Estimate £ of my LBS job.

[SteCenturion]

the only reason why a bike shop may say they cant say for sure until they see the bike is if more work is needed ie parts or something, then they can give you a proper price ratherthan do work then tell you when you come to collect oh we had to do this........if its only the bars etc needing doing then they are not obliged to do other work without informing you....but the estimate could have been given

I get your point musa & agree to a certain degree.
I don't think an estimate is beyond the shop & I expect there must be a little leeway on the final cost - should something crop up - like a faulty cable for example.

 

[SteCenturion]

The text above is post #19

Cheers dude.

This was just a response to another post from someone who had brought money up etc.

To be honest - I don't know how it all began to veer down this path.

I think @ jack smith had mentioned £10 - £15 per hour & then a lot of people jumped on that.

I will read this back.

This post is for spokey dokey really but thanks uclown2002 for the nod on which post was refered to.

 

[vickster]

It depends if the customer is prepared to give the leeway too

 

[e-rider]

Local to me, do you mind traveling a bit for your repairs?

I've never heard it called 'repairs' before!

 

[SteCenturion]

I'd say somewhere between £25 and £40 depending on some variables. I also think it is necessary to see a bike before giving an estimate on any job. It is possible sometimes that changing a handlebar set up will require new brake cables to be fitted and this will affect the price. If you give some one an estimate without seeing a bike and then find out that there is more to it than mentioned people get understandably upset when you tell them it will cost more.

You are not just paying for the mechanics time but also the overheads. It's not as if charging £30 to do the job means they earn £30, not by a long way. If you paid the £10 or £15 I've heard mentioned the mechanic could well be working for minimum wage or less. Also you are buying that hour for yourself. You have to figure into it how much you would want to be paid for an hour (possibly longer if inexperienced and have to re-do things to your satisfaction) of work. It is entirely possible that you could be using that hour to work at your own job so that also has to be taken into account.

Being a bike mechanic is not an incredibly difficult thing to do but to be a good one does require paying attention to detail and putting in an effort to be consistent. Hopefully that is what an l.b.s will provide. I've had people try to haggle £6.50 to fix a puncture, saying that it is an easy and quick job, but don't want to do it themselves.

Lovin' your avatar Cyclopathic & your user name is pretty cool too.

You make some valid/fair points.

If anyone cares to look back & read the o.p properly they will see that nowhere in this thread have I suggested anything about £10 - 15 p/hr or any other - I merely asked for advice/estimate/guesstimate etc (not suggesting you are having a go) - but some seem to be having a pop without reading the o.p 1st & maybe skip reading to the juicy bits here & there.

Didn't realise it was going to be such a hot potato or might not have bothered.

Cheers for your reply.

 

[musa]

I get your point musa & agree to a certain degree.
I don't think an estimate is beyond the shop & I expect there must be a little leeway on the final cost - should something crop up - like a faulty cable for example.

Nor do I, so that there is poor custom

and to others the job is not x per hour its x for the job fullstop

 

[screenman]

Nor do I, so that there is poor custom

and to others the job is not x per hour its x for the job fullstop

Please explain your last line.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Everyone knows someone who can do it cheaper; classic argument!

Lovin' your avatar Cyclopathic & your user name is pretty cool too.

You make some valid/fair points.

If anyone cares to look back & read the o.p properly they will see that nowhere in this thread have I suggested anything about £10 - 15 p/hr or any other - I merely asked for advice/estimate/guesstimate etc (not suggesting you are having a go) - but some seem to be having a pop without reading the o.p 1st & maybe skip reading to the juicy bits here & there.

Didn't realise it was going to be such a hot potato or might not have bothered.

Cheers for your reply.

Thanks. I'm quite pleased that you have brought this up as there can be misunderstandings on both sides of the issue. I've been in the position where as a customer I've thought "crikey, that sounds steep" and now I've been in the position of the LBS and know why prices can sometimes seem that way. I think the thread has been a good opportunity for people to put their particular side across and get an understanding of the other point of view.

There are lots of jobs on bikes that are very simple and I wonder why people don't do them themselves but I have to say I'm glad some people don't. For many people it is time saving so the question could be not how much is the LBS worth per hour but how much the customers time is worth per hour. Also there are some people who are just not mechanically minded and are completely happy like that. I can totally understand why some one would just want to have a bike and ride it to where they are going without having to know where to put the petrol. I'm the same with other things like electricity, plumbing and so on. No doubt there are plumbers who think "why don't people just learn some basics" but I haven't got the time. I'm too busy thinking about bikes.

I do try to educate people about basic bike care because I like bikes and want other people to like bikes too and get the most from them but as I say I'm not sorry that there are people out there who would rather get some one else to do it for them. With the job you have outlined I'd totally recommend you having a go yourself. There are lots of youtube vids (some better than others) that will give you a fair idea of what to do and there aren't any really specialist tools involved. Also if it goes tits up you can still just take it to the lbs to sort out.

 

[SteCenturion]

Thanks. I'm quite pleased that you have brought this up as there can be misunderstandings on both sides of the issue. I've been in the position where as a customer I've thought "crikey, that sounds steep" and now I've been in the position of the LBS and know why prices can sometimes seem that way. I think the thread has been a good opportunity for people to put their particular side across and get an understanding of the other point of view.

There are lots of jobs on bikes that are very simple and I wonder why people don't do them themselves but I have to say I'm glad some people don't. For many people it is time saving so the question could be not how much is the LBS worth per hour but how much the customers time is worth per hour. Also there are some people who are just not mechanically minded and are completely happy like that. I can totally understand why some one would just want to have a bike and ride it to where they are going without having to know where to put the petrol. I'm the same with other things like electricity, plumbing and so on. No doubt there are plumbers who think "why don't people just learn some basics" but I haven't got the time. I'm too busy thinking about bikes.

I do try to educate people about basic bike care because I like bikes and want other people to like bikes too and get the most from them but as I say I'm not sorry that there are people out there who would rather get some one else to do it for them. With the job you have outlined I'd totally recommend you having a go yourself. There are lots of youtube vids (some better than others) that will give you a fair idea of what to do and there aren't any really specialist tools involved. Also if it goes tits up you can still just take it to the lbs to sort out.

Hi again Cyclopathic.

Really liking this response.

Also presuming you are Mr Pro Bike Fettler/Shop owner type dude.

Good to get your viewpoint from that side of things & maybe through this thread we all learn a little about the vagaries & differences of the industry.

I, for instance am one of those who would change a chain, tyre or even the cassette if I had a cassette tool (chain whip & cassette lock ring thingy) but would rather entrust a Pro for most other jobs - especially gearing adjustments & bar wrapping & wheel truing for example.

I factor in my hourly pay (I could be doing some o.t) + the shop guys price.

Now - where it all gets a bit 'interesting' is in the perceptions of value for people with very different circumstances.

For instance, a person who lives in an area with high unemployment & on low wages maybe £6 - 8 p/hr might view a charge of £30, 40 or £50 p/hr as scandalous, but, another living in an affluent area with a £100k plus salary might view this as peanuts.

Despite all of this I would still happily pay my bike tech/mech 3x my pay per hour but also like to have a rough outline of the final cost - even if they were to say to me "yeah, your looking at between £40 & £70 depending on x + y"

To this end it is pretty much why I asked the question in the o.p.

As a little cheecky number & to finish - if you ever get offered that 'team panasonic' Raleigh in nr mint condition & especially the 753 frame - please tip us all the wink - I would love one.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Hi again Cyclopathic.

Really liking this response.

Also presuming you are Mr Pro Bike Fettler/Shop owner type dude.

Good to get your viewpoint from that side of things & maybe through this thread we all learn a little about the vagaries & differences of the industry.

I, for instance am one of those who would change a chain, tyre or even the cassette if I had a cassette tool (chain whip & cassette lock ring thingy) but would rather entrust a Pro for most other jobs - especially gearing adjustments & bar wrapping & wheel truing for example.

I factor in my hourly pay (I could be doing some o.t) + the shop guys price.

Now - where it all gets a bit 'interesting' is in the perceptions of value for people with very different circumstances.

For instance, a person who lives in an area with high unemployment & on low wages maybe £6 - 8 p/hr might view a charge of £30, 40 or £50 p/hr as scandalous, but, another living in an affluent area with a £100k plus salary might view this as peanuts.

Despite all of this I would still happily pay my bike tech/mech 3x my pay per hour but also like to have a rough outline of the final cost - even if they were to say to me "yeah, your looking at between £40 & £70 depending on x + y"

To this end it is pretty much why I asked the question in the o.p.

As a little cheecky number & to finish - if you ever get offered that 'team panasonic' Raleigh in nr mint condition & especially the 753 frame - please tip us all the wink - I would love one.

Ah the pro Panasonic would be the dream. I had the bog standard replica, fully Sachs Hurret equipped with proper iron tubes. To be fair the tubing was profiled with a picture of a space shuttle on it. No doubt the profiling was knocking seconds off my times with all the aerodynamics.

I am indeed a bike mechanic but in quite a small way as yet. Been at it on my own for about a year now out of a small workshop at the back of a second-hand bookshop owned by my in-laws.

 

[vickster]

There are lots of jobs on bikes that are very simple and I wonder why people don't do them themselves but I have to say I'm glad some people don't. For many people it is time saving so the question could be not how much is the LBS worth per hour but how much the customers time is worth per hour. Also there are some people who are just not mechanically minded and are completely happy like that. I can totally understand why some one would just want to have a bike and ride it to where they are going without having to know where to put the petrol.

That'll be me

 

[Cyclopathic]

That'll be me

That's more than ok with me. Like I say there are a great many things I can't do and will gladly call in some one else. Dentistry is a good example and anything to do with electricity which is wizardry as far as I'm concerned.

 

[vickster]

I can change an inner tube, but only on a sunny afternoon in the comfort of my garden...I wouldn't even attempt it on a dark wet evening by the side of the road...taxxiiiiiii