have been doing it for almost eight years. My reasons for starting are different to yours. The owner is a mate - I knew his daughter from school days and I've been buying bikes from him for almost 20 years - and I had just split from my wife, so I needed something to occupy himself otherwise I'd be in the pub at 9am watching rugger.

 

I work for a pittance, and sometimes ask myself if it's worth it when you experience the abusive and unrealistically demanding customers. But what always encourages me and keeps me going is the smile on a kid's face when his folks buy him a bike, or the grin when someone further on in years decides to take up the sport and proudly loads up his or her new steed for the first time. You get the gratitude of the single mom who doesn't have the tools to remove her kid's wheel to repair a puncture. I get a kick out helping someone who you can see isn't flush with cash by digging in the old parts box.

 

I have met many people through the shop, and know many local riders. It's a social thing. Some have been able to help me out with stuff that isn't cycling-related, and vice versa. It's a "mom-and-pop"-type shop, so it's not like going to work on Saturdays - more like visiting my "other folks".

 

But, back to you, Lamber. You sould like a level-headed kid (being 40+, I can call you that!), and I wish you all of the best in achieving the goals set out here. Go get 'em!

Edited January 27, 2014 by Tumbleweed

[2wheelsgood]

Inspirational, thanks for posting. Would love to hear more of your experiences at the workshop.

[V12man]

My LBS makes me work on my friends bike in their workshop.... for free.... some things they won't do - like take a file to carbon forks...

[Lamber]

Nice post, Lamber! I'm 43, and I help out at a bike shop on weekends. Have been doing it for almost eight years. My reasons for starting are different to yours. The owner is a mate - I knew his daughter from school days and I've been buying bikes from him for almost 20 years - and I had just split from my wife, so I needed something to occupy himself otherwise I'd be in the pub at 9am watching rugger.

 

I work for a pittance, and sometimes ask myself if it's worth it when you experience the abusive and unrealistically demanding customers. But what always encourages me and keeps me going is the smile on a kid's face when his folks buy him a bike, or the grin when someone further on in years decides to take up the sport and proudly loads up his or her new steed for the first time. You get the gratitude of the single mom who doesn't have the tools to remove her kid's wheel to repair a puncture. I get a kick out helping someone who you can see isn't flush with cash by digging in the old parts box.

 

I have met many people through the shop, and know many local riders. It's a social thing. Some have been able to help me out with stuff that isn't cycling-related, and vice versa. It's a "mom-and-pop"-type shop, so it's not like going to work on Saturdays - more like visiting my "other folks".

 

But, back to you, Lamber. You sould like a level-headed kid (being 40+, I can call you that!), and I wish you all of the best in achieving the goals set out here. Go get 'em!

 

Thanks TW.

 

As i'm reading your post I'm nodding me head- although I've only been working there for a short while, I know exactly what you're talking about regarding single moms and punctures, and especially little guys on BMXes.

 

I as kid I had many BMXes and the Oom next door used to alway fix my ride seeing as my dad is bit technically challenged. Good to see the small guys still being passionate about riding a bike and not all hooked up on PS4 or stuck behind the PC.

 

Can see myself doing this for the next 8 years too

[EdGe]

Great post!! Looking forward to #2!

[Delgado_073]

Great insight ! Wanting to do the same sort of thing ... Enjoy your adventure

[nolipoli]

That's really cool. I have had a desire to work in a bike shop for a long time.

I's a shame that I don't have Saturday mornings to myself.

[DJ84]

Cool post and its good to get other perspectives,

where I disagree is on 2 points although I do everything on my own bikes.

 

1) If I take my bike in to be serviced and it is not done correctly my bike should be first in line when I take it back. I would have been out of use for longer because of the store. This is typical in any said business.

2) If it is not done properly it is someones fault and blame lies there in even though it was a mistake. It is just a bike, but if a doctor makes a mistake do you just accept it and move on.