How Busy is your LBS?

Thigh_burn

Mine isn't very busy at all. Not helped by a miserable sod who owns it and a failure to respond with the times. I only buy small consumables from there. I don't bother getting them to do servicing having heard some horror stories from experienced friends. I'm not in retail, but it feels like a real missed opportunity. The shop is located on a road that is used by lots of riding commuters and enthusiasts. Local cafes teem with cyclists.

However, I do go to Luna Cycles for servicing. They're brilliant and appear busy. You do need to book the bike in but I'm fine with that. I find it reassuring as it means they've got lots on.

I'm also a big fan of Swift Cycles in the City. They're always welcoming, happy to chat bikes and a good selection of gear. Interestingly, they're upgrading the shop in terms of new bike brands, but focusing on the top end of the market. They're also going all disc.

keef66

Thigh_burn wrote:

Mine isn't very busy at all. Not helped by a miserable sod who owns it and a failure to respond with the times. I only buy small consumables from there. I don't bother getting them to do servicing having heard some horror stories from experienced friends. I'm not in retail, but it feels like a real missed opportunity. The shop is located on a road that is used by lots of riding commuters and enthusiasts. Local cafes teem with cyclists.

That was my LBS 10 years ago. Came as no surprise when it went bust. The cafe round the corner is overrun by cyclists at the weekend. Definitely a missed opportunity.

prawny

Since I've started mopeding to work I've noticed how cheap the labour at bike shops is.

I saw a bike for sale at the weekend and it had a picture of a recent receipt for an oil change where they were charged £100 labour PLUS consumables. I did my own oil change at the weekend, it was waaaay easier to do than true a wheel, the longest part of it was waiting for the old oil to drain fully, and I had a cuppa when that was happening. At the same sort of pay scale a trued wheel should cost about £200.

TLDR, I think bike shops should charge a bit more for labour on the technical jobs and focus on them, maybe charge an idiot tax on the simple ones, so that it's worth working as a bike mechanic. I'd love to, but there's no change I could afford to live.

keef66

£100 plus to do an oil change on a moped?? Have I just woken from a 15 year medically induced coma?

I need to set up a business pronto specialising in moped oil changes and nothing else!

tgotb

prawny wrote:

TLDR, I think bike shops should charge a bit more for labour on the technical jobs and focus on them, maybe charge an idiot tax on the simple ones, so that it's worth working as a bike mechanic. I'd love to, but there's no change I could afford to live.

I think one issue with that is what that would do to the cost of maintenance relative to the value of the bike. I suspect that a lot of the LBS mechanics' bread and butter work is doing simple jobs on cheap bikes (which we all know is harder than doing the same job on a decent bike). So someone turns up on a Halfords Special complaining that their bike's making a "funny noise", and it turns out that the wheel rim is rubbing on the brake pads because it's out of true. The poor mechanic can either do their best to true it up (assuming the rims's ok and nipples aren't seized), put new pads in, and charge (say) 30 quid, or quote for a proper job, which may cost a significant proportion of the bike's actual value, at which point the owner will decide the "funny noise" is a problem they'll happily live with.

Motor vehicles are less prone to this because they're an order of magnitude more expensive (meaning maintenance costs a smaller proportion of the overall value of the vehicle) and they have to pass MOT tests (meaning that a lot of maintenance can't be ignored). It seems to be pretty common practice for people to drive around in motor vehicles that they suspect/know won't pass an MOT, with the explicit intention of either leaving the work as late as possible, or selling/scrapping the vehicle when the MOT runs out.

Long_Time_Lurker

Not very busy but to look at the shop you would think that they are run off their feet.
They are great people to chat about bikes and riding in general, but are awful businessmen.
They are supposed to be open at 10, but I know that in reality you will be lucky to see them until 11.
Likewise if I want to pop in, I know there is a chance that there will be a hastily scrawled note on the window to say that they are closed for the day (as they will be out riding).
Wanted to convert my bike from a 2x11 to a single-ring - they measured up, priced it up and then lost the details.
Went back in did it all over again - and then they lost those details too.
Dread to think how much business they have lost.

awavey

difficult to judge really, I know if I tried to book even a small service at the best (and best is best of a bad bunch imo) of the LBSs near me, it would be at least a week/week & half before they could fit it in,and it would then take another week to do, but the place never feels like its a hive of activity, and they dont really go out of their way to promote their service side, they dont even print any prices even in the shop, even though they employ a full time mechanic, it just feels like they are very much interested in selling you new bikes, but thats about it as far as their interest as an LBS in you goes, and they take on enough stuff to keep the servicing side ticking over, though sometimes I get the feeling they spend most of their time building up new bikes instead of fixing old ones so much.

but the fact there are at least 3 or 4 one man band style mobile service bike mechanics locally who offer the same servicing, will pick your bike up usually on the day and get it back to you within a week, tells me theres a market for that stuff the LBS's arent serving, but whether thats profitable enough in the way a plumber/builder/handyman style job is or the work they do is to decent standard I dont know

and tbh Im not about to find out as although they dont always do quite what I ask them, I trust the LBS alot more than just random guy who has put his mobile phone number on an advert in the local shops asking for bike maintenance work.

JakeJ

I have two lbs near me.

Late last week my gears just started to show signs of getting a bit sloppy and I know my brake pads are near worn, usually something you can ignore for a while, but I'm taking my bike away on holiday from Friday & want it 100%.

I phoned up the shop I usually go in and talk to to book in an emergency service, they said that they can't even look at it until Monday week, after calling the second shop, I dropped it in yesterday & I'm just waiting for the call this afternoon to tell me that it's ready to pick up.

I think it's a mix of obviously the first shop is busier, but also thinking that they're a bit expendable if that's the right phrase?
The second shop I called that is doing the work doesn't have quite the same clientele so may have pushed me up the list just to try & gain a bit of loyalty & I guess it's worked because next time I need something, this shop will be the 1st shop I call.

secretsam

Mine's closed down. Crummy mechanics, arrogant owner.
Now use a small set up nearby who focus on mechanical stuff and hire bikes. Friendly, reliable, efficient - and busy. Very pleased (OTEC in Halton, nr Wendover)

bonzo_banana

My local bike shop is Tri UK and its a lovely shop with friendly staff but the cost of parts appears very high and repairs and servicing seems at the higher end too. The only purchase I've made from them is one of their part exchanged bikes which they sold as seen as didn't have the time or didn't see the margin in sorting it. The other option is Halfords which I've actually had very good experience with in the past many years ago but not used them recently. Probably the best value option for value is in nearby Sherborne who have a charity cycling workshop that is open roughly 3 or 4 days a week, they seem cheap for repairs and parts. You'd think that would be the case in most charity cycling workshops but some I've visited have been surprisingly expensive even selling very old bikes for seriously high money.

In my experience the best people to repair and service bikes are their owners, even if they can't do it fast often they will be careful doing it. I've been very pleased with my attempts at truing wheels in the past and tensioning them correctly even if I probably took 20x as long as a professional cycle mechanic. Building a wheel from scratch would probably be achievable too but likely an even worse time ratio. Also I tend to buy quite high quality parts, for example in the past I fitted loose high quality British made bearings in my bikes but some cycle shops use easy to fit caged bearings often sourced from China and are ok but not great quality. I also use better quality grease. Often my work is fit and forget but cycle shop work doesn't last as long in my experience. I'm no cycle mechanic genius but just by being fussy about what I use helps a lot. I guess I'm making the point I will choose the best quality option even if it is much more time consuming to do so.

essex-commuter

I got the phone call to collect, 2 weeks to the day. £12.

jds_1981

Well, I emailed a mavic dealer before lunch asking if they supply replacement rims ( giving rim code ), and if they do, what the cost would be. Would have been nice to get a reply, but I haven't yet. I fear I won't get one at all.

jds_1981

How long should one wait for a reply to email? Two days now. Also tried phoning a couple of times but phone sounded engaged.
Incidentally, are swiftcycles any good?

asprilla

jds_1981 wrote:

Incidentally, are swiftcycles any good?

Last time I tried to use the I was after a frameset for the previous iteration of the R3 which was showing on their site as instock and at a huge discount. Traipsed all the way over there and after a cursory search they said they didn't have it.

In my imagination one of their staff had 'reserved' it.

Thigh_burn

jds_1981 wrote:

Incidentally, are swiftcycles any good?

I've found them very good. I haven't bought a bike from them, but have been for a bike fit and bought various accessories. Their website is appalling and they acknowledge that, I think it's part of the upgrade they're doing.