Bike Servicing, why so long

[David Marshall]

To my mind dropping your bike off for a service is a bit like dropping your kids off at school.  The teaching staff can only do so much but the responsibility nruturing the child remains with you. On the bike a mechanic can quickly tell if a bearing or such is shot but you need to know the condition of your forks, whether tire sealant needs a top up or change and if your brakes fade after a steep decent.  It boils down to your observations and communicating with the mechanic.

 

I am not one to strip and rebuild a bike and call it a service. To smear every orifice with a film of luminous grease, which only attracts dirt, is ludicrous.  I spend more time cleaning off excess, dirty grease than lubing the parts that need lube.  I never service my bike (road).  I wash it at least monthly and check it over.  I spin the wheels in my hand.  Clean and measure the chain - off the bike.  Spin the crank and rotate the headset.  Cable action, braking and shifting I feel when riding.  If and when anything is not to my liking I sort it there and then.  I do the same for any bike I have in for a "service".  If I see that a MTB fork or shock needs attention then believe me it is way overdue! That sort of thing the owner must keep track of.

[Wolfie1]

My 2 cents

 

The bikes that i receive for service gets done the same night on arrival. If i need any parts then i can immediately see what i need to pic up tomorrow and fit it the same night. Then i do the service of another bike the same night. If there's no major issues, the bike is ready for collection the following day.

 

My day job keeps me from doing more that one bike per night but even a small time concern like mine can do better than some other bigger places. You see in knowing what spares i need i can make up my price to give to the customer and he can answer me in Yes to replace or No to hang on a bit.  

 

If and when i get more bikes per night i communicate with everyone to find out what their needs are. Some guys need it by the weekend for races and others are chill and don't worry about when its done. Not that i can take forever to get the job done but Communication is key and the more you can find out from the owner and what his bikes doing the easier its for me to do a proper job and see my customer leaving the shop all smiles  

 

Shops have become very commercial. Its all about turnover and not personal service and i think most guys would rather have the personal touch in stead of the "just a number" type service and lead times.

 

Thanks guys

[eddy]

 

Shops have become very commercial.

 

 

No ****, Sherlock. And there I thought they were charities.

 

 

i think most guys would rather have the personal touch in stead of the "just a number" type service and lead times

Yip, and if you pick the right shop, that is what you will get.

 

I appreciate your business model and I have supported work-at-home "personal touch" guys before. Good technically, but when someone absconds with my stuff again, I like the idea of knowing where he is and that he had had sufficient confidence in his business to incorporate it properly and to run it from business premises. It speaks to professionalism.

 

I have made a living out of pricing for risk. The benefits here do not outweigh the risk weighted cost.

[Wolfie1]

No ****, Sherlock. And there I thought they were charities.

 

 

 

Yip, and if you pick the right shop, that is what you will get.

 

I appreciate your business model and I have supported work-at-home "personal touch" guys before. Good technically, but when someone absconds with my stuff again, I like the idea of knowing where he is and that he had had sufficient confidence in his business to incorporate it properly and to run it from business premises. It speaks to professionalism.

 

I have made a living out of pricing for risk. The benefits here do not outweigh the risk weighted cost.

 

At some point in time i would love to operate from a place with a shopfront but its not entirely possible if you don't have the cash flow to fund such a project and i would also like to build on my name and good work not just among friends but new customers as well and for that you have to start somewhere.

 

I cant speak for the oak who have run away with peoples bikes but i do pride myself in being honest and you would be pleasantly surprised that there are still good and honest people out there trying to make a honest buck 

[Tumbleweed]

Shops have become very commercial. Its all about turnover and not personal service and i think most guys would rather have the personal touch in stead of the "just a number" type service and lead times.

 

Thanks guys

 

That's a rather sweeping statement. Then you go on to say you wouldn't mind having a shopfront. So you want to become commercial and not care about personal service? Your post is an insult to many good shops out there.

[Wolfie1]

That's a rather sweeping statement. Then you go on to say you wouldn't mind having a shopfront. So you want to become commercial and not care about personal service? Your post is an insult to many good shops out there.

 

My idea with my shop is to work in it by my self and have one or 2 hands helping me. I would like to make a living from it and also work for my self keeping the personal touch with customers. You have to win trust and yes people don't always give that working from home. That's why the next step will be a place with a shop front. I don't want anything more than that for myself. To be able to wake up in the morning and to know that i am working for myself and not for a boss.

 

I am not trying to try and convince people not to support bigger shops. I am just saying that i would not want to be just a number....

[Wyatt Earp]

That's a rather sweeping statement. Then you go on to say you wouldn't mind having a shopfront. So you want to become commercial and not care about personal service? Your post is an insult to many good shops out there.

He is still a noob, probably a legend mechanic in his own mind too.

Give him a break .

[Skinnyone]

My idea with my shop is to work in it by my self and have one or 2 hands helping me. I would like to make a living from it and also work for my self keeping the personal touch with customers. You have to win trust and yes people don't always give that working from home. That's why the next step will be a place with a shop front. I don't want anything more than that for myself. To be able to wake up in the morning and to know that i am working for myself and not for a boss.

 

I am not trying to try and convince people not to support bigger shops. I am just saying that i would not want to be just a number....

I commend you on this, but i tried it 5 years ago...unless you have a shop front most suppliers won't supply you wholesale, without getting wholesale you're chasing your tail.

 

So let's say you get this shopfront, a guy walks in and wants to buy a helmet (for example) now your response is? "sorry we are not a retail store - we only service". "Fat lot of good that is, I wanted to buy a helmet, what a k@k shop!" and that little incident is broadcast all over the hub. How and where do you draw the line?

 

Also by employing 2 other guys you loose the "personal touch" that you lust after, as one of these dudes will eventually drop the ball and your rep goes out the window.

[Wolfie1]

I commend you on this, but i tried it 5 years ago...unless you have a shop front most suppliers won't supply you wholesale, without getting wholesale you're chasing your tail.

 

So let's say you get this shopfront, a guy walks in and wants to buy a helmet (for example) now your response is? "sorry we are not a retail store - we only service". "Fat lot of good that is, I wanted to buy a helmet, what a k@k shop!" and that little incident is broadcast all over the hub. How and where do you draw the line?

 

Also by employing 2 other guys you loose the "personal touch" that you lust after, as one of these dudes will eventually drop the ball and your rep goes out the window.

 

That is part of getting a shop front. To be able to also not just service bike but to sell other items as well. To give you a example.

 

Adventure cycles in Wellington is a small shop with one mechanic, a admin lady who helps in the store and a chap to help the mechanic wash bikes and does odd jobs here and there. They have spares and helmets clothes and 90% of all the known brands. If there is something they don't have they will order.

 

The serve coffee and chat to customers. The vibe is very laid back but your bike is done when promised. No need to go back and you still received a personal touch.

 

I am after that.  

[Brian Fantana]

My idea with my shop is to work in it by my self and have one or 2 hands helping me. I would like to make a living from it and also work for my self keeping the personal touch with customers. You have to win trust and yes people don't always give that working from home. That's why the next step will be a place with a shop front. I don't want anything more than that for myself. To be able to wake up in the morning and to know that i am working for myself and not for a boss.

 

I am not trying to try and convince people not to support bigger shops. I am just saying that i would not want to be just a number....

 

Personal touch and success does not really go hand in hand.  By applying good management skills it is possible to create a drive towards excellence in the workplace.  This is done through positive motivation and supplying workers with the correct tools for their tasks.  I have 12 qualified artisans who work under my supervision in our plant.  It is impossible to add personal touch to all the work they do, but because there is a drive towards excellence right from the top of management down to the factory floor, I don't have to add my personal touch to each task that takes place under my supervision.

[Patchelicious]

The world needs more good LBS' so, hey, I say good luck and I hope you succeed with your dream., just keep working at it!

[Wolfie1]

The world needs more good LBS' so, hey, I say good luck and I hope you succeed with your dream., just keep working at it!

I am working my ass of every night since i started from home. Its not always lekke  being in the shop alone till what time but, hard work never killed anybody and one can only hope that it pays off.  

 

Thanks for all the comments but the thread is about why services take so long not about me trying to begin my own business.

 

cheers

[CraigCCW]

Another factor that needs to be taken into account is that servicing of the demand is something the shops need to catch up with. 

 

The numbers of MTB's out there probably far exceeds the amount of trained technicians/mechanics, and this is purely because the growth of cycling in general. 

 

It would be interesting to know what the ratios are, i.e. Technicians vs Number of MTB's repaired, you will probably find that if shops aimed to decrease those ratios, then their output would increase dramatically.

[Wyatt Earp]

Here is a question.

What is the mechanics qualifications ?

Is he self trained and at if for a few months or a year or two, or is he or she self trained and they have been at it for 10 years plus and did numerous refresher courses over the years ?

In a bike shop you get old, very old bikes to the latest state of the art .

Can said mechanic work on every single one of them and does he or she have the tools to do all said jobs ?

 

Anyone can swing a spanner , does that make anyone a great mechanic, a place where you want to leave your so called beloved pride and joy ?

[CraigCCW]

Here is a question.

What is the mechanics qualifications ?

Is he self trained and at if for a few months or a year or two, or is he or she self trained and they have been at it for 10 years plus and did numerous refresher courses over the years ?

In a bike shop you get old, very old bikes to the latest state of the art .

Can said mechanic work on every single one of them and does he or she have the tools to do all said jobs ?

 

Anyone can swing a spanner , does that make anyone a great mechanic, a place where you want to leave your so called beloved pride and joy ?

 

Very good question, are there actual courses that one can take to become a qualified bike mechanic?

 

Although in SA you can be president without even having a matric, and you can run the SABC and lie about having a matric.

[Wyatt Earp]

Very good question, are there actual courses that one can take to become a qualified bike mechanic?

 

Although in SA you can be president without even having a matric, and you can run the SABC and lie about having a matric.

A question that gets asked very often with a resounding YES, normally.

A quick weekend, week or month course and BOOM you are a bike mechanic.

It should be an apprenticeship as you get in any other skilled job, that is why she have so many half baked mechanics in this country.