Workshop goings on

Bit of a dredge I guess. That workshop is long gone :(

It's a shame but the situation of the shop changed pretty radically so it had to go. We went from 3 full time members of staff, back down to just me and my original business partner who works part time. It wasn't long after I last posted tbh. They old setup allowed me time to do what i needed on the bike shop side of things and dedicate time towards the workshop stuff. Unfortunately now the vast majority of my time is spent on day to day shop things, with little to no time for anything else really. It wasn't a great time for me personally then either, if I'm honest with myself. My marriage was on the rocks and i was spending virtually all my time at work hiding away. It wasn't sustainable.

My work life balance is now much better, and things are looking much brighter. The workshop is now back in the shop. I still have all the tools and machines i did before . There is still a pile of tubes and a half finished frame jig. It all now serves as a very useful if not slightly overkill bike shop setup, for whatever comes through the door. Having a lathe and milling machine are not classic bike shop requirements, but you'd be surprised how often they come in handy. My latest obsession is taking perfectly straight but rough looking derailleur hangers, and giving them a nice finish on the mill. And the lathe is worth it's weight in gold. There really are some jobs that can only be done properly with a lathe.

It's a shame i guess, because I was definitely on a path to doing some bike building, but life got in the way and it all came to a halt. Or maybe it was just reality, i don't know. But for now my relationships and business take precedence. The back workshop is pretty stacked and it works very well. I'll post some pictures soon.