Bike mechanics charge how much??

[harryS]

Did that $100/hour use a flat rate book? For automobiles, this is where they assign a time needed for a specific test, like a water pump replacement, or even a tire change, Usually the mechanic can do the job in less time than quoted, and he gets paid for the listed time. If he encounters frozen bolts, etc, and it takes longer, he still only gets the quoted pay.

I can't believe the sign was serious though.

 

[PedalUma]

Local Bike Shops (LBS) in Northern California charge $120 per hour. A non-electric "Full Suspension Tune-up" is $500. There are certification programs for bike mechanics. These people won't work on the insides of motor housings. https://bikeschool.com/classes/certification. There is a lot to know. Think of all of the vintages of bikes. People pooh-pooh the intelligence and skill required, until they try it themselves. Yes, just about anyone could go to Target and assemble new bikes out of the box. That is a contributing reason that these bikes are so poorly put together and adjusted. Is that being a 'Bike Mechanic'? When I said $120 per hour, keep in mind that this is a different world than much of North America. Guess and write down what the middle home value, median, is out here before clicking this link to see. https://www.zillow.com/marin-county-ca/home-values/ . The charge to install a water bottle cage is $20. A wheel build is $200. I would suggest that the skill of 'bike mechanics' is a wide and has a similar distribution curve and long tail as that of people who play musical instruments.

 

[john peck]

Local Bike Shops (LBS) in Northern California charge $120 per hour. A non-electric "Full Suspension Tune-up" is $500. There are certification programs for bike mechanics. These people won't work on the insides of motor housings. https://bikeschool.com/classes/certification. There is a lot to know. Think of all of the vintages of bikes. People pooh-pooh the intelligence and skill required, until they try it themselves. Yes, just about anyone could go to Target and assemble new bikes out of the box. That is a contributing reason that these bikes are so poorly put together and adjusted. Is that being a 'Bike Mechanic'? When I said $120 per hour, keep in mind that this is a different world than much of North America. Guess and write down what the middle home value, median, is out here before clicking this link to see. https://www.zillow.com/marin-county-ca/home-values/ . The charge to install a water bottle cage is $20. A wheel build is $200. I would suggest that the skill of 'bike mechanics' is a wide and has a similar distribution curve and long tail as that of people who play musical instruments.
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$200 ain´t bad for a wheel build, it´s very labor intensive & requires a lot of skill.

 

[AHicks]

I would guess somebody with a good work ethic and mechanical aptitude brought in to work as an apprentice would have a pretty solid understanding of what he needed to know to tackle about anything bike related in just a few months. Said apprentice with some electrical background (not talking a degree, just aptitude) could likely do well, possible exceeding the abilities of those training him in a shop that refuses to work on e-bike, IF he were given the chance to do that (work on e-bikes).

 

[retiredNH]

Did that $100/hour use a flat rate book? For automobiles, this is where they assign a time needed for a specific test, like a water pump replacement, or even a tire change, Usually the mechanic can do the job in less time than quoted, and he gets paid for the listed time. If he encounters frozen bolts, etc, and it takes longer, he still only gets the quoted pay.

I can't believe the sign was serious though.

Flat rates are a great way to inflate revenues. I used to be a shade tree mechanic with my cars. Even with my less than optimal tools, lack of experience, lifts etc., I could beat the flat rate time every day. A good mechanic can beat the time by 1/2 or more. Frozen bolts? Impact wrench... Most shops will up-quote if the job looks like it will be a mess, too.

Seems like bike shops have their own table of prices that don't really connect to shop time, judging by the posts I see on this board.

 

[PedalUma]

I think that the best bike mechanics are not the ones who learned 'The Formal Process' in a bike shop. But are the ones with tons of other experiences and problem solving skills that they can apply to bikes and electric bikes. Social skills are important too. The bike is not a commodity thing. It is an expressive extension of an individual social person in their context.

 

[john peck]

He's a guy I need to know! Would you PM me his name/business phone number, please?

Chuck´s Auto, port townsend off Cape George rd., but he only does older vehicles* for
long time customers. Heś semi-retired. No matter what I come in for, if thereś something
else wrong he´ll fix that too. *(pre-1990) The ford logo had fallen off mine so I put it on
my bike. I didn´t notice til a day or so ago, he replaced that as well, never mentioned it.
It´s from an even older model than my 35 yr old van. He´s not looking tor new customers.
He´s older than I am.

 

[john peck]

Realizing full well this is off topic, but having recently learned how to lace a wheel from scratch, I would encourage anyone with some time and patience to give it a try. Takes a bit, not something to be done in a hurry, but the satisfaction gained from a new DIY skill feels pretty good! A spoke tension gauge is about the only tool required - at about 45.00 or so on Amazon. You don't need a 100 dollar gauge to lace up a wheel or 2....

Certainly, you may not even screw it up by the 3rd try.

 

[harryS]

I've never had a bike serviced at a bike shop except for the initial build when I bought it. Last time I went to Performance Bikes, before they went bankrupt, the guy in the repair area exploded a tire. I mentioned that to the cashier. "Happen often?", I asked, He denied that II heard anything.

Yeah, I could see how you go broke charging $50 to lace a motor into a wheel. I did one outside on my upside down bike yesterday while listening to football. Pretty pleasant day. I made some mistakes and had to move the rim 3/4" when I actually fit it to the bike, but it's all working now. Only tool I need is a spoke wrench.

 

[AHicks]

Certainly, you may not even screw it up by the 3rd try.

Speaking from my own experience, that's not the case at all. Last check just last week with about a hundred miles on it (under my 300lb butt), my daily driver was still perfect, just like it was when I installed it. Done methodically, and tensions checked/evened out near the end of the process, there's not a lot that CAN screw up. There's no magic, and no smoke or mirrors required. Just patience.

Went from breaking spokes now and then, to none....... I'd call that a pretty successful install of a new set of spokes. Have done 2 more wheels since for a project bike, both turned out great, and didn't take near the time the first did. That set not in service yet, but I see no reason why they won't be as successful as the first one.

 

[john peck]

Speaking from my own experience, that's not the case at all. Last check just last week with about a hundred miles on it (under my 300lb butt), my daily driver was still perfect, just like it was when I installed it. Done methodically, and tensions checked/evened out near the end of the process, there's not a lot that CAN screw up. There's no magic, and no smoke or mirrors required. Just patience.

Went from breaking spokes now and then, to none....... I'd call that a pretty successful install of a new set of spokes. Have done 2 more wheels since for a project bike, both turned out great, and didn't take near the time the first did. That set not in service yet, but I see no reason why they won't be as successful as the first one.

I´ve done it too, but I´d just as soon pay someone else $200. It requires meticulous attention to get it right.

 

[AHicks]

I´ve done it too, but I´d just as soon pay someone else $200. It requires meticulous attention to get it right.

You're saying "meticulous attention", I'm saying patience and not getting in any particular hurry. I'm thinking we are in agreement?
I have a comfortable shop to work in where can pick at a project like this for days if necessary. Here it was just a matter of reading how others do it and watching a couple of you tube videos. I will admit, that had I started without that homework, it would be very easy to get lost and have to start over again. That would fit my lessons learned the hard way normal MO perfectly, but it didn't happen here!

I WILL admit, prior to getting into this myself, there was a point I would have paid 200 to get this first wheel redone. The reason I got involved is there was nobody that would agree to do it...... price never even entered the picture..... -Al

 

[RunForTheHills]

I have built a few wheels and it is not that tricky if you have the right tools. An experience wheelbuilder can build a wheel in under an hour. I would never pay $200 for that unless it included the rim, spokes, and hub and wasn't just labor. The last time I paid a bike shop to lace a wheel for me, I think they charged me $50-$60 for the labor.

 

[PedalUma]

Lacing and building your first wheel is a right of passage. It is an investment, a tuition payment. Once you can do it you have a valuable skill that most people do not have. Dishing comes later. Here is a good resource for those interested in the topic. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html I use dots of color to mark the first spokes and holes on each side. Once the pattern such as a triple-cross is established it is easy to keep up. Gravy is a legendary bike mechanic and wheel builder here is one article on him. https://mbaction.com/inside-the-toolbox-of-steven-gravy-gravenites-the-legendary-mechanic/. He laughs that people like me listen to spokes.

 

[jpmaio66]

Welcome to 2021. If he/she is getting health care, unemployment insurance, etc, then add in business cost the burden rate would be about 60ish an hour. Many compare the rate to auto mechanics which are typically associated with dealerships which have different cost. They also have diagnostic and repair software which the bike shops do not.

 

[retiredNH]

Sorry but if you're taking your bike into a bike shop where they don't even have a diagnostic software or tool, I'd consider switching your bike shop.

Initially I thought maybe diagnostic tools are only for custom shops like Grin or Luna. Quick research showed that ebike shops typically have diagnostics tool, especially if they're powered by something like Yamaha or Bosch.

Raleigh even shows what kind of diagnostic software they require for their dealers.

https://raleigh.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014602097-Dealer-Requirements-Information-for-Electric-Bike-Systems

Yea, ebike dealers need expensive stuff like micro usb cables! And a dongle for Bosch DU. That dongle may even cost more than a USB cable!

 

[john peck]

Sorry but if you're taking your bike into a bike shop where they don't even have a diagnostic software or tool, I'd consider switching your bike shop.

Initially I thought maybe diagnostic tools are only for custom shops like Grin or Luna. Quick research showed that ebike shops typically have diagnostics tool, especially if they're powered by something like Yamaha or Bosch.

Raleigh even shows what kind of diagnostic software they require for their dealers.

https://raleigh.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014602097-Dealer-Requirements-Information-for-Electric-Bike-Systems

I think I´d have to go to a major metro area to find a shop with ´diagnostic´ tools, but I can locate error
codes online. Ain´t no such shop anywhere handy nearby.

 

[AHicks]

Sorry but if you're taking your bike into a bike shop where they don't even have a diagnostic software or tool, I'd consider switching your bike shop.

Initially I thought maybe diagnostic tools are only for custom shops like Grin or Luna. Quick research showed that ebike shops typically have diagnostics tool, especially if they're powered by something like Yamaha or Bosch.

Raleigh even shows what kind of diagnostic software they require for their dealers.

https://raleigh.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014602097-Dealer-Requirements-Information-for-Electric-Bike-Systems

IMHO, because a shop says it has "diagnostic software" doesn't mean they are competent. Doesn't mean a thing actually. Having it (if it even exists) and having somebody on staff that knows how to use it, or can even locate it within the shop, can be something else altogether. More important than any "diagnostic software" is a shop with competent techs, a good multimeter, and access to the internet.....

 

[EMGX]

Aside from electric bike specific issues there is nothing on a regular bike that can't be performed by an average able person if they are willing to put in (pretty minimal) time and effort. Virtually any task has detailed youtube tutorials including excellent ones by Park Tool as well as the Sheldon Brown web site and many others. Someone who doesn't have the time or inclination has no cause to complain about a bike shop determining the price of their services. I once bought a used scooter that came with prior service records - a well respected Seattle scooter repair shop charged more to change <1 quart of oil and inexpensive filter on a 125cc scooter than what it cost me to change the oil on my F350 diesel that takes 15 quarts of oil and uses a $20 filter. If you don't the charges do it yourself.

 

[PedalUma]

I made this bike electric today. The owner wanted a bike to take to the office daily that looks more polished and grown up than the ones in stores. He works in a formal setting. I helped him choose and order the bike and upgrade parts. Then I shepherded everything with industry contacts and built then programed the vision. He values that.