New job, new possibilities

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cico

Regular
Hi everyone!

I just thought that I would start a new thread about my experience in a new workshop here. I was thinking that this would be the best category to start it, but please tell me if I've put it in the wrong category πŸ‘

The reason I'll start a new thread here is because of my background. Which you can read over at https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/hello-from-norway.289838/

Also a shout out to @HobbesOnTour who gave me the idea of this because of a similar thread made by @Andy in Germany πŸ™‚ which you can find here: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/taking-over-the-bike-shop.283925/

I have only one week left with my colleague. So I'll probably not post as much as I want to because I want to get all the information I can get before he's gone.

I've learned so much already, but I know that it's a difference between doing and knowing.

I have to get more bikes in the workshop to get better, even if I'm watching all of park tools (or other YouTubers) videos online.

I'll try my best to keep you updated of what I've done and I might ask for help sometimes, because I know that this forum has a lot of knowledge to learn from.

I'm still not "afraid" of this new job and challenges that might come in the future. I'm excited! And I think that this will be a turning point in my adult life πŸ™‚

I hope you'll join me on my new adventure, and I look forward to get to know all of you πŸ™‚
 

Oldhippy

Cynical idealist
The very best of wishes on your new venture.
 

sevenfourate

Devotee of OCD
Nothing quite like doing something you like and making it a living.

Been there got the T-shirt. IMO its not so straight forward in reality as above; in all cases.

Home / Hobbies are just that. Relaxed, little pressure and you do at your own speed with little to no implications.

Work involves time constraints, financial pressures, needy customers, cashflow, deadlines, ingenuity, commitment, other Staff blah-de-blah-de-blah.

Unless your doing very little hours at work / and making enough money for all else not to matter; work soon becomes work from experience. With the ongoing need to 'achieve' and hit whatever the days / week / months targets or goals are. Irrespective of if the product / area / industry you are working in; is somehow hobby based or not.....

YMMV and 'your' experiences may (Hopefully) be different from mine.
 
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cico

Regular
@sevenfourate

Great points!

I've already got "pushed" on all of the analytical stuff about this job. Budgets, money in, money out, work hours, efficiency etc..

Dude, I've been here for 3 weeks.. How can I give you results when I don't know how things work around here and I don't have anyone giving me a proper direction of how things work...

Already solved a few cases with customers who had been waiting before my time here and it feels so good to just take a phone call to an angry customer and suddenly I've solved a problem in no time because I communicate with a customer instead of the mentality of "I'll answer when I have the time for it"

I have two colleagues who knows more than me, but I don't have the money from HQ to put them on more hours. And at this point I am a rookie in the mechanical sense, but I have been working as a salesman for 18 years and I know how to talk to customers and solve problems. That is my biggest strength right now.

I'm gonna ride that wave until I know how to do other things πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ


@Oldhippy

You're an old hippie, and I'm a young hippie. I agree with your statement. I didn't have a TV for about 10 years before I met my girlfriend. Streaming services was something I've never watched by myself. I have made good money and less good money in my life. I have never cared for material things, as long as I have everything I need. I've always been a "happy go lucky" guy. But I've always been the best at the jobs that I've been assigned to in the corporate world ✌️
 
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cico

Regular
Today I learned how to put on handlebar tape. Really frustrating, but actually so easy as well "when you know how do do it"

My colleague is here until next Tuesday, so I only have a few days left until I'm all by myself (cue Celine Dion) πŸ‘€

I just wanted to go over what I've learned this month. We actually used about 3-4 days to just clean up the workshop, and we've thrown away so many old batteries, motors, derailleurs etc that we really don't need.

I'm all for recycling parts, don't get me wrong. But to a certain degree πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ

Checklist: (from the service we give to our customers.) Of course we do give more services than the one's I mention on our website.

Change a chain (Confident)
Clean a chain (confident)
Change of cassettes (Yes but no)
Bleed hydraulic brakes (Yes but no. Both Shimano and SRAM)
Change of tires (Confident)
Change of tubes (Confident)
Use a diagnostic tool for Bosch and Shimano bikes (confident)
Adjusting spokes (confident)
Adjusting wheels (confident)
Adjusting brakes (confident)
Adjust disc rotor brakes (confident)
Change handlebar tape (confident)
Change batteries (confident)
Change motors on Bosch and Shimano (confident)
Check for electrical malfunctioning (confident)
Adjust gears (confident)
Adjust handlebars (confident)
Change the crank (confident)

I can't come up with anything else at the moment
 
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cico

Regular
Been a few days "alone" at the workshop (I do have two colleagues, but they are doing ski repair at the moment. Yes, we have to do both things here. Something I have to learn more about this month.)

Today I tried to adjust a wheel and find the right spokes for it. It was in a really bad shape. Should've just bought a new wheel. But challenge accepted!

I didn't want to go online to find the answer, so I used waaay too much time on it. Tools, length, mm, etc... But my colleague helped me and we figured it out in the end.

I learned how to clean and change bearings on a free hub just a couple of days ago, and suddenly had to do it again, by myself. I did everything by myself from what I remembered from my old manager and my colleague said that I did a good job. Such a great feeling! Especially when it's 5 minutes before I leave work and have the weekend off πŸ™‚

I fixed a carrier the other day for a customer who had been waiting for a long time because of shipping times. Found out that that the "bolt nut" on his gears was broken and had to order new ones and he had to wait on that as well... Luckily they came in today and I fixed it with the help of my colleague. It was a nexus gear, which is new to me.

I feel that I "haven't done much" today. But I've learned much and I'm still excited when I can solve problems, by myself or just by help from my colleagues. I really only ask for help if I'm stuck or "is this tight enough" πŸ‘€

Still enthusiastic about my new job. I think I'm gonna like this job πŸ™‚

I'll try to update my progress more here, but it's been a lot to learn and I just keep forgetting updating my progress πŸ‘€
 
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cico

Regular
Oh and also... I did a really rookie mistake a couple of days ago that everyone said that they've done themselves at one point, but never again.. It's so much fun when I look at the photo now πŸ˜„

My old manager told me "what have you done now?"

I don't know? What?

How are you gonna ride that bike?

Then I'm trying to wrap my brain around what I've done?!?!

Turns out I put on the crank arms completely wrong πŸ™ƒ

IMG_20230127_092928.jpg
 
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cico

Regular
Today I did a simple service on some bikes. Changed to winter tires and gave the chains some love. Done!

Finally fixed all of the spokes on the bad wheel. At first I did it with the tools I had and measured by tension and what I could see. And it looked very good. Then I took a note of the tension of every single spoke on the wheel and entered it in parktools "wheel tension app" https://www.parktool.com/en-int/wta

Corrected a few and then it was good to go πŸ‘

Setup a gravel bike. So nice that I'm knowing how to adjust gears now.

Got some parts today for an electric bike that needs to be fixed. The battery had been stolen and needed a new battery, brackets. Had to order more parts because everything was ripped out when I checked even further.

Did a few assessments of bikes we got.
Bleed brakes
Clean a hub/or change hub
Fix a crank wheel

And one bike that needs a complete overhaul. Came in with a suspension fork and a bag of parts so I could see if anything of it could work... My first thought was "stolen", my second thought was "profit"

The customer was really rude to my colleagues, didn't take no for an answer. So I sent a message of all the things that needed to be done. Even a new motor πŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ I would just buy a new bike.. Can't even move the chain because it's so hard and rusty...

Nothing I have to do before I get a reply from clients. But something that I will be able to do πŸ‘

But then another challenge came in A customer who had bought a fat bike. Delayed from our warehouse, and also wanted to convert to tubeless tires (never done it before) change the disc brake to a 200mm. Put on handlebar "horns" (I don't know the correct word for it?)

People sick at work these days and I'm off tomorrow of personal reasons.

But again, challenge accepted. I still love this job πŸ‘

All in all a good day. Most of it admin work, but still felt like a lot of work when I'm by myself..

If anyone reading this and have any tips on fat bike tires converted to tubeless, please step forward πŸ˜…
 
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