I run an independent mobile shop in LA and I've been preaching the same stuff for years, nice to see I'm not alone with my approach. Best of luck with your shop!
I work on adaptive bicycles for disabled people and elderly people and I completely agree with you. Most of our bikes are battery powered now which is amazing because when customers have questions we can assist them with there problems. Their problems understanding how our bikes work and asking questions is why I have a job. So as an employee working in this business build a good relationship with your customers and always have a good attitude.
Absolutely! People that have special concerns with their equipment tend to be the most loyal customers because a lot of shops seem annoyed to deal with them.
I'm loving these videos of yours amd how straight forward they are. I worked in a shop for a few years and left for another career after a lot of these issues you pointed out had happened. Now I'm thinking of starting up a repair business (on the side of my current job) myself either out of my garage or perhaps an enclosed trailer. Your videos definitely help solidify some thoughts I've been thinking!
Thanks, I appreciate that! Best of luck with your new business plans, I am looking at adding a trailer or van to ramp mobile service up as I just hired someone so I can step away from the shop as needed now. Just one heads up, a lot of wholesale distributors are hard to get set up with only a trailer or working from your garage so it may be helpful to build some good relationships with local shops to see if they will give you a deal on parts in exchange for helping them with something they may need.
I was thinking about the idea of going a little further than just accepting the mail-order bike build. Maybe offer a package deal that includes helping the customer select and order a bike (bikesdirect, etc) , then doing the assembly and final fit once it arrives. Whether the online dealer frowns on markups is a question, but your service can take this into account. The customer would end up with pricing that's still competitive with box stores, but would avoid most of the pitfalls that stem from ham-fisted assembly and a lack of knowledge and experience on the part of the buyer. Warranty and returns would still be addressed by the retailer, I would think.
Sorry for the slow reply here but we will absolutely do work like that for customers. Being a service focused shop we are a more natural fit for mail order customers already so it works well for us. Love it or hate it, mail order shopping is not going away so making some money on labor is better than no money at all by refusing service.
Damn Chris, you should be a motivational speaker! Well said on people hating the opportunity for job security. All of us, everyone that has a decent job, or even one that just helps to pay the bills should learn to appreciate what they have and not complain so much. I’m guilty of this myself… well said! Really well said!!
I appreciate that but I am definitely more grumpy bike mechanic than public speaker! I think we all are guilty of these things occasionally but overall, most of us that are able to pay our bills in an industry that we enjoy are very lucky.
There are about four bike shops in my area. I have gone to three of them and they have all told me that it will take two weeks to adjust my shifting cables. While I was standing there in the shop I seen four people in the back just sitting around.......talking......not doing much. So common sense told me that the reason it would take two weeks to do a 20 minute job is because they have no one there wanting to work. I have since bought my own tools and watched 100's of youtube videos and was able to adjust my bike myself. And the great thing about it......I can continue to maintain my bikes.....once you learn a skill.....you can use it for a life time. ............ Keep up the great videos.....your subscriber list is growing.
Unfortunately not all shops are good shops. I fully agree on the once you learn a skill you have it for a lifetime though! It is why I am such a fan of trying to figure out weird problems for myself with the help of RUclips like you! Thanks for the support, its been fun seeing our subscriber list growing! Hopefully I can get some more videos out in the coming months but things at the shop have been pretty slammed lately. Keep buying those tools and learning new skills!
Internet doesn’t smile, Internet doesn’t come to events, ebikes will be interesting if that projection actually happens. I think also supporting youth programs, nica, ect can be a good move for a shop for long term customers
I definitely agree with a lot of that. Working with community groups is super important, not only sales but the growth of the sport as a whole. While I think the internet will keep disrupting the way bike shops work I don't expect them to go away. I think we will just end up in more of a service role than a retail role which as someone who is not good at retailing I am OK with. I think that is a good reason to pay extra attention to how shops hire and compensate mechanics. Good mechanics are hard to find and if shops are not taking good care of them they will eventually move on to other industries. This is one prediction on future ebike sales, I think it will be a bit before the US accepts them but Europe and Asia can't seem to get enough so I am sure it is just a matter of time before they are more commonplace here. As you know, I am all for anything that gets people out riding. www.theverge.com/2019/12/16/21016306/electric-bike-ebike-sales-us-numbers-deloitte-cars
I went into our small town's only bike shop, there were four guys putting together new bikes and I asked if they sold cotters for some old cottered cranks I was working on. The one that bothered to look away from his work was friendly and wanted to help but he didn't know what they were. None of the others said anything. I seldom go in there anymore.
It's sad how many shops are not willing to make a little extra effort to at least communicate well. Most shops these days don't have much in the way of cotters but you should at least know what they are and be willing to take a couple minutes and talk with someone walking in the door.
My local bike shop didn't let me use their restroom when I really needed to go ( i needed to pee so bad). They clearly have one because they work there 9 hours a day. This even after purchasing an overpriced surly crosscheck from them.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC yeah considering it was smack in the middle of a liberal, "tolerate everbody" energy town in los angeles. It's ridiculous. The only reason I'll go back to them is to take advantage of their 1 yr free service that's included in the bike purchase. I will not give them.any more if my money.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC There is a shop in my town that does absolutely meticulous work on my bikes. They definitely charge a bit more for repairs and such (and they only sell super high-end hikes that I'm unlikely to ever buy -- think Pinarello). But I will go to them anyway because I know the work will be done right. I live in a big city and there are a lot of shops and more than one of them have made some pretty basic mistakes in doing work on my bikes. As you say not all mechanics are equally skilled. As for the shop I do go to, I don't know if it pisses them off that sometimes I will actually bring the parts to use. They never say anything about it, they are always super polite, always remember my name, which amazes me. I think they make most of their money from repairs and bike fits (and I did go there for a fit once). The last thing they did for me was build up a bike using a frame and several parts I bought elsewhere*. They actually supplied some of the parts and I noticed that the price they charged me was the same as I would have gotten online which makes me think that they're not actually making very much if anything on the parts. Their hourly rate for building the bike was at the very top end of what most bike shots woukd charge, and I was very happy to pay it. For anyone in Houston TX, it is Bicycle Speed Shop. * when I came to pick up the bike they had built for me, they mentioned that they had gone back to my fitting file and set it up with exactly the same geometry as they had done on my previous bike
@@stuartdryer1352 Sounds like you found a great shop! I personally think the truly great shops will never be bothered by you bringing in outside parts. As much as we would like to sell more parts, if we are charging appropriate labor then it's still a win for us simply doing the mechanical work. I am of the belief that will become more and more common. Traditional retail is dying in a lot of ways and I feel its important for shops to realize that their service department is what can set them apart and help them adjust to the changing industry.
Hi. I'm ready to open my own bike shop, I know what tools I need like at the basic level but do you have a list of tools you must have before opening a bike shop, please feel free to include the BB tool for press fits and anything you know is essential. If you could also point me to a good seller (affordable and quality tools I'd appreciate it a lot). The tools should be quality tools at least since I live outside of the US or Europe and getting them is not that easy. Thanks
Honestly I just started with the basics and bought new tools as needed. Just try to think of the types of bikes you will work on and make sure you have the tooling to cover common repairs on those bikes. Outside of normal wrenches/screwdrivers you would also want to have bleed kits for brakes that are common in your area, bearing presses, derailleur hanger alignment tool and with that you should be able to handle the majority of repairs you will see. It's hard to recommend a supplier as they vary a lot based on country. Where are you living? If I know of distributors in your area I am happy to pass along recommendations. I am also happy to ship our tools and others I have accounts with internationally but sometimes shipping costs can get fairly high. Just email me through our website if you wanted me to quote anything you can't find in your area.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC In my mind it seemed like I needed everything after being flooded with so much information on the internet on bike tools and repairs, I'm trying to come up with a list on some of the main tools I'll need, I appreciate the response a lot! when I need some more assistance I'll reach out. Your videos are a great help.
@@songsandverses Happy to help! It's really easy to feel like you need a huge range of tools but the majority of repairs that seem to come through all use the same basic stuff.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC Hey Chris, Like I said, thanks for sharing that. I’m going to start a community mobile shop next year and I would love to chat with you about it and maybe work together someday. Cheers
Thanks Aaron! I am a big fan of manufacturer specific training as I have seen mixed results from people who have gone to more traditional bike mechanic schools. One group that puts on a lot of great events is the Professional Bicycle Mechanic Association. You can check out there website here - www.probma.org/
Most of that can be found on youtube. Most manufacturers are now posting tech videos on here and if you dig through their websites you can usually find service guides although they are usually kinda tough to find.
Whats your thoughts on these road bikes (and some mtb now) that have the hoses and cable passing through the upper headset bearing? I have no problem hating on that out loud!! 3 hour bill with new hoses, in a lot of cases, and cables to change a simple headset bearing.
I am not a fan of them personally but I think it will become more and more common as time goes on. Hopefully the development of wireless shifting systems continues to move forward as not running wires/cables for shifting definitely simplifies things! Until then, be sure to quote your customer hourly rather than a flat fee on bikes like that.
That will vary a lot based on your skill and location. Here is Colorado Springs I think anything over $20hr is a decent place to be for a good/experienced mechanic.
Cool, thats really easy. My favorite are BTI, QBP, Jbi but there are a lot of others. You can typically find a distributors tab on most component manufacturers pages.
I run an independent mobile shop in LA and I've been preaching the same stuff for years, nice to see I'm not alone with my approach. Best of luck with your shop!
Thanks! I wish you the best as well!
I praise you. I started my mobile bike shop ova here in philadelphia about a year ago. Good times
I work on adaptive bicycles for disabled people and elderly people and I completely agree with you. Most of our bikes are battery powered now which is amazing because when customers have questions we can assist them with there problems. Their problems understanding how our bikes work and asking questions is why I have a job. So as an employee working in this business build a good relationship with your customers and always have a good attitude.
Absolutely! People that have special concerns with their equipment tend to be the most loyal customers because a lot of shops seem annoyed to deal with them.
I agree on your point about ebikes and new tech I want to work on all bikes a learn and grow and change
Thanks! It's always fun learning new things and is how we grow as a whole
This is most real talk I’ve heard on the bike shop industry.
Thanks @cycling dropout!
Thank you for being real and upfront and totally honest.
Thanks for watching! I hope to get more content out like this once I get some more time but the shop has been crazy busy for December!
Great points. All this info can be viewed universally in all types of business. Smile and be kind goes a long way to success
Definitely agreed! Like most things, mastering the basics like treat customers how you would like to be treated will take you very far!
I'm loving these videos of yours amd how straight forward they are. I worked in a shop for a few years and left for another career after a lot of these issues you pointed out had happened. Now I'm thinking of starting up a repair business (on the side of my current job) myself either out of my garage or perhaps an enclosed trailer. Your videos definitely help solidify some thoughts I've been thinking!
Thanks, I appreciate that! Best of luck with your new business plans, I am looking at adding a trailer or van to ramp mobile service up as I just hired someone so I can step away from the shop as needed now. Just one heads up, a lot of wholesale distributors are hard to get set up with only a trailer or working from your garage so it may be helpful to build some good relationships with local shops to see if they will give you a deal on parts in exchange for helping them with something they may need.
I was thinking about the idea of going a little further than just accepting the mail-order bike build. Maybe offer a package deal that includes helping the customer select and order a bike (bikesdirect, etc) , then doing the assembly and final fit once it arrives. Whether the online dealer frowns on markups is a question, but your service can take this into account. The customer would end up with pricing that's still competitive with box stores, but would avoid most of the pitfalls that stem from ham-fisted assembly and a lack of knowledge and experience on the part of the buyer. Warranty and returns would still be addressed by the retailer, I would think.
Sorry for the slow reply here but we will absolutely do work like that for customers. Being a service focused shop we are a more natural fit for mail order customers already so it works well for us. Love it or hate it, mail order shopping is not going away so making some money on labor is better than no money at all by refusing service.
Damn Chris, you should be a motivational speaker! Well said on people hating the opportunity for job security. All of us, everyone that has a decent job, or even one that just helps to pay the bills should learn to appreciate what they have and not complain so much. I’m guilty of this myself… well said!
Really well said!!
I appreciate that but I am definitely more grumpy bike mechanic than public speaker! I think we all are guilty of these things occasionally but overall, most of us that are able to pay our bills in an industry that we enjoy are very lucky.
There are about four bike shops in my area. I have gone to three of them and they have all told me that it will take two weeks to adjust my shifting cables. While I was standing there in the shop I seen four people in the back just sitting around.......talking......not doing much. So common sense told me that the reason it would take two weeks to do a 20 minute job is because they have no one there wanting to work. I have since bought my own tools and watched 100's of youtube videos and was able to adjust my bike myself. And the great thing about it......I can continue to maintain my bikes.....once you learn a skill.....you can use it for a life time. ............ Keep up the great videos.....your subscriber list is growing.
Unfortunately not all shops are good shops. I fully agree on the once you learn a skill you have it for a lifetime though! It is why I am such a fan of trying to figure out weird problems for myself with the help of RUclips like you! Thanks for the support, its been fun seeing our subscriber list growing! Hopefully I can get some more videos out in the coming months but things at the shop have been pretty slammed lately. Keep buying those tools and learning new skills!
There is a metric called “sales per square feet”. Very important. Great advice !👍
Definitely an important metric in retail! Thanks!
thanks Chris, good tips! and this my bible to opened a bike shop when I am retired from my job career
Glowskulls Media thank you!
Internet doesn’t smile, Internet doesn’t come to events, ebikes will be interesting if that projection actually happens. I think also supporting youth programs, nica, ect can be a good move for a shop for long term customers
I definitely agree with a lot of that. Working with community groups is super important, not only sales but the growth of the sport as a whole.
While I think the internet will keep disrupting the way bike shops work I don't expect them to go away. I think we will just end up in more of a service role than a retail role which as someone who is not good at retailing I am OK with. I think that is a good reason to pay extra attention to how shops hire and compensate mechanics. Good mechanics are hard to find and if shops are not taking good care of them they will eventually move on to other industries.
This is one prediction on future ebike sales, I think it will be a bit before the US accepts them but Europe and Asia can't seem to get enough so I am sure it is just a matter of time before they are more commonplace here. As you know, I am all for anything that gets people out riding. www.theverge.com/2019/12/16/21016306/electric-bike-ebike-sales-us-numbers-deloitte-cars
Great advice!
Thank you!
I went into our small town's only bike shop, there were four guys putting together new bikes and I asked if they sold cotters for some old cottered cranks I was working on. The one that bothered to look away from his work was friendly and wanted to help but he didn't know what they were. None of the others said anything. I seldom go in there anymore.
It's sad how many shops are not willing to make a little extra effort to at least communicate well. Most shops these days don't have much in the way of cotters but you should at least know what they are and be willing to take a couple minutes and talk with someone walking in the door.
awesome content
Great Advice Chris..
Thanks!
My local bike shop didn't let me use their restroom when I really needed to go ( i needed to pee so bad). They clearly have one because they work there 9 hours a day. This even after purchasing an overpriced surly crosscheck from them.
Sorry to hear that, its crazy they wouldn't let you use their restroom. I don't think any shops in our area would ever had a problem with it.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC yeah considering it was smack in the middle of a liberal, "tolerate everbody" energy town in los angeles. It's ridiculous. The only reason I'll go back to them is to take advantage of their 1 yr free service that's included in the bike purchase. I will not give them.any more if my money.
@@singlespeedsoulja8415 Don't blame you one bit, I wouldn't want to get them my money either
As a customer I think this is spot on.
Take care of your customer or someone else will do it for you! Thanks Stuart!
@@ChrisMurrayEWC There is a shop in my town that does absolutely meticulous work on my bikes. They definitely charge a bit more for repairs and such (and they only sell super high-end hikes that I'm unlikely to ever buy -- think Pinarello). But I will go to them anyway because I know the work will be done right. I live in a big city and there are a lot of shops and more than one of them have made some pretty basic mistakes in doing work on my bikes. As you say not all mechanics are equally skilled. As for the shop I do go to, I don't know if it pisses them off that sometimes I will actually bring the parts to use. They never say anything about it, they are always super polite, always remember my name, which amazes me. I think they make most of their money from repairs and bike fits (and I did go there for a fit once). The last thing they did for me was build up a bike using a frame and several parts I bought elsewhere*. They actually supplied some of the parts and I noticed that the price they charged me was the same as I would have gotten online which makes me think that they're not actually making very much if anything on the parts. Their hourly rate for building the bike was at the very top end of what most bike shots woukd charge, and I was very happy to pay it. For anyone in Houston TX, it is Bicycle Speed Shop.
* when I came to pick up the bike they had built for me, they mentioned that they had gone back to my fitting file and set it up with exactly the same geometry as they had done on my previous bike
@@stuartdryer1352 Sounds like you found a great shop! I personally think the truly great shops will never be bothered by you bringing in outside parts. As much as we would like to sell more parts, if we are charging appropriate labor then it's still a win for us simply doing the mechanical work.
I am of the belief that will become more and more common. Traditional retail is dying in a lot of ways and I feel its important for shops to realize that their service department is what can set them apart and help them adjust to the changing industry.
Thanks for your advice
Hope you found it helpful!
Excellent tips👌
Thank you!
good content ,great points, thanks you
Thank you!
Hi. I'm ready to open my own bike shop, I know what tools I need like at the basic level but do you have a list of tools you must have before opening a bike shop, please feel free to include the BB tool for press fits and anything you know is essential. If you could also point me to a good seller (affordable and quality tools I'd appreciate it a lot). The tools should be quality tools at least since I live outside of the US or Europe and getting them is not that easy. Thanks
Honestly I just started with the basics and bought new tools as needed. Just try to think of the types of bikes you will work on and make sure you have the tooling to cover common repairs on those bikes. Outside of normal wrenches/screwdrivers you would also want to have bleed kits for brakes that are common in your area, bearing presses, derailleur hanger alignment tool and with that you should be able to handle the majority of repairs you will see.
It's hard to recommend a supplier as they vary a lot based on country. Where are you living? If I know of distributors in your area I am happy to pass along recommendations. I am also happy to ship our tools and others I have accounts with internationally but sometimes shipping costs can get fairly high. Just email me through our website if you wanted me to quote anything you can't find in your area.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC In my mind it seemed like I needed everything after being flooded with so much information on the internet on bike tools and repairs, I'm trying to come up with a list on some of the main tools I'll need, I appreciate the response a lot! when I need some more assistance I'll reach out. Your videos are a great help.
@@songsandverses Happy to help! It's really easy to feel like you need a huge range of tools but the majority of repairs that seem to come through all use the same basic stuff.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC I appreciate the help.
Thanks for sharing that!! cheers!!
Thanks for watching!
@@ChrisMurrayEWC Hey Chris,
Like I said, thanks for sharing that. I’m going to start a community mobile shop next year and I would love to chat with you about it and maybe work together someday.
Cheers
@@mariorochap feel free to reach out any time!
Hi Chris, Thank you for doing these videos! Do you have a recommendation for formal training for people interested in the field? Thanks
Aaron
Thanks Aaron! I am a big fan of manufacturer specific training as I have seen mixed results from people who have gone to more traditional bike mechanic schools. One group that puts on a lot of great events is the Professional Bicycle Mechanic Association. You can check out there website here - www.probma.org/
That's more business for you Chris!
You got to get with the times!
@@georgeweckesser9351 Definitely agreed!
i cantfind info on how to fix certain things on a bike ... like unbending a rim , over hauling some suspension cartridges parts
Most of that can be found on youtube. Most manufacturers are now posting tech videos on here and if you dig through their websites you can usually find service guides although they are usually kinda tough to find.
good info
Thanks!
Whats your thoughts on these road bikes (and some mtb now) that have the hoses and cable passing through the upper headset bearing? I have no problem hating on that out loud!! 3 hour bill with new hoses, in a lot of cases, and cables to change a simple headset bearing.
I am not a fan of them personally but I think it will become more and more common as time goes on. Hopefully the development of wireless shifting systems continues to move forward as not running wires/cables for shifting definitely simplifies things! Until then, be sure to quote your customer hourly rather than a flat fee on bikes like that.
@@ChrisMurrayEWC no such thing as flat fees at our shop. Maybe on a puncture repair but thats it
@@kevinwells1660 they can have their place but they can also get you in trouble if your staff doesn't communicate with customers well.
What kind of software do you use at the shop?
We use Lightspeed and really love it. There are a few features I wish it had but I am able to work just fine supplementing it with a Square account.
What's a good wage for a good mechanic?
That will vary a lot based on your skill and location. Here is Colorado Springs I think anything over $20hr is a decent place to be for a good/experienced mechanic.
Chris what is the going rate for a good tech to hire these days ?
It varies a lot by local cost of living/demand but in our area $20ish an hour is roughly where you should be for someone good.
any idea how to find bicycle wholesale companies?
For sure, what country are you working in?
@@ChrisMurrayEWC North Carolina, Usa
Cool, thats really easy. My favorite are BTI, QBP, Jbi but there are a lot of others. You can typically find a distributors tab on most component manufacturers pages.
Agree. But E-bikes still suck!
Bikes are fun
So were
Automobile's