Shocked by peoples reluctance to spend relatively small amounts on a bike.

[tyred]

I think part of the problem is that people who don't cycle on a regular basis will think "I can get a new full suspension mountain bike with disc brakes for not much more than that from Argos or Sports Direct." They don't appreciate the difference between a BSO and a decent older bike. I bet thouusands of good 70's and 80's bikes with Reynolds frames are chucked on the local tips every year, despite the fact they are perfectly useable and could make really nice bikes again.

I rescued my 1958 Raleigh Trent from a skip and it has turned into one of the nicest riding bikes I have ever experienced. Apart from tyres and cables, the only expense was finding a replacement 4 speed block after I accidentally broke the original.

 

[tyred]

I can see where you're coming from, but I can also understand their point of view. I'm a cheapskate myself, I refuse to pay labour charges so that's why I do my own repairs as much as possible, both on my bike and even on my car, I reckon I've saved a few hundreds of pounds worth of labour over the years both on the bike and on the car.

I'm like that do in that I try to everything I can myself but sometimes, you will not have the tools, knowledge or experience to tackle something and it is reasonable to expect the "expert" you employ to charge for his time. We all have to make a living.

Obviously the people in the OP with the Raleigh Pioneer didn't have the knowledge, skills, or tools to sort it out themselves so they are going to have to get someone else to do it and they need to expect that at the very least they will have to cover the expenses plus whatever the value the OP puts on his time (likely a lot less than a car mechanic). Their alternative is to acquire the skills themselves or buy a new bike. They are free to shop around. To complain about it is nonsense.

 

[ayceejay]

I always think of that old chestnut about the factory that was shut down because there was a problem with the assembly line, they were losing thousands by the minute and none of the firms engineers could fix it "Too old" they said "Obsolete system." Then somebody suggested contacting 'old Bob' that used to work in the factory but is freelance now. Bob came and fixed it in about ten minutes, his bill came to £153.00. The factory manager said "153 quid for ten minutes work?" Bob said "The breakdown is £2 for the time £1 for the gizmo and £150 for the knowledge of where to put the gizmo."

 

[Markymark]

I get similar often at work.

"£3 to print off a few bw sheets of paper? Must cost you 5p"

"Yes, plus the £100,000 a year for rent, wages, leasing, computers, software etc etc etc "

We have customers paying a few £ to those paying several thousand for large print orders. The arguments are ALWAYS at the bottom end.

 

[Phil Fouracre]

Cyclopathic - great post, I have every sympathy, been self employed for 30 years! Best response in this situation would be, well feck off then, and find someone stupid enough to do it for less.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Someone wanted me to do some work on their bike but it was obvious that they thought I was ripping them off. It was a nice example of a Raleigh Pioneer. It needed a new back wheel (cassette type) New rear brake blocks (Annoying calliper peg type) The front was jammed and needed freeing and the gears needed indexing. These were what I considered essential to getting it rideable. I also advised that they should have all cables replaced as they were rusty in places and have a new chain fitted.
When I told them it would be about £80 for this (and that was being kind I thought) they looked at one another (for it was a couple) and mumbled to each other about how it was supposed to have been a cheap bike to get to work on.
I asked how much they paid for the bike. £25 was the answer and they even seemed ****ed off at that because of the back wheel situation. Even though I tried to explain to them that a Raleigh Pioneer in good condition having been serviced and supplied with a brand new back wheel for a little over £100 was quite good really they still seemed to think that it was too much.

What is wrong with people. They are going to save the price of the bike in bus fairs within a couple of months. If you spend £25 on a bike then that's what you get. The days of buying a bike that's in perfect nick for £25 have gone. I get the feeling that they wouldn't baulk at the silly prices garages charge for car repairs or the stupid prices of bus and train fairs but bikes should be dirt cheap and bike mechanics willing to work for nothing. If it's that easy then do it yourself.
Rant over. Kindly sympathetic comments welcome. Harsh, get over it comments may make me cry.

You have my sympathies - you are *issing in the wind with people like that. Leave them to sort the problem themselves and don't give way. £80.00 seems a good deal to me.

I get this in my small business from time to time and I just take the view that if what I need for a job to be viable and what the customer wishes to pay are poles apart then they are not my customer. Or conversely I am not their provider.

End of conversation at that point.

 

[Hill Wimp]

I'm freelance. Just getting started really and trying to build up a customer base. I think it was areasonable price. I certainly knocked a bit of the rrp for the back wheel. Such is the way of things that items are available at way below the rrp on line. Although I can't match many of these by a fair way I still have to knock some of just to sound reasonable.
Pricing jobs has been one of the most difficult thing about the whole thing. I'm happy to keep the prices fairly low as I establish myself but I do try to keep in line with what other shops charge for similar work. I just stay in line with the lower priced shops.
What really galled me was just as he was about to leave with his lovely, all working bike he looked at the back wheel and said, "Oh, didn't it have a reflector on the other wheel" His point was a fair one no doubt as I had indeed forgotten to swap the reflector over but after all I'd been through to keep his costs low it just struck me at the time as a bit petty. Needles to say I found it and put it on for him with good grace but still. Grrrr.
Which reminds me he had asked me about lights and so completely free and for nothing I fitted some that I have had lying around for ages that was never going to use. They weren't fantastic lights by a long way and I told him so but I said that they would do until he felt he could afford better ones. Honestly a bloody wheel reflector he notices. Sheesh.

Can i meet you on the M1 around Luton and hand over my Dolce for its yearly service. You would have people queuing out the door down here for those prices. Hope the business takes off.

 

[PhunkyPhil]

I think the sad point isn't that your costs were high as they are reasonable considering you are buying parts but their expectation that a bike which costs less than my break blocks would last forever.

 

[Milzy]

They're just nobbers!

 

[Accy cyclist]

I've mentioned it before that my LBS is dirt cheap on parts and labour. He always asks timidly for the fee then i always add on 20% on as he does a decent job and i want to see his shop stay open! Another local bloke who had a mobile bike repair business charged nearly 50 quid an hour for labour! He retired last year saying that he'd had enough of working. He's either mad to give up such a lucrative business,or he's not making anything because he's so expensive,or he's made that much money with his hourly rate that he can afford to retire?!

 

[Canrider]

£80 including the cost of the new wheel? You should have handed them a rim, hub and a handful of loose spokes and said 'You can try doing it yourselves'--that would have put The Fear into them..

 

[Saluki]

People are strange. I get asked why my prices are so high all the time. I am a dog groomer and I travel to the client's home, set up my kit, bath and dry their dog, clip and scissor, toe nails etc etc, put up with lots of inane chatter (not all my customers are inane, some are just wonderful) hoover up afterwards and then they try to haggle saying £30 is a lot of money, will I take a tenner. No I flaming won't.

If I hear "there's a recession on you know" one more time from a customer with a 60" plasma tv, brand spanking new leather 3 piece and a TV in each room, I will scream.

I have a good mechanic and pay a reasonable rate for his work, I have a great vet and pay a lot for his work. Mechanics, Electricians, Plumbers etc charge a decent hourly rate for their work but I can't get anything like that, bike mechanics can't but hairdressers charge a heck of a lot. My neighbour pays £45 for her haircut and she is in the chair for 45 minutes. £1 a minute. Nice pay if you can get it.

If all us small businesses charged (and got) what we were worth in terms of training, experience and skill I am sure we would all be most happy. People are paying us to do a task that they are incapable of doing, Then they moan about the cost.

 

[ColinJ]

I was once asked to make some changes to some software that I had written a couple of years earlier. I didn't really want to go back and change it, but thought I should be reasonable and reluctantly agreed to do it. I thought it would take about 3 days and said that I wanted £300. The company tried to argue that I was overcharging so I said that I was going to ask 2 questions and I wanted honest answers ...

1. Would the man asking me to do it be prepared to do it himself for less than twice what I was charging? (Answer: Er, no!)
2. Was the company charging the customer at least ten times what I was asking for? (Answer: Er, yes!)

In the end, they paid me my £300.

 

[classic33]

So what do you recon a full susser with rock shock psylo sl front and rock shock rear with a mix of XT and XTR is worth. Has no brakes though. About 10 years old but very little use.

Its only worth what the buyers' prepared to pay. How much are you prepared to pay?

 

[I like Skol]

I think part of the problem is that people who don't cycle on a regular basis will think "I can get a new full suspension mountain bike with disc brakes for not much more than that from Argos or Sports Direct." They don't appreciate the difference between a BSO and a decent older bike. I bet thouusands of good 70's and 80's bikes with Reynolds frames are chucked on the local tips every year, despite the fact they are perfectly useable and could make really nice bikes again.

I bought an immaculate 1991 Raleigh roadbike off ebay for £48 and sold some of the tasteless 'upgrades' fitted in the quest for 'improvement' for nearly £30. I had more suitable retro bits in the spares box and now my son has a lovely 531 framed bike with a new junior sized saddle for a little over £20.

Who says good bikes aren't dirt cheap