Top 10 Reasons Bicycle Mechanics are A$$HOLES! Insider secrets revealed by a pro bike wrench!
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- After receiving my first 1 star google review for refusing to put training wheels on a little girls brand new Wal-Mart bike, I realized I have become an A$$HOLE bicycle mechanic, just like the rest of them! But how did this happen? Why am I like this? So I decided I'd get to the bottom of it and here are my top 10 reasons why bike mechanics are such jerks!
I rarely comment on RUclips content, however, this was a great video! You have a clear passion for bikes and isn't that what it's all about!
MY FIRST SUPER THANKS! 👊🏼
While not a trained or practicing bike mechanic here in Ohio with nearly 40 years of riding and 20 years of working/building on my own bikes, I experienced many of these challenges while working on friends and friends of friends bicycles. I just wanted to buy you a coffee for filling my morning with some smiles.
@@MrJinx2 amazing! Thanks for the cup!
I'm still riding the same BMC that Cadel won the Tour on way back then. That bike was good enough for him then, it's more than good enough for me.
Ya I love bikes 2.....lots of stories..... 63 years of biking and all I know is it's good....
Former bicycle mechanic for fifteen years or so.
Everything in this video is 100% accurate.
I used to have a customer who would bring me his bike in early spring and say, "I'm planning to ride this bike about 500 miles a week for the next six months. Fix everything that needs fixing to get me started, and schedule me for planned maintenance throughout the summer. I have a backup bike so you can have this one as long as you need it."
Every once in a while he would call me to ask about possibly changing tires or this or that component. He valued my input and trusted me.
When I quit the business I barely got a "Thanks for all your hard work" from the shop owner. But that customer tracked me down and sent me a lovely card and a nice bottle of wine.
Thousands of customers I've forgotten, but one or two I'll never forget.
reasonable, humble, respectful customers are so few and far between. It makes such a huge difference.
I'm not that hardcore, but my bicycles are my primary and most passionate transport of any of my transport modes, since it is active, it is wonderful and I love cycling about or riding the high speed trains for long distance any day over whenever I have to drive a car.
I have those bikes of mine that get exposed to my love of tinkering on them and servicing myself - but also the one I only entrust to trained certified aside from the trivial stuff, and skilled mechanics, and ultimately, on any of them, mechanics are the ultimate authority.
Maybe I'd built up such relationship as a regular to one individual mechanic I'll trust the most, if it wasn't for having to move so often.
@@bkefrmr Maybe not as hardcore, but see my perspective from customer side in my prior reply to OP.
Also, maybe it's a cultural difference though, since in my country a bike is taken mostly taken serious as one form of transport. (Albeit against the hateful backslash from people who only ever drive and rather live out their violence against the weaker than be thanksful for fewer motorists congesting in front of them.)
It's not as good as dutch levels, but most bike customers here do consider their bike a real and serious form of their modes of transport, I'd guess. Shame about the situation so far in the US.
The "only the mechanic" bike in question being a VSF-Fahrradmanufaktur with Bosch electronics..
"500 miles a week for six months....." Right, just like all the pro riders who train 500 miles a week. 😂😂😂😂 No pro rider does that consistently. They probably only have a few weeks a year with that mileage.
In fact, if you aren't a European pro you probably don't hit five hundred miles a week all year. What event requires that form of training?
"I don't know how to make you feel better about that" has just become my new workplace mantra!
That's why I left HR it was a good paying job but you can't Imagine how often you have to say that. It hurts lol
would not recommend it
How would you make me feel better about that? @@mikeporter8873
Hahaha it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard
I also work in a field dealing with people who are bitching just to bitch and don't realize it. Often times they don't realize it until I ask them, "what do you want me to do about that?" Often times, when I ask them that after they've given excuse after excuse, they realize they don't actually know what they want done.
As a guy that built bikes at toys r us for 4 months 25 years ago I feel you. Also it’s crazy that we were building bikes we had no clue how to build and then they sold them to adults who threw their kids on them and told them “go child, I’m sure the slightly older child that assembled this bike was very qualified!”
Thats funny i was the guy from a big un mentionable bike company that was sent to toys r us to try and teach there staff how to be a bike mechanic in get this a day that was 30 plus years ago its crazy i can still remember there blank faces .
That's exactly how I got my start back when I was 16 and landed my first "real" job. I'm going to disagree with you. In my case, anyway, I was sure that I got it right every time and, if I didn't, I did it over. I had to figure things out on my own, as standard bikes didn't come with useful instructions at the time, but I had enough mechanical sense to figure it out. I got better as I gained experience, but I am confident that, even in the beginning I didn't ever send out a product that was unsafe because of something I did. That job gave me the experience I needed to eventually land a job at a real bike shop. Perhaps the difference was that, in my case, I had years of experience fixing and building up my own bikes, as new bicycles were never a "thing" in my family.
i worked at cerritos for a few years until they went with service first, but id been wrenching on my own bike for years.
I’m a mechanic at a bike store and we have people bring their department store bikes in all the time. LOL! Bikes with forks backwards, missing brake pads, limit screws on both front and rear derailleurs all the way tight so the gears are stuck in one gear or broken parts on bikes which they just bought. If there is a lot of stuff on the bike which is wrong we will do a tune up for 90 bucks and actually most of the bikes work pretty darn well. Not as well as a good bike but 100% better than when the bike first came in.
My manager said department store assemblers were only paid, "To make them look like bikes." We didn't tell people to not buy them, but to at least have them checked over before their kid bombs the neighborhood hill. Any time I grace a department store, I put the front wheel of a bike between my legs and I twist the handlebar. 9 times out of 10 the stem, or headset is loose. I leave it crooked, so some kid doesn't get hurt. Don't get me started about brakes and I just assume the shifting is all out of whack.
Spot on. Was a bike mechanic for 12 years, a profession that was an extension of my love for bicycles. The one customer that understood me was an aircraft mechanic for a major airline. He said: “your job is a lot harder than mine because of changing “standards” different manufacturers solutions and the amount of spares you have to carry for different models and categories of bikes”. I found that the hardest part of being a bike mechanic was to deduce what the customer perceived as a problem and either educate him/her on what was going on (i e why your freehub goes tick tick tick) or presenting a solution. It’s a tough, fun, under payed and ungrateful job. One that I took great pride in doing until I finally lost the passion for it, went to university and became a social ed teacher. Kind regards from Sweden. You took the words straight out of my mouth.❤️
LMFAO @ a guy working on bicycles having a harder job than an aircraft mechanic! He was blowing some serious smoke up your rear end! Most likely he just meant that he felt sorry for you having to deal with the general (stupid) public (because annoying customers are a real pain.)
Hey Mr., let me suggest something. You need to make more of an effort to choose the kinder interpretation. This guy from Sweden's english is not your english.He is not saying bike mechanics is more difficult. He is saying where bike mevhanics must deal with constantly changing standards, supply and fashion, aircraft maintenance dies not face these challenges and that makes it less difficult IN THESE RESPECTS. This is a true statement. period.
@@PtotheMtotheK Copium
@@arctic004 Did you just say that bicycles deal with more changing standards and supply than aircraft? Put your crackpipe down and stop taking your stupid pills immediately.
Ha! See now that you name it! Some freehubs are extremely loud. I have a 1989 Hercules Alassio, which is pretty much silent but waiting for my new gravel bike to arrive and now I’m wondering if it’s going to be so loud like many other modern bikes. And is it changeable? 😂
"The feeling like flight" is exactly what came to mind when as a six year old I had finally challeged and won the balacing act that kept me moving in what could only be described as flying.
Yes, pure bliss and I was in charge, not mom or cranky dad or any of the big bros. This was pure unadulterated me in motion.
The one person I've always appreciated and accepted was the person with the wrench in his or her hands with a smile on their faces and a "not to worry" look as they then handed it all back with a "you're good to go" and a cautionary "don't run any red lights or you'll need more than me to fix things next time."
My mother was buying me a bike when I was around 14 (early 90's) at Toys R US & assembled by them. Being young impatient & I just wanted to get it home and show ot off to my friends. Fortunately my mother made me take a test ride around the parking lot. Well I didn't get that bike because of major issues & then ended up at the local bike shop. I got a great mtn bike I had into the early 2000's until it was stolen. I loved that bike.
This really hit home. The worst is when the council has a week where you can put stuff that needs to go to the dump out on the sidewalk. People always brings in some crappy bike they've found and freak out when we tell them how much it will cost to fix. They throw it back and literally an hour later another person brings the same bike in...
😂😂😂
Yeah no joke. I found a very basic Diamondback steel frame bike on the curb and brought it home. It was filthy and way out of adjustment but when I took it apart it was like new, no wear, it was just stored improperly. It was in great condition in that respect. Even in that good shape it took me a lot of time to get it into riding condition.
ive seen that
That's the kind of stuff you gotta learn to fix yourself. It's rarely worth the money to have a professional do it.
I've taken countless of those off the street and patched it up to do another year of commuting on as a broke student, until something too expensive broke. Kept one good bicycle locked up indoors for the longer rides outside of Amsterdam, often used the crappy stuff to leave unattended in theft prone areas and at night.
It's also how you end up with 4 bicycles in your possession. You need to because sooner or later something will break and you need the replacement right then and there.
One of my frankenbikes survived for like 3 years until the rear wheel bearing catastrophically failed with a roaring screech. Didn't have a spare wheel sitting around with the right size cassette, so i left it at the sidewalk with a sign on it 'Take it, it's free' and of course someone picked it up. I wonder if parts of it are still on the road...
@@mfbfreak All bikes need constant work, even the most expensive. Dont ride them to destruction. Bearings and hubs I look at every 2 weeks, The drivetrain,every time I ride. and there simple to swap out if you purchase the tools , which if you have 4 bikes you will surely possess?
As a mechanic, you either die an apprentice, or live to see yourself become what you’ve always hated.
yes!!
What? This doesn't make sense. You either die an apprentice or you put up with the bullshit because you love the work and become a good, knowledgeable mechanic. I don't hate knowledgeable mechanics. I hate mechanics and shop owners who aren't straight with their customers and people who think I should be essentially donating my time to fix their piece of crap for "sentimental reasons." "Well, you like these old models, so you should charge me less." "Oh, yeah I'll tell the power company that I was working on something I enjoyed so they won't charge me either. Screw off."
@@FuckGoogle502Amazing. You completely failed to understand what you read. It means you are never done learning, no matter how much you know, or you become an idiot.
@@FuckGoogle502dang bro, maybe you need a new line of work, you sound like a jaded cop of 20 years, just repairing bicycles 😂
I have to say that my favourite bikes to repair are the old mountain bikes from the 90’s that have been out in the rain (likely since the 90’s). I work on those bikes taking them right down to the frame, clean all the parts, lube everything, clean and polish the frame and put it all back together. The work is always received with thankfulness. I pride myself on high quality work as well as keeping the customer informed. Yes it takes me longer to do a bike but at the end of the day it’s a passion and keeps them coming back. But I do have to say that some days after removing 5 seized square taper bb’s only to find completely destroyed caged bearings and rust, off of a 30yr old bike when I see another one walk in, it’s like really man! Lol!
90s mountain and road bikes are my favorite to rebuild too ❤
That's how it should be done and it's nice to hear that's how you do it. I've got one of those old bikes, and it's been cared for from time to time by a pro, and it still rides like a new bike even though it's so ugly nobody will steal it.
I started with a Walmart bike and dealt with rude bike shops, it just made me buy my own tools and work on my own bikes.
I am with you. I have a decent mtb I bought new but also bought a half decent 2nd hand mtb stripped it down bought tools as I went along and taught myself with the help of RUclips everything I needed to know. Hence coming across this one. Virtually went straight to the comments for a laugh. Bike mechanics are a special breed of people. A bit like serial killers. " He was a humble bike mechanic, then one day he was pushed to far"
@@johnkeenan3988 wrenching really isn’t as hard as mechanics like to think, they just try to make it sound like rocket science so they can enjoy a superiority complex towards their customers.
@@Bonky-wonky You're so wrong. I'm amazed at the skill of most mechanics and how accommodating they are, and I'm not a terrible mechanic myself.
As a customer, not a mechanic or owner, I can't imagine how difficult it must be to put up with us. Even the "good" customers can be super passionate about the sport and just can't stop talking and asking questions. Must be maddening. Doctors don't answer so many questions.
Oh man that "we hate people" point is so spot on! Nothing I hate more than being interrupted from a job to listen to a 10 minute life story until they tell me they have a flat tire
EDIT: Jesus christ some of y'all are acting like I shot a baby. It's a comment on the internet. Get off your high horse.
Exactly. Usually happens on a Saturday at noon with numerous customers in house.
Hey man, ya gotta multitask. While relating to the customer's story, put the bike in the stand. Change out the flat inner tube. Spin the wheels to make sure the brakes clear and the thing shifts, then push it out to the customer with the fee Sharpied on the tube box. Look busy. If something needs to be tweaked, do a perfect job without pause. Saturdays and Sundays rock! Enjoy it!
If you don’t hate people when you start, you will. It’s true of all retail you will encounter the 1% worst of humanity. The best shops I worked for understood this and had their staff’s backs. And the worst shops always appeased the customer, while watching their staff leave in a season or two.
I explained to a customer while showing him his tube that he had what is called a "snake bite" puncture. But before I could explain to him how it happened, he became unhinged declaring that there were absolutely no snakes on the trail.
@@paulmcknight4137the real problem is when the customer has to go through THE ENTIRE STORY before telling you what the problem even is
I had both negative and positive experiences. The local shop were so unpleasant that it drove me to learn from the internet how to do almost anything on my bikes, except for lacing and trueing wheels.They were also unable to deliver parts even from their local storage in less than a week, while I usually get them in 2-3 days when I order them online.
But I also found a great shop in the nearby city where the people were very friendly and open. They laced me the wheels for my electric cruiser project.
So I think it is a matter of luck to find a good shop.
some shops just suck, and nothing can fix them. But there are plenty of good shops out there, but each one of them has attitude. That's what makes them a good or bad shop.
V&
shop owner here
the problem is when clients order induviduals parts you have to find them, order them unpack tham, store them then sell them and put in in your countability.
this takes times. if its a cheap parts you will mayve get 5 dollars of margin on it when you spent 20-30 minutes to do it all. plus we work with pro furnishers so shipping fees are high for small orders, so we have to wait to group big orders.
so it takes time and mental energy for peanuts. AND i am responsible if something goes wrong with the part.
so depending on the part i tell my client to get it themselves, it will be cheaper and faster for them.
@@MrJagbolet I meant parts that were listed on their own website as available in that particular shop, which it turned out had to be brought from their local warehouse, which would have taken a week. Nothing "exotic" that would have to be ordered elsewhere.
I usually do order online, but I am willing to pay more if I don't have to wait.
I am a retired teacher working part-time as an amateur bike mechanic. You are a natural communicator with a good analytical mind. Keep up the good work!
last yr, age 28, i got a cheap old bike to commute with and i adore it! I'm a mess with social anxiety so taking my bike in was nerve wracking, so i let the mechanic know right off rhe bat that i knew nothing, i fully trusted his opinions and input, and that i fully understood that the work would take a while and to measure my expectations. i rlly just want to be as easy and painless of a customer as i can be! I'm not an athlete, just a dork who loves riding around rhe city on my bike and i love that there are shops that are about that life and not the hyper serious spandex-clad aero and weight obsessed hardcore dudes😄.
Yes. You did this right.
Good vid. 1000% accurate. The last shop I worked at I was the mechanic, inventory manager, sales, assistant manager, and a barista.
I will add one thing I learned from my years in shops. No other profession is expected to have knowledge spanning decades of changes with so little pay.
Thank you for this video. I have been wrenching professionally for 7 years now and watching your video was like going through a therapy session. Your talking points really resonate and describe the working experience perfectly. I truly love bicycles and have found peace in this world through working and riding them.
Is it a plane is it a train no it’s BICICLE REPAIR MAN.
Thanks Monty
“Wherever bikes are broken, or menaced by international communism…”
I'm a RUclipsr and a pro bike mechanic and you did a GREAT job on this video. It's hard to stand there and monologue for 14 minutes straight and be engaging and entertaining! Keep it up and you'll have to sell your shop to keep up with YT!
I shot it 3 times, lol. But, shit, 45k views and climbing after 48 hours on my first try, I think I might actually be kinda good at this!
Oh you're good at this all right. Keep it up!@@bkefrmr
130k@@bkefrmr
@@billybud6448 10000 jump cuts and it was my 3rd time through the script! I’m a total hack!
@@bkefrmr nah, it's yur naturally likeable cactus personality.....and bicycles....
"The customer is always right.. IN MATTERS OF TASTE."
Say the whole quote, every time.
Was going to comment the same thing. I'm convinced the common truncation of the quote is a decades-long psyop to immiserate frontline service workers.
Not really joking. Kind of. But not really.
that's not the original quote. you just took that of an insta reel.
Every single time. I work in restaurants and repeat it all the time
Very well done sir, you hit most points spot on.
My second yr out of high school, I worked in a small shop for a couple of yrs, fast forward to 1980s and I was back in it in a much larger establishment for another 15+ yrs. I wrenched, I sold, service writer, inventory, cashier..almost everything.
The general public has a deeply set belief that retail service employees are #1beneath contempt and #2 scheming to sell them something they dont need at every turn.
To be fair I didnt encounter really bad customers very often, most were reasonable but the outliers..man they leave an impression.
One guy in particular I will never forget. He asked for my help finding the pumps. When I kindly showed him the pump selection he looked puzzled so I asked him if he needed a floor pump or a frame/portable pump. Thats when he raised his voice and wanted to know why I was showing me this selection. I said I thought you asked about pumps sir.
Then he gets angry and says.." I want pumps..not these" Confused even further I said gently these are pumps. Then he blows his top and yells at me..."pumps...pumps...!.show me pumps" All I could do was reassure him that these were indeed pumps. Thats when he points to his shoe and says. "PUMPS!...where your foot goes when you push down!"
Holy crap he was trying to describe pedals!
That is a true story.
Ya know if I were to take my car to the dealer tomorrow and point at the seat belt and say..."I want a new engine in this car" and they did so ignoring the seat belt ..that would be MY fault for not correctly describing the part.
Really blow his mind and show some clipless pedals, that clip in. Or is that too last century?
You nailed it. I've been wrenching for most of the past seventeen years. The shop where I worked during covid closed down in August 2020 and the timing was perfect because I was finally OVER IT. I shifted to mobile repair as a solo gig, and kinda even resented that. Shifted again to professional trail building. The pay is way better, I actually get to ride my bike, and there are no customers to bother me. The current bike shop model is going to have to change to survive. I see space for co-ops and low-end shops with super low overhead, then space for high-end shops that will have to charge substantially more for labor to afford skilled mechanics. The shop that is everything to everybody is a dying model, and I don't know how to make you feel better about that.
I opened a small repair shop at my home with a sign at the end of the driveway (had to buy special farm property that can sell retail bike parts with labor, but can't be a retail store for shopping). My customers always praise that they found me, due to what experience the Local Bike Shops provide them anymore. That's because what used to be an honest economic opportunity for builders and sellers to make and repair bicycles here in USA has been replaced by corporate retail distribution chains that sell mostly Chinese-manufactured sport and leisure merchandise, over-engineered with planned obsolescence as top priority, to Americans where the only post-purchase recourse for that property is at a corporate retail store, which are locked into a commercial retail lease and motivated to increase $USD/transaction, rendering a consumer's need for repair equal to the store's need to sell them a whole new bike instead...it's the same across the board for stuff US Consumers buy: Home Appliances specifically are the common response customers bring up along with bicycles. It's a Chinese disposability model to redundantly collect payment from US Consumers acquiring Sale and Use of a thing designed to wear out much faster than it could last and require repairs that might be unnecessarily proprietary and/or unavailable...
All about money = junk world & even people are disposable commodities.
Where do you build trails? I'm in a similar situation and would love to transition.
@@jameslangstaff1606 I've worked on several projects in multiple states so far. The contracts vary.
Amazing video. I was a mechanic on and off for about 13 years in total and I agree with all of this, especially the first 2 points. My boss once said that the ‘customers need to see us as doctors for bikes’ and paid us 14€ per hour. Complained that we were losing him money - sure, close the workshop and see how long you last. I enjoyed it apart from the marketed nonsense and working around crap designs and the unsociable hours. I’m glad that the only bikes I work on is mine and my kid’s bike 😉 best maintained bikes in the town
Wow, so much of this is spot on. I worked in a shop out of high school for 6 years. the hardest problems were always people problems. service writing in a big shop is just soul crushing especially in the busy summer months. I deeply love bikes, but as soon as I managed to scrape together enough school to get a corporate office job I was out of there, which surprisingly has had a tremendously positive impact on both my mental and financial wellbeing. I do sometimes think about going back maybe a few days a month, hopefully just to work in the back doing tunes or new bike builds. I miss the hands on stuff, camaraderie, music and the culture. oh, and the prodeals are so hard to live without. great video, cheers.
People forget that these mechanics are sacrificing their personal riding time to ensure that your bike is rideable
Soul crushing is a great way to describe a large percentage of interactions in a retail business - particularly in the last 10 years or so especially as the owner.
It's retail.
@@christophereaton4694yes and in the case of bike shops it's definitely low margin retail. Nobody spends the kind of money on bicycles to where mechanics and local bike shop owners will actually earn much.
@@keegsbro786 No, it is work, just like most of us go to their jobs. If I'm working, I can't ride.
I bought a brand new entry-level aluminum Specialized road bike from a local shop 5 yrs ago and they included in 6-free tune-ups to be used that year. So I brought my bike in two days later after my $1000 purchase because my chain was rubbing, and the mechanic said that my bike sucks and I need to buy a more expensive one!
Yes. And most of them have no time when you dont buy the bike from them. I understand that - but it's shitty.
Yep bullshit
30 years of being a bike mechanic. You just nailed it. You explained me to perfection.
My man, you put our lives of being bike mechanics in such great explanation for the rest of the world to comprehend. Thank you my brother. This video is very appreciated.
I didnt even know such a thing existed
I'm not a bike mechanic, just a guy who's recently rediscovered his love for bicycles near middle age. But damn if some of your gripes don't feel relatable (working in a customer facing role). Big applause for this video.
💯 accurate! I spent 17 years in the bicycle industry as a mechanic/salesperson, and managed two stores.
I learned many great life lessons during those years that carried over to my career in law enforcement. And after 25 years as a LEO, I will still say that managing a bike shop is far more stressful!
People always ask of me if I’m going to start up a bike shop when I retire. I always tell them I love bicycles too much to ever do that!
Crappy pay, retail hours, and low margins. I’d have to be a fool to do that!
So cheers to those that stay in the shop for decades or longer. We need you and appreciate what you put up with.
Next time you want some service or advice from your local shop, take them some beer/food and make their day a little better.
you went from being a bike mechanic to a cop? that sucks.
Less stress.
@@TheTrailRabbit
yeah less stress, if there are any problems he can just pull his gun out which in most cases as a mechanic you can't do@@dennisdugger7975
Absolutely! I take my LBS cups of coffee and try hard not to be annoying! I order my parts online and have them expertly installed by them. I do own an expensive bike, but I trust and greatly appreciate what my LBS provides for me!
@TheTrailRabbit unless bike mechanics are earning 100k+ a year and have full medical benefits and a pension, he probably made the right move.
Gotta say, you did great. Being a life-long rider and semi-newbie wrencher, I really liked your take on the whole bike shop mechanic/owner/retail clerk experience. It validated a lot of my own experience dealing with older bike problems and confirmed all the trouble you guys go through to help me make things if not right, at least ride able.
To that end, every month I take my local bike shop mechanics et al, a 15-pack of beer and a 6-pack of seltzer to say thank you for all you do and for always being there and patient with me as I do my best to learn about bike mechanics despite not being mechanically inclined. I also do it to let them know that I don't take for granted the guys at Two Wheel Drive here in Albuquerque, New Mexico and that I deeply value them. Kudos also to the owner, Charlie, whom I've done business with for about 40 years too! Thanks for the great video.
Takes me back to working as a mechanic! Some memorable moments:
- A customer who brought his ebike in saying the display didn't work. I was staring at this thing working perfectly. Eventually I asked were his glasses polarized? (Manufacturer oversight?)
- An aluminium Cinelli road bike with a horrific creak impervious to every remedy until I eventually took the bottle cage off...
- A customer who thought I was having him on when I said the cooling fins on Shimano drum brake internal gear hubs are cooling fins...
- Replacing a spoke on a Campag wheel with the rim equivalent of internal cable routing - you had to thread the nipple in on a gear cable via the valve hole...
- A customer with a road bike with circa 2008 Mavic Ksyriums, their bike howled and shuddered at speed, and another shop said it was probably vortex shedding off the frame! I asked if it happened at about 40 km/h and he said 'Yeah, why?' I lubed the freehub seal - to the uninitiated these tricks we learn might as well be magic
- The triathlete who was unhappy with his Dura Ace 10spd front derailleur (tt friction shifter no less!), I test rode it and it was immaculate - ten mins later on the wind trainer, it turned out nobody ever told him that perhaps it might shift better if he didn't continue trying to put 300 watts in during the half-second it takes to change chainrings
- The guy who bought a bike (paid in full) and took a year to collect it - it transpired that he was getting divorced and he didn't want his wife to have half of it!
And so many more! Thanks for the great video
My customers would as me to change the polarity of the display to accommodate their special needs justifying it by insisting they're "old school" and "not a big biker or anything" and walk away in a huff when I tell them they should get a bike without a display instead.
The triathlete would insist it should work how they want it to because they have a race coming up in 2 months.
If I recall correctly the triathlete said he wanted me to tune it so it would shift under load. I said something like "It's like you're driving a Lamborghini and you want to be able to shift without using the clutch!" That seemed to get through haha
"- The guy who bought a bike (paid in full) and took a year to collect it - it transpired that he was getting divorced and he didn't want his wife to have half of it!"
That's too funny.
I have Shimano roller brakes on my old Dutch bike. I thought everyone knew those fins were for cooling! lol.
I’m a consumer who does his own maintenance, but I know my limits on what I can and want to do. You can do more damage if you don’t know what you’re doing or have the right tools. Sometimes, you have to admit defeat and let the experts take care of your bike. They have knowledge and the right tools. When I take my to the local bike shop, I tell them what’s wrong with the bike, answer all the questions, and let them do their magic.
every now and then you need to go to a real doctor.
I only take my bikes to bike mechanics if I can fix it. Only major repairs. Small fixes I do myself.
Andy, your presentation here is first rate-great job, and from the heart. As a lifelong mechanic, and shop owner (full time mechanic) for seventeen years, you struck a chord with your hierarchy statement: first a mechanic, secondly a rider, then a business owner. So true. Really, nice work here, and great thoughts.
I was a mechanic from the age of 15 to 32. I am not generally a very confident person, but I was very, very good at my job. I was routinely told so by appreciative customers, coworkers and my employers.
I learned to like people, and I found a place that payed me enough.
When a cross country move forced me to look more closely at my life I decided to quit all things bike for two main reasons not mentioned in this video.
1: I got so tired of trying to make very poorly designed, very expensive things work they way they were advertised. Quality control and engineering in the industry is awful, and manufacturers will not take any responsibility for it. I couldn’t continue taking peoples money for high end bikes knowing they were so poorly made.
2. Too many mechanics are total hacks. The stereotype holds, because it’s truer than it should be. It’s so hard to work with a customer who doesn’t trust you, and they usually have pretty good reason not to trust bicycle mechanics.
Sometimes I miss it, but 9 years out I’m happier, healthier and I’ve found another thing I’m very good at, and my customers appreciate me far more. It’s so much more rewarding.
Can You say what's that new proffesion?
@@gaultx2056 my wife and I started a very small farm and sell only direct to consumer and a select few wholesale customers. I still get to wrench on tractors😎
One of my favorite mechanics fixed a flat for a lady lawyer and got the impression she liked him. So a few days later he called her around midnight and asked her if she was lonesome. She asked where he'd gotten her phone number and he replied "off the bike service tag." This was in San Francisco and she was outraged. She called me and read me the riot act. I told her I'd talk to him and suggest he not be calling customers late at night. Never saw her again. My advice to him was to not call but just show up at her door with some great weed. Also, stick to high school girls and avoid lawyers. By the way, for your next video you might want to remove those adjustable wrenches from the board. Put up some exotic Campy tools in their place. "We don't use adjustable wrenches in this industry."
You’re the second asshole to say something about the adjustable wrenches. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
Reason number four applies to humans in general…..we don’t like each other.
TAKE UP FISHING!!! All you points are spot on. I got out of the cycling industry/retail shops in 2015. The tech, whiny customers, pay for sure, and overall lack of advancement opportunities turned what I loved into disgust.
Would you ever consider working on bikes as a side gig, but only for quality, positive clients, where nearly all of your business is referral based?
You could still do what you enjoy without the stress of your previous experience. Just thinking out loud.
As an ex angler of 40 years experience, I can honestly say that all the same things apply to angling shop operatives but multiplied by a factor of 100. I never wasted my time talking or listening to bullshit in the shops, I just purchased what I required and got out pronto to maintain my sanity.
Jeeees, it's so good to hear someone being honest about the bike industry.
I, like you, rode, then spannered, then owned a bike shop and you totally mirrored years of my feelings.
Great vid, ❤🚲🚲
I spannered first. I’m quite different than the stereotypical “cyclist turned bike shop guy”.
I have been amazed how poorly paid bike mechanics are. You are right, bikes are so complicated these days and the accepted rate for certain repairs is too low. I have to say though, that 98% of my customers are really nice people 🙂
Doubtless that there are lots of highly technical skills to learn but they don't invest years and great sums of money on education and certifications. That is just how the world is. Those that have all that time where they are not making an income while getting the basics end up being compensated better.
Wat, complicated bicycles? Rebuild a Hyundai and get back to me on the definition of "complicated." I've yet to see a bicycle even as close to as complicated as ancient farming equipment.
Watch a video on a professional assembling one of these modern bikes. It's crazy how involved it is running all the cables, pressurizing the hydraulics, etc.
@@cvn6555 Assembling a Rocket or Jet engine is complicated, not so much for bicycles. I have assembled many top end bikes from the frame up and it is not that complicated compared to assembling and maintaining many other things. You are just belittling people who really work on complicated machinery.
huh.... bicycles are "complicated" ....?????? LBS "mechanics" are poorly paid because it is cake work. Drop an engine out of a 911 and do a valve job. SMH....
You know I really like your honesty, My day job is a SysAdmin dealing with peoples tech problems on a daily basis, so I found building and looking after my own bikes a breeze! who knew my current skills where easily transferrable.
It is what it is.. nice job :)
I loved this video. One of the best things you can do as a cyclist/bike rider is to find a bike mechanic that you can trust. I am fortunate that in Upstate NY where I spend summers, the only shop in town is a one-man operation. I can talk to him, discuss bikes with him, share riding stories, and know that he is honest and hard-working for his customers. It's different here in Florida where it is a constant rotation of mechanics. I buy the bike at one shop and wasn't happy with taking it there for repairs. I then choose another shop - and you guessed it, many of the mechanics there originally worked at the first shop. "The customer is always right, even when the customer is wrong" is a mantra that is practiced in order to be sure that the customer keeps returning to your store. When a customer comes into your shop complaining about something related to biking or your services, just say "you're right, but this is the necessary repair." Or, "you're right, it is frustrating to get a flat, but those can happen to anyone at anytime. Let's see what I can do to get you back on the road." I think customers vent to retail employees, doctors, bartenders, receptionists, etc. because they think that person will understand. THE BEST PART OF THIS VIDEO IS THE TRAIL/TRAIN STATION SHOT. MAKES ME WANT TO VISIT LAKE MILLS AND RIDE ON THAT TRAIL!!
This is exactly why I left the bicycle industry. Got tired of "big bike" changing sht for the sake of changing sht.
I now work on airplanes.
I've noticed the bike mechanic turned airplane mechanic thing is a thing!
Never knew my bike mechanic had so much animosity towards me... I always thought they were super nice and helpful.
I was a bike mechanic for almost 20 years and let me say that everything you mentioned is true. Bike mechanics are almost looked down too, as people think we shouldn't be charging to fix a flat that we fixed last year and now it's flat again...lol.
I haven't worked at a shop in 20 years but I had an old man actually scoff when the term "mechanic" was applied to my job.
Hands down, the best thing I learned about the bike biz I learned in the first shifts from the owner: "The customer is always right unless he's and a-hole".
35 years later this nugget has served me very well.
our saying is : The customer is a king, as long as he behave and act like a king.
I'm not a bike mechanic, but I was a motorcycle mechanic who built custom motorcycles for years professionally. Replace bike with motorcycle and you're 95% spot on for that profession as well.
"Bro, I'm not your therapist. Some things you're going to have to learn how to live with on your own time." was my favorite mantra.
Well said! I’ve been a in the bike industry for almost 50 years! Started at 13 sweeping floors and assembling bikes. Managed shops owned a shop been a sales rep and worked for a couple different manufacturers and always have found a way to be a bike mechanic! Which is what I’m doing now in semi retirement. My favorite thing about my job is turning someone on to riding a bike. My least favorite is someone discounting me for not knowing what the latest greatest new technology is. ( cuz I don’t care what the new tec is) I could spend all day just staring at a well used old double diamond Italian road bike from the 70s 🤠
We had a guy like you who didn't keep up with the latest and greatest which was just fine as others did and guys like you and him had the knowledge of all the old stuff that us newer guys didn't and as all the mechanics know, stuff from the last 50+ years STILL comes through the shops and it is very valuable having guys like you around.
I'm truly impressed by how many if your arguments also apply to us Physicians.
We spend at least a decade of our lives getting a medical education, plus hundreds of additional hours every year just to try to keep up, but it's become literally impossible because the scientific knowledge changes every single day.
We're also increasingly and consistently worse paid, despite of the insane amount of knowledge needed and liability involved.
Additionally, we're increasingly frustrated by the total disconnect between patient expectations and what we can do within the constraints of health care systems.
Well, as they say, "If you can't get your work done in 36 hours, you're gonna have to work nights."
Never understood why physicians didn’t loudly protest the takeover of medicine by the government and insurance industry.
I think about doctors all the time. Talk about “specialty retail”! “Bedside manners” are not my thing. My grandfather was a family doc. I’m told he was a wizard at diagnosis. I think I inherited some of his intuition. I’d be good at it. Unfortunately, I’m a shitty student. I never could’ve made it through school. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I would hate the job, so, bikes it is!
Hmmm ... On the overlap... Are you familiar with Dr. Glaucomflecken's videos, especially his ER doc, and Dr. OrthoBro?
Covid pulled the curtain from you doctors AND nurses. Poison for pay, I trust none of you for anything, haven't helped with a single health issue I've had for the past twenty years. There's a reason the first question the office asks is what kind of insurance patients have.
I tip my bike mechanics very well. One time I told a guy I'd give him $50 extra if he could have it done it done by the end of the day. I made sure the shop owner didn't hear me of course. He got it done for me. Also, I don't try to tell them what needs replaced or anything. I just tell them the basic symtoms and tell them "do what you gotta do". They appreciate that. 😂
I kind of want to require every customer to watch this before stepping into the shop I work at. Well said.
and every bike shop owner.
Nailed it brother!
Former mechanic while going to school for engineering.
I had SO many engineers and "professionals" come into the shop over a 5 year period that knew it all. They treated my coworkers and I like dirt at time and through tantrums when we couldn't recreate squeaks in pedals, bbs or dusty seat stays without riding the bikes for ourselves in the parking lot. Explaining why (our then) $39.00 tune-up was a good value when the bike they just bought for their kids only cost $69.00 at Walmart was always a chore.
18 years later, I still go into my LBS for advice when I get stuck on the latest bb tech, a pivot bolt torque specs or sram brake bleed I mess up at home - why?
Because I learned to learn from other people and be humble. Let's give people some grace and be chill.
Now as for bike sales staff - there could be a whole video series on young 20-nothings trying to size up potential customers when they walk in the door at a Trek store :)
Was a “pro” mechanic for a couple of years and you are so right in all the points you made… made me smile.
Retired now, and do it for a hobby for a select group of grateful customers 😊
Been a bike mechanic in the same shop for 34 years. It amazes me to this day that, somehow, even people in the industry, believe that bike mechanics took some weird bike repair Hippocratic Oath and we're supposed to work on anything and everything that is pushed or dragged into the shop. Heaven forbid we turn something down just because we would lose our rear end working on something that someone has had for 50 years and it's just such a special bike and means the world to them.
Give a price, and let the customer decide.
Exactly. Like this idiot manager I got stuck with recently is working on these motorcycles (e-bike without pedals and garbage quality) he is working on for customers and wasting a time of time and shop tools . He thinks he's making money, but really wasting time. Just turn that customer away.
You can turn down whatever you want but just like the PC computer shop owners that assume I'm a gullible tech-challenged boomer or whatever because I use Apple computers instead of Linux or Windows... I don't respect your opinion just because you own a shop, you're not a special "bike god" that people consult because they want you to make all their biking decisions in life, so just be humble and give a "yes" or "no" answer and try not to elevate yourself to some kind of counseling position unless asked.
@@Whocareslol420so your ego didn't have enough humility and understanding to realize your bike wasn't worth either of your times
I've been at this 'game' for a while and almost every single one of these I've been there, I've done that, and this video was 100% on the ball! Though number 3 is my personal favorite. I've had customers try to tell me what's wrong with this country, and would NOT shut up long enough for me to even ask for a number so we can contact him when the bike was done. I was literally thinking to myself "My God man, I'm your mechanic not your therapist!"
" I WAS JUST RIDING ALONG " Guess what I've been for 12 years. 100 percent Accurate.
Pro mechanic for 15yrs, did all the extra "factory" training (mostly unpaid), also sold a ton of product on the floor, led group rides, organized local races, loved my job and even the shop owner but had to leave it for simple economics. Base pay was NEVER gonna match cost of living for a grown-ass adult. Few used parts and discounts don't pay the rent.
Dude! You covered it! Great job! I can't think of anything that you missed. This is all so true and I am such a long time bike lover that I have invested majorly in my own workbench and all of my own tools. We are so fortunate these days to have so many RUclips videos available that you can truly learn what it is you need to learn about maintaining your own equipment. I live in a small Town with two bicycle shops and while the mechanics are nice, the owners are A-holes, pretentious and a bit rude. From building my own wheels from scratch to maintaining my suspension, I do all of my own work with pleasure. I've screwed a few things up and broken a few things in the beginning but that's just fine. Riding on your machine that runs beautifully as a result of your own workmanship really adds to the wonderful experience of bicycle riding.
As a novice biker who is growing in experience and enthusiasm for the sport. I have to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have met some amazing bike mechs, and some horrible mechs, but I began to feel like I need to learn how to take care of my bike specifically just to avoid the drama. Your video has helped me to better understand. So even if I prefer you guys to not be A$$holes, I now appreciate your perspective and surrender all judgements. Thank you for being honest and for the hard work and skill set you posses. May your company grow and may many people learn to humble themselves in the ride.
"I began to feel like I need to learn how to take care of my bike specifically just to avoid the drama." The best thing you can do. I did the same. Got a stand, got a few tools and watched some youtube videos on how to do basic repairs and maintenance. It's no rocket science and you save a lot of money.
A bicycle is literally the simplest and easiest machine to work on and maintain. There are just a handful of moving parts. Anyone who can turn a wrench can work on a bicycle.
I was a full time pro mechanic for over a dozen years in the 80s and 90s at one of the premier stores in Boston, now gone defunct. It was a glorious and simpler time but even then this video would have been spot on. Crazy hours, commuting an hour by bike, retail...!
One highlight was when a fabulous customer made all the techs tee shirts from the Monty Python Bicycle Repairman skit, reading on the back "In a world full of Supermen..." and on the front "...there is only ONE Bicycle Repairman".
Kudos to all bicycle repairmen in the world, we are comrades for sure.
Some of us are female.
@@GBayhi....OK, what's your point?
Amazing. Every time I go into an upscale more technical bicycle shop in Los Angeles, I know I will be dealing with people who are NOT HAPPY. Like REALLY not happy. Now I understand why. Running a bicycle store and being a bicycle mechanic are BOTH impossible jobs.
Been about sixty years since I began to ride my first bike, I own about four now, my daughter won't let me ride "because it's too dangerous to ride on the road" out in the country where I live. I'm glad I still have bikes!
Great video! I’ve been to your shop and had you tune up my bike. You are awesome and do great work. I do need my handlebars tightened so I’ll be back in to see you. Thanks for the videos!
I grew up a bike mechanic. It became very evident that there is not enough “magic” to a bike. People will pay much more if something has an engine for repair. Engines have more mystery, bikes look too simple and therefore should be cheap to repair.
This changes a little now we have ebikes. People are willing to pay more for inspection and repairs.
Because bikes are significantly more simple than anything with an internal combustion engine, especially a new car that meets fuel efficiency/pollution requirements. You must be smoking a whole lot of copium to think a modern bicycle is as complicated as a modern car.
@@danielwatson5595 anything with a combustion engine? A one hour lawn mower repair will cost significantly more than a two bicycle repair. Not only will the mower repair cost more the customer will much less inclined to question the charges. A friend of mine owned a bike shop and began selling scooters. He was able to charge much more for scooter repairs and was never questioned.
@@jbratt both a lawn mower and a scooter are a more complicated machine than a bicycle and thus warrant a higher labor cost. You understand that a lawn mower and a scooter both have a power unit attached to their drivetrain (an IC engine in this case), while a bicycle does not. It’s just a transmission and wheel. Bike mechanics do not work on the power unit (the rider) for obvious reasons. This will always make a bicycle a fundamentally more simple machine.
@@danielwatson5595 Of course a bicycle is a simpler machine but not all repairs are complicated on a machine with an engine. My point was you can charge much more for a simple repair on a scooter than you can replacing a bottom bracket on a bike without being questioned by the customer.
Sadly the bike shops have no shortage of bull$hit artist. Most mechanics don’t go through any formal training or industry certification. I’ve been a race mechanic, shop mechanic and a manufacturer and after decades nothing has changed much. I recently visited several local bike shops searching for a specific size bike for my 7 year old granddaughter and I can’t begin to tell you how much misinformation. I was given by a barista posing as a bike expert. It made me cringe. I didn’t debate them or call them out I simply told them I’ll let them know if I need them.
Coming from a diesel mechanic, car technician your mechanical profession is nothing special there is honestly no learning curve to switching to a bicycle mechanic from a true mechanical background. But then again for the most part we start our careers working on our bikes as kids
Thanks for this man! I just got home from work as a.... you guessed it, a bike mechanic.
Everything here is spot on. I love my job, my boss is great (though she is not mechanically inclined in any way).
I'm a former bike messenger of 15 years and have toured around most of the world with my Sitar in a BOB trailer behind my bike.
I ended up becoming a bike mechanic by accident, I was/am a professional musician and self employed luthier until covid hit.
I wasn't really worried at all and figured everything would work itself out and it did.
My friend needed help in her shop when nobody could travel here in Germany because of covid. She got insanely busy and only had a part time mechanic. She asked me to come help for a few weeks... it has been 3 years and I am still here. Basically, I love it, but yeah, I can relate to pretty much every point in this video.
I ride a steel bike with mechanical disc brakes and an XT mountain bike drive train. That is my world touring rig. Working on 8000euro carbon fiber bikes is fun/not fun. Working on full suspension E-bikes is fun/not fun.
My favourite work at the shop is old restoration work, 90's mountain bikes with LX groupsets or grandmas bike that was left to me in her will.
One bonus for me is that my German isn't very good, I am Canadian who happened to end up here with little or no German language skills. So, I am saved the retail side of things. I leave that to my boss and it works out better for us both that way. She sells the bikes, I build them or fix them.
Honestly, I don't even know what she pays me, she hands me an envelope full of cash once a month and I don't even count it.
That is how life should be. I hope you do very well.
1st, Not a bicycle mechanic, but in my previous life people came to me for advice or to directly fix an issue in my field of expertise. I found that simply taking their story at face value and proceeding to work from there often sent me down a useless rabbit hole. People often don't know how to characterize/articulate the problem that they are having. Many people have very poor cause and effect analysis skills but believe they do. Learning to ask the right questions to isolate the "real" issues Vs customer perceived issues is so important.
That's on the worker not the client. Being able to ask the right questions is a basic for any job.
I'm a customer. A lot of what you said is quite true, but it has encouraged me to work on my own bikes more and more, which is a shame, because it would be so nice to drop the bike off, have whatever needs doing done, then pick it up. Unfortunately my local bike shop is just too hard to deal with.
Wow! You nailed it. I’ve been one of those customers, but have also experienced the mechanic that screws something up. Perspective here, I’m retired ride a lot and volunteer my semi-expertise at assembling bikes at a local shop. I understand the issues mechanics face, it’s ridiculous. But I love bikes and can usually figure things out (thanks dad), and it keeps me fresh.
But they shop I get to play at has some issues you addressed here. Some are the customers fault, some the shops fault. It’s a tough life.
I often wonder which are the worse bikes, the cheap as KMart or the $12,500.00 super bike from your fav brand.
Airframe and Powerplant mechanics are often started under 20 an hour. They often get shafted into not making much more. It’s not a good reason to treat customers willing to pay you for your services like crap.
so many negative comments about $20/hr. from lazy assholes
In Australia a bicycle mechanic earns a similar wage to a qualified diesel technician.
A former mechanic colleague in relation to a KMART bicycle: "I can't turn shit into roses!"
Context: The bike was specced with unbranded, cheap Chinese parts and it would not shift gears or brake consistently.
I'm fortunate enough to have experience with bikes dating back to the 1800s to current. 2012 marked the turn of the industry whereby manufacturers started making things exceedingly difficult by implementing ever-changing standards and components and tech that is time consuming and a NIGHTMARE to deal with/work on.
Long live:
- Rivendell
- Surly
- Soma
- Salsa
- Rim brakes
- Mechanical shifting
- Metal rims
- External cabling
- Practicality
holy shit! is this what happened to me? I can confirm everything on this list as 100% true. the "just give this bike I found in a retention pond a quick tune up for $30" crowd, the " I was just riding along and the frame broke in half" crowd, and the "I can get the same thing at walmart cheaper" crowd and many others like them are the reason I began to hate dealing with people. Thank you for this video.
You made me laugh when I think about how many times I heard the word " just " after giving an estimate. Can't you just, or I just want this. Why do I only get $20 work for $10? So and so will do it cheaper. Them take it to so and so.
Hahaha
Wow, am I ever glad I subscribed! Love the authenticity in your videos. This one is well scripted, and well worth sharing with friends. I'm at the beginning of my bike mechanic journey (while nearing retirement from my career) and I'm glad to keep learning from you.
Wow, thank you!
@@bkefrmr I should give more specific feedback: Love the entertaining observations of customers that have the ring of truth. So believable.
Self importance and the over confidence effect.
No doubt!
I haven't ridden my bike for 4 years but I love this channel
That’s like when my wife tells people about her book “you don’t have to read it, you’ve just gotta buy it!”
20 year industry veteran here, this is one of the best explanation of the industry for a lay person I've seen. Bravo!
Loved this. Especially #3. I was a tv/vcr tech in an earlier life. I had a customer complain about the cost to replace a small resistor. I simply told them they were right & replacing the part only cost a few dollars & they were paying for me to know which of the 100’s of parts to replace.
Yep, but when the whole thing costs only $50 it no longer makes any sense to pay someone $100 to replace the $2 part. That's globalization, that's why we should be shipping broken products back to the countries of origin to be repaired there instead of trying to do it here.
I work in customer service. I heard a manager where I work tell some of my coworkers that the customer is always right. I told him I had a customer that insisted that I "give" him some of our products because the person that worked for him previously always gave him products. I told him I can't do that because it's against company policy to give things away. He then told me I was a lousy and sorry worker. I asked the manager if the customer was right? The manager said no. I told him the customer is always wrong. Never tell anyone at this company the customer is always right. I also enjoy cycling and make it a point to buy at least 90% of my cycling gear from my local shop. When I take my bikes in for service I let them know if I'm having any issues and listen to what they recommend. My local bike shop always looks out for me. They have no reason to lie, no reason to rip me off. They have every reason to keep me happy and riding my bike. If they recommend a product or service it's because I can use it or need it. I can always trust what the shop says because they ride bikes as well and help me by sharing their knowledge and experience.
Even as a watchmaker, I completely relate to this video. I try and do my own repairs on my bicycles, but still defer to the experts and usually bring tithes of beer or cookies.
I love watching watchmakers on RUclips! I thought about getting into it, but I've got too many hobbies already. No bandwidth. Very cool skillset!
I think the #1 issue for me is customers not trusting me, like "no I think it needs a new wheel" when I suggest a rear hub service...,
...And #2, saying things like "150$?! I can get a used bike for that price!" - no, you can get a stolen bike for that price, that I'll probably have to service for 150$ anyway.
I have a hard time trusting anyone who puts the dollar sign after the amount
@@bkefrmr I'm swedish IDGAF about where you put your dollarsign. Also you don't say "that'll be dollars a hundredandfifty". håll käften tönt.
This video should be playing on repeat near the entry of every bicycle shop.
...and clean your bike before the mechanic touches it!!
... please learn how to clean it with out a high pressure washer...you will be happy in the long run and your mechanic will appreciate not having to remove as many frozen parts and deal as many washed out bearings ... that being said stuff still happens just not as frequently. There used to be a few bike shops around that used a high pressure washer on every bike that came in for a tune up and yes I knew it was probably going to go not so good when I saw thier sticker on the seat tube. It's one of the first things I checked before a complete reassessment of the bicycle before working on it... yeah that is why you don't have a bunch of newbies doing service writing...I didn't like putting 150$ into a bicycle that needs alot more work without the costumer knowing it.
Sure made me feel good about keeping my old 90's Schwinn hybrid and not buying a "gravel" bike. So - The big bike companies are putting different stuff on bikes sometimes just for the sake of change. I kind of suspected that. So - making a bike a few lbs lighter won't matter to a lot of us. I kind of suspected that. Good monologue.
Cool video. I'll definitely keep this in mind when I'm at my LBS next time! As someone who is eager to learn about bicycle mechanics I'm always bugging the guys behind the counter with questions. Keep up the good work!
"The customer, is always wrong" *Subscribed 😂
The fact that people have to take a bicycle to a mechanic shows just how incapable and utterly useless most of our society is.
My friend's parents owned a bike shop for 30 years. I spent alot of time there and witnessed the clientele that came in. They had a blackboard with several acronyms on it and marks next to them corresponding with the number of those types that wandered in that month. WTWHWM was my favorite. White trash with huffy wanting miracle. The amount of people bringing in destroyed huffy bikes was insane. They would try to explain to the customer that they would spend more on parts than if they just went back to kmart and bought a new huffy. So in some small way I can understand how difficult it is to be a bike mechanic. Cheers!
So mean! But, yeah. We all have our ways of coping with it.
The acronym my shop uses is FTW: F***in' Time Waster. For someone who just wants to gab. Especially bad for when they aren't buying anything, but can be just as bad when they feel entitled to pontificate to you for ten minutes just because they bought a new tube.
A comment that you'd probably never make about any other color.
Not saying that it's an invalid category, however.
I tuned out at "Shop owners aren't doing mechanics a favor". If you don't have the sack to start your own business than be grateful that someone gave you an opportunity to just turn wrenches without the liability of being a business owner.
Lol. What an awful way to treat people.
@@bkefrmr and that's coming from a union worker.
This is spot on and an absolutely brilliant explanation of what we see at our shops on a day to day. Thank for your videos and a great insight into the industry. Keep up the great work!!
Treat 95% of people with respect and 90% of them will respond to you with respect.
I had a customer come back twice and say I wouldn't get her business again, because after an hour and a half of paying uninterrupted attention to her, and asking her if it was ok if I help an other customer that finally came in, If i gave them attention and would come back, she felt I wasn't giving her her appropriate time.
Well done, especially being the first video in that format. I liked it being different from the norm. More of these would be welcomed by me.
I have plenty of more ranting to do! And a ton of unpopular opinions to share!
Point #2, mostly true, not always true. I've been wrenching bikes for 30 years. Some tasks I know how to do but don't have time or patience to do (ie wheel building, deep suspensión service), I prefer to leave it to a shop. I ve dealt with plenty of plain stupid bike mechanics. Last one was an old chap who built me a wheelset with hubs and assymetrical rims I've provided. His task was to order the spokes, build the thing and be done. I have even calculated spoke lengths for him. In the end, he screwed up, used spoke lengths for symmetrical rims and gave me wheels 6mm out of center. When I demanded him to fix that and buy the right spokes, his answer was "go back to your F country". Bike mechanics are often idiots and not that knowledgeable.
I’m definitely behind the times. However, I still know better almost all the time.
There's a hi-fi guy working in every specialist hobby outlet. Someone who eats and sleeps their favourite pass time, to the extent they have lost all proportion and context. They may only work Saturdays and be paid minimum wage, but to them anything less than Dura Ace is entry level and the purchaser doesn't have a clue. The 20% staff discount, accounts for more than their pay cheque. When hi-fi guy meets hi-fi customer the discussion will only end when the bank manager withdraws their overdraft.
Customer is most certainly probably wrong, but mechanics can absolutely say some stupid sh** sometimes.
I've been a professional bike mechanic many times for duration's from 6 months to 5 years. Hands down my favorite job ever, actually looked forward to going to work and making people happy picking up their repaired bikes. UNFORTUNATELY I can't make a nice living like I have in Film and TV. I don't make a lot but I don't make 2-3 dollars above minimum wage in one of the most expensive cities in Canada. It really sucks, as I don't enjoy my job or get anywhere near the satisfaction I did fixing and assembling bicycles. Cheers, great video.
I took a pair of wheels to my local branch of a national bike shop chain and asked for 32mm tires. The mechanic came over and said 'those are old rims, from an old frame 32mm won't fit". I said I have measured and I am sure and I just want you to sell me the tires and put them on the wheels. He refused and I bought my tires online from a competitor and fit them myself. I will never go back or purchase anything from that chain of shops again. I don't blame the mechanic, he is just an employee and is paid per hour not per job. But damn it is inconvenient not having a local mechanic now.
It’s super annoying when people come in without their bikes like that. As a shop owner, I might have done the same thing. Yes, you might be an exception, but that type of thing comes back so often. It’s a giant waste of time and money for us. Sorry, you’re the problem here. (Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know, you would’ve paid to return them, blah blah blah)
I get it. Maybe a touch less annoying than carrying a bike with no tires across town just to buy a pair of tubes and tires. Worked out in the end though.
On a separate note, having gained your perspective, I’m really impressed by what I’ve learned.
I’m a small business owner and I now have a very good understanding about why many of my bosses were often jerkoffs and a glimpse of the difference between the abusive Ahole and the forever griping one who was completely correct about the situation.
In my case I was an irresponsible employee in some cases and truly trying to help, even though the Ahole was in fact just an Ahole. The man I’m thinking about, these days would be in a world of sh!t if he tried to do the racially hurtful, etc type of crap that was my day to day life when I returned each morning.
Going forward, I’ll probably not cross paths with a bike mechanic anyway, but with this newly acquired knowledge I’ll certainly take it into consideration and possibly even slip a gratuity into his/her hand.
Great video, I was a GM for a manufacturing company. I used to tell my customer service people tha the - Customer is Not Always Right. The skill came in telling the customer they were wrong and not pissing them off.
Yeah, I don’t think I’d trust a bike mechanic who wasn’t an asshole.
Love the video! I love working on my old, steel, 9-speed bikes but electronic shifting, disc brakes and through axles scare me. I'm happy as hell that there are great local mechanics who know how to take care of all that stuff for other people. And don't get me started about tubeless.
Disc brakes aren’t so bad with thru axles. I don’t like working with anything gooey or drippy…but I kinda have to
I'd probably quit cycling if tubeless tires disappeared overnight. I live in goathead country. I've gone from 3-4 flats a week with conti 4 seasons, to plugging 1-2 times for the life of a tire and only needing 2 tubes I the last 80k miles
Disc brakes and quick release are what's annoying. Thru axles make putting your wheel in so much more repeatable
Disc brakes are awesome. Tubeless tires are awesome.
@@stevecraig6350 They are tools. In the right situation , good even great..
Those however are not common for the 90% who need simple rugged simplicity,
and often get overwhelmed when it comes time to air a tire.