Bike mechanics.

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
peetee
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Location: Upon a lumpy, scarred granite massif.

Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by peetee »

Jdsk wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 3:04pm
Do potential customers bring the bike to you, or do you go out and collect them, or do you work at people's homes and places of work?
I work from home and customers bring their bikes to me. With no need for a vehicle or premises it drastically reduces overheads so I am immediately at an advantage over shop-based mechanics in terms of baseline cost for simple servicing. Conversely, although I have trade accounts certain products cannot be obtained at a cost advantage over mainstream public-supplying companies such as Wiggle. This is because I do not have the turnover of shops so don’t get offered the premium accounts.
If you do consider working from home do be aware that customers in your area may not see you as comparable to shop-based mechanics. Where I was based previously this didn’t prove to be a problem but where I am now business is much slower - even though local shops are bursting with bike repairs. I don’t mind though. I’m happy to have the time for my own pursuits as this was not possible with the workload in my previous location.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by Jdsk »

Thanks.

(A van came to where I used to work. And I much prefer having a mechanic coming to me to taking the bike to a shop.)

Jonathan
PH
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Location: Derby
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Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by PH »

peetee wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 2:57pm I never quote over the phone, until you see the bike it’s total guesswork and something unexpected will catch you out. To start with I inspect the bike for free, submit a quote and if the customer is happy with this I start work. If they don’t like it they get the bike back with no charge - although in over 20 years I’ve never had that happen.
Glad it works for you, but what you can't know is if any customers are put off by not having a good idea of the price in advance. Maybe less so for return custom, but a potential new customer might be looking at £20 from A, £25 from B and £unknown from you. I know nothing about the bike trade, but I think it's usually accepted that clear pricing wins customers, even if the prices are an indication rather than fixed, the ubiquitous from
That works both ways, I used to offer on-site repairs for lorry curtainsiders and tarpaulins, two person job, maybe a couple of hours travel in a large van, for a job that probably takes less than an hour, rarely two. Without a clear pricelist, I'm sure some of them would have expected to pay a tenner!
peetee
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Joined: 4 May 2010, 10:20pm
Location: Upon a lumpy, scarred granite massif.

Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by peetee »

PH wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 10:34pm
Glad it works for you, but what you can't know is if any customers are put off by not having a good idea of the price in advance.
I do know. Yes, some are put off but most come round to it when you explain that it’s much fairer to give them a fixed price based on a free inspection. And it is a fixed price - if I find something mid-job I sort that out too. usually is an iffy cable that doesn’t survive disassembly. I’ve not had anything costly catch me out yet.😎
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
PH
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Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by PH »

peetee wrote: 2 Oct 2022, 8:12am
PH wrote: 1 Oct 2022, 10:34pm
Glad it works for you, but what you can't know is if any customers are put off by not having a good idea of the price in advance.
I do know.
No, you can't know how many you'll never see, you don't get the opportunity to explain anything to them. Customers who've gone elsewhere, somewhere advertising their prices.
This isn't in any way a criticism of how you run your business, rather pointing out to the OP that there's more than one approach.
peetee
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Joined: 4 May 2010, 10:20pm
Location: Upon a lumpy, scarred granite massif.

Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by peetee »

I can’t argue with that except to say that it’s not held me back in the past. At my previous location I had a functioning website but no pricing structure on view. Business was brisk - I had over ten bikes in at a time on more than one occasion. They arrived by word of mouth and on the strength of my Google feedback, many of those comments stating value for money.
There’s more than one way to milk a cat and I do not ever want to have a conversation along the lines of “well, it says £30 but because your bike is.......”.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
Dingdong
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Joined: 22 Apr 2022, 4:59pm

Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by Dingdong »

I'd be happy to pay £80 for a full service on my main bike. This would have to include gear cable change and adjustment, all bearings checked and adjusted and the whole bike lubed, and also a simple wheel trueing. Jobs I absolutely hate to do myself.

What would others pay for similar? (Assuming that you had to disposable cash to pay for it)
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Philip Benstead
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 7:06pm
Location: Victoria , London

Re: Bike mechanics.

Post by Philip Benstead »

Dingdong wrote: 3 Oct 2022, 1:26pm I'd be happy to pay £80 for a full service on my main bike. This would have to include gear cable change and adjustment, all bearings checked and adjusted and the whole bike lubed, and also a simple wheel trueing. Jobs I absolutely hate to do myself.

What would others pay for similar? (Assuming that you had to disposable cash to pay for it)

If I had to replace bits chain freewheel, bearing and cables etc I

would charge £100 plus bits.
Philip Benstead | Life Member Former CTC Councillor/Trustee
Organizing events and representing cyclists' in southeast since 1988
Bikeability Instructor/Mechanic
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