So if I buy hubs and rims online and take them into a store to have the wheels built, Im going to be laughed out of the shop?
Depends on the shop and the parts.
I’ve supplied hubs / rims that aren’t available through normal distro chains in Oz or are no longer produced for building, but I pay the shop for labour AND spokes.
If I walked in with an Archetype, a Shimano hub and a handful of DT spokes I’d expect to be mocked.
Might start rethinking my next build…
Just lace it yourself and take it somewhere to get trued ha ha or build a good relationship with a shop. I have a pretty good setup with a guy over here, he doesnt mind too much when I bring stuff in to get installed. Mainly headsets etc (stuff that you need silly tools for). And it’s all good. I just make sure i always buy something from the shop when i have parts installed. (socks or whatever)
To be honest, how many shops even have good mechanics and wheel builders these days.
It’s a joke in qld, there mostly new bike shops that just want to sell and service bikes a few years old.
This isn’t any better. Lacing doesn’t take an experienced builder long, you’re more likely to make a n00b mistake with heads in/out or scratch the rim etc, and by expecting them to charge you less for the build because you’ve ‘helped’, you’re further hurting their income.
If you want to pay e-prices for wheel parts, build the wheel yourself.
Dayne: We’re pretty well served in Melbourne (and Sydney from what I hear), there must be some good builders in QLD, and if not, there’s an opportunity for someone to do a Spinelli and setup a home wheel building operation.
Not in my books, especially if I’d seen your face before … I’d mostly prefer it. As long as the spoke measurements were done correctly and if the spoke count/lacing pattern chosen by the customer was sensible/practical. That means a wheel build is just that … no phone calls checking availability, discussing pro’s/con’s with customer, emails and ordering/waiting for delivery or having to stock each and every spoke/rim/hub.
I have had retards turn up with 16 bladed spokes, cheap carbon rims, rear track hubs wanting radial lacing and thinking they’d get me to build them a tough wheel for the street and then wanting to haggle on labour $'s. I’m happy to pass and send them along somewhere else so another LBS can have a laugh.
Spizzy gets it. Not everyone wants to be shifter dan and have every conceivable part in stock.
The guys affiliating themselves with wiggle etc are just taking the next step: the onus is on the customer to get the right stuff, the shop just supplies the labour.
Dumbest shit ever.
The amount of times people have brought in half built bikes or wheels which I then have to check over and re-do (which takes more time then doing it all) is ridoncuculous.
“hi, I’ve built up my bike but only need the gears adjusted” means … I’m a cheap ass, who’s way out of my depth with this bike stuff and if you don’t go over the whole bike i’m gonna slay our shop online for days and be in here the next day wasting time demand a refund for the $30 gear adjust. A lot of this style of customer is best avoided because they fuck it up and then expecting magic for peanuts from the LBS.
If you’re LBS gives you attitude and you think it’s weird it’s probably because they’ve had to deal with the above type customer all day/every day.
So then, whats the difference between me bringing a used bike that needs a gear tune/wheel that needs a true, compared to me bringing a wheel i built that needs a true, or a bike i built and i cant get the gears working perfectly?
- Used bike that needs work that you haven’t ham-fisted - Fine. Might be an arse pain to fix, but you’ve taken it there to get fixed knowing that it’s going to take some time & money to get it right.
- Wheel that you’ve laced and expect to get tensioned/trued for less $ than a build - Not fine, it’ll likely take longer to complete than a full build
- This is the same as #2.
yeah, its bad if the expectation of the customer is that it will be an easy fix for the mech and will only cost $30.
But if something else is causing the poor shifting e.g. bad cable routing, bent hangar etc. then the cost increases and the customer can get a bit touchy - “why did it cost that much - the cables were fine. . .”
I think this is common in bikes because most of the mechanics is out in the open, accessible and tempts people to have a crack and think its an easy fix. Compare that to cars or computers where lots people won’t even start to tinker.
With regards to CRC, you have to think its the Distro’s problem.
When some brands (e.g. surly frames) can be sold at competitive rates locally (when shipping/tax is factored in) and others can’t.
I know of a couple of shops overseas that would get deliveries sent next door/to the owners home to avoid a package/paper trail.
heard some pretty funny stories about online store branded boxes showing up when reps were around, or stock being sighted on shelves that hadnt been ordered or wasnt available.
when you live an hour or two’s drive from said cheaper prices it’s even more annoying.
Well it is really that the manufacturers will give a distributor here an exclusive supply and the LBS cannot buy direct from manufacturer, then these same manufacturers will supply direct to the online giants.
Well that’s a good thing that you don’t run my LBS, Locally mechanic, or computer repair shop then.
Because my LBS guy will happily adjust the gears on my roadie for nothing. Installs stuff for next to nothing if I don’t have the tools, and is happy to look at other things i’ve built, ala wheels etc if they start to go out of true/tension.
I also tinker with my cars and computers with success. The last time I took my car to a mechanic (before i sold it 3 months ago) was 2007 to get an exhaust system installed because I don’t own a hoist. With a bit of knowledge or the right instructions, proficiency with tools, and patience, you can do anything with success.
I guess when bike shops are on every street corner in your city, it pays to have a good relationship with your customer. I mean, there are at least 10-15 bike shops that are closer to my house than his, but I go there because I like the service, I like the range of products, and he isn’t a jerk trying to sell me a Giant Defy. And because of that, I recommend his shop, and now have other mates going there too.
And lesson 1 in retail, is that every pissed off customer will tell, on average, 10 of their friends. But i dunno, i only spent 5 years working in retail.
Why would anyone want to be your auto mechanic / PC tech / bike wrench? You don’t exactly come across as a great customer here.
How?
obviously not all relationships between LBS and customers will be the same, a long term shopper will be treated better then tyre kicker, thats a given.
I think it just comes down to communication and setting expectations
If ive built a bike/wheel and need help checking, ill tell my LBS and they can give me a quote on what it would cost to check it, conversely id expect the LBS to ask me if ive built the bike/wheel myself or if its a new bike etc, and they can quote me a job appropriately.