When i was a young cyclist 13yrs old there was a shop in Walton called Walvale Cycles and the mechanic Norman Roberts (rip) would save any useable 2nd hand parts for us young lads who jad no money and neither did our parents. He would build wheels for us out of bits and basically kept us cycling. That was over 50 years ago and thankfully im in a position to pay it forward a little bit. That young lad will remember that hopefully for as long as i remember Norman.
An honest mechanic who isn't out to fleece the customers will always have a great reputation in town. That being said maintaining a mountain bike isn't really cheap especially if you have to use the shop to do it.
Where I live I would run out of bikes before shop would have it ready, and not really an advanced shop like Mapdec, I got all the tools they got I think, all special stuff they send to a service centre in Oslo. So even if I did not want to I would have to work on it myself, but the cost saving in the long run is worth it, but investing in tools initially comes with a high price tag, but once good investments were made they last a logn time and get your money worth. Most work is easy. But good there are shops that can fix bikes. But I'm glad I know what to do and how to do it.
Yeah these guys are far more advanced than my LBS. I only need them on more complex issues and say I end up with a broken bike in one form or another and have to work out how to fix what they mullered. Even over torqued a derailer hanger and stripped the threads. Wish I was local to these guys.
The biggest problem with the bike in video? Using a pressure washer to force dirt and water deep into expensive parts. This can ruin a bike from day 1 and do it quickly.
Hell yes, you did the right thing. I was lucky, when I was growing up. We were always very poor. The owner/mechanic at my local bike shop was an awesome guy. I would bring my bike in only when I didn't know how to do the repair myself. John could tell by the look on my face that I couldn't afford it. His solution was to have me come in when he was doing a similar repair and he taught me how to do it myself. He was one hell of an awesome guy.
The right answer is your honesty your attention to detail your empathy 14 year old is learning from you so much how to maintain his bike properly and PG a customer for life i applaud you Mapic.
Old guy get off my lawn rant incoming and here goes... I'm 56 and raced motocross starting when I was 8. When I got to be 10 my dad told me that "if I'm old enough to race my bike, then I'm old enough to maintain it". He showed me how to change piston and rings on my YZ 80 and helped me the first couple of times, but after that I was on my own. So by the time I was 13 I was doing all of my own top end, carburetor, tires and tubes (my dad had to help with getting tires on and off) and just general maintenance. This was 1977 and while I was fortunate to have a dad who could show me, I had no other tools to help if I got stumped. Today, whatever you are trying to do, there is a You Tube video or some other help at the click of a few buttons. Mom (and hopefully dad) need to tell this young man the exact same thing because most of the problems were caused by a lack of simple maintenance and just a few hand tools, grease and the desire to do it were all that was needed.... Phew, now I feel so much better.
💯 the right thing to do. A few Ghetto fixes to get him back on the road and the budget for the important bits 😊 I regularly get remedy's in (3 mate's ride them) although a bike shop quoted a customer 40 quid for a dub BB service as it had play turned out the compression washer wasn't wound in or the grub screw wasn't to torque 😮 (no charge) Full swap sram code to xt brake replacement plus components, I even repaired the downtube protection with glue and full service and tune up. We need to do better and look after the little guy/ future privateers pay it forward 😊😊
I partly agree, it is preferable that we have adults teaching this stuff as well as the responsibility, but we don't live in the same world that we grew up in. Lots of people just don't have any grasp of preventative maintenance and are taken by surprise that mechanical things wear out, including with bikes. I have had the conversation more than once in my life, it's not just kids or gen z or millennials either, it has been my parents and their generation as well. You point out to them that they have to get their cars serviced and MOT'd, but it's an alien concept to them that other things are going to wear out in the same way. And while we're getting frustrated by young people and kids and their lack of nous over 'obvious' things like how to do basic DIY or write a cheque, remember that for every boomer moaning about young people, there are a thousand boomers who can't manage utterly trivial tech tasks like email, messaging, online banking, setting up wi-fi, resolving login issues, and not falling for phishing scams.
I love this channel and you are a great mechanic with high skills but also high empathy for the customer. I’m also not a native English speaker and today I learned what pay it forward means. So many thanks for everything!
When I was a lad 60+ years ago your bike was precious, it was your freedom and I could be out all day with my mates on it. You had to learn how to keep it going, a new tube was out of the question, I had patches on the patches. Nowadays kids bikes are almost disposable items, I see them just thrown away. OK, a high end mountain bike is a bit special. I still ride and my early fix it skills have served me well. You did a good job, thanks for the video.
A nice change to hear an honest mechanic thinking about the customer and not their profit. I get shops have to make money, but ripping people off isn't on. Yes people can get very picky about things needing changing but think about the customer and their budget, a refreshing video this one. Great customer service like this goes along way.
I've got a box full of bells to donate to customers without (a working) one, mostly used on kids bikes. Couple of batteries here and there, bit of oil on the chain, air in the tires, adjusting a headlight etc.. Small gestures but always greatly appreciated. Got us customers, entire families even, for life
If it wasn‘t that expensive to ship my bikes from Germany to your shop, I would have finally found my mechanic of trust! Great job and thanks a lot for your content!
I'm 16 years old and about to get a job as a bike mechanic. The service manger thats training me has told me the same thing you said at 9:55 so I feel confident this is a good store thats not just trying to charge people more than they need to. I appreciate that as I've been in this situation before where my bike needed repair, but I couldn't afford it cause a shop was trying to charge me for things I didn't need. I told them never mind and fixed my bike the best I could by myself, which has lead me to want to me a bike mechanic. Great video, stoked for my new job!
For paying it forward everyone, may all your dreams come true, there are still decent people in our society which are both humbling and a beautiful thing, cheers 😊
I appreciate your practical, no-nonsense approach to jobs like this one as well as your comprehensive, high-end service to the customers who can afford it. Knowing the difference and acting accordingly is what makes your shop tops!
I took my whole bike , ORBEA Rise to Fox suspension workshop and they said “ oh people don’t usually bring the whole bike for a suspension service “ but they accepted it and charged £329 for both and they put the bike back together afterwards too 😂👍🏾
Oh wow, got a bit emotional watching this, so awesome job. You remind me of the bike shops that used to look after me when I was an aspiring road racing kid in the 80s. I owe so many favours to those shops who knew I could hardly afford anything but yet they helped me anyway in so many ways. It's a pity that all of them are now gone but I'll be forever grateful.
Fairness all round I feel. Your work still cost the customer around £400-£450, and there were still issues to be monitored for the future, in fairness their original quote wouldn’t have been far off BUT… I would have had them as advisories, worked on the things that were crucial for safe operation, much like yourself. Being fully transparent and honest is paramount for my customers as that builds TRUST. Great little video, good job on that too😃👍🚴
The video shows the difference between shops that take the "it's worn ..put new on then" and the "it's worn...lets refurbish it then and save money" attitude. One shop doesn't need the hassle as the customer will just pay if they want it fixed. The job in/job out syndrome I call it, with the least hassle for the shop. The other shop does the work that's needed to fix it, but does that little bit extra on attention and detail, which gives them a bit extra hassle but ultimately gives the customer better service. One shop is a "halfords" and the other is a shop with mechanics in it.
Love the video. You guys did what the customer NEEDED to keep riding not what what you wanted to get it back to it’s best, often a difficult situation to navigate. The idea of a “pay it forward” fund to help out customers in a situation like this while still covering your labor costs is sublime! It’s more like your community pitched in to get them riding again, pure genius. I’ve had so many services get out of hand because I feel like I have to do my best work. Sometimes it’s an awkward call to get the work approved, other times we comp the labor and they’ll just pay for the parts, others we’ll cover everything just to help out. Love all your videos, it’s like the little mechanic in my head egging me on to be better everyday!
Exactly how I treat my customers. Always give them options - cheapest = get them up and running, but expect to come back in a few months, or expensive = get all issues resolved and as close 'as new' as possible. Honesty is always the way ! . Cracking channel keep up the good work
I do all my own work including building up my own bikes. Self taught over the years. The only thing I don’t work on are Fox fork and rear shock dampers. The main reason being expensive proprietary tools. I even build my own wheels now. The amount of money and time I save is incalculable. During the lockdowns, the shops had two week waiting lists whereas I was up and running within the day. Point being, you can control your world best you can, or you have to rely on others for simple things you can do yourself. Most people lack the desire to learn and then do. Not everyone needs to be able to build their own bikes, but if they did the basics, they’d be much happier. Almost everything you want to learn is on RUclips as others have commented.
Good job. I'm doing the same. I even intend to work on the fox forks so that I don't need to rely on others. First job will be swapping the air shaft (for a longer travel one) when I do a lower leg service...
Basically some bike shops are like car garages and that’s scam shops, I’ve had one in my town who would quote for work that’s not required. I learned many years ago to learn how to fix you own bike and pretty much everything can be done from RUclips videos, however in saying that you and your shop sound fantastic and I love your compassion for the customers situations, very rare nowadays.
For the "pay it forward," I honestly didn’t think the original quote was that bad, but I’m glad you got the lad rolling again and saved his mum some money.
great work. Best thing being the advice on looking after his bike and not pressure washing. 🤞he listens and is educated by mum to appreciate the "pay it forward" scheme. 👏👏👏
Fellow mechanic here. Totally love and relate to your ethic regarding listening to the customers needs and understanding their situation. Absolutely love the pay it forward fund idea, just brilliant. Thanks for another great video.
Massive respect. I remember when I was 14 and I could barely afford my bike. And I would always try and work on it and balls it up. Well done guys. Your best video yet imo
The key is you made it safe, informed him of what will need doing in the near future so that he can save up, educated him on the perils of jet washing but more importantly got him back on the trails. Sounds like a good result. 👍
Well done. These are honestly the things how kids learn kindness and how to be humble, kid will remember this for ever. Its a great feeling to memorize things from years back and just be glad about it. Half the money saved, kid can ride atleast one season safely and fix things as they go, not needing to spend a grand at once.
Great video, I am an ex instructor/center owner so was the bike maintenance gaffer too, for hard tails and full suspensions bikes, hire only ever broke even even with 30 hire bikes always on hire. Repairs became a large part and like this example people bought used bikes which was fine, the amount of times we headed to the bike bin and replaced parts was steady. I like the idea of the pay it forward. The amount of junior riders that came through the shop from struggling house holds was a lot. I normally did repairs for free and got them to pay by keeping the trails and car parks litter free, help out on trail repair days. So in kind.. I still meet these riders now 20 years on, with the own family out on trails. a forward attitude does workout.
So much knowledge in this man’s head! It would take me HOURS of reading to figure out where to start taking that shock apart and he did it straight off the bat! Great customer service and great ethos! 👍
Great work. Not only does this reinstate some faith in humanity, but I also know that keeping youngsters inspired by riding, especially in a day and age of extortionate costs in the bike world, making it not accessible to many, is an excellent way of keeping them fit, healthy and out of trouble! Great work
I love what you did there. Just like you said, not everyone wants the best, the most expensive, the new. If bike is safe, rides good, keep riding it. Loved this video for so many reasons. Listening to customer and sensing their situation is a value on it's own. Kudos to you. Subscribed.
I was once that teenager boy with a single mum who didn’t know better. I don’t recall being taken advantage of, but my heart broke when you shared the backstory. Thank you for your integrity.
I was doing everything for my bike when I was riding. I just googled and youtubed everything. Haven't done downhilling for like 12 years, so can only imagine how much more helpful content is out there now. I only took it to a bike shop when I didn't have a tool was that cost more than the part lol. Edit: I was about 14 when I started
These days they sell bikes for car prices and think they can charge car prices for a service. Ludicrous. Fantastically informative video and a good job done, thanks!
Nice job! It's funny what you say about pressure washers. The ones at Bike Park Wales are so powerful they look like they could cut your hand off. You usually see long queues of people lined up to murder their bikes with them. It's quite painful to see :-(
This is class when I was younger. Are used to get ripped off by my local bike shop as I don’t think they were used to the sort of bike I bought in and I remember saving up for years for my bike and it was never done properly. Lovely to see stuff like this.
When I was fifteen years old, I just had to do all the maintenance myself on all of my (very) second-hand bikes on a very limited budget, albeit on road bikes. It was a very useful lesson in "engineering sympathy". This was a Very Good Thing. 😁😁
Laughed my socks off when I watched the GCN YT vid on "Can /Should I jet wash my bike, just like to say thanks to the GCN channel for all the work they created for me as a Pro bike Engineer. Great vids by the way bro nice to see someone doing it right! Do it right or don't do it is the way!
why do i always see and hear people pressure washing their bikes? it's like smoking. EVERYONE knows it causes damage but people continue to do it. as for you guys. it's great you're thinking of the customer and not trying to milk them for all their worth. which is why i never take my bike to a bike shop and do it all myself. i do a better job and i'm not getting cheated. good on you guys for helping this lad and his mum out.
£977 seems steep so you used your head and did what was essential to get the bike rideable and safe. You recognised the owners means so hopefully your honest assessment will lead to repeat business. A pressure washers is fine for cars etc. but not for bicycles or even motorcycles. Good job, well done.
Love that ❤️ I’d have been blown away as a young lad to receive such help, but my local bike shop owner was a miserable git! I hope that he appreciates it and STOPS JETWASHING!
I like this fix! Gets the rider back in working order and you can use the positive interaction to pass along helpful tips and what to look out for in the future. If I were that customer I'd continue coming back over and over.
I am glad that I have my own service facility and do suspension in - house . My TREK is running beautifully . I rode her this morning . She is well loved and cared for . The Bontrager babies are calling !
If LBS's ever wonder why nobody goes to them any more, this explains why. I've been fleeced so many times by LBS's. The key is to learn to do things yourself and, over time, buy the necessary tools. What you will pay for quality tools will be a fraction of what an LBS will charge you, and over time the costs will go down. 975 quid is a total joke. Well done to you for doing good for this young lad and his mum. We need more LBS's like you!
I have no idea why your video popped up in my youtube timeline, but I really enjoyed it. Great seeing honest mechanics with knowdledge and experience, actually repairing/reworking parts instead of just replacing everything. Keep it up :) The PayForwardFund is increadibly helpful for people like this customer, I'm amazed. Like with Seth (Berm Peak) I learned something today and found this entertaining 😉
I really appreciate what you did, 6 years ago when I was a child my father took the money that I had saved for a new bike from school competitions and typing tourneys and used it on hookers. At the time I had a bike which I found on our neighbour's property’s junk pile and took it to the bike shop to fix it up. The Bike mechanic was very nice to include a new derailleur, chain and labour costs for free after I told him that I only had $150. He only quoted $120 for the new airless tyres, spokes, brakes and wiring. He was a very nice guy and I really appreciated what he did for me. However, my dad began cursing, yelling, and threatening him, I really wanted to thank him but I couldn’t because of that day. So if the attitude of the parents might be not nice, the child would always feel more understanding and appreciative. Speak to the child if the parent becomes childish.
14:08 "the original quote from the other bike shop was probably about spot-on" appreciate you saying this, it would have been easy to give a narrative that "this other bike shop tried to rip them off!" rather than just not being on the same page about only wanting the absolute bare minimum to make it rideable
this is the way to do it, i always have offered customers the option of a no expense spared service to get the bike as good or better than new, or the "make the bike safe and just keep it rolling option". They always remember the time you pulled them out of the shit when they were skint and you end up with a customer for life, never understood the crazy quotes some shops and workshops throw about.
This shop is a god send. I love watching all the random vids. I'm a roadie, but still enjoy seeing these guys work their magic. I learn something every video. Shout out to Mapdec all thew way from Texas!
@@Mapdec Community bike shop, market town / rural location, but global reach through this channel due to your ethos and high standards of practice. Simply awesome old son !
OK.. where to begin, I began racing road at an early age, fixing my own bike by 15yrs old, doing this for race events and even my older brothers bike, maintenance & repairs (he was a provincial road champ)... l went from racing to team mech to running a bike shop to having a world renowned bike brand national agency... I agree with others in that one should be able to service and maintain their own machine, however that being said not all of us are mechanically minded so spare a thought for that... As for this bike shop video, which I have no relationship with, what he's done here is a damn good job to help a not so great situation for a this bikes owner... so thumbs up to this bike guy... great job man, great job.....
Doing my bit to pay it forward. A few shops like yours did me many favours as a youth racer in the 80s, so thank you.
Many thanks 🙏.
Awesome 👌
When i was a young cyclist 13yrs old there was a shop in Walton called Walvale Cycles and the mechanic Norman Roberts (rip) would save any useable 2nd hand parts for us young lads who jad no money and neither did our parents. He would build wheels for us out of bits and basically kept us cycling. That was over 50 years ago and thankfully im in a position to pay it forward a little bit. That young lad will remember that hopefully for as long as i remember Norman.
I used to love that place. Had a Walvale Musette for many years.
An honest mechanic who isn't out to fleece the customers will always have a great reputation in town. That being said maintaining a mountain bike isn't really cheap especially if you have to use the shop to do it.
Where I live I would run out of bikes before shop would have it ready, and not really an advanced shop like Mapdec, I got all the tools they got I think, all special stuff they send to a service centre in Oslo. So even if I did not want to I would have to work on it myself, but the cost saving in the long run is worth it, but investing in tools initially comes with a high price tag, but once good investments were made they last a logn time and get your money worth. Most work is easy. But good there are shops that can fix bikes. But I'm glad I know what to do and how to do it.
Yeah these guys are far more advanced than my LBS. I only need them on more complex issues and say I end up with a broken bike in one form or another and have to work out how to fix what they mullered. Even over torqued a derailer hanger and stripped the threads. Wish I was local to these guys.
The biggest problem with the bike in video? Using a pressure washer to force dirt and water deep into expensive parts. This can ruin a bike from day 1 and do it quickly.
Especially when full services are required on front and rear suspension.
@@mtbboy1993 Worked in Gausdal as a mechanic last year. UK is pricey, but there was another level expensive, and parts were hard to get.
For the pay-it-fwd fund. You guys rock!
Wow. Thank you so much.
Awesome!
Nice. Lovely gesture 👏
That’s cool
what a legend
great to see the focus on the customer before the profits. Well done!
Thank you. That is really generous
Hell yes, you did the right thing.
I was lucky, when I was growing up. We were always very poor. The owner/mechanic at my local bike shop was an awesome guy. I would bring my bike in only when I didn't know how to do the repair myself. John could tell by the look on my face that I couldn't afford it. His solution was to have me come in when he was doing a similar repair and he taught me how to do it myself. He was one hell of an awesome guy.
Love that.
Wonderful bicycle businessman .
The right answer is your honesty your attention to detail your empathy 14 year old is learning from you so much how to maintain his bike properly and PG a customer for life i applaud you Mapic.
thats a real nice ride for the kid. very lucky to have such supporting parents
Loved your approach to the lads MTB and as ever love your content. Thanks
For the pay it forward fund! Bless you guys!
Thank you 🙏 that’s really generous.
Hats off for your work and mindset
Old guy get off my lawn rant incoming and here goes... I'm 56 and raced motocross starting when I was 8. When I got to be 10 my dad told me that "if I'm old enough to race my bike, then I'm old enough to maintain it". He showed me how to change piston and rings on my YZ 80 and helped me the first couple of times, but after that I was on my own. So by the time I was 13 I was doing all of my own top end, carburetor, tires and tubes (my dad had to help with getting tires on and off) and just general maintenance. This was 1977 and while I was fortunate to have a dad who could show me, I had no other tools to help if I got stumped. Today, whatever you are trying to do, there is a You Tube video or some other help at the click of a few buttons. Mom (and hopefully dad) need to tell this young man the exact same thing because most of the problems were caused by a lack of simple maintenance and just a few hand tools, grease and the desire to do it were all that was needed.... Phew, now I feel so much better.
Great comment... Spot on
I feel you
Exactly my thoughts
💯 the right thing to do. A few Ghetto fixes to get him back on the road and the budget for the important bits 😊
I regularly get remedy's in (3 mate's ride them) although a bike shop quoted a customer 40 quid for a dub BB service as it had play turned out the compression washer wasn't wound in or the grub screw wasn't to torque 😮 (no charge)
Full swap sram code to xt brake replacement plus components, I even repaired the downtube protection with glue and full service and tune up.
We need to do better and look after the little guy/ future privateers pay it forward 😊😊
I partly agree, it is preferable that we have adults teaching this stuff as well as the responsibility, but we don't live in the same world that we grew up in. Lots of people just don't have any grasp of preventative maintenance and are taken by surprise that mechanical things wear out, including with bikes. I have had the conversation more than once in my life, it's not just kids or gen z or millennials either, it has been my parents and their generation as well. You point out to them that they have to get their cars serviced and MOT'd, but it's an alien concept to them that other things are going to wear out in the same way.
And while we're getting frustrated by young people and kids and their lack of nous over 'obvious' things like how to do basic DIY or write a cheque, remember that for every boomer moaning about young people, there are a thousand boomers who can't manage utterly trivial tech tasks like email, messaging, online banking, setting up wi-fi, resolving login issues, and not falling for phishing scams.
Thank you Paul. This shows that your shop isn't all about the money. Building a relationship that may last a lifetime is the best focus.
A good honest reputation comes first .
I love this channel and you are a great mechanic with high skills but also high empathy for the customer. I’m also not a native English speaker and today I learned what pay it forward means. So many thanks for everything!
Thank you so much. ☺️
When I was a lad 60+ years ago your bike was precious, it was your freedom and I could be out all day with my mates on it.
You had to learn how to keep it going, a new tube was out of the question, I had patches on the patches. Nowadays kids bikes are almost disposable items, I see them just thrown away. OK, a high end mountain bike is a bit special.
I still ride and my early fix it skills have served me well.
You did a good job, thanks for the video.
Massive kudos for the 'Pay It Forward' fund. I hope you inspire other indie bike shops to do similar. This is community! 👏👏
right/wrong, the comprehensiveness and transparency is invaluable. 👍
A nice change to hear an honest mechanic thinking about the customer and not their profit.
I get shops have to make money, but ripping people off isn't on. Yes people can get very picky about things needing changing but think about the customer and their budget, a refreshing video this one. Great customer service like this goes along way.
I've got a box full of bells to donate to customers without (a working) one, mostly used on kids bikes. Couple of batteries here and there, bit of oil on the chain, air in the tires, adjusting a headlight etc.. Small gestures but always greatly appreciated. Got us customers, entire families even, for life
If it wasn‘t that expensive to ship my bikes from Germany to your shop, I would have finally found my mechanic of trust! Great job and thanks a lot for your content!
Great to see the pay it forward approach you take - bravo!
For the PIFF…keep up the great work! 🇨🇦
Thank you 🙏.
I'm 16 years old and about to get a job as a bike mechanic. The service manger thats training me has told me the same thing you said at 9:55 so I feel confident this is a good store thats not just trying to charge people more than they need to. I appreciate that as I've been in this situation before where my bike needed repair, but I couldn't afford it cause a shop was trying to charge me for things I didn't need. I told them never mind and fixed my bike the best I could by myself, which has lead me to want to me a bike mechanic. Great video, stoked for my new job!
That’s awesome. Good luck on your journey dude.
For paying it forward everyone, may all your dreams come true, there are still decent people in our society which are both humbling and a beautiful thing, cheers 😊
Massive respect for doing your best to get that lad sorted out as cost effective as possible. It’s nice to see a good honest bike shop. Brilliant work
I appreciate your practical, no-nonsense approach to jobs like this one as well as your comprehensive, high-end service to the customers who can afford it. Knowing the difference and acting accordingly is what makes your shop tops!
Nice work guys, pay it forward 👍
Thank you 🙏
Excellent content as usual and fantastic customer service. Shining example of how all bike shops should be. Well done Paul
😊
I took my whole bike , ORBEA Rise to Fox suspension workshop and they said “ oh people don’t usually bring the whole bike for a suspension service “ but they accepted it and charged £329 for both and they put the bike back together afterwards too 😂👍🏾
Nice. A good reminder for people that it’s wise to learn your own wrenching, at least for basic stuff.
Oh wow, got a bit emotional watching this, so awesome job. You remind me of the bike shops that used to look after me when I was an aspiring road racing kid in the 80s. I owe so many favours to those shops who knew I could hardly afford anything but yet they helped me anyway in so many ways. It's a pity that all of them are now gone but I'll be forever grateful.
I was the same. Skint student in adventure racing and something breaks the day before a race. My local shop was so cool.
Fairness all round I feel. Your work still cost the customer around £400-£450, and there were still issues to be monitored for the future, in fairness their original quote wouldn’t have been far off BUT… I would have had them as advisories, worked on the things that were crucial for safe operation, much like yourself. Being fully transparent and honest is paramount for my customers as that builds TRUST. Great little video, good job on that too😃👍🚴
The video shows the difference between shops that take the "it's worn ..put new on then" and the "it's worn...lets refurbish it then and save money" attitude. One shop doesn't need the hassle as the customer will just pay if they want it fixed. The job in/job out syndrome I call it, with the least hassle for the shop.
The other shop does the work that's needed to fix it, but does that little bit extra on attention and detail, which gives them a bit extra hassle but ultimately gives the customer better service. One shop is a "halfords" and the other is a shop with mechanics in it.
Good job, keep up the great work and service
Thank you Martin
Love the video. You guys did what the customer NEEDED to keep riding not what what you wanted to get it back to it’s best, often a difficult situation to navigate. The idea of a “pay it forward” fund to help out customers in a situation like this while still covering your labor costs is sublime! It’s more like your community pitched in to get them riding again, pure genius. I’ve had so many services get out of hand because I feel like I have to do my best work. Sometimes it’s an awkward call to get the work approved, other times we comp the labor and they’ll just pay for the parts, others we’ll cover everything just to help out. Love all your videos, it’s like the little mechanic in my head egging me on to be better everyday!
Good video as usual. Shows that being a mechanic doesn’t just require wrenching skills but also people and communication skills.
Exactly how I treat my customers. Always give them options - cheapest = get them up and running, but expect to come back in a few months, or expensive = get all issues resolved and as close 'as new' as possible. Honesty is always the way ! . Cracking channel keep up the good work
I love how much pride you take in your work. Great job. Thanks for the content.
I had a bike shop help me out as a kid. I never forgot that. Well done to you and your team!
Fair play Mapdec. Finally, a YT channel that shows customer empathy in these challenging financial times. Well done all.
I do all my own work including building up my own bikes. Self taught over the years. The only thing I don’t work on are Fox fork and rear shock dampers. The main reason being expensive proprietary tools. I even build my own wheels now. The amount of money and time I save is incalculable. During the lockdowns, the shops had two week waiting lists whereas I was up and running within the day. Point being, you can control your world best you can, or you have to rely on others for simple things you can do yourself. Most people lack the desire to learn and then do. Not everyone needs to be able to build their own bikes, but if they did the basics, they’d be much happier. Almost everything you want to learn is on RUclips as others have commented.
Good job. I'm doing the same. I even intend to work on the fox forks so that I don't need to rely on others. First job will be swapping the air shaft (for a longer travel one) when I do a lower leg service...
Basically some bike shops are like car garages and that’s scam shops, I’ve had one in my town who would quote for work that’s not required. I learned many years ago to learn how to fix you own bike and pretty much everything can be done from RUclips videos, however in saying that you and your shop sound fantastic and I love your compassion for the customers situations, very rare nowadays.
For the "pay it forward," I honestly didn’t think the original quote was that bad, but I’m glad you got the lad rolling again and saved his mum some money.
Thank you so much. 🙏
great work. Best thing being the advice on looking after his bike and not pressure washing. 🤞he listens and is educated by mum to appreciate the "pay it forward" scheme.
👏👏👏
Fellow mechanic here. Totally love and relate to your ethic regarding listening to the customers needs and understanding their situation.
Absolutely love the pay it forward fund idea, just brilliant. Thanks for another great video.
Massive respect. I remember when I was 14 and I could barely afford my bike. And I would always try and work on it and balls it up. Well done guys. Your best video yet imo
The key is you made it safe, informed him of what will need doing in the near future so that he can save up, educated him on the perils of jet washing but more importantly got him back on the trails. Sounds like a good result. 👍
Never use a gurney on a bicycle !
Well done. These are honestly the things how kids learn kindness and how to be humble, kid will remember this for ever. Its a great feeling to memorize things from years back and just be glad about it.
Half the money saved, kid can ride atleast one season safely and fix things as they go, not needing to spend a grand at once.
i would more likely move to the UK all because of his quality service and honesty. Cheers from the USA.
Thanks. It rains a lot here, but kids are a lot safer in schools.
Refreshing to see a mechanic/tech take pride in what they're doing and being open and honest with the service being done. Full marks lad 💯 🏆👌
Great video, I am an ex instructor/center owner so was the bike maintenance gaffer too, for hard tails and full suspensions bikes, hire only ever broke even even with 30 hire bikes always on hire. Repairs became a large part and like this example people bought used bikes which was fine, the amount of times we headed to the bike bin and replaced parts was steady. I like the idea of the pay it forward. The amount of junior riders that came through the shop from struggling house holds was a lot. I normally did repairs for free and got them to pay by keeping the trails and car parks litter free, help out on trail repair days. So in kind.. I still meet these riders now 20 years on, with the own family out on trails. a forward attitude does workout.
Great to see someone with a passion for their job and a duty of care towards the customer.
Refreshing to see/hear.
Thanks for helping out that young rider with your skills and kindness and empathy and tip jar. Beautiful.
So much knowledge in this man’s head! It would take me HOURS of reading to figure out where to start taking that shock apart and he did it straight off the bat! Great customer service and great ethos! 👍
Thank you. 🙏
Great work. Not only does this reinstate some faith in humanity, but I also know that keeping youngsters inspired by riding, especially in a day and age of extortionate costs in the bike world, making it not accessible to many, is an excellent way of keeping them fit, healthy and out of trouble! Great work
I love what you did there. Just like you said, not everyone wants the best, the most expensive, the new. If bike is safe, rides good, keep riding it. Loved this video for so many reasons. Listening to customer and sensing their situation is a value on it's own. Kudos to you. Subscribed.
Just fantastic work all around.
This is beautiful, someone that really knows. Doing what the community needs.
We need more bike shops like yours. Mechanics who care and know what they are doing
Yes, splendid; you believe in looking after your customers. The lad should've been well pleased!
I was once that teenager boy with a single mum who didn’t know better. I don’t recall being taken advantage of, but my heart broke when you shared the backstory. Thank you for your integrity.
Appreciate the high level of service for all budgets. Good work 👏
I was doing everything for my bike when I was riding. I just googled and youtubed everything. Haven't done downhilling for like 12 years, so can only imagine how much more helpful content is out there now. I only took it to a bike shop when I didn't have a tool was that cost more than the part lol.
Edit: I was about 14 when I started
Well done mate. We always had the same pragmatic approach when spinning wrenches. We've got to keep people on bikes! ❤
Awesome! Big kudo's to you for finding what works vs the ideal. He'll be back when it needs more work, so will his friends.
These days they sell bikes for car prices and think they can charge car prices for a service. Ludicrous.
Fantastically informative video and a good job done, thanks!
Yep. A wage is a wage. Tools, rent, rates etc are all the same price as a car garage.
Nice job! It's funny what you say about pressure washers. The ones at Bike Park Wales are so powerful they look like they could cut your hand off. You usually see long queues of people lined up to murder their bikes with them. It's quite painful to see :-(
At that point, just wash them off at home, even if the mud dries!
I don't even use one on my car any more
This is class when I was younger. Are used to get ripped off by my local bike shop as I don’t think they were used to the sort of bike I bought in and I remember saving up for years for my bike and it was never done properly. Lovely to see stuff like this.
When I was fifteen years old, I just had to do all the maintenance myself on all of my (very) second-hand bikes on a very limited budget, albeit on road bikes.
It was a very useful lesson in "engineering sympathy".
This was a Very Good Thing. 😁😁
That, and the fact I only had to look at stuff to break it (according to my dad) made me the engineer I am today.
@@jurikristjouw You just have to know how stuff works. I get it :)
Laughed my socks off when I watched the GCN YT vid on "Can /Should I jet wash my bike, just like to say thanks to the GCN channel for all the work they created for me as a Pro bike Engineer. Great vids by the way bro nice to see someone doing it right! Do it right or don't do it is the way!
why do i always see and hear people pressure washing their bikes? it's like smoking. EVERYONE knows it causes damage but people continue to do it. as for you guys. it's great you're thinking of the customer and not trying to milk them for all their worth. which is why i never take my bike to a bike shop and do it all myself. i do a better job and i'm not getting cheated. good on you guys for helping this lad and his mum out.
£977 seems steep so you used your head and did what was essential to get the bike rideable and safe. You recognised the owners means so hopefully your honest assessment will lead to repeat business. A pressure washers is fine for cars etc. but not for bicycles or even motorcycles. Good job, well done.
You are definitely going to go to bike mechanics heaven. No really, you give us hope.
Wow, thank you! 🙏
Love watching these videos. Only my 3rd so far, but IMHO these are the best produced and informative videos in the subject. Fabulous work!
Love that ❤️
I’d have been blown away as a young lad to receive such help, but my local bike shop owner was a miserable git!
I hope that he appreciates it and STOPS JETWASHING!
Our youth are our future 👍
I like this fix! Gets the rider back in working order and you can use the positive interaction to pass along helpful tips and what to look out for in the future. If I were that customer I'd continue coming back over and over.
I am glad that I have my own service facility and do suspension in - house . My TREK is running beautifully . I rode her this morning . She is well loved and cared for . The Bontrager babies are calling !
If LBS's ever wonder why nobody goes to them any more, this explains why. I've been fleeced so many times by LBS's. The key is to learn to do things yourself and, over time, buy the necessary tools. What you will pay for quality tools will be a fraction of what an LBS will charge you, and over time the costs will go down. 975 quid is a total joke.
Well done to you for doing good for this young lad and his mum. We need more LBS's like you!
For the pay it forward fund
Thank you 🙏
Mate, fair play to you. It's nice to see honest bike shops, not wanting to fleece people 👏🏻
Well done on the fix, and great content keep up the amazing work ❤
Great content and awesome to see you help out this family!
I have no idea why your video popped up in my youtube timeline, but I really enjoyed it.
Great seeing honest mechanics with knowdledge and experience, actually repairing/reworking parts instead of just replacing everything. Keep it up :)
The PayForwardFund is increadibly helpful for people like this customer, I'm amazed.
Like with Seth (Berm Peak) I learned something today and found this entertaining 😉
Welcome aboard!
This channel is amazing! Love watching the strip downs and chat! RUclipsr channels like this need support!
Thank you.
I like that you helped to keep the costs down for the young rider.
Wow! This is how you build bike shop reputation, what a great job you’ve done there mate. 👍
Thanks 👍
I really appreciate what you did, 6 years ago when I was a child my father took the money that I had saved for a new bike from school competitions and typing tourneys and used it on hookers. At the time I had a bike which I found on our neighbour's property’s junk pile and took it to the bike shop to fix it up. The Bike mechanic was very nice to include a new derailleur, chain and labour costs for free after I told him that I only had $150. He only quoted $120 for the new airless tyres, spokes, brakes and wiring. He was a very nice guy and I really appreciated what he did for me. However, my dad began cursing, yelling, and threatening him, I really wanted to thank him but I couldn’t because of that day. So if the attitude of the parents might be not nice, the child would always feel more understanding and appreciative. Speak to the child if the parent becomes childish.
Wow. Sounds like your bike was therapy. Hope you ok now.
Tack!
tack så mycket
14:08 "the original quote from the other bike shop was probably about spot-on" appreciate you saying this, it would have been easy to give a narrative that "this other bike shop tried to rip them off!" rather than just not being on the same page about only wanting the absolute bare minimum to make it rideable
this is the way to do it, i always have offered customers the option of a no expense spared service to get the bike as good or better than new, or the "make the bike safe and just keep it rolling option". They always remember the time you pulled them out of the shit when they were skint and you end up with a customer for life, never understood the crazy quotes some shops and workshops throw about.
Nicely done sir! Thoroughly enjoying your videos! Blessings from Cape Town - South Africa!
I really like the way you run your shop and how you do the most you can while taking into account their budget
Thank you Gary.
This shop is a god send. I love watching all the random vids. I'm a roadie, but still enjoy seeing these guys work their magic. I learn something every video. Shout out to Mapdec all thew way from Texas!
The mind boggles how a rider in Texas tunes into a little bike shop in the English Lake District. Thank you.
@@Mapdec Community bike shop, market town / rural location, but global reach through this channel due to your ethos and high standards of practice. Simply awesome old son !
Good work. I love a really nice "good deed." I enjoy your videos and the way you run your shop.
Amazing tools, and thoughtfulness. Great combination.
You guys are a credit to RUclips. Thank-you much!
This sort of customer service is lacking in so many businesses. Tell you what though, I am so glad I can do all my own bike maintenance!
For future headset emergencies 🎉
Thank you. Heard you are having a great ski season this year.
OK.. where to begin, I began racing road at an early age, fixing my own bike by 15yrs old, doing this for race events and even my older brothers bike, maintenance & repairs (he was a provincial road champ)... l went from racing to team mech to running a bike shop to having a world renowned bike brand national agency... I agree with others in that one should be able to service and maintain their own machine, however that being said not all of us are mechanically minded so spare a thought for that... As for this bike shop video, which I have no relationship with, what he's done here is a damn good job to help a not so great situation for a this bikes owner... so thumbs up to this bike guy... great job man, great job.....
Thanks Nigel.
Great job, Outstanding customer service. End of. Well done you realigned my faith in humanity.
Love what you did there and what you're doing. Was a great reminder to me why I only ride hardtails which I can maintain myself !
Loving those green Aldi micro-fibre cloths and you're definitely looking trimmer!!!!
Thank you.