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Bicycle service costs

BikeGremlin

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I read this great comment on my Cycling Industry Rant video, and the reply got rather long, so I'm posting it here: :)

Trouble its cut throat industries like every other out there to rip you right off over priced mass produced rubbish sorry but that's how the industry has been and always will be. Local bike shops there a joke well over priced and customer care is none excissant bunch of sour faced upstarts or look at you like brown stuff but quiet happy to take your money off you. I'm glad I repair all my bikes myself and send for parts on line I don't use local bike shops because of the above reasons I keep clear.Big retailer in the uk that does car parts and cycle stuff not mentioned there name for legal reasons lol but they charge ni e quid to put a quick to a chain how can they justify 9 quid for a seconds work but people pay it makes me smile. :)

Oh, I get this 100%! :) One of the reasons I kept fixing my own bikes, even when I got my first bike with gears that required some relatively expensive bike-specific tools was because I wasn't happy with the quality of work in the local bike shops.

LBS quality of work​

At the time of writing, my friend Miloš has his own bike shop (my article about the Bike Team workshop) and he does a good job - basically with this philosophy (I wrote that for my own shop, but he thinks and works similarly):
https://bike.bikegremlin.com/bikegremlin-manifest/


That's regarding the job - and service in total (doing what's best for the customer, in the long run).

Bike shop prices​

Regarding the prices, I wrote this example:
https://bike.bikegremlin.com/10455/bicycle-service-prices/

The point is that things change when you're doing work on other people's bikes. There are countless taxes and costs (at least in my country). Workshop space rent, income tax (government takes about 50% of your revenue through VAT and wage tax on top of that), tools buying and renewal etc.

So, to not starve/go out of business, the minor repairs need to be relatively expensive, at least if you're doing a proper job. Why?

On top of all the above-listed taxes and expenses, you need to take time to talk to the customer, take the bike in (and do some paperwork usually). Then, you must inspect the bike, even if it's a minor repair or just pumping a tyre. Why (again, a reasonable question that isn't intuitive even for some mechanics!)?

Because of the responsibility (internal) and liability (external). You can't have a bike leave your workshop without being safe to ride. Having brakes not working or handlebars loose (or break) right after a customer leaves your shop makes you feel like an incompetent careless git. Also, it can result with some court charges for negligence.

That is why you always need almost the same amount of time for inspecting the bike before starting any repairs, even if they are minor. Also, if you are civil and polite, you will also spend some time greeting and talking to the person who came in (both when taking the bike in, and when returning it).

With that in mind, with a 40-hour work week, the amount of work you actually get done (and charge for) is directly proportional to how much you earn. To earn more than the minimum wage, you need to either do a quick sloppy job, or charge more - especially for the "small/minor" fixes.

Based on my calculation (taking the average time as the base), I would say that in Serbia a chain replacement would cost about $6 (US) for normal drivetrains, and about $10 for bikes that have an enclosed chainguard. And at those rates, you still earn less than with an IT job (you can make around $1000 net pay, max, for a 170-hour work month).

Conclusion?​

  • Shops that do a less-than-ideal job at low prices have their place and some customers are best served by them.
  • Shops that do a top-class job and charge a premium price also have their place (at least in my opinion & experience) - for as long as the price is stated clearly up front (more on that below).
  • Shops that charge a premium price, but do a poor job are a disgrace.
Based on my moral/ethical compass: for as long as you state the price up-front (with no hidden fees), and do a proper job, the prices are fair. Customers can go elsewhere if they think you charge too much - and that is perfectly legit. But, my pricing policy is very simple: I always state the lowest price that I'm happy to work at. No haggling, no discounts. I state my lowest price right away, and if it's a new customer, I even mention where a cheaper shop (~500 metres away) is if they care to get a different quote or try a different service. Freedom of choice is the only real freedom we have in life.


Relja BrevityIsNotMyVirtue Novović
 
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